I'm thinking of trying my hand at hog hunting and wondering if I should get a gun specifically for it (as if I need a reason to get another one )

I figure I'll want a semi auto. Calibers I have in semi autos right now are 5.56, and 7.62x39. With the x39 those are an SKS and a 10.5" AR pistol. 5.56 I have in 16 and 20 inch AR format.

I question the capability of 5.56 against hogs, though I admit I may be selling the round short.  In any case I'm giving consideration to 6.5 Grendel in a 16 inch barrel or another 7.62x39 upper in a 16" barrel. The x39 appeals because I've got mags and reloading gear already. The 6.5 appeals because it can reach considerably farther.

What are your experiences with all these calibers?

556 with a 70 grain tsx shouldn't have any issue putting a hog down, we use a 22lr threw the ear on raised hogs.

One thing I've always wondered here is if it's a case of "556 works fine as long as you make a good shot, at the correct angle, etc". Ergo, its marginal but it'll work if you do everything right and leaves you no or less room for error than a larger caliber would.

Or is it not like that and 5.56 can punch above its weight class and keep up with the 6.8s, 6.5s, and 7.62x39s?

If punching above the weight class is an issue maybe you should use this as an excuse to build an AR10 in 6.5 Creedmoor or  .308. Shot placement is the key with any of the mentioned calibers. But if you want an AR15 to do double duty as a steel ringer. Then the Grendel is a great compliment to the lineup.

Depends on where you're hunting.

Personally I ran a pinned 13.8" AR15 in 5.56 with 75grn soft points. Never did actually get a hog with it.   but I figured that most all my shots would be within 20yds, and guaranteed inside of 100yds just due to the layout of where I was. Heck, I was comfortable with just my 45 when my friend borrowed the AR once. Didn't question it once.

If I was stretching out any further, I'd definitely want to step up. My personal plan is a 10.5in .277 Wolverine, but if you don't want to get into reloading, then I'd run a 6.5 or 6.8 for reaching past 100yds. Inside of 100yds, I'd go with the 10.5in 7.62x39.

This answers my question.  I'll probably add a Grendel at some point because I don't know what the ranges will be, although the areas I have access to are in middle Tennessee, which suggests 100 yards and in to me.

We both use 16" AR's in 5.56 shooting 62 gr sp's. Our longest shot is 75 yds due to safety concerns.
But, put one in or right behind the ear and they're DRT. I have used a .44 Mag carbine at the same range, and
a 12 ga with 00 buck at closer range. But shot placement is the most important part of the equation to me.

My son and I run 308 AR platform rifles and I have never been disappointed with the 308 on hogs.  I used a buddies 6.5 Grendel and I thought I put some good shots on some pigs that we never recovered, but I also had some good results with it.  It was a borrowed rifle so it may have been me more then the 6.5.   The Grendel intrigued me enough to do more research on it and may try my hand at it again.  One of my buddies swears by the 7.62x39 on pigs and I trust his opinion.

I'm in a similar situation.  We're planning a hog hunt this fall and I don't really have a reasonable weight semi-auto in a hog caliber.

I started off thinking I'd build a 6.5 Grendel upper, but the only thing I would ever use it for is hogs.  If I could put together a lighter upper for my AR-10, that would be a good solution that I could also use for deer at home.  It's just, my AR-10 is a pig right now at 11lbs.  I'm not sure that knocking a pound off it will really make it handy.  I've never even shot the thing, maybe I should just tear it apart so I can weigh the barrel and handguard and see how much weight I can really drop.

I've shot pigs with an AR15 in .556,  an AR10 in .243,  and the AR(?)6.5 Grendel.

The deadliest has been the .243,  but these days I shoot the Grendel cause it's so much lighter.

The 556 will kill a pig, just usually not DRT and bullet selection is much more critical.

Stay with your 5.56 until you hunt enough to justify something else.  .308, 6.8, and grendel all kill better but you will still always lose a few. Oh well, shit happens and they are tough.

#1 Hogs have a lot of body mass and can take a lot of hits before going down, definitely bring a semi-auto to these hunts if you want to bring them down without running after them.
 A) example:  A visiting hunter at my land hit a hog between the eyes with a 30-06 this year, it went down and since no subsequent shot sent, the hog thrashed about and destroyed my feeder by knocking it over.
 B) example:  December 2017, me and a visiting hunter were night red LED hunting with AR-15 .223.  Visitor had .223 FMJ and I had Hornady .223 Spire point.  Three hogs approached us on the trail running from 65 yards and before we could fire it was less than 45 yards.  Visitor took 110lb hog on right and after 5 bullets it was down but still very alive and moving.  I took down a 85lb hog on left with one spire point but the third larger hog took two hits, spun around and ran off!

#2 Bullet choice is also important with hogs, expanding high velocity bullets inflict maximum damage.  I use spire point .300 BO bullets exclusively now.

#3 I recommend carrying at least two firearms incase of a malfunction.

#4 Night hunting is best time to see hog but it will require at least RED LED flashlight capable of at least 45 yard illumination.  ATN or similar scopes are nice but difficult to use for close encounters especially when hunting hogs on forested property.

I kill a lot of hogs here in FL. Including some damn big ones...

.223 will get it done with a HEAVY bullet and GREAT shot placement... but like mentioned above, hogs can take a hit.

I've had much better performance using the 6.5 Grendel and .308 Win. with shot placement being similar. Of course any CNS hit will mean lights out whether it be a .223 FMJ or .308 180gr. SP.

If I were you, I'd build a 16" 6.5 Grendel upper and call it a day.

Been hunting hogs for long time and shoot quite a few on my property.  I've hunted hogs with 45-70, 30-06, 308Win, 243Win, 30-30, 300 Blk. and 223/5.56...and some I've forgotten.
In my experience if you shoot the right spot on the hog with any of these calibers the hog will go down quickly...often immediately.  If you get suboptimal hit on a hog with any of these calibers the hog is not going down immediately and you could have a hard tracking job ahead.  Forget caliber as pinpoint accuracy is what puts hogs down.
My current daily hog slayer is a 16" AR in 223 caliber firing Speer 62 gain Gold Dot or 16" AR in 300Blk firing Barnes 120gr TTSX.  I like both and they get used frequently.  More recently I've been testing a 10" AR pistol in 223 firing Speer 62gr Gold Dot.  I like the weapon as it's very compact and light but I'm not fully convinced that it is as effective as the 16" version...due to bullet's slower velocity.

I agree with what yobo has to say.  In my experience hogs, even medium sized hogs, can soak up a lot of lead and keep running if you don't take out something critical.  I've hit one at 50yds with 2 308 shots...both lung hits that did incredible tissue damage.  Ran 200 yds.  Lost blood like crazy the whole time, but it still was a long trail and recovery.

223 with a hunting specific bullet design (TSX, Fusion, or any bonded/all-copper) is nothing to sneeze at.  They are flat-out impressive (at least out of the 16" rifles I've used...and pretty darn good out of shorter barrels too).

I also have been using a 16" 300 Blk with either 200+gr Subs or 110gr Barnes TSX (the subs are just to be quiet, they are pretty anemic with all but very expensive expanding bullets...but this option serves a role).

The light weight of the smaller AR platform is just too appealing for me not to use it in a lot of situations.   That being said I still use a 308 sometimes just for fun and the insurance it provides (if I'm not going to be out walking around much).

458SOCOM

YMMV and all that... strictly speaking of 5.56/.223 I’m usually hunting from a stand near feeders or otherwise shooting hogs at ranges less than 100 yards, most often 30 to 75 yards. At that range I’ve found M193 to be a more effective bullet than the bonded, hunting type. However, were I expecting most of my shots to be at longer range I’m sure a heavier, bonded/solid expanding bullet would outperform.

6.5 Grendel with 20-24" barrel if you'll be shooting past 300 yards.
6.8 SPCII with 12-16" barrel if your shots are less than 275 yards.
7.62x39 with 10.5-16" barrel if your shots are less than 150 yards.
Hornady's SSTs are a great choice in factory ammo for all 3 calibers on hogs.

+1

FUCK!

I've mainly used 6.5 CM as it is extremely accurate, and my shots could vary anywhere from 75 - 400 yards. It's put everything down that I've shot. The furthest I've had to track one was 30 yards. I think shot placement IS the key for whatever caliber you choose. Neck shots have worked for me. With that being said, the CM is damn heavy. But I'm usually hunting from a stand, so it's not that big of an issue to get there and setup. Whatever you choose, if it is accurate and you're familiar with it, you should be good to go.

AR10 in 308 win. I own a few 15s in various calibers and I don’t use them for hog. Only AR10 and 12ga slugs for me. I have a 930 JM Pro that’s fantastic for close work. Save the 15 calibers (and AK for that matter) for varmints and small predators. 6.5 and 6.8 are capable on larger animals, but makes little sense if you have a 308. Watch Pig Man show where his fans vote for a 338 Lapua kill and the hog runs away. Placement still matters, but it’s insurance. Bad shots happen to me all the time. Apparently I’m the only bad shooter on the Internet, but ask your outfitter to choose and I guarantee my $.02 is on target.

There shouldnt be as many problems if all you’re shooting are piglets in 223... you obviously care about the animals if you’re asking. That’s good because it feels like crap when they run away. At least to me.  Good luck.

Colt 16” 6920: 6.9 lbs

Dpms G2 ap4: 7.25lbs

Both w same furniture

Note 6920 used to be listed as 5.9 but was BS.

The smaller newer 308’s are hard to beat, they have smaller boat carrier groups and smaller barrel extension. You just cannot approach them with all larger frame 308. Even if you do get the  your 308 later it will still not balance well as the newer type ones. But if you get a V7 hyper light handguard and you get your barrel turn down the lights up M 14 pencil profile you can get it even under 7 pounds with a titanium BCG.  And some carefully select butt stock & maybe cutting holes in the magazine well of the lower receiver

Can you recommend such a red lamp?

With 16" Grendel and 123gr SST at 2400fps, you have expansion to 350yds with 891 ft-lbs at 250yds.  (All my personal chronograph readings with 16" Grendel and 123gr SST have been in the 2440-2480fps region, but I'm seeing lower numbers with more recent batches from other people posting, so that's why I say 2400fps.)

With 12" Grendel and 129gr ABLR, you get instant expansion to anywhere from .600-.700" within the first inch of penetration on hogs (real world), with pass throughs.

The 129gr ABLR expands down to 1300fps, so you don't need a lot of muzzle velocity for it to perform, and it doesn't like to slow down with its .563 G1 BC.

Shooting 90gr TNT from 12" suppressed, I'm getting 2683fps average from the Federal Factory ammo that comes in 50rd boxes, and it's been accurate through several of my Grendels so far.  I'm using Faxon, LaRue, and Lilja barrels on those samples to-date, with everything being MOA or less across 3 barrels.  From 18", it's doing 2900fps.

A 10.5" Grendel shooting a 123gr exceeds the performance of a 16.3" 7.62x39 AK or AR within 25yds, and exceeds the 20" SKS by 50yds.  A 12" Grendel beats the 16.3" AK from the muzzle on out. (123gr 6.5mm SST is .462 at Grendel speed, 123gr .311" SST is .275 G1 BC.)

We have the most real-world data so far with 123gr SST on hogs, with hundreds of recorded samples.

5.56 and 99% of any other center-fire rifle cartridges will put down hogs with behind-the-ear shot, 1st-shot.  Once you have runners, you want something that will expand and pass through.

Of the several great hog hunting channels out there, this one is one of the top 3 easily, since he does detailed play-by-play analysis of the terrain, shoot/no-shoot considerations, video through the Thermal-often multiple thermals in split screen, then slow-mo shot-to-shot analysis on the 1st shot and movers, then detailed necropsy of the wound path and terminal ballistics with a wide variety of projectiles and large samples sizes of those projectiles.

Most of his have been 123gr SST.

He's on a 90gr TNT binge lately, slaying everything including large boars.

There was more of the tnt left than I figured there would be. I really liked the necropsy to show bullet performance.

Yeah 7.62x39mm is a good caliber for hogs. I know plenty of guys running AK47's to hunt hogs. I'm sure the SKS will work fine too. Cheap ammo and effective.

The thing about hog hunting is the 5.56 is great for the first shot, but not so good when blasting them after they run. At that point you probably will wish for something bigger as a gut shot might not drop them so you can give them another round.

Putting more energy in a neck shot also gives you a better chance of breaking the neck. You are going to kill hogs with a Grendel or a 5.56 IMO. With 5.56 get something that penetrates.

thanks for posting the vid.

the tnt did the job, w/ a neck shot anyway.