Wild Hog Hunting near Austin - Best ammo choice?

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Wild Hog Hunting near Austin - Best ammo choice?

Posted: 9/8/2005 12:45:15 PM EDT

I'll be in Austin in about a week, and one of the things I'll be doing is hopefully shooting a Feral Hog. I am curious A) if my AR is up to the task, and B) if it is, what is the recommended ammo to use.

I'll be going for a hog in the 100-200lbs range, shooting a 16" AR with a Wylde chamber. The hunt will be a night hunt at a feeder, so yes i'm starting easy. =)

Posted: 9/8/2005 1:10:38 PM EDT

[#1]

Quoted:
I'll be in Austin in about a week, and one of the things I'll be doing is hopefully shooting a Feral Hog. I am curious A) if my AR is up to the task, and B) if it is, what is the recommended ammo to use.

I'll be going for a hog in the 100-200lbs range, shooting a 16" AR with a Wylde chamber. The hunt will be a night hunt at a feeder, so yes i'm starting easy. =)

I can't imagine an AR not dropping a small hog like that.

If it can drop Hajii, you gotta figure it'll drop a hog..dontcha think?

Posted: 9/8/2005 1:20:19 PM EDT

[#2]

I don't want to get into a disscussion about shot placement, but some times Hadji takes more than one shot to take down.

Of course when hunting, I actually care about what the animal is going thru and would like to see a clean kill.

I feel more empathy for the hog, than the hadji. =) That being said, is there a recommendation available for what to use?

Posted: 9/8/2005 1:38:57 PM EDT

[#3]

a 5.56 would probably be just right, with the larger big-game calibers being too much (although they would work). The only thing I would guess that might cause a problem is the fragmentation of say XM193 inside the hog, especially if you're gonna eat it later. Don't want to be pickin lead out of your teeth.

Posted: 9/8/2005 1:57:59 PM EDT

[#4]

I was planning on using something which would expand but not fragment.... That's part of what i was looking to learn by asking this question.

Posted: 9/8/2005 2:46:31 PM EDT

[#5]

Quoted:
I was planning on using something which would expand but not fragment.... That's part of what i was looking to learn by asking this question.

probably Federal HP at academy.

Posted: 9/8/2005 5:05:05 PM EDT

[#6]

I'm planning on bringing my 16" AR for a similar hunt (hogs & exotics at a friend's place near Hamilton Pool or down near Eagle Pass) in October. I was going to use Winchester Supreme 64gr Power Point Plus .223 rounds.

lansker

Posted: 9/8/2005 5:57:29 PM EDT

[#7]

Worked fine for me...I took my 16" bbl with a tac light on it (yes the deer hunters game me some looks but I don't care...they were happy I was shooting the pigs that eat all the corn feed).

I shot one that was about 280, just back of the head. It went down immediately. Another smaller one (read: tasty!) went down with a shoulder hit. Autopsy showed that 556 was just right with good shot placement. I wouldn't shoot them with a 7.62 unless I wasn't going to eat them. Reality is I don't really dig on swine, but cooked right, it's damn good eating.

Just don't mess around with these guys once you are approaching them. If given the chance, they will jack you up, so take precautions.

Posted: 9/8/2005 8:44:22 PM EDT

[#8]

Winchester 64 grain Supreme CPX2 is the ticket.

For hunting hogs, I do feel that the 5.56 is a bit on the Small side, (We typically use 7.62 or 12 slug) but with proper shot placement it can do the trick!

BIGGER_HAMMER

Posted: 9/9/2005 2:30:30 AM EDT

[#9]

I took a 215 lb hog down with a VMax .223 this year @ about 85yrds. 1 shot around the neck and it went straight down.

Posted: 9/9/2005 6:03:53 AM EDT

[#10]

I have had good luck with hornaday 75 gr. tap and with winchester power point plus. As stated above bee careful approaching they can be nasty sob's if not down and out for the count.
Where around Austin will you be hunting?

Posted: 9/9/2005 6:05:04 AM EDT

[#11]

Quoted:
Winchester 64 grain Supreme CPX2 is the ticket.

For hunting hogs, I do feel that the 5.56 is a bit on the Small side, (We typically use 7.62 or 12 slug) but with proper shot placement it can do the trick!

BIGGER_HAMMER

but if you're using 64 gr, make sure you have a lower barrel twist that will accomodate for that. I have a Colt 1/12 twist that would probably exploded (joking) if a 64 gr was shot out of it.

-mark

Posted: 9/9/2005 8:53:58 AM EDT

[#12]

aznkittykat(sp?)

had posted a lot of great results with q3131a

i personally would bring out the .50 beowulf!

Posted: 9/9/2005 2:28:33 PM EDT

[#13]

Win 64gn Power Points

Nosler 60gn Partitions

Posted: 9/12/2005 8:21:30 PM EDT

[#14]

Neck shot. AMMO doesn't matter. Even for the big ones shoot in the neck, drops them on the spot.

Posted: 9/13/2005 6:41:20 AM EDT

[#15]

I was thinking more like this:

14.5mm

Supposedly a while back some were imported and sold here, for about 3500? I think.

But ammo is hard to come by.

Posted: 9/13/2005 6:47:22 AM EDT

[#16]

I use South African 5.56 or Q3131A.

Both have taken so many hogs that I have lost count.

I have had only a handful that made more than just a step or two from teh shot, and only two that were not recovered.

FWIW, I went from a 5.56 to a 9mm AR just because the 5.56 was doing so much damage to the meat. It is a grenade in tissue.

Hog was hit in the chest from 25 yards with a 9mm. 147 grain subsonic, TCMC (truncated metal cone). Bullet was not recovered. But I seriously doubt it expanded.

The head is in a mud hole, and I had already cut off the ears when I took the pic. Makes the hog look headless.

The hog fell where it was hit, you can see from the mud how little he moved.

TRG

Posted: 9/13/2005 7:42:20 AM EDT

[#17]

I typically use Nosler Partitions for all of my hunting. I haven't shot a hog with an AR yet, but I did pick up some Federal Premium with 60 grain Parts, for whenever I do get the chance.

Posted: 9/13/2005 7:57:15 AM EDT

[#18]

the problem is pretty simple...

At ranges that you will likely shoot a hog, a 5.56 is travelling at fragmentation speeds. You don't really need MORE fragmenting than already occurs. Unless you plan to engage hogs at ranges about 100-150 yards, you don't need to worry.

Most of my encounters were in the sub 25 yard range. I tried to get as close as possible. I hunted alone and crept in close to observe them before taking a shot. When I fired the hogs had no idea where to go, in most cases, since the sound came from the middle of their group. And suppressed it was even more confusing.

Use FMJ, carry a full mag and a spare. FMJ penetrates the thick hide, breaks bones and explodes in the meat.

Personally, I don't care for eating lead. So, I now use a 9mm for all my hunting. Even deer.

FMJ 5.56 is designed to break apart, and it does it VERY well.

TRG

Posted: 9/13/2005 8:12:54 AM EDT

[#19]

Precisely why I use Partitions.....one big hole, all the way through the animal.

Posted: 9/13/2005 11:11:45 AM EDT

[#20]

Quoted:
Precisely why I use Partitions.....one big hole, all the way through the animal.

5.56 partitions go all the way through without breaking up?

TRG

Posted: 9/13/2005 1:25:31 PM EDT

[#21]

Quoted:
Quoted:
Precisely why I use Partitions.....one big hole, all the way through the animal.

5.56 partitions go all the way through without breaking up?

TRG

Not 100% sure about the 5.56's, as I have not had the opportunity to harvest any game with my AR yet. I do know that the 140 grains from my 7mm-08 [as well as 150's from the 30.06] have gone clean through every animal that I have hit with them, including several hogs and many deer [one that entered the front shoulder and exited the rear hip, taking out ribs along the way...what a mess!], as well as a 480# Nilgai [OK, that one doesn't really count since it was a head shot].

Considering my past success with this type of projectile, I figured it would be as good a place as any to start with for the 5.56 as well.....sort of a "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" philosophy. I don't think the presumption of effectiveness is too big a stretch, since the MV is only about 10% higher and projectile construction is analagous.

I'll let you know more definitively in a couple months after I get a chance to try the 5.56 Parts in the field on real flesh. I apologize for the speculation, if you consider it as such; I should have made my first post clearer.

Posted: 9/13/2005 2:30:10 PM EDT

[#22]

Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Precisely why I use Partitions.....one big hole, all the way through the animal.

5.56 partitions go all the way through without breaking up?

TRG

Not 100% sure about the 5.56's, as I have not had the opportunity to harvest any game with my AR yet. I do know that the 140 grains from my 7mm-08 [as well as 150's from the 30.06] have gone clean through every animal that I have hit with them, including several hogs and many deer [one that entered the front shoulder and exited the rear hip, taking out ribs along the way...what a mess!], as well as a 480# Nilgai [OK, that one doesn't really count since it was a head shot].

Considering my past success with this type of projectile, I figured it would be as good a place as any to start with for the 5.56 as well.....sort of a "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" philosophy. I don't think the presumption of effectiveness is too big a stretch, since the MV is only about 10% higher and projectile construction is analagous.

I'll let you know more definitively in a couple months after I get a chance to try the 5.56 Parts in the field on real flesh. I apologize for the speculation, if you consider it as such; I should have made my first post clearer.

No problem, I would be interested in testing it as well. Might have to pick up a few to try out.

TRG

Posted: 9/13/2005 3:08:26 PM EDT

[#23]

My hunt is for 9/20, and I plan (based upon posts here) to try using the Nosler partitions. Feedback and pics will come after that day.

Posted: 9/13/2005 3:18:01 PM EDT

[#24]

what about some 77gr SMK?

Posted: 9/13/2005 3:18:13 PM EDT

[#25]

TRG, please do pass on your results if you try them on a hog before I do.

Posted: 9/13/2005 3:57:06 PM EDT

[#26]

Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Precisely why I use Partitions.....one big hole, all the way through the animal.

5.56 partitions go all the way through without breaking up?

TRG

Not 100% sure about the 5.56's, as I have not had the opportunity to harvest any game with my AR yet. I do know that the 140 grains from my 7mm-08 [as well as 150's from the 30.06] have gone clean through every animal that I have hit with them, including several hogs and many deer [one that entered the front shoulder and exited the rear hip, taking out ribs along the way...what a mess!], as well as a 480# Nilgai [OK, that one doesn't really count since it was a head shot].

Considering my past success with this type of projectile, I figured it would be as good a place as any to start with for the 5.56 as well.....sort of a "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" philosophy. I don't think the presumption of effectiveness is too big a stretch, since the MV is only about 10% higher and projectile construction is analagous.

I'll let you know more definitively in a couple months after I get a chance to try the 5.56 Parts in the field on real flesh. I apologize for the speculation, if you consider it as such; I should have made my first post clearer.

No problem, I would be interested in testing it as well. Might have to pick up a few to try out.

TRG

TRG,

Nicole used one of my handloaded 60gn partitions in .223 Rem to bag that small doe last year. A quartering broadside shot through the ribs IIRC, at about 25 yards. She said it was DRT. I know there's quite a bit of difference between a 200 lb hog and a 90 lb doe, but that is the beauty of the Nosler Partition. The front half acts like a soft point and will mushroom at extended ranges. Up close, the front half will mushroom and peel away leaving the rear portion intact, much like a solid, that will continue to penetrate in a fairly straight line.

They are a bit pricey when compared to other rounds, but they have been proving themselves around the world for about 50 years.

Nosler Partition®
Favored the world over for its superior penetration and bone-crushing stopping power, the Nosler Partition® bullet provides the ultimate in accuracy, controlled expansion and weight retention in any caliber, on any game, and in any situation. Nosler Partition® is truly the standard of excellence and value in big game hunting bullets.

1. Fully tapered jacket ruptures instantly at the thin jacket mouth, yet the gradual thickening along the bullet's axis controls expansion and curls the jacket uniformly outward, at high or low velocities.

2. Nosler's special lead alloy dual core construction provides superior mushrooming characteristics at virtually all impact velocities.

3. Nosler's integral partition supports the expanded mushroom and retains the rear lead alloy core.

4. Special crimp locks in the rear core section, adding strength to resist deformation under the pressure of heavy magnums.

5. Enclosed rear core retains more than half the original bullet weight for deep penetration.

"I thought long and hard before I chose the premier item, the one thing in the shooting sports that would epitomize everything this bit of monthly space is all about. . . excellence, at least through my eyes. In the end the choice was simple, the Nosler Partition® bullet."

Ross Seyfried Guns & Ammo

Posted: 9/13/2005 4:54:34 PM EDT

[#27]

Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Precisely why I use Partitions.....one big hole, all the way through the animal.

5.56 partitions go all the way through without breaking up?

TRG

Not 100% sure about the 5.56's, as I have not had the opportunity to harvest any game with my AR yet. I do know that the 140 grains from my 7mm-08 [as well as 150's from the 30.06] have gone clean through every animal that I have hit with them, including several hogs and many deer [one that entered the front shoulder and exited the rear hip, taking out ribs along the way...what a mess!], as well as a 480# Nilgai [OK, that one doesn't really count since it was a head shot].

Considering my past success with this type of projectile, I figured it would be as good a place as any to start with for the 5.56 as well.....sort of a "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" philosophy. I don't think the presumption of effectiveness is too big a stretch, since the MV is only about 10% higher and projectile construction is analagous.

I'll let you know more definitively in a couple months after I get a chance to try the 5.56 Parts in the field on real flesh. I apologize for the speculation, if you consider it as such; I should have made my first post clearer.

No problem, I would be interested in testing it as well. Might have to pick up a few to try out.

TRG

TRG,

Nicole used one of my handloaded 60gn partitions in .223 Rem to bag that small doe last year. A quartering broadside shot through the ribs IIRC, at about 25 yards. She said it was DRT. I know there's quite a bit of difference between a 200 lb hog and a 90 lb doe, but that is the beauty of the Nosler Partition. The front half acts like a soft point and will mushroom at extended ranges. Up close, the front half will mushroom and peel away leaving the rear portion intact, much like a solid, that will continue to penetrate in a fairly straight line.

They are a bit pricey when compared to other rounds, but they have been proving themselves around the world for about 50 years.

www.nosler.com/images/partition.jpeg

Nosler Partition®
Favored the world over for its superior penetration and bone-crushing stopping power, the Nosler Partition® bullet provides the ultimate in accuracy, controlled expansion and weight retention in any caliber, on any game, and in any situation. Nosler Partition® is truly the standard of excellence and value in big game hunting bullets.

1. Fully tapered jacket ruptures instantly at the thin jacket mouth, yet the gradual thickening along the bullet's axis controls expansion and curls the jacket uniformly outward, at high or low velocities.

2. Nosler's special lead alloy dual core construction provides superior mushrooming characteristics at virtually all impact velocities.

3. Nosler's integral partition supports the expanded mushroom and retains the rear lead alloy core.

4. Special crimp locks in the rear core section, adding strength to resist deformation under the pressure of heavy magnums.

5. Enclosed rear core retains more than half the original bullet weight for deep penetration.

"I thought long and hard before I chose the premier item, the one thing in the shooting sports that would epitomize everything this bit of monthly space is all about. . . excellence, at least through my eyes. In the end the choice was simple, the Nosler Partition® bullet."

Ross Seyfried Guns & Ammo

When I read 'partition' I was visualizing a ballistic tip. Brain fart.

TRG