AR caliber for piggies?

[DirectDrive]

Someone should address the elephant in the room. What he really wants is something about the right size for Texas! 50 BMG

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Mebbe like a B17 waist gun and set it up in the helo.
Will need a good shell catcher though.
Helo pilot no-likey hot brass flyin' around the ship.

 

[LuckySG]

my attempts at linking to a video have failed. I have a Barrett M99 on the way, I have to think that would be a decent application for a big pig.

 

[DirectDrive]

There be some hog killin' right here...

 

[LuckySG]

There be some hog killin' right here...

Sign me up! That looks like a great challenge.

 

[Captain O]

There be some hog killin' right here...

That's nearly as good as sex... NEARLY!

 

[DirectDrive]

They used a camera bird and a gunship.
Not the typical "gun's eye" view.
And they had accurate shooters over mostly open terrain with lots of pigs invited to the party.

 

[notazombie]

I've been doing more reading all morning. I'm leaning heavily toward 6.8 at this point.

 

[AMT]

Any tips on good and bad parts for 7.62 builds?

I was perusing the Palmetto State Armory site and saw a blem sale on a 7.62x39 complete upper. I thought "what the heck, lets try something different". (wanted something different than "another" 223). While waiting for it i researched mags. I found ACS mags were the preferred mag to use.

Once the upper and mags were in hand i headed to the range. I've got about 500 flawless rounds through it with absolutely zero issues. Tula ammo, wolf ammo, mixed rounds that i couldnt remember brand as i dumped them into an ammo can many many moons ago.

This is with doing absolutely nothing to anything (no tweaks, no mods, no filing/grinding - nothing) except cleaning the upper once i received it. Am i one of the lucky ones? Who knows.

 

[osprey]

6.8 spc is also a great choice. I've had a couple and used one to kill a blacktail with a 110 gr accubond and it worked great. You get a little flatter trajectory and more retained energy giving it another 100 yds of effective killing range over the 7.62x39.

 

[notazombie]

Good feedback. Thanks.

 

[Certaindeaf]

Mostly unnecessary backstory: I'm building a new house and one of my parents' good friends is acting as general contractor at a substantially reduced rate. Almost as a favor, really. I'd like to give him an AR15 as a small thank you. As a little extra, I was thinking of including an additional upper with the thought that it might serve double duty on his annual trip to Texas to hunt hogs on a relative's ranch. He says the area he hunts is brushy and most of his kills have been 50-120 yards.

I've done a little reading on the subject but since I've never been on a pig hunt, I'm hoping for input from those that have.
Some guys say .223 is good enough, some swear by 6.8, others Grendel, even some 300 blackout fans. What would be the ideal hog caliber at @100 yards?

Shoot them in the neck and the .223 is plenty.
Most of the pigs I've taken have been with a 9mm pistol and it'll take them cleanly, even without neck shots.

 

[osprey]

For cheap shooting, especially if you are not a reloader, it is hard to beat the 7.62x39. A case of wolf military classic hp is moa accurate out of my builds and can be had for less than $200. I don't think there are too many pigs taken further than 200 yds, as it usually an up close and personal affair, so the extra range of the 6.8 probably is not really required. If I were you I would build one of each and let your own firsthand experience guide you. I will always keep at least one of each in my stable.

 

[DirectDrive]

I've been doing more reading all morning. I'm leaning heavily toward 6.8 at this point.

The 6.8 is a great round.
It might have been a good thing if it was around when Stoner was designing the AR platform in the 1950's.
One look at it and you know it would function well in full auto.
There is extreme hatred between the fanboys of 6.5 Grendel and 6.8SPC as you've probably noticed.
Don't let that skew your opinion.

There's no way to measure it, but I'd bet that a large percentage of pigs are whacked with the 6.8
And you can get 6.8 ammo at Walmart.

 

[notazombie]

It's hard not to like, on paper anyway. Interesting point you make on auto application given it's development history for military use as a possible 5.56 replacement.
Seems like plenty of hog slayers like it. This kit is tempting and the vendor has a decent reputation. 16" 6.8SPC II- HBar- 1/10 Barrel 12" HD Quad Rail Upper-BCG-CH-Mag"%206.8SPC%20II-%20HBar-%201/10%20Barrel%2012"%20HD%20Quad%20Rail%20Upper-bolt%20carrier%20group-CH-Mag. He'll be on his own for optics.

 

[DirectDrive]

Tony Rumore works quietly in the background and offers up some unique stuff, especially for the big bore folks.
Welcome to Tromix Lead Delivery Systems
And not at "boutique pricing" IMO.

 

[The Heretic]

He has a couple SKSs so I know he already stocks ammo. My understanding is that 300bo is very similar to 7.62, balistically speaking. 300's advantage being able to use the standard 5.56/.223 mags and BCG. Not sure if 7.62 feeding issues are real or just internet rumors.

They are real, but some people have no problems while others have nothing but problems. From my reading (not experience), it is primarily the mag. There are a few ARs in 7.62x39 that take AK mags and those work wonderfully.

Depending on your budget, you might also want to consider big bore alternatives - like the .450 Bushmaster or the .458 SOCOMM. Not a long range rifle, but they will work on pigs out to 200 yards.

 

[DirectDrive]

It's hard not to like, on paper anyway. Interesting point you make on auto application given it's development history for military use as a possible 5.56 replacement.
Seems like plenty of hog slayers like it. This kit is tempting and the vendor has a decent reputation. 16" 6.8SPC II- HBar- 1/10 Barrel 12" HD Quad Rail Upper-BCG-CH-Mag"%206.8SPC%20II-%20HBar-%201/10%20Barrel%2012"%20HD%20Quad%20Rail%20Upper-bolt%20carrier%20group-CH-Mag. He'll be on his own for optics.

At that price point, you should also look at Radical.
Moving up from there it would be Bison Armory, one of the original suppliers of 6.8 stuff.
If you can build, some of the best 6.8 barrels come from AR Performance.

 

[osprey]

I had a ARP 6.8 spc barrel that ended up being over gassed so I ended up installing an adjustable gas block on it after a bit of frustration with its accuracy. It helped tighten the groups up to around moa with much load development but was always finicky. I sold that upper off and bought a psa upper they briefly offered with the FN chf Double chrome lined 16" barrel and it shoots great and is not finicky at all. Best of all I have half the money into it. As always ymmv. This is not a knock on ARP though, I have since bought a next gen 260 Rem upper from H that I am still tinkering with but it is a keeper!

 

[notazombie]

Just did some quick poking around for Radical. Lots of sold out items which must be a good sign (I hope). I'll keep them on the radar. Thanks.

 

[bbbass]

I have a Hardened Arms upper in 5.56 that has performed flawlessly. Great pricing and nice people. Keepin it local.

IMO 6.8 should work very well. I once watched a vid of javalina busting using .204 Ruger... took em right down!