AR caliber for piggies?

[amassoc]

Without sounding facetious, I want to state that the harder you hit the hog, the safer you are.

1. You are not hunting the animal for food.
2. You are attempting the quickest, most humane kill possible.
3. This is not a "bragging contest" about the most highly-tailored rifle/cartridge in the hunting camp.
4. You are acting in the most ethical, responsible manner possible.

Isn't this the premise for removing these beasts from the gene pool?

Lot's of people eat hogs. Shooting an animal of that size and letting it lay is hardly what I would call ethical. Humane kills are to be applauded always but preserve the bragging rights - that's the spice of life man! I think an AR in .243 would be great to try!

 

[Chase89]

When some friends and I did our Texas hog hunt last year we killed them with a wide variety of cartridges. 12 gauge slugs, 30-30, 308, 30-06 and 10mm. Each was sufficient to kill and drop the piggy right where it was. Personally my favorite was the 10mm.

 

[Mygrainman]

I hear 25-45 sharps is a fun new AR cartridge... seen som vid of it taking out hawgs real good.

 

[turq]

My preferences are;
ARP melonite barrels 16",18",20"
ARP bolts
Aero and Mega
Young bolt carrier
Velocity trigger

In 5 builds all ARP /w super bolts produced 1/2" 5 shot 100yrd groups(probably better but I can' shoot them)
Best ammo form this kind of groups was S&B 110gr PTS factory ammo
68forums for pig hunters, night vision scopes, ultra light AR builds in 6.8ll, and 308.
Ultra light 6.8ll has come down over several years by one individual to something like 3.7lbs. Lots of ti.And carbon fiber.

 

[osprey]

My preferences are;
ARP melonite barrels 16",18",20"
ARP bolts
Aero and Mega
Young bolt carrier
Velocity trigger

In 5 builds all ARP /w super bolts produced 1/2" 5 shot 100yrd groups(probably better but I can' shoot them)
Best ammo form this kind of groups was S&B 110gr PTS factory ammo
68forums for pig hunters, night vision scopes, ultra light AR builds in 6.8ll, and 308.
Ultra light 6.8ll has come down over several years by one individual to something like 3.7lbs. Lots of ti.And carbon fiber.

I hope you are not advocating the s&b 110 pts ammo for hogs. I have shot a bunch of it and it does group well and is loaded fairly hot but the bullet is similar to hornady vmax in construction. Great varmint round, marginal deer round, but definitely not suited for hogs. I have played with some of Harrison's stuff and he is quite innovative, but it certainly pays to be a tinkerer with his offerings. I had a complete 6.8 spc upper from him and I still have a nextgen 260 upper I assembled from his parts that I am still playing with.

 

[bsa1917hunter]

Silly man, you're SUPPOSED to hit the target's 10-ring!

He was aiming at the x-ring...

 

[Captain O]

When some friends and I did our Texas hog hunt last year we killed them with a wide variety of cartridges. 12 gauge slugs, 30-30, 308, 30-06 and 10mm. Each was sufficient to kill and drop the piggy right where it was. Personally my favorite was the 10mm.

The 10mm in an AR Platform is more than ample for the large swine within 35 yards.

 

[Capn Jack]

Lot's of people eat hogs. Shooting an animal of that size and letting it lay is hardly what I would call ethical. Humane kills are to be applauded always but preserve the bragging rights - that's the spice of life man! I think an AR in .243 would be great to try!

The largest Wild Boar killed by a member of our Rod&Gun Club in Germany was killed with a .243.
475 lbs. One shot between the shoulder blades, from a, "High Sit", (Tree Stand).
No way would I attempt one that size from the ground without a climbing tree close by.

 

[EPS]

300 BLACK OUT is a good AR round for pigs within a hundred yards or even more .it hits hard with the right ammo .and you can probably get off two shots pretty easy and stay on target.

 

[titsonritz]

.458 SOCOM

 

[titsonritz]

I guess people have more money than I (I'm sure of this). It seems that people have an over-developed sense of "need". The Beowulf and SOCOM are great solutions, but if you can use a .308 Winchester to good effect, a 16" barreled AR-10 appears to be a more "cost-effective" solution.

Another "creative" approach might be to use a 308. Winchester case opened to accept a .50" 325-grain projectile at substantial velocities.

Problem solved.

I only have two questions.

1. How is building or buying a .308 AR rifle more cost effective then building or buying a .458 SOCOM upper?

2. How do you fit a .50's bigass in .308's little pants?

Are you looking to kill hogs, or impress women? Jeez! I thought that it was about effectively killing hogs using an AR platform. No one said that we were constrained to using the AR-15 platform.

Well, in truth, in the context of this thread the OP did ask specifically for a "hog capable" upper for an AR-15 that he was giving as a gift, but as typical everything under the sun comes out such as 30-06, bolt and lever action rifles, 22 magnum, hell I'm surprised there wasn't some Glock sucking or 45acp worship.

 

[Captain O]

I understand that the OP was mentioning the AR-15 platform. Perhaps the AR-10 was a bit of a stretch. The 300 Blackout Seems an excellent option. I fail to see how a 5.56 or .223 Remington would be good choices for the application. A "quick kill" is the objective and the heavier projectile in the .300 Blackout seems as if it would be more efficient/effective in the field then the 22 caliber projectiles in the smaller chambering.

This is the overkill of which you speak? SAY IT AIN"T SO, MARGARET!

 

[notazombie]

As an update; I did buy a 6.8 upper from Hardened Arms. Quality looks good but I haven't taken it out for a spin yet. I have an AR I planned to pair it with so that it'd be kind of a 2-fer gift.
...then the house deal went sideways. I'm hoping he makes good on some things but feel like the bonus (gift) needs to be earned. So depending on how things work out, I may just keep it for myself.

 

[slimmer13]

Glock 21. All the way

 

[Captain O]

The .243 seems as if it is a viable option. At close ranges, the 7.62 x 39 Russian on an AR-15 platform would probably work rather well. At ranges up to 100 yards, the 7.62 x 39 Russian has the power to kill deer and a stiff load of American propellant behind a 123 grain Hollow Soft point would make a great piggie rifle out to 80 yards. (240 feet is ample for a nice 20" barreled AR-15 with a "hot" Russian load should be more than adequate).

 

[Kruel J]

I'm trying to get a hog hunt scheduled in TX next year, and posting here to follow the progress. I was planning on using a 5.56 AR topped with a Vortex 1-4x24.

Just to update this I changed my mind. And built a .300BLK AER just for pig splattering.

 

[DirectDrive]

The 6.8SPC is the State Cartridge of Texas.
The Nancy Boys like the 6.5 Grendel for their delicate type of shooting.

That should take care of it.

/thread

 

[BigDanS]

The 6.8SPC is the State Cartridge of Texas.
The Nancy Boys like the 6.5 Grendel for their delicate type of shooting.

That should take care of it.

/thread

I have been hunting pigs in Florida the past 10 years and shot them with the following: 30-06, 30-30, 45-70, .35 Remington, 7.62x39, .300 BO, .243 and 5.56, plus 10mm from a G20 and .40 silvertops from a G22. Given a choice, 30-06 hands down.

In the AR -15 platform I love the .300 BO but it needs the right bullet and velocity to be effective. I have used SST's but they were too hard for the .300's slow velocity and just drilled straight through. I lost a pig I hit because it ran off. Pigs are pretty tough, and a shocking bullet works best. In a .300 BO I would stick to a softer 110 gr and get as much velocity behind it I could. I will not use a 5.56 again. I think the 6.5 Grendal II is a great compromise between platform and velocity and distance, and it is my next build.

How tough are pigs? Last November on a hunt the dog cornered a 100 lb boar in a Palmetto bush, And I shot it between the eyes with a .40 S&W Silvertip from my G22 twice ( double tap ) and it did not die, but did stun it good. We dragged it out and needed to make a coup de gras at the base of the skull. The only cartridge to DRT pigs for me has been 150, 165 or 180 gr 30-06.

D

 

[FishnhuntOR]

about 10 years back I shot a good size sow while in cali with a buddy. She came out of some brush and I shot her in the head with 06, 180 core lokt from about 5 maybe 6 yards away. There was no exit wound.
That was the last time I used remington green box ammo.

 

[The Chad]

I live in Oregon. Am wanting to go hog hunting.
Need to see if there is anything in the KFalls area.
I built a 6.5 Grendel and want to thwack some hogs.
Anyone got suggestions?