[Guest]

I am going hog hunting in March with a buddy, and while I have used my .300 Win Mag. to take hogs, and my .270, and even a .45 ACP, I want to use my RRA AR-15 for this trip. Two things I am not sure of, are what bullet I should use, and what optics I should top with it. The hunting will be some stand, some riding around, a little walking, and even some possibly by spotlight. Any ideas to make this hunt productive and fun?

 

[Guest]

I am going hog hunting in March with a buddy, and while I have used my .300 Win Mag. to take hogs, and my .270, and even a .45 ACP, I want to use my RRA AR-15 for this trip. Two things I am not sure of, are what bullet I should use, and what optics I should top with it. The hunting will be some stand, some riding around, a little walking, and even some possibly by spotlight. Any ideas to make this hunt productive and fun?

In Texas there are so many if you go the right spot, take whatever you take to the range. Basically whatever you find fun. Personal preference shoot the 150-180 lb females, they taste the best (smaller tastes good, but not enough meat if you ask me) Of course if I could have anything I'd want an acog, but I just love those in general.

 

[Guest]

Personally, in pigs, I do NOT use ballistic tipped or hollow point bullets. Pigs can be so thick that sometimes the bullet expands before it gets where you want it to. With that said, the .300 winmag (which I shoot) will still have enough speed and force to get in there with expanding bullets. If you are gonna shoot a .223, I'd take some bullets that don't expand all that much, because I like penetration on hogs. I sometimes shoot them with fmj's. I know that the barnes bullets, I'm trying to remember which ones, are pretty good on hogs. Best of luck to you. Like Yocan, I'm from Texas, but I prefer the 125-150 range better than the 180 lbs. Either way, even the 180 lb females are good eating.

 

[Guest]

Personally, in pigs, I do NOT use ballistic tipped or hollow point bullets. Pigs can be so thick that sometimes the bullet expands before it gets where you want it to. With that said, the .300 winmag (which I shoot) will still have enough speed and force to get in there with expanding bullets. If you are gonna shoot a .223, I'd take some bullets that don't expand all that much, because I like penetration on hogs. I sometimes shoot them with fmj's. I know that the barnes bullets, I'm trying to remember which ones, are pretty good on hogs. Best of luck to you. Like Yocan, I'm from Texas, but I prefer the 125-150 range better than the 180 lbs. Either way, even the 180 lb females are good eating.

Thanks for the advice y'all. I have killed quite a few pigs, and found that usually the younger the better, but the big nasty Russian boars sure get the heart pumping. My .300 Win. Mag. tends to knock them down and out, but I have had to shoot a big boar twice with my .270, the first one just knocked it down, then it was up and running. Shooting a 140 gr. bullet, believe it or not when it hit the shoulder plate of that 400 lb. hog, it gouged out a big scoop, but was deflected and never penetrated. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it. That was one big nasty boar.

 

[Guest]

I'll believe it, first hog I ever saw shot, was 300 or so lbs (hard to remember it was HUGE at the time, but I was maybe 11) dad hit it with a 22-250 at about 12 feet, scoped at 200 yards, aimed at the nose, hit it at the top of the spine, ripped out a chunk like a baseball, it went down, spinning and roaring. Took a few more shots to kill it, hard to hit them when they won't hold still.

My brother great shot, not so smart at hunting hit one in the back half of its body with a 30-06, it subsequently tried to charge him, Will ripped the rifle out of my brothers hands and shot it again. Did I mention, my brother is bigger than me, Will is bigger than him, and then their parents are huge, the four of them couldn't get it off the ground, they had to use a winch and truch (over 500 lbs)

I like 150-180 because I like a lot of meat, if I had my choice, and a lot of people, thats what I'd shoot, just three people go smaller. Thats as large as I'd go if I had a lot of targets to choose from. Oh, try head shots, it works and try considering the AR, to get two in one firing period, gotta try the semi-auto out once right? (some say head shots are unethical, but from a blind, square in the top of the head works fine)

 

[Guest]

My buddy only uses his AR to hog hunt with. Last time we went, we came across a 300 boar, he raised his AR onto target and scored a perfect shoulder shot, the pig dropped in its tracks and didnt move. It was stone cold dead. Just to make sure, when we approached the pig I put a round of out my SKS from behind his shoulder going towards his heart. My friend was shooting .223 penetrator ammo in 55gr and I was shooting 7.62 wolf hollow points. Upon field dressing the pig, we found a perfect little 223 entry wound which continued through both lungs (which by the way were disintegrated) and another small 223 exit wound. No hole was found for my bullet. After some in depth searching, I found pieces of bullet shrapnel on the shoulder plate of the hog and no entry wound or fracture from the bullet hitting the shoulder. Turns out I didnt aim well enough and hit the shoulder.

Moral of the story, and FMJ 223 or 556 ammo will work. Oh ya, my buddy was using iron sights with a 3D maglights duck taped to the handguards as his illumination. Worked out pretty well, at anything under 50 yards, the black spot on the light beam was his aiming point.:lol:

 

[Guest]

If you want something that's gonna stay together and penetrate, I'd look at either Black Hills 60 gr. JSP's or CorBon's .223 DPX load.

 

[Guest]

Thanks for all of the comments and keep em' coming.

Gig Em' Texag! Whoop!

 

[Guest]

Gig Em' Texag! Whoop!

Whoop!

 

[Guest]

Leave it to an Aggie to want to shoot big hogs with a 223!

(joking....sort of...Us Red Raiders know that the 45-70 is perfect for bringing down big bacon)

I'd leave the 223 for prarie dogs and coyotes. Unless you're planning on going after smaller pigs only - its just too risky. I have seen 200+ pound Russkies run off after being hit with a 30-30. A 223? Forget it.

- Brickboy240

 

[Guest]

Ah, Lubbock, where the wind blows almost as hard as the school

I kid. Were I in his shoes, I'd use this as an excuse to get a 50 Beowulf or 458 SOCOM upper for my AR

 

[Guest]

Ah Tech, the red headed step child that no one wants to consider a rival.

Glad to see some more Ags on this board.

Oh better yet, instead of the 50 Beo, get that new 50 cal black powder upper for the AR.

Whoop!

 

[Guest]

Silly Tceh.......

I have killed quite a few pigs with different calibers, but I really want to take one with one of my ARs this time. I do have to admit that yesterday I looked really, really hard at a new Springfield M1A SOCOM, now that would be a perfect gun for hunting hogs. Seeing as how I can buy three ARs for the price of that SOCOM, it will probably stay at the dealer. Since that is the case, I am still looking for that just right blend of the right grain bullet, and the right optics for the RRA AR.

 

[Guest]

Hey do you guys think that 75gr TAP ammo would be a good hog round ?

 

[Guest]

Ah Tech, the red headed step child that no one wants to consider a rival.

Glad to see some more Ags on this board.

Oh better yet, instead of the 50 Beo, get that new 50 cal black powder upper for the AR.

Whoop!

Lol, sure nobody wants to consider us as a rival, but how many games has ya'lls football team won against us in the past decade? Lol, I'm just joking fellas. I think some of you Austin and College Station boys are just jealous that your women aren't as pretty or down to Earth as the lubbock girls.

Back on subject of the original post, lol. I know that you can take some hogs with .223, but as others have stated, shot placement is critical. Headshots do work, but you gotta be careful of the angle. If you shoot them head on (they're looking right down your barrel, body included) and you hit their forehead, the bullet will usually glance right off because of the angle. If you have a side headshot, I think they're much better shots than head on. As others have said, pigs don't always stay still, especially when flustered, so make the first shot count. I prefer the "big boys" when hunting pigs, like .300 winmag, etc. Some other people will prefer the REALLY big boys like the .45-70, T-Rex, etc, and they will definately get the job done; sometimes on more than one pig after it shoots through the first, lol. Best of luck to you and let us know how the trip goes.

 

[Guest]

Head on, shoot them in the heart, thats what I did with my 22LR and it worked out fine, close to head on hit them in the head, behind the side, go for the heart again. If your sick the spine drops them but doesn't kill them (bad shot)

 

[Guest]

Use a nosler 60gr partition or winchester 64gr power point bullet.

 

[Guest]

I think some of you Austin and College Station boys are just jealous that your women aren't as pretty or down to Earth as the lubbock girls.

Tech by far has the best looking girls.

I just use my Stag 2T with 55 grain surplus ammo and my Eotech 552.

 

[Guest]

Hey do you guys think that 75gr TAP ammo would be a good hog round ?

Im not expert but Id wager to say no. For one, TAP is designed to fragment. It seems penetration is the order of the day here. Secondly, u need to make sure your AR has the proper twist rate to stabilize such a heavy bullet.

 

[Guest]

i would use a heavy soft-point the bullet shouldnt fragment and will still have good penetration and expantion