Hog Hunting with my AR

[Cactus Jack Garner]

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?

[yocan]

Originally Posted by Cactus Jack Garner

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.

[Tomcat088]

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.

[Cactus Jack Garner]

Originally Posted by Tomcat088

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.

[yocan]

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)

[TexAg08]

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.

[RobFMJ]

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.

[Cactus Jack Garner]

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

Gig Em' Texag! Whoop!

[RobFMJ]

Originally Posted by Cactus Jack Garner

Gig Em' Texag! Whoop!

Whoop!

[Brickboy240]

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