Ar15 build - hog rifle caliber choice

[Brad Pierce]

Were you shooting the 110 grain hunting rounds with the blackout?

I shot them quite a bit and several different loads. Inside 50 on pigs, it was ok. Shot a couple of deer at about 100 and they drt.
Shooting 100g nbt's in the grendel right now with 28.6g into 8208. Haven't chrono'd but data says 2613 FPS. Working pretty good.

 

[Pro2A]

Just get them all and figure it out when you get up in the morning....

View attachment 141239

Left to right:

1. Custom .223 Rem (smith built not bolt together)

2. Radical Firearms .300BO

3. Sky gun international 9mm

4. PSA "no step on snek" 6.5 Grendel

5. Mak-90 7.62x39

6. Rock River Arms .300BO building a lower for it now

Best solution 'cause you might change your mind between first and second cup of coffee. Never have too many options....er, guns.

 

[MudRunner2005]

6.5 Grendel or .300 BLK. If you are shooting suppressed and subsonic, go .300 BLK. If you're shooting super-sonic, go 6.5 Grendel.

I've killed hogs with a 5.56... But I prefer to use something more adequate for the job.

 

[30378wbymag]

Ok I'm gonna muddy the water here. I have personally watched a deer shot with a 5.56 AR-15 loaded with Barnes 70gr tsx. The shot was approx. 75 yards. The target was a average size Michigan whitetail doe so figure 125lbs or so on the hoof. The deer was quartered toward the shooter. The bullet entered at the point of the shoulder which broke the shoulder. It then traveled in a straight line through both lungs resulting in "red jelly" then exited around the 3rd rib from the back leaving a 1 inch exit and buried itself in the ground somewhere. The deer hit the ground pushed itself about 30 yards on its chest and died in seconds. I have shot deer with a .300 WM and 180gr bullets that acted less hit and ran further. Honestly that deer was one of the hardest hit deer I have ever seen.

Now that being said I do believe in using enough gun. But I think unless you start getting into the 200lb+ range anything from .223 up through the Grendel or blackout will do the job.

125 lb whitetail doe does not a hog make... 6.5 Grendel all the way!! i bought a complete upper from Alexander arms and shooting FACTORY Hornady ammo it's printing in the high .2's @ 100 yds. Go to YouTube and check out:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG6la_HDvAobPBTDtj5B-lQ

This guy Carpe Sus puts the SMACK down on hogs with the Grendel... Best AR-15 caliber for long range and hunting!--- Just my .02 YMMV

 

[freddiej]

honestly, I would either use the 300 black out, 300 hamm'r, or the 350 legend. those calibers carry the best weight, least recoil, and most likely a one shot take down. I am presuming you are also using a flash and concussion reducing device on your night time hog hunts. these exceptional devices also make recoil on these three calibers nearly undetectable. I am not the 223/5.56's biggest fan but I know that pigs have been shot and killed with them all over the south. My favorite hog gun is my friend's suppressed M-14 with a 1:7 twist barrel for sub sonic 7.62X51 NATO. he has an AR-10 set up the same way. wonderful pair of guns. Flir and NV equipped.

 

[CA48]

I don't go out and target hogs like I used to but during hunting season I always have groups of hogs that come across anywhere from 50-500yards. For shooting more than 1 pig .223 is not ideal. Headshot on the first one then as the rest are running off you might get some shots in the body but they will keep on running. 300blk out didn't have enough power and to much drop for the ranges I shoot. Like JE stated I wouldn't go smaller than 6.5mm for any range, unless head shooting. Although I've used a variety of cartridges. My 338 edge imp with 300 Berger's was by far the the most effective. I could get 2-3 after I shot the first one and the others ran off made it where the last shot is usually from 350-450 yards. Yes it's overkill and that's why it worked so well, for the most part if you hit them anywhere they are done. Because we all know the chances of ideal shot placement on a sprinting hog at 400 yards is very unlikely. That being said the best cartridge for the application will depend on the individuals hunting area. Some are in thick brush at close range, some are out in the open at night in wheat fields, and guys like myself have longer shots through scattered brush. For my purposes this season Il be bringing a suppressed 6.5grendel AR along with my hunting rifle. I like the low recoil because it lets me acquire my next moving target faster. I think it will work well out to 200-300 yards plus a 6.5 Grendel upper was only $320 shipped to the door and shoots factory ammo great.

 

[Wolf76]

Definitely check out the 350 legend. Should be a great cartridge for deer and hogs. And ammo is pretty inexpensive.

 

[sea2summit]

6.5 Grendel or .300 BLK. If you are shooting suppressed and subsonic, go .300 BLK. If you're shooting super-sonic, go 6.5 Grendel.

I've killed hogs with a 5.56... But I prefer to use something more adequate for the job.

Why not suppress 6.5? Just curious if there's a reason.

 

[Johnslam]

Want to build a AR15 , using Proof Reseach carbon fiber barrel, for night time hog hunting. My caliber choices are 223 Wilde, 22 Nosler, 224 Valkyrie, or 6CM. They make larger calibers but want to keep the recoil to a minimum and stay on target. Rapid fire is not uncommon so large calibers would not be my first choice. THANKS for your opinions

Not on your list, but, I love my 6.5 Grendel. Hardly any recoil and has put everything that I've shot down quickly. Easy to reload for, and Hornady black shoots around 3/4".

 

[Elkeater]

Ok so kind of sidetracked here but.....
How fast can you get a 120ish grain bullet going out of a 6.5 Grendel?

 

[Deleted member 48126]

Ok so kind of sidetracked here but.....
How fast can you get a 120ish grain bullet going out of a 6.5 Grendel?

Out of an 18 inch ~2500ish

 

[Elkeater]

Out of an 18 inch ~2500ish

Ok so I'm really not trying to argue here. But I'm curious since I'm not a big hog hunter. I've killed exactly 1. It was a 220lb boar at 20 yards with my bow. My energy chart puts a 120gr. Bullet @2500FPS with 1665 ftlbs of energy at the muzzle. A 70gr bullet @2900fps (velocity out of my particular AR) produces 1307ftlbs at the muzzle. So inside 100-150 yards does that few hundred pounds of energy make a big difference? Or is there something else at play here to effect terminal performance?

 

[MudRunner2005]

Why not suppress 6.5? Just curious if there's a reason.

I never said that. I said if you are shooting suppressed with subsonic ammo, go for the .300 BLK as it was designed for that. Night hunting for hogs, that is the better option when using nightvision so it doesn't flash your optical sensors.

But if you never plan on shooting subsonic ammo, then the 6.5 Grendel would be the better option, as it's a higher velocity round. Shooting suppressed or unsuppressed is personal preference when shooting supersonic ammo, it will function just the same, as long as you have a rifle-length gas system.

 

[Johnslam]

Ok so I'm really not trying to argue here. But I'm curious since I'm not a big hog hunter. I've killed exactly 1. It was a 220lb boar at 20 yards with my bow. My energy chart puts a 120gr. Bullet @2500FPS with 1665 ftlbs of energy at the muzzle. A 70gr bullet @2900fps (velocity out of my particular AR) produces 1307ftlbs at the muzzle. So inside 100-150 yards does that few hundred pounds of energy make a big difference? Or is there something else at play here to effect terminal performance?

There is a multitude of factors at play when it comes to the terminal performance of a particular cartridge versus another. Maximum transferable energy is big. But, so is bullet selection and shot placement. Many dudes on this thread have killed pigs at short range with 556.

It all depends. Depends on the animal and how that round acts once it strikes. I've shot pigs with 556 before, but they were all head shots.

Personally, I wouldn't shoot them with anything smaller than a 6.5 Grendel. But that's just me. I always aim to have the max amount transferable energy on target with my selected platform.