Which AR-15 caliber for hogs?

[Twanger]

I'm considering building an AR.
Looking for something that can be effective on hogs and deer out to 100 yards.
Ideally it would not be a caliber that would kick so hard that the wimmens have a hard time shooting it.

The 458-SOCOM is interesting, would be a great hog-getter, but it has about the same muzzle energy as my Encore 209X50 muzzleloader, and I'm concerned the kick might be too much for da ladies.

Nice 458 SOCOM review here

The 7.62X39 is a bit anemic for hogs and deer.

There's a 40-SW upper, could share ammo with the Glock 40-cal, but it also seems too weak for hogs/deer.

The 6.8 SPC has caught my eye. 115gr @ 2650 fps. This might work. Any comments?

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[armed ferret]

300 blackout.

 

[kstone803]

300 blackout.

x2

 

[alpine44]

300 blackout.

My picks in order of preference:

300BLK
6.8SPC

Another option would be .30HRT (6.8SPC necked up to .30 cal and formed in a 30 Herret die) but you need to be able to roll your own ammo for that one.

As far as pistol calibers are concerned, I am building a 357Sig gas-operated upper as we speak (literally just stepped away from the lathe). The 357Sig is a proven animal stopper even out of a handgun barrel. DNR/Fish&Game departments use it for that reason. Out of a rifle you get around 1700 ft/s from a 124gr bullet (conservatively loaded).

Also, picking the right projectile is key. Barnes and Nosler Partition are the best candidates for reliable penetration IMO.

I will do some gelatine tests with the 357Sig to find the most suitable bullet for the rife velocities.

 

[aquaman]

why not use a heavy 5.56 bullet? is there a caliber req?

 

[aquaman]

BTW OP how is 7.62x39 anemic for hogs and deer? Its the same as 30-30 Winchester, lots of deer taken with that cartridge the past hundred years

 

[alpine44]

One more thing. We need to be a little more specific about what a hog is.

People call everything from a little feral piglet to a big, mean European boar a "hog".

For any member of the pig family, an expanding bullet needs to come out the other side or you may be in for a frustrating search. If they ever bed down to die it will be after miles and miles.

 

[Forest]

6.8 SPC - it has better terminal ballistics than the .300 Blackout.

I like the .300HRT as well, but for that you WILL need to reload.

 

[alpine44]

BTW OP how is 7.62x39 anemic for hogs and deer? Its the same as 30-30 Winchester, lots of deer taken with that cartridge the past hundred years

Agree. If loaded with the right bullet, the 7.62x39 is slighly more potent than the 300BLK and close to par with the .30HRT.

The things that matter are bullet diameter, bullet weight, and velocity (which depends on powder volume). The rest is just names.

 

[kwjones]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5ALp8-d3dQ

 

[swinokur]

You can use 223 mags with 300 blk. If you decide you don't like it, all it needs is a barrel swap back to 223.

 

[LargemouthAss]

Why not an AR10 in .308?

 

[alpine44]

6.8 SPC - it has better terminal ballistics than the .300 Blackout.

I like the .300HRT as well, but for that you WILL need to reload.

Do you mean "terminal ballistics" as in what it does to the target or "exterior ballistics" as it pertains to trajectory?

 

[Forest]

Agree. If loaded with the right bullet, the 7.62x39 is slighly more potent than the 300BLK and close to par with the 300HRT.
.

Very true.

But good bolts for the 6.8/.30HRT are readily available as are reliable feeding magazines.

 

[Forest]

Do you mean "terminal ballistics" as in what it does to the target or "exterior ballistics" as it pertains to trajectory?

Terminal - as in what it does when it hits the target (wound channel depth, diamater - permanent crush cavities - etc.)

But now that you pointed it out - the exterior ballistics are also superior, but at typical hog hunting ranges largely irrelevant. Now if the OP is looking to shoot hogs at over 200 meters then the exterior ballistics will become more important.

 

[Forest]

Why not an AR10 in .308?

If the ladies won't like .458 SOCOM, then I'm pretty sure they will have issues with the .308.

 

[alpine44]

why not use a heavy 5.56 bullet? is there a caliber req?

5.56x45 is the worst hunting caliber for the AR15 platform. Take this from someone who has shot hundreds of the slightly smaller roe deer with a .223 using expensive hunting ammo from RWS, Brenneke, Norma, etc.

The bullets are just too light to have any reserve when the shot placment is less than ideal or when you come across bigger game (boar, red stag) with your "mouse gun". I many parts of Europe 6.5mm caliber is minimum for anything bigger than roe deer and that is a sensitive rule from my experience.

Do I know cases where people have harvested deer with a 22Hornet or even 22LR ? Sure, but those folks knew they were pushing their luck big time and not just legally.

 

[armed ferret]

If the ladies won't like .458 SOCOM, then I'm pretty sure they will have issues with the .308.

308 in an AR is already very low felt recoil; add a decent brake and it's like a .223

 

[jimbobborg]

The 6.8 SPC has caught my eye. 115gr @ 2650 fps. This might work. Any comments?

The 6.8 is great for hogs. Scroll down to the lower 1/3 of this page http://www.wilsoncombat.com/68project.htm

 

[Forest]

My picks in order of preference:
As far as pistol calibers are concerned, I am building a 357Sig gas-operated upper as we speak (literally just stepped away from the lathe). The 357Sig is a proven animal stopper even out of a handgun barrel.

It's a 9mm pushed to similar velocities you'd get from a Glock 17L shooting +P loads.

If you really want something neat in that diameter look at the .338 Spectre .

It uses the 6.8 Bolt & magazines.

Throws a 160gr bullet at 2000fps or 300gr bullet subsonically at 1000fps (and can use 9mm supressors).

The only downside are the .338 bullets are pricey.