Hog Hunting Loadout

[Outlander Systems]

My New Year's Resolution involves taking up arms against 'Merica's most invasive species.

I'm currently working on assembling a dedicated AR for long distance pig-stickin'. I'm in Georgia, so most of my shooting will be sub-200 yards. Any advice for a configuration would be greatly appreciated.

What kind of setup are some of you men running on your hog guns? What works for you, what doesn't?

What support gear are you bringing?

FLIR is totally out of the budget for right now, but I'm curious to see what optics some of y'all are having success with.

What is your ammo of choice? What barrel length are you using? Red-dot, magnified, or irons? You bringing dogs with you? What tools are you using for field dressing?

I'd like to know what some of you are using, but more importantly, I'd like to know WHY you're using it.

What has been successful, what hasn't? I'd like to separate the ice cream from the bullshit.

Pics if you've got 'em.

[platoonDaddy]

Loads of good questions, check out the following link for discussion on ammo:

https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?138786-Boar-down!-M855-5-56-FTW-%29

[Outlander Systems]

Thanks.

I'm impressed the M855 performed that well. It wouldn't have been my first pick, but the link has my interest piqued. I'm curious if other have had similar results with the round.

[jonconsiglio]

This has become my preferred set up for any hog or deer hunting within 200 yards, maybe a hair more. My other main hog hunting rifle is a 14.5" Colt. Same optic and the swap between rifles fortunately only requires a half mil elevation adjustment.

https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?144360-110gr-quot-Black-Tip-quot-TSX-Performance

[Bluedreaux]

I'm currently using whatever is handy, and most anything works. Inside 200 yards I wouldn't sweat using a 5.56 with a tough bullet, based on my observations. A variable optic is very handy, especially if you want to make head shots at distance (Their heads are huge targets, but the actual target part of the head isn't). An illuminated reticle would be very useful, as they're often found in lowlight-nolight.

I don't feel the need to bring anything other than a knife and binos. Some shooting sticks or a bipod would be handy.

I prefer a VX6 1-6 with a firedot reticle, but have used several different traditional scopes as well.

I've had good luck with 62 grain TTSXs, 62 grain TBBCs and 140 grain Fusions in a 7-08 (they all reacted the same at the shot, regardless of what was used). I've used 18" 5.56 barrels primarily, but again inside 200 yards I don't think it'd make a huge difference to drop down to 16" or 14.5".

Hunting with dogs is a completely different game....You won't have 200 yard shots and I wouldn't even bring any type of rifle for that. In fact, if you're going to hunt with dogs the whole conversation changes and it'd be better done in a separate thread IMO. If you don't have any hog dogs (I'm guessing you don't), I'd leave my dogs at home. I just use a regular 4" fixed blade knife that I use for dressing deer. But to be honest, around here we just drag them off and leave them 90% of the time.

Successful...I'd say shoulder shots have been the most successful for us. Take a look at some of the sites that have hog autopsy photos and you'll see that they're anatomy is a little different than deer, everything seems to sit a bit lower. Heart shots need to be low and very tight behind the shoulder. But I've had very good luck this year with just punching shoulders....halfway up, directly above the leg shots have dropped them all where they stood. I haven't had any exits, if that's important to you, but I've penetrated both shoulders and dumped all the energy into the body cavity and it's worked great. Mid to high shoulder shots seem to do a good job of delivering CNS shock to the spine.

The big revelation is realizing that although they're tough, they're not tougher than a bonded or solid copper bullet through their hydraulics. They're not going to hunt you, but if you corner or wound them things can get sporty.....but that can happen with any wild animal, hogs just happen to have tusks and TV shows that sensationalize them.

[jonconsiglio]

Bluedreux,

That's been my experience as well. I hunt primarily with a 14.5" 5.56 and have used Gold Dot, most of the TSX bullets, Winchester's new bonded bullet, Fusion and TSX in 308 from a 16" SCAR and now 110gr TSX from a 9" 300blk. None of them were really more effective than the others. All the hogs dropped with the right shot, which for me is mainly right behind the ear. Now, the 110gr TSX had a devastating head wound that I don't see with similar bullets from a 5.56, but they still accomplish the same thing. I just won't use FMJ. I know it'll work, but I prefer ammo with better terminal ballisitcs.

I have always hunted with a T1 to an ACOG, but right now I'm using Munch520's Leupold VX-R Patrol 1.25-4. It's awesome and allows very precise shots plus I can dial it for the ammo I'm using. Things I couldn't do with the ACOG TA31. The head's are big, like you said, but the ideal shot is a small, precise area. Ultimately, I would like a Leupold MK6 1-6 for hunting and some other uses.

I think I prefer the Blackout over the others only because I can go extremely short with similar or better terminal ballistics. We hunt from a moving truck quite a bit, so the shorter barrel works well for me, though I have no problem using my 14.5" 5.56 Colt.

You hear all these guys talk hogs with their bullet proof chest plates. Well, that's not the case. They can be thick, but they're not going to stop a bullet. The problem I've seem is that people think of hog anatomy the same as a deer. A hog's vitals are lower and farther forward and their spine is considerably lower and deeper below the hide. The front leg has a little V shape. If a hog is slightly quartering away from you, that's the ideal place to put a bullet. Well, besides behind the ear, which is my preference.

http://0.tqn.com/d/hunting/1/0/5/H/hog_anatomy.GIF

Here you can see the V below the shoulder.

http://boarmasters.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/hog-anatomy-and-shot-placement1.jpg

[Outlander Systems]

Bluedreaux,

I've never run a magnified optic on an AR, but for this build I am seriously considering it, especially for the reasons you've stated. My experience with Trijicon in the past has been solid, and I'm leaning towards a mini-ACOG or an Accupoint for this build.

I'm also leaning towards the 14.5", mostly due to my experience in South Georgia being an overgrown hell; I don't want to slither through brush with a 21" Musket, even though I would have preferred a rifle for a dedicated hunting gun.

Are you running any sort of weapon light? Filters? What about handheld lights?

The ammo advice everyone is giving me seems pretty solid. I assumed 62-gr would be my starting point, but if folks are having good experience with ammo types, I'm not going to reinvent the wheel, and will simply take the advice.

The reason I asked about dogs...

...I had a former co-worker I called the hillbilly huntsman, who would hunt hogs in Florida with a knife and dogs. That being said, I am not interested in getting quite that hardcore. I'm curious what some of the tertiary items are some folks are using for successful tracking/locating hogs. His dogs would bay up the pig, and allow him to come in once corky was worn out from the dogs, and break out the old pig sticker to the armpit trick. Again, not what I'm after, but interesting nonetheless. My dogs are essentially walking teddy bears that require food. Not exactly working animals. I 'd like a four-legged hunting buddy, but that's probably beyond the scope of this thread anyway.

My field dressing concerns are mostly of BBPs and other nasties I may pick up, but I would like to roast a whole hog at some point. My Carolina-Style Mustard Sauce is boss...

It sounds like your ammo/rifle combination is working rather well. Some of the things I hear from hunting buddies is that these are unstoppable monsters that nothing short of a .50 BMG can take down; a swamp buffalo of sorts. There's a certain mythical status that pigs seem to get, due in no small part, to some of the pop-culture hog "reality" shows.

Good advice, Bluedreaux! I appreciate it.

[Bluedreaux]

Here's a couple of the thicker shields I've found. IME, any tough bullet will penetrate going in, but they won't exit. I haven't had any exit through the second shield when they're this thick.

Also IME the reputation of hogs being so tough comes from guys shooting hogs and not finding them. I think this is due to 1) Poor shot placement based on poor hits and / or a lack of knowledge of the anatomy and 2) The lack of exit wounds leaves little blood to follow. So when guys make a poor hit and can't find the pig they're immediately convinced that pigs are bulletproof.

These were killed with a 140 Fusion and a 62 TSX. Both pigs dropped at the shot (in the shoulder as I described earlier).

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z118/Bluedreaux/C7630701-45C4-4236-8182-A5DDB1D197AD-12030-000019A4A869CA45_zpsb4eb15d6.jpg

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z118/Bluedreaux/SA%20Lease/079.jpg