5.56 for hogs?

Joshs74

FNG
Joined
Sep 6, 2018
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17
Is a 5.56 fine on hogs?
All I have is 55g. I can use a larger rifle, but thought it may be nice to have zero recoil this time.


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What sort of bullet? Get @robtattoo on this. He's the pig slayer.

I don't know about all that.....

55 CAN work, but is not ideal. I wouldn't want to face down a good sized pig, but for the average 50-100 pounder, you should be ok. If you lung shoot, be prepared for a tracking job with 90% of bullets. With a well constructed cup & core (Gameking, hornady spitzer etc) my preference will always be for a neck shot, but you need discipline. Pig must be totally broadside & you need ti know exactly where you're shooting.
 
I shot a couple 30 ish lb hogs last week with a 5.56 loaded with 64gr hammer hunters. No complaints from me. Shots were like 60 yards. Not a hog but shot a nanny Catalina goat at 143 yards with the same bullet and she went like 20 yards before tipping over. So in my opinion yes a 5.56 is fine as long as head shots or smaller animals are on the menu.
 
I need to look and see what I have when I get home. May just be FMJ’s, but I thought I had a few to choose from. At 55g I wasn’t sure if it mattered, and I can’t exactly go buy anything else right now. If all I have is FMJ I’ll probably pass and take my 30/06. I don’t really want to spend the afternoon tracking hogs.


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I’ve shot a lot of hogs with the 5.56. In my opinion, hogs are way tougher than deer ever thought about. 55gr non bonded bullets will kill them but there is gonna be some tracking. The bad part is you will seldom have exits and blood trails are faint at best. When we switched to bonded rounds, it was a way different story. With all this said, if the pigs are under 75lbs, it’s not as big of a deal
 
Yeah, if FMJs are all you have; take something else. It'll kill 'em, but unles you brain shoot (pro tip: DON'T try to brain shoot if the muzzle ain't touching them) you'll probably never find them.
 
We did a helicopter pig shoot (can't really call it a "hunt") and the rifles of choice were all AR style 5.56s shooting 55 gr fmjs. Most of the shots were spine and skull, but most of the bigger pigs took 2 or 3.

I've shot pigs from the ground with a bow, .45 colt, 10mm, .300 blackout, and .458 SOCOM. I'd prefer all of those over a 5.56 for quick and clean kills.
 
My .22 Mag always does the job for me, just make sure it's within close range and if you can get a headshot, that will be perfect.
 
Having hunted hogs quite a few times with a variety of guns in our groups, from a 9mm to a 340 WBY mag the best thing for killing hogs isn't the bullet size or cartridge it's shot placement. 5.56 is what we have used to kill a majority, just make sure your gun is dialed. Using a stouter solid copper bullet like a Barnes ttsx is best. I've dropped two pigs with one shot before from a .308 and a .270, both with handloaded Barnes. I've seen hogs shot with a 340 WBY Mag through the chest that have ran fifty yards into the thick south Texas brush never to be recovered. Shot placement is key. Behind the ear.
 
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