5.56 Hog Loads

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Millerdog

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With a wild hog shot placement is most important. You need a bullet that will penetrate. Bullets that expand will do so quickly on a hog and not penetrate. Shoot lower through the shoulders or behind the ear. A shot between the eyes will skip off that thick slanted skull most times.
 

dennishoddy

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With a wild hog shot placement is most important. You need a bullet that will penetrate. Bullets that expand will do so quickly on a hog and not penetrate. Shoot lower through the shoulders or behind the ear. A shot between the eyes will skip off that thick slanted skull most times.

The Barnes is a solid copper round that certainly will crush bone without losing its initial weight, and carry that weight into the animal even though it's mushroomed.
It's my go to for thick skinned animals up to elk.
There are other bullets that are sufficient for thin skinned.


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Oklahomabassin

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I know a guy that kills a few hogs. He says placement is a big part of it but fmj bullets are a poor choice. No reason to spend a lot of money on premium bullets, get a heavier Vmax that is accurate. Load up several, test for accuracy and practice good shot placement. Bam should result in bang flop.
 

kwaynem

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I know a guy that kills a few hogs. He says placement is a big part of it but fmj bullets are a poor choice. No reason to spend a lot of money on premium bullets, get a heavier Vmax that is accurate. Load up several, test for accuracy and practice good shot placement. Bam should result in bang flop.
Fmj factory loads are all we use
 

doctorjj

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Good, I don't care, you can do whatever you want. This guy was asking for something that would work better. Most likely accuracy is the biggest factor.

DoctorJJ, you aren't the only to kill a bunch with a .22 rimfire.
Oh, I’m sure I’m not. The point I was making is I had multiple bang flops one night with a 22 and you hear all these stories about 223 not being enough gun. People try to shoot them like deer, behind the shoulder and that is nothing but a gut shot on a hog. https://1source.basspro.com/index.p...t-don-t-make-this-common-deer-hunters-mistake
 

RugerSooner

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There's a lot of great info here! This afternoon I'm going shopping for bullets I think. My take away here is that a properly placed shot is more important than type of bullet, meaning the difference between mediocre rounds versus the most expensive may not yield a significant difference. Would a OTM or JHP be better? Also, is behind the ears the best place for a shot? I'm relatively new to the hog game
 

adamsredlines

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I'll be "that guy" to derail this. We used 5.56 with heavier bullets for hog until one was right on top of us and a "well placed shot" was nearly impossible and we just needed more energy than the 5.56 could give. Thats been much less of an issue when we went to Blackout. I know people either love it or hate it, but its an excellent round for hogs. Barnes TSX as mentioned above and it buys you a little flexibility when something is running towards you in heavy brush at night.
 

RugerSooner

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I'll be "that guy" to derail this. We used 5.56 with heavier bullets for hog until one was right on top of us and a "well placed shot" was nearly impossible and we just needed more energy than the 5.56 could give. Thats been much less of an issue when we went to Blackout. I know people either love it or hate it, but its an excellent round for hogs. Barnes TSX as mentioned above and it buys you a little flexibility when something is running towards you in heavy brush at night.
Derailment or not, I'm looking for opinions, and your's seems valid also. I'm not likely to get away with purchasing a new rifle, but I'll put another tally mark down for Barnes.
 

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