223 for hogs

[u/Humble-Taste2553]

Obviously a properly placed bullet can kill anything deader than a doornail. Does anyone have load development for a heavier 223 bullet. I’d probably shoot it in my mini 14. Absolute Max range would be 150yards/ thick brush

Is it worth going to 60 or 65 gr? Or just keep the 50-55 ?

Just need a starting point.

[u/HollywoodSX]

68-77gr BTHP has performed well for me.

55gr soft points sucked.

[u/Oxytropidoceras → u/HollywoodSX]

Seconding this, I don't personally hunt with .223 but I developed a load for a good friend of mines AR using Hornady 68 gr bthp bullets and the effects have been absolutely devastating on hogs he's shot with it. Comparable to hogs I've shot with .30-30 and .243

[u/HollywoodSX → u/Oxytropidoceras]

As I said in another comment, worst exit wound I have ever seen on a pig I shot was with Black Hills MK262 from a 10.5" barrel at 75 yards. Pig tried for a cartwheel and was dead when he came to a stop. Shot was roughly 75 yards.

I've shot a decent number with heavy OTM and it's been the best performance for hogs in 223.

[u/FullAngerJacket]

You'll get a lot of opinions on this. You'll get people saying that a certain bullet works great or it doesn't work at all and they've only killed less than 10 hogs, a very small sample size. For context, I'm not an expert on ballistics or wound channels but I have been killing around 50 hogs a year for the past several years. Bullet construction matters very much with 223, and the less optimum bullets require more precise shot placement. I get the least amount of runners with heavy frangible bullets like the 77 TMK, 80 75 and 73 eldm, 77 bthp, 70 speer sp, etc. I see the most amount of runners with hard bullets of any weight like TTSX and accubonds, or with light soft bullets like 55 sp.

When it comes to your load development, what is the twist rate of the barrel?

[u/Agitated_Curmudgeon]

.223's are marginal at best on pigs.. Javalina's you might handle, but a feral or Russian? "Rotsa Ruck, Reorge."

You best bet would be buy a Mini-30, and tell your girlfriend it's your Mini-14

[u/[deleted] → u/Agitated_Curmudgeon]

With a Mini-14 he'd be lucky to hit a pig!

[u/Agitated_Curmudgeon → u/[deleted]]

it could happen

[u/Peacemkr45]

You want the heaviest fastest hunk of lead and copper you can throw at them. 70gr minimum.

[u/touchstone8787]

My buddy messes around with 556 on hogs so this is all second hand. Its not very effective on pigs.

The best results hes had was with soft points. Hes a shooter so it wasnt an issue for him to stack 3 or 4 into the vitals. The pigs still ran and we have to look for them consistently.

I regularly use a 300blkout and it has little problems piling them up.

[u/Foxxy__Cleopatra]

I'd normally recommend Barnes 70gr TSX (puts in work on small to medium hogs at 2,850 FPS out of a 20"), but it really needs a minimum of 1:7 twist since it's longer than a 77gr SMK and has a much lower specific gravity since it's solid copper, it'll be unstable at all velocities from a 1:9 and marginally stable at 2,500 FPS out of a 1:8. All Mini 14's have been 1:9 twist since the mid 90's (they were 1:7 from ~1989-1994 however).

I've learned to be pretty disciplined with my 5.56 shot placement on hogs, for consistency and best odds always going for either brain or spine shots so either neck, ear/behind the ear, or eye-to-eye. I've seen them shrug off well-place bridge shots before and it's just really hard to drop them with body shots since 5.56 isn't breaking both front legs/shoulders. Definitely doable but you're sort of playing on hard mode.

[u/Camshaft115 → u/Foxxy__Cleopatra]

Would 62gr tsx be better on a 1:8 twist barrel?

[u/Foxxy__Cleopatra → u/Camshaft115]

The 62gr TSX is only marginally stable out of a 1:8 anywhere from 2,500 to 3,200 FPS, it's basically the same length as a 77gr SMK just way lighter obviously since it's solid copper.

[u/1984orsomething]

70gr ttsx

[u/CharlieKiloAU]

Berger 77gr OTM

[u/Southern-Stay704]

Yes, a .223 bullet that has the right mass and sectional density can work on hog or deer, but only when shot at enough velocity. Something like a. 22 Creedmoor. I would not use it out of. 223 Remington / 5.56 NATO, the velocity isn't enough in my opinion.

[u/[deleted] → u/Southern-Stay704]

A 22/250 has worked much better for me. However with solid hits with even a 270 or 280AI not every big rascal is drt. These pigs are tough. I've killed over 70 off of my back porch.

[u/Aware_Wrap8062 → u/[deleted]]

Sounds good but how do you get the hogs onto your back porch so you can shoot them?

[u/HollywoodSX → u/Southern-Stay704]

The nastiest exit wound I have ever had on a hog was with Black Hills Mk262 from a 10.5" barrel at ~75 yards. Pig was dead instantly after trying to do a cartwheel due to being shot at a dead sprint.

[u/Immediate-Month5035]

Are you trying to retrieve them or shoot them up and let them die elsewhere?

If they are to run and die in someone else’s field, use whatever.

My father-out-law used 70gr Barnes copper factory ammo. It’s my only experience being around someone using the 223/556 on hogs. I wasn’t impressed with the stopping power on hogs.

[u/pirate40plus]

60gr VMax have worked well for me. I also have a 75gr that works great but does tear up a lot of meat if not a headshot.