By David Higginbotham
Hunting hogs with an AK-47
A rancher I know in Florida has a pig problem. He invited the GunsAmerica staff to help in his eradication efforts, and I was more than willing to oblige. I’d never hunted hogs, but have yet to find a part of the pig I didn’t like to eat. And because I review guns, I asked a simple question: “what is the best gun for hunting hogs?” Everyone seems to have a different opinion. Some prefer the compact design and rapid-fire potential of the AR-15. Others leaned toward the power and range of the .30-06 and .308s. Those who’ve hunted with a good 6.8 spc were passionate about the caliber’s performance. No one mentioned 7.62×39, much less the venerable AK platform’s design. As one who prefers the Kalashnikov over the Stoner, I knew what I was going to take. And now, after the hunt, I’d put my AK up against the biggest hogs south Florida has to offer.
The Arsenal AK line in 7.62×39, with the right soft point ammo, can be an effective rifle for hunting.
Because I spend most of my time punching keys on a laptop, or punching holes in paper at the range, I figured we’d need an expert on hand for the hunt. Dwayne “Hog Man” Powell runs Kissimmee River Hunt and Fish, a guide service out of Okeechobee, Florida, and was more than happy to help. Hog Man is the Jim Cramer of hunting guides. He’s loud, his optimism is contagious, and he’ll come colse to beating you to death with his hand shakes and bro hugs, but if you can catch it or hunt it in Florida, Hog Man will show you how. We were there to kill swine, but I thought we might as well work, too, so I set up some real-world reviews. For those of us looking to test guns, Hog Man gives a veritable guarantee.
The Arsenal SLR107-34 in 7.62×39
I’d opted for a fairly basic Arsenal in 7.62×39, but I knew I would need to make some modifications. To begin with, the AK is a rattle-trap. This Bulgarian AK has a folding steel stock. I’d attached a Magpul QD sling to the stock (simply by drilling a hole near the base of the butt stock). The steel of the sling hardware knocking against the steel stock made unwelcome music. It wouldn’t have been noticed if I were walking beside a moving tank, but rang out loud and clear in calm Florida morning.
The dull sheen of the PMAG’s polymer coat won’t reflect too much light.
The magazine well rattled less with a Magpul PMAG 30 AK mag than it did with a typical steel mag. As this was my first opportunity to use the new Magpul AK mags, I tested their reliability (as best I could) while sighting in the gun. They fed consistently, even when packed tight with 30 rounds. While hog hunting doesn’t always require vast amounts of ammo, I prefer to carry at least two mags with me on any hunt (one in the gun and one on my hip). If one magazine malfunctions, a spare will keep you in the hunt.
Maybe the biggest question for me was not the gun, but the optic. For close quarters work, I am partial to red-dots. I’m a sucker for the Trijicon RMR. I’d recently tried out the Mission First Tactical forend on this rifle, hoping it would be a good platform for the RMR. While it provided a great grip, I had mixed results with the optic. After I ran a few magazines through the Arsenal, I noticed the RMR needed tightening. No matter how tight I got the optic, it always shot loose.
The Trijicon Accupoint is a great option for short range hunts, competition, and CQB.
Trijicon’s Accupoint seemed a much better option. With no batteries to wear out, I could travel with the optic without any extra considerations. The 1-4×24 has a fiber optic reticle display shaped like a simple diamond. It is easy to find, and fast. And the variable low-powered magnification makes it function more like a neon green red-dot than a traditional scope. At $1,250, the Accupoint isn’t for everyone, but it is one of the most versatile optics available.
As good as the Accupoint is, I still had to attach it to the rifle. I love the simplicity of the AK design, but I hate the side mount for optics. I’ve never used one that I liked as well as I like a good section of rail on an AR. Yet there are options. My favorite addition to any AK is the AK Adaptive Rail System (AKARS) from Parabellum Armament. It is a simple addition and well worth the $125 you’ll spend to pick one up. To attach the AKARS, simply remove the rear sight leaf and install the new rear sight (and its rail tail) in its place. Parabellum includes a new cover that anchors the section of rail completely. The whole combination installs in a matter of minutes. After you figure out how to get the old sight off, the rest is easy. The AKARS pins in place front and rear, and you can even lift up the whole assembly (optic and all) to access the guts of the gun.
The front pin acts as a hinge for the whole rail, which pivots up off the dust cover, allowing full access to the inside of the receiver.
The AKARS gives you a new rear sight, and new cover, and a functionally solid strip of rail. Mounting optics is now as easy as it is on any other railed rifle. The newest version of the AKARS takes the concept one step further and adds a dovetailed slot for interchangeable rear sights. The dovetail is sized to accept GLOCK rear sights, so there are a number of options available.
The Results Stalk hunting in the dense Florida underbrush is ideal for the AK. I had the Arsenal’s stock folded and the rifle on a single point sling. The resulting package was very compact and easy to maneuver through the palmettos, Spanish moss and scrub oaks. As we were working through dense undergrowth that stood between long stretches of open pasture, we could have encountered hogs at distances as close as five feet, or as far out as 300 yards.At that narrow end, the Accupoint gave me a big advantage over some of the hunters I was working with. It would have been difficult to sight in on close hogs (in the short time we would have had) with a 4-12 scope. At the same time, I may not have had much luck with anything on the run past 200 yards.
Sighting in the Accupoint at 50 yards is easy enough to do with a simple brace
We never tested my theories, though. We were hunting on an immense cattle ranch, and one with a big hog infestation, but the rancher wasn’t in favor of us using dogs. A good dog can sniff out a hog. We can smell them, but hogs are adept at hiding. They can hold incredibly still and let you walk right by. We stalked pigs for four hours, found fresh tracks and scat, but didn’t see a single hog. By early afternoon, we’d gone in town to hunt barbeque instead. Yet we were far from finished.
Late in the afternoon, we all split up and headed out again. This time, we each picked out a single spot and waited near feeders that drew small herds at predictable times. From our makeshift blinds, we had the advantage over the porcine beasts. They are smart, but not brilliant. Their desire to eat, a defining trait of the species, was sure to bring them out.Not that we didn’t have to wait. Our feeders were supposed to have gone off at 5:00, scattering corn and drawing them in. Yet the timers didn’t work quite right. Human error. Daylight savings time, I think, threw off everyone involved. As we’d just sprung forward two days before, the pigs’ internal clocks were off, too. As I waited, I saw a lot of wild life. A flock of turkeys came through, picking up kernels the pigs had missed the day before. The cows, with more than 1,000 acres to roam, decided to park in the grass between the feeder and me. Five white tailed deer came within ten feet of my blind. With the way the wind was blowing, they never knew I was there. As dusk set in and the sky darkened, a barred owl began hooting from the other side of the fields. It was, in every respect, one of the most tranquil settings I’d ever seen. Yet no pigs.
This is about as open as it gets in these southern hammocks. A good sling, one that keeps a rifle out of your way, is a plus. Yet you have to be able to get on the trigger with little warning.
It was almost dark. I’d looked at my phone (that’s how thoroughly I’d given up on the hunt) and saw a text message from Hog Man. We were out of light. He’d come get me, he wrote, in about ten minutes.
I put down my phone and looked back at the field. Beside me, maybe 20 feet away, were four sows. The wind in the cabbage palms had covered their arrival. At the feeder, a good 70 yards out, I could see a lot of movement. A palmetto blocked most of my view, and the pigs weren’t straying as far out as I’d hoped, but I could see at least one big hog.
“Hang on,” I texted back. “Pigs.”
Though a gap in the palmettos the size of a basketball, I watched a boar push around a fat sow and several shoats. He was the one I wanted, but I couldn’t get a clean shot, as the sow kept herself right in my only open line of fire.
I lined up my shot, dialed up the magnification on the Accupoint, and took up the slack in the trigger. The boar, getting a little greedy, tucked his snout into the haunch of the big sow and tossed her out of the way. In that moment, he presented his flank and I fired.I hit him with the first shot and at least six of the next ten that I fired. It happened surprisingly fast. I couldn’t have designed a better practical test of the AK’s potential. After the first shot, the boar ran directly at me. The hamlet was an explosion of pigs, and the only one that came my way was the boar I’d just shot. In that single moment, all of my training and built-in muscle memory worked to my advantage. I fired once, jumped from cover, and hammered the hog until he slid to a bloody stop. Without even thinking about it, I had kept both eyes open, held the glowing yellow triangle on the closing black mass, and worked the trigger until the hog dropped 20 yards in front of me.
This boar weighed in under 200 pounds, but was easily the largest pig I saw on the hunt.
I went back into the brush where I’d dropped my phone. “Now you can come get me,” I wrote.
“That sounded like fun,” Hog Man replied. And it was. For me. Not the pig.
In the end, I’d say the AK was ideal for the stalk hunt. At close range, the AK’s flat recoil allows for very fast follow up shots. With the right ammo (not bulk FMJ junk), I see no reason why I would choose a 5.56 over a 7.62×39 for a stalk hunt. And even from 70 yards, the AK is no lightweight. If I’d placed that first shot where I’d wanted, right in his ear, the pig would have fallen where he stood.
Still, I know the debate will continue. And I have to admit one slight defeat. It wasn’t the insurgent annihilation I’d hoped for. On the other side of the ranch, one of my friends dropped two hogs with two shots from his 6.8. I fired eleven rounds and only dropped one. So much for bragging rights.
 This shot was from 50 yards, with the scope on the lowest magnification, freehand. Good enough for the hogs I was hoping to shoot.  Once we had everything tightened, and the scope returned to its presets, sighting in happened predictably.  The Trijicon Accupoint has a single glowing triangle reticle that is super fast.  The AKARS pins in place where the rear sight leaf goes.  The rear mount for the AKARS snugs the rail down tight.  The PMAG 30 fits nicely with the Arsenal AK’s aesthetic.  The traditional side rail for mounting optics on an AK has never been as easy to use as I would like.  It can be hard to get a good cheek weld on a folding steel AK stock. I tried the riser, at first, in an attempt to use the Accupoint more like a red-dot. In the end, I took it off.  The Magpul PMAG 30 AK fits snuggly in the mag well and has no wobble.  The larger PMAGs don’t fit as well in AR mag holders, though they will work in a pinch.  The catch may be the first part of the mag to show wear, depending on how aggressively you change mags.  The magazine’s feed lips are incredibly simple, yet effective.  The Parabellum AKARS attaches firmly to the rear of the dust cover.  The dust cover may need to be bent up for the safety to fit under correctly.  The PMAG 30 AK isn’t as robust as a steel mag, but it is built on Magpul’s tested formula, and works well. |
Resources
https://www.trijicon.com/na_en/products/product2.php?id=AccuPoint&mid=1-4×24
https://www.k-var.com/shop/SLR-107-Series-7.62×39-Caliber-Bulgarian-Stamped-Receiver-Rifles
https://parabellumarmament.com/AKARS.html
https://kissimmeeriverhuntandfish.com/
https://store.magpul.com/product/MAG572/PMAG
Hellos
I hunt TX pigs with my SIG 556R-2nd edition in 7.62x 39. It (or many other config\’s on this platform) make you realize the weak link in shooting 7.62 x 39 is not the ammo. It has good range and knockdown, and is very accurate when fired from a close-tolerance rifle.
I handload for that carbine and my AR-47\’s, and get AR accuracy with the caliber. But I\’ve achieved spectacular results from Com-block factory steel case rounds as well.
Really good article, one point not mentioned was the weight. while .308\’s can be an excellent platform for takin\’ \’em down, packin\’ most .308\’s can get pretty old. The AK platforms are generally a nice sweet spot between the AR\’s and the larger calibers.
Next hunt, you should grab some Hornady SST. Its terminal ballistics are far better than commercial steel case x39. You’ll be more likely to kill the animal than wound it or use 10 or more rounds to bring it down. 8m3 used to be available through Russian commercial ammo, but it’s very hard to find these days as it’s no longer imported. It’s also an effective hunting round. Explosive expansion similar to Hornady VMax.
Found this very good reading. I oown AR-15’s .223,and AK-47,and AK-74. Am considering building an AR chambered in 6.8SPC for hog and whitetails. REASON is I have have been told the accuracy of all the surplus AK ammo I have isn’t accurate enough for hunting. QUESTION: DID YOU BUY BETTTER GRADE AMMO FOR YOUR HUNTING WITH THE AK? No doubt the differences in ammo no is dramatic is accuracy and performance. I would love to hog hunt with my AK’s. Love to shoot them more than my fully equipped AR’s.
Thanks
You guys use your rifles but down in the Mississippi swamps, I’ll opt for an 870 Remington 12ga. with 00-Buckshot! It is too much heavy brush to ever think about using a rifle in there. I use the pump action over an autoomatic because it functions every time. An Auto may or may not.
tell that to every soldier ever, or ones that have ever fought in Florida, Vietnam or Panama lol.
I like my Dan Wesson for hog hunting… With over 25 plus boar so far taken,
I took each one with the exception of three, with a single one shot Kill. I don’t use
A scope and most were taken between 20 and 30 yRds. That works for me and
I only wish the ammo wasn’t so difficult to find. Most of what I have I picked up
At gun shows. If I were to use a rifle, I think I would opt for a lever action .35 caliber
Lever action as one of the shooters here mentioned. A great rifle, have taken
Many White tail deer back east with mine. Would probably be fine for boar as well.
Thanks for your nice article. I live now in Texas and enjoyed your report.
I was enjoying the article, right up to the point where you said you first shot him in the butt, then blasted another 10 rapid-fire rounds at him, trying to make up for it. Great spray & pray hunting technique. In NH, we have a term for that – “Massachussetts Bastards”. If you can’t get the job done in one shot, you’ve either got the wrong gun/ammo or your round placement leaves a lot to be desired. It sounds like the latter to me in this case. Perhaps you could try a full auto on your next hunt.
Not only 7 shots to make kill. 2 – 30 round clips are for action movies. I shoot marlin 336in 30- 30 & Savage 99 in 308. If perhaps I should need more than 1 shot don’t worry . It will be there. Old Texan lifetime.
I like my Dan Wesson for hog hunting… With over 25 plus boar so far taken,
I took each one with the exception of three, with a single one shot Kill. I don’t use
A scope and most were taken between 20 and 30 yRds. That works for me and
I only wish the ammo wasn’t so difficult to find. Most of what I have I picked up
At gun shows. If I were to use a rifle, I think I would opt for a lever action .35 caliber
Lever action as one of the shooters here mentioned. A great rifle, have taken
Many White tail deer back east with mine. Would probably be fine for boar as well.
Thanks for your nice article. I live now in Texas and enjoyed your report.
He shot it till it stopped moving, fail to see a problem with that logic.
I use a mid length Rock River LAR-8 with a Pulsar n750 Digiscope. Since it is digital night vision the scope can be used day or night. The scope comes with a built in IR flashlight, I also mount a a VM-1 Varmint Light on the quad rail that turns darkness to daylight with the green LED. 150 yard shots are no problem. I shoot 150 grain American Eagle FMJbt ammunition. Sighted in 1.75″ high at 100 yards and you are zero at 200 yards. My AR is referred to as “The Off Switch”.
Great Job Dave!
HogMan
You guys really need some new writers on this blog. As others have mentioned, your “hunting” story is borderline shameful. First you shoot the pig in the rump, then unload half a magazine into it….real nice. The 7.62×39 round has enough energy for one shot clean kills…not optimal with FMJ surplus, and maybe not so much with light for caliber hollow points. Write an article about a clean kill with Hornady SSTs, Federal Fusions, or 154gr soft points and then maybe you’ll have something worth reading.
To my way of thinking, a .223 cal. or 5.56 mm is a varmint round. I wouldn’t use it on anything larger than a coyote. It was developed by the military, to pass through multiple enemy soldiers, intended to wound, as opposed to killing, as it takes two soldiers to care for a wounded one, taking three enemy off of the field and out of action, as well as consuming vast amounts of enemy resources.
When I was buying my Mini-14, I had a Mini-30 in my paws, wondering why it cost $30.00 more, than the one beside it, until the salesman pointed it out, that the other one in the rack was the Mini-14. The M14 was one fine weapons system, that was only replaced, due to the changing exigencies of the service and not because of anything that was deficient with it. Ruger’s re-incarnation of it, with their Mini -14 & 30 series is a welcome return to it’s design, albeit in smaller scale and utilizing smaller or lighter ammunition. The full sized, commercial versions, the M1-A is a fine weapon, in and of itself, if you can afford one…
Having said all of that, methinks that I would chose an American made variant, if I wanted to utilize the 7.62x39mm round, for hunting purposes and I believe that you couldn’t go wrong with the Mini-30, for hunting hogs, or deer, or most other critter, that you could also use the venerable 30-30 for.
Eleven shots? Sounds like you are a strong believer of “Spray and Pray”.
Seven hits to kill a Florida hog? You should be ashamed of yourself and embarrassed to admit it.
You writer make out wild hogs to be bulletproof monsters made out of steel. They are animals and more than one shot from a center fire rifle is an indication of bad shooting or overkill.
I’ve lived in Florida all of my life (56 years) and have never needed more than one bullet or arrow to drop any hog Ive faced.
Holy Cr@p batman 11 shots to drop a hog!!!! You needed seriously some more fire power. Your buddy did one shot one kill twice? Sounds to me he had the superior hog hunting caliber.
Holy Cr@p batman 11 shots to drop a hog!!!! You needed seriously some more fire power. Your buddy did one shot one kill twice? Sounds to me he had the superior set up.
First in the picture. It looks like hollow points, not SP ammo. I use my SKS in its SG works bullpup configuration. Brown Bear soft points 7.62×39. Also I hope you were on private land. State law is five round mags, for hunting.
Nice article. Here in my area, I use my Bushmaster AR and what ever ammo I can find (its very tough to get ammo on my island of Hawaii). The hogs are tearing up my coffee and macadamia crop so its important to get rid of them. But its almost like an endless supply of fun. Since they’re nocturnal, I use a 1st Gen NVRS scope sighted in at 50 ft but most of my shots are in the 20-30 ft range. The little infrared light can be seen by the hogs but it almost mesmerizes them and they stare at it, allowing for a good line up for the single kill shot.
I’d like to see a comparo article about different night scopes. Gen 3 and 4 scopes are quite pricey! I guess I’ll stick to my Gen1 for now…works for me.
Hello, I like to use a Marlin lever action chambered in 35 Remington for hogs. I also use the 7.62×39 on an SKS platform. These fit me well and get the job done. My hunts are mostly in Palm Dale and surrounding areas. 7.62×39 is a power packed round for its size. Try a few different suggestions and go with what fits you and your hunts well. If your not comfortable with a woman do you keep her? Same with a gun.
Great article!
Does anyone have a recommendation for an improved trigger for my Norinco MAK 90 please?
thanks
Tapco G2 Trigger Group is a real sweet Trigger and doesn’t break the Bank
Hello
G2\’s are a sweet starting point, but for my money the fully-adjustable Red Star trigger is very hard to beat.
The trigger can easily be adjusted on every plane, length of reset, single or double stages, etc.
Just have to Loctite the adjuster screws after you make changes.
Nice carbine. In West Texas, Abilene area, I found the 10mm round in either the Witness or G20 is an outstanding hog gun for those who don’t mind getting up close and personal with those monsters. Ranchers love hog hunters because they destroy grazing land……so access is easy. I love a pistol because you never know when you’ll stumble on a wallow in the brush. An AK sounds interesting though. It should be quick to present. I think I’ll try one my next outing. Thanks for the suggestion!
They don’t have wallows in Florida. They have wallrs.
While looking around for a new carbine style rifle for white tail, I found the CZ 527 in 7.62 x 39. I hunt in brushy areas mostly with a few longer shots out to 100 yards. This bolt action rifle is a tack driver and the first deer I took with it proved to me that the 7.62 x 39 is a great and inexpensive hunting round. In fact, the 154grain soft point was a little bit like overkill on a 150 pound deer.
While looking around for a new carbine style rifle for white tail, I found the CZ 527 in 7.62 x 39. I hunt in brushy areas mostly with a few longer shots out to 100 yards. This bolt action rifle is a tack driver and the first deer I took with it proved to me that the 7.62 x 39 is a great and inexpensive hunting round. In fact, the 154grain soft point was a little bit like overkill on a 150 pound deer.
Great article and yes our Florida hogs are a challenge without dogs but the AK is a great carbine and it’s accuracy is usually consistent. I took my Romanian with wood furniture (original) on my first deer hunt in Kansas last Dec. and took a nice fat doe at 70 yds. with the iron sights, as my reticule had a factory defect and wouldn’t lower the red dot within 10ft. One shot one deer not too bad for a 70 yr. old on his first hunt. Wouldn’t trad my AKs for any AR I’ve seen yet.
This isn’t news in SC, it’s history. We’ve been using 7.62 X 39 for years for hogs & deer. This is an effective round for many situations. Do some quick research on the 7.62 X 39 & see how close it is to a 30-30 on ft/lbs of energy, it’s not a sniper round but it’s a great hunting round.
I drop them with my Dan Wesson .357 with a six inch barrel. At thirty yards and less it has never taken more than one. It is really exciting at the range, but to have them crash in on you and a pop between the eyes with a JHP and let them slide for about ten feet to a stop.
I like my Bernilli M-1 or my Saiger 7.62 x 39 BUT There is nothing wrong with the SKS also 7.62 x39 as the SKS and Bernilli are short and very easy to get on target
This might be the first review I’ve read here where the author actually uses some decent equipment. For hogs I’ve got an Accupoint QD mounted (Larue) on an RFB with a Battlecomp. The Accupoint is a great optic. At zero power it’s just as good as an Aimpoint, so you’re really getting two optics for the price of one. You get what you pay for and I’d rather just buy something once. As for his choice of gun, I can’t comment. I prefer a bullpup for hogs.
I use a Saiga in .308. Best of both worlds and flat destroys hogs here in Texas where brush turns to wide open grasslands.
Great article!
I use my AK for whitetail hunts. They’re incredible brush guns. If you can, try the ULTIMAK, made in Idaho up in Moscow. It replaces your AK’s gas tube, bolting to the barrel directly, and gives you a rail plenty long enough to mount optics. Most people use red-dots, but a long-eye relief scope (or even a pistol scope) will give you great results. I have both, with a Leupold 3x on a riser to clear the front iron sights. Perfect way to hold zero between scopes and I’ve been very impressed overall. I’ll have to check out the Parabellum system as well. Thanks!