I'm looking at building a couple of ARs as a father , son project. I was going to pick up a AK for my son,
But my son wants AR like his friends have. They will be used for mostly target shooting and hogs on the local farms And rarely for the local deer.

From all I have searched and read both rounds have positives and negatives for each one.
And people have had success with both.

Is 5.45 big enough to get the job done,so with anything distance and shot placement is what matters.

Thanks

For those two to choose from for hogs I would do 7.62. Is there a reason you are choosing those to calibers?

5.45 is similar ballistics-wise to 5.56, and that's what I use for hogs and with a good shot I have had the hogs drop right there. I have never shot a 7.62 at a hog, although would love to...it should do the job just fine, but again would depend on shot placement. A gut shot hog is going to run. A neck shot hog will drop and then get back up, but give enough time for a second. A head shr hog will drop and stay down.

5.45 can be more difficult to find locally but has plenty of bulk sales online. 7.62 is available locally and online. So ammo shouldn't be a huge factor either way.

Maybe do one of each. Even if he has an AR in 7.62, it will still have the cool factor of an AR. Whatever you do, make it fun for the guy and you will have him hooked (if he isn't already)

Either of the calibers you listed will be fine for targets. The 7.62x39 will have more knock down for the hogs and will be more forgiving to bad shot placement. Also both calibers have cheap ammo when people are not scared and hording.

Why not the 5.56 instead of 5.45? Parts and ammo would be way more readily available.

Another option is the 6.8spc it is a way superior cartridge than any listed above. It has 80% of the knock down power of a .308 out to 300 yards virtually no recoil. The only draw back I can see to the 6.8 is ammo availability in local stores like walmart. Of course your not going to find 5.45x39 either. And the 6.8 takes a different bolt and mags than the 5.56 but then so does your 7.62x39 option. I would get a 5.56 to shoot a lot of targets cheap and a 6.8 to hunt with.

Also take up the art of reloading with you son if you have not. Then you solve a bunch of ammo problems!

Personally I would go with the 7.62. Have always preferred the caliber over the 5.56 due to the stopping power.

7.62 for sure,you'll eventually run into that 300+ hog.

I started searching for ammo and ran across the surplus rounds cheap.
I have to be honest, I tend to over think things and ran the numbers on the choices of NATO rounds
Vs the Russian and the break even points on different builds.

I think the kid is going to go through a lot, and I'm cheap.

You can get the 7.62 locally with a good selection of choices,
The 5.45 is a little tougher to get, the Hornady vmax is the only domestic round found locally .

The vmax 5.45 from reviews and data is a faster round , expands as large as a 7.62. And is a good choice for deer.

So it looks like its choice between a fast modern built vs slower heavier one.

I'm leaning towards the 5.45 because the 7.62 in a AR format is more temperamental on feed issues.
Just trying to get feedback on how well or not the 5.45 works.

I dont have any exp with the 5.45 but the 762/39 in the AR is a pain. They are known to jam due to the design of the mags and they brake a the bolts often. The bolts can be very hard to find at times.
I understand you looking at the availability of ammo but I would not want the headache of the 762.

I use the 6.8 and second the above comments about the round. I have 2 6.8s and building a third.I also have a 556.

My advise is if you dont want to get a 6.8 then get the 556. Your son will MUCH happier with it than a 762. The added ammo cost will pay for itself over the added headaches of the 762.

If he is set on the 762 then he needs an AK or SKS

Both are good the 556 is easy to handle and the 7.62 has more power. I just started a 7.62x39 built on a 556 lower. If you go for the 7.62 get a different pin for those hard primer ammo like wolf and bear brand

My son (12, almost 13) loves shorting my 5.56 m&p with a digital nv scope on it. He said last night he can hold that gun and shoot it better than his savage .243 tack driver. I told him it was because of what he was shooting (varmints vs deer)...

Go with the tried and true of 5.56 or 6.5 and be done with it. No reason to try to reinvent the wheel.

I agree 5.56 or 6.5 Both awesome rounds.

Thanks for the feedback I take a closer look at the 6.5 & 6.8

You can get all of the info one would want about the 6.8 at 68forums

I have illed many hogs with a ar15 chambered in a 5.56.

But keep in mind ammo cost on 6.8

Love the 7.62x39. Most of my shots are within 100 yards and can't think of anything better at killin for the price.

I would go with the 7.62x39... 5.56 or 5.45 would be fine for pig hunting, although either can seem underpowered at times, but you will have a far greater selection of cheap HUNTING bullets for the 7.62.