In the world of ammunition, it’s hard to ignore the roll that Hornady has been on, particularly regarding cartridges built explicitly to function in AR-15s. Most shooters remember the release of the 6mm ARC, but what if I told you that it wasn’t truly the first of the series? That gives us the interesting backstory of the Hornady .338 AAC.

Hog Medicine: Testing Hornady .338 ARC Cartridge

Back around 2017, a client approached the Grand Island manufacturer with the idea of a harder-hitting cartridge for the famed black rifle. The request centered on close quarters performance, particularly when suppressed, instead of extending the platform’s effective range. Changes in the client’s leadership and priorities left the idea on hold for several years, and the ammunition shortage that soon followed didn’t help much, either.

But things eventually returned to normal, manufacturing capacity restored, and late last year Hornady introduced us to the .338 ARC, a round designed to outperform .300 Blackout. It proved seriously good medicine for hogs this winter.

The Hornady .338 ARC utilizes the same bolt face as the other Advanced Rifle Cartridges, essentially a scrunched version of its brethren designed to accept larger .338-diameter bullets. The driving force behind the design was to impart greater energy to a subsonic loading. Since velocity is fixed to roughly 1,050 feet per second, that makes adding lead the only way to achieve this bump. So the subsonic load features a massive 307-grain SUB-X projectile. This is nearly 100 grains heavier than the typical 220-grain pill found in most .300 Blackout ammo loaded to this speed. Furthermore, built to expand at these lower velocities, this bullet transfers its energy and quickly dispatches whatever it touches.

Supersonic Options

There remains a portion of the shooting community hunting without a suppressor. So Hornady also offers a supersonic loading built with a 175-grain match-style hollow-point bullet. This load is ideal for reaching out further and is flatter-shooting than its heavier counterpart. As the bullet is also a touch more ballistically sound, it’s also a better option for longer pokes.

Ammunition built for field expedience remains best tested in a hunting scenario, so this evolution took me to the Lowrance Ranch, situated in Truscott, Texas. Home to some of the most incredible whitetail hunting, the deer, unfortunately, have to compete with a population of feral hogs. Our mission was simple: help to restore balance to the ecosystem. After landing in Oklahoma City and driving three hours to the ranch, we became acquainted with the facility’s 43,000 acres, along with the .338 ARC and firearms chambered to fire it.

Hornady has been hard at work with several manufacturers to get full guns and barrels crafted for a smooth introduction to the shooting public. We had several bolt guns on the hunt and, of course, a pair of AR-15s from CMMG, namely the Resolute and the Dissent. These both came topped with Burris Thermal scopes to help us cut through the night and work when the pigs were most active. To that end, we canned them up with SilencerCo suppressors and zeroed them with the subsonic loads. The experience was so quiet that we were able to carry on a normal conversation during the process. Talks of what to expect in a few hours permeated the air, and needless to say, we were all chomping at the bit to get out and take care of business. 

Hunting Hogs

Hunting hogs at the Lowrance is far more elaborate than most other places, which displays the crew’s dedication to culling this threat. Pickup trucks are outfitted with elevated blinds to give you a mobile bird’s-eye view of the land, increasing your shot opportunities as you creep down the miles of back-country roads. Illuminating the way is a brilliant red LED light bar that pigs are less susceptible to.

It only took a few minutes for us to locate our first targets, which were nearly at a perfect 100 yards. Leveling our rifles, we quickly put a pair of hogs on the ground, each with a solemn shot. The night unfolded in nearly the same rhythm; however, we did find some trouble when we miscalculated range, which is easy to do when using a thermal and only compounded with a cartridge with a rainbow trajectory. Adding an optic with a laser rangefinder is an easy remedy to this. Nonetheless, both hunting parties were successful, albeit exhausted.

Our next day was a bit leisurely, as a long day of travel combined with a late-night hunt warrants a little extra sleep. Over what was essentially brunch, we agreed that it would only be prudent to give the supersonic ammo a run for the next night. Grabbing the same rifles and suppressors, we stepped over to the range and re-zeroed with this ammo. As you cannot subdue the supersonic crack, this experience was markedly louder but still comfortable to the ear in small quantities. This ammo was surprisingly consistent, especially at extended ranges, which is a function of the lessened case capacity. Having the powder crammed in doesn’t give it any leeway to level out when the cartridge is chambered, so ignition is consistent, and so is velocity. 

Hornady .338 ARC: Devastating Results

Hitting the ranch at dusk, we found that the supersonic loads were devastating on pigs and were less dependent on a perfect range estimation. Many larger hogs were taken with a single shot, and I was able to add some other nuisance species to the bag as well. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed using the supers and found the little bit of extra noise to be a fair tradeoff for the increased hit rate. 

I left the ranch with a better understanding of the .338 ARC and a cooler full of free-range pork that is smoking as I type these words. An interesting cartridge, as it’s more bullet than it is case, I find it to be the next logical iteration of .300 Blackout in power while retaining its quiet, soft-shooting nature. I found it functioned well in the ARs that I used it in and can see bolt guns like the Howa Mini-Action being fun in this chambering, too. Hats off to Hornady for picking this idea back up—it is sure to bring home the bacon.

For more info, visit hornady.com.