AR Hunting Platform
 

I was curious to see the overall feeling or opinion about hunting with a rifle in the AR-15 platform.

What do you see as the pro's and con's?

Not a primitive weapon LOL


Now considered the "modern day" hunting rifle.


Con - can be a little heavy as a "spot and stalk" gun.

i use mine to hunt during modern gun here in ky it does get a little heavy especially when you are hunting from the ground with no blind and have to make the very small slow movements to take down a deer other than that I like hunting with mine.

Mine is killer accurate!

Pros? They're usually quite accurate, accessories abound (if you're into that kind of thing), with a collapsible stock they're adaptable to most shooters (including youth)

Cons? Unless you're talking about the AR-10 platform, you're limited to what most of us would generally consider "varmint" cartridges, with the possible exceptions of rounds like the 6.5mm Grendel, 6.8mm SPC, or .30 AR (though you can make a big jump in shorter-range power with rounds like the .458 SOCOM or the .450 Bushmaster). They do tend to be heavier than their bolt-action counterparts. They're not the easiest to keep clean.

I tend to prefer bolt guns and single-shots for hunting, but have used the AR (in .223) on a number of occasions to bag coyotes and a couple late-season Thanksgiving dinner turkeys.

mostly the AR platform style gun will be a .223 used for coyote or varmints etc. But there are plenty of calibers in that platform now since they have become a very wanted and liked weapon for numerous reasons. But I would say the pros would be the accessories you can add to them. You can turn any AR style gun into anything you want. From sights to stocks to lights and magazines its crazy. You can start with a stock AR platform and turn it into the best coyote (or any animal specific) ever. Cons I would say like the other guys have said is the weight especially after you start adding all kinds of stuff to it. Also once you add things to it it might start to get awkward to shoulder or hold while hunting as opposed to just shooting from a rest. And like he said above ^^ cleaning it will become a pain. But I think there is more pros than cons and the way I look at it, creating a personal gun specifically for one main reason(hunting coyote or hunting deer or shooting for fun) is where all the fun is at. Good luck with it. The options are endless.

Illegal in PA + Blue law state

would use for varmints if I could

Antelope in WY and AR-15 in .223
 

Wyoming just changed the laws this year; we can use a 22 cal as long as it is over a 2" cartridge. My wife and I both used our AR's on the hunt this year. She shot hers at 125 yards, took out both lungs. The buck ran about 30 yards then toppled. I shot my buck at 264 yards. Drop on the spot. Took my doe tag at 305 yards. She walked 3 steps and I put another in her. The second shot was not necessary, but follow up shots with an AR sure is faster then running a bolt. Three antelope, four shots, only needed the three and three goats in the freezer. For all those that say the .223 cartridge is not big enough for big game, I would disagree. This is from my experience. I will keep on shooting deer and antelope with the AR-Platform until it proves me wrong. All the shots on the antelope where in the vitals. Shot placement is more important than caliber. Learn to shoot, and then caliber is not an issue.

I think the new regulation also requires a bullet 60 grains or heavier as well?

We're so used to the .243 being the unspecified minimum, it's probably going to take a couple seasons for people to accept the .223 as being viable for pronghorn and deer, though it's been in use in other states for some time already. I'm going to try it myself during deer season.

left to right
rem. 76/15 9 twist chambered 5.56
J&T distributing expedition 20" upper, 9 twist chambered 5.56
RRA 24" varminter chambered 223 wylde, 8 twist
Tromix TR15 custom 20" chambered 458 socom
D'tech 22" oly fluted SUM chambered in 25 WSSM
yeah I like them, my only complaint is the aluminum will suck the heat out of your fingers on cold mornings
RR

try the 60 gr partition or the 64 gr win. power point, not the best deer gun ever but adequate.
RR

I can see that, but my wife took hers with the new Bushnell Carbon 15. Don't knock it until you try it. Shoots as well as any other AR I have. My wife is a small lady. So two lbs makes a big difference when packing it around and holding it up standing. O ya her fingers don't get cold from the metal either. LOL. We used Barnes 62g I believe the TSX.

What was your yardage on those?

RR

Thanks-

I was going to try to build a "hunting" load this summer around 70gr bullets that I never could find (along with the time), but I came across two boxes of Winchester factory loads a couple of weeks ago loaded with the 64 gr PowerPoint. Hoping to run them through the 16" (1:8) and 20" (1:7) barrels this weekend to see which shoots them best.

What powder and charge have you used with the Noslers? I might be more inclined to use that bullet than a 70-gr (if I can find them)

I'm not familiar with the Bushmaster Carbon 15 - haven't even seen one yet. I'm sure my wife would use it on me if I ever brought one home, even if I said it was for her!

My wife's handled my A2, but I can't seem to get her to think that my carbines are anything other than "machineguns." Methinks she's been watching too many movies or too much CNN?

Nice goats!

Homer Brother,

I reloaded mine with the Barnes 62g, Varget powder, and federal primers, brass was federal as well. They destroyed these animals. I mean the vitals looked like tomato soup. The one shot at 305 yards, both rounds went completly threw. I would have loved to see the expansion on these bullets. I have a 1-9 twist on both of these AR's.

DanMorgan

I use Varget in quite a few different loads, so I have a fair amount of it on-hand. It's probably what I'll start with. I've used BL-C(2) with 60 gr HPs, but wasn't generally impressed with the results. Then got into a cheap source (back then) for M855 ball and stopped loading for the ARs.

I've been loading 50 gr V-Maxes for three bolt guns using Varget for coyotes and prairie dogs in both .223 and .22-250 and have lots of bullets and powder on hand for those two loads, but nothing that would be suitable for big-game hunting with either. I don't think the .22-250 is going to stabilize a heavier bullet well, so working up a load with a heavier bullet in the .223 may become my winter project.

I always used H335 in the 223 for 60 and 64 gr loads, the 64 gr will stabilize in a standard twist 22-250, also nosler just came out with a bonded bullet in .224 which is designed for the standard 22-250 twist.

RR

I have never used H335 powder before. Might have to give it a try. My idea was to try Varget just because I have read it's the best powder for temp change. Now I don't have a clue if that's true, but that's why I started with it and got good results. I am not a reloader hound. If it can shoot better than 4 MOA I am a happy guy and meat is on the table.

Have you seen a difference in H335 with big temp changes?

Thanks for the info.

DanMorgan

H335 is ball powder, so yes it is more temp sensitive than single based powder due to it containing nitroglycerine, but to be honest I have never had a most accurate load using varget, every rifle that I have ever messed with varget in, I could find a more accurate load with another powder.
RR

I have a Bushmaster .450. I went with it over the .50 Beowolf & .458 Socom because it's flatter shooting (at 2200fps) and ammo seems to be more available & Hornady makes it. I have stockpiled a little, approx 100rds. Since it only serves as my deer rifle, I don't need to hold onto alot of ammo at any given time.

Last season was my first season to hunt with it and I shot a buck and 2 doe's. All 3 dropped where they stood. One of the doe's was at 160yds....the other 2 were both about 75-80yds.

Here is a pic of the gun and my 100yd 3-shot group from the range this past weekend.

At 100yds I need to be 1.8" high to be dead on at 150.

In Indiana, they increased our legal cartridge size from 1.6" to 1.8" and the bushmaster casing is exactly 1.8".

hate to tell ya but with the same weight bullet the socom has a faster MV due to the fatter case having greater powder capacity, I run 300 gr .458 bullets at 2260 fps from my 20" tromix custom 458, the bushy uses a 284 win case cut to 1.8" and runs a .452" pistol bullet, the socom uses a 50 AE magnum case stretched to 1.7" and necked to .458.
RR

I bought a new Daniel Defense DDM4-V4 a couple of month ago and I love it. I originally wanted either the Daniel Defense or an Ambush, they're the same company except Ambush sells hunting versions of the Daniel Defense rifle, and you can get them camouflage dipped. I can't seem to get on the 300 blackout bandwagon, so that caliber was out. I might have chosen the Remington 30AR if I had found one. The one and only time I saw one was at the 2009 Shot Show, the rifle looked and felt nice but I haven't seen one since. I was stuck on the idea of buying either the DD or Ambush in 6.8 SPC ll. It's extremely hard to find one of those two rifles in this caliber right now, so I spent a lot of time researching my options. I'm 52 years old which means I grew up being told that any caliber under .24 is inadequate for deer, and even the .243 is for women and children who absolutely can't shoot a larger gun. Now forty years ago there was some level of truth to that way of thinking. With the advancements that have been made with bullet design, those old rules can be thrown away. The more I researched I began to realize that buying my rifle in 5.56mm is not a bad idea. I wasn't worried too much about ammo cost since I reload, but even the components are quite a bit cheaper for the 5.56mm. This way I can get in a lot more shooting than I would've with the 6.8spc. I bought 1000 Hornady 55 grain fmj-bt bullets for $88 and a box of 100 Sierra 65 grain game-king psp-bt bullets for deer hunting. Hopefully I'll get an opportunity to kill a deer with it this year. :fighting0007:

I just got into a hunting club in a county that allows rifles and although I have a Remington 700 30-06 I will be building an AR15 in .300 Blackout for deer. Uses the exact same parts as a regular 5.56 AR15 execpt you swap the barrel. You even use the same mags and BCG.

Centaur 1,

Good choice sir. The 5.56 destroys vitals. I am sure you saw the pictures. And now you have a zombie rifle if need be. : )

Saw the pictures? I shorted out my keyboard drooling over them! Those antelope you guys killed are absolutely awesome.:hail: I have pronghorn at the top of my bucket list, hopefully I'll get out west and hunt them one day.

The ballistics I looked up listed the .458 socom at 2150fps for a 250gr load.

Even if that data is wrong, it makes no difference to me as I love the .450 and the fact that Hornady makes the ammo and not having to rely on reloads is very comforting.

Nothing against reloads but they are only has good as the reloader. I don't reload myself so I would have to rely on someone else.

I am sure that someone good at reloading could make the .450 round hotter than the 2200fps Hornady ammo and I say good for them.

Here's another link of a company that manufactuers .458 ammo. Their muzzle velocities are no where near 2200fps....except for their 100gr load.

http://www.sbrammunition.com/458sl.html

Manufacturers for recently developed, essentially 'factory wildcat' rounds like the SOCOM have a tendency to under-load, better to CYA than get one lawsuit on a low volume, new product.

2200fps happens in the Socom, and it does pretty well exceed the performance of the Bushy. Not a huge lag, not necessarily enough to make it worth selling one for the other FROM A BALLISTICS STANDPOINT...

BUT...

The .452" pistol bullets of the Bushy put it at a huge disadvantage behind the .458" rifle bullets of the Socom. There's only so much that a .452" weakly constructed PISTOL bullet meant to expand at ~700-1000fps MV can handle. Sure, it's going to kill deer, but there's a lot of wasted energy when a bullet essentially fails from weak construction, and in all fairness, a lot of wasted meat.

So, really, if you're buying new off the rack, the .458 S runs away from the .450 as a big game rifle. If you OWN a .450 B, it'll treat you just fine as long as you understand the limitations of the ammo/bullet you're using.

Good luck with that and your hunting season.

What part of Wyoming?

We are in the Casper area, and hunt area 69 it's on the north side of Pathfinder, about 40 miles west of Casper.

DanMorgan

Cool, I've hunted Encampment/Baggs a few times and have friends that go up to your area.

I use the 6.8 SPC II for my short range deer medicine. So far so good with good kinetic energy to about 280 yards. Using a PSA 18" Hammer forged barrel, reloading with the high BC Nosler Accubond bullet. Love shooting this MSR platform.