Anybody else hunting with ARs?
 

Anybody else here hunt with their ARs?
I started hunting with one about 12 years ago when I went out looking for a coyote. At the time it was a heavy 24" barrel flattop upper on a Bushmaster lower in .5.56/223 that I had used for target shooting few times. With the 1/9" twist barrel it shot Winchester 55gr silver point very accurately out to 300 yards. I never did get that coyote but I started shooting this AR at the range more frequently. Few years later I took it up on a tree stand during doe season and dropped a nice doe using Winchester 64gr Power point ammo from about 200 yards. It was a neck shot and the doe dropped immediately. More recently I built up a 16" AR carbine using ultralight/pencil barrel and FF handguard topped with 2-7x32mm Nikon scope. At loaded weight of just under 7 lb. it is light and compact enough to carry easily. Using Federal Fusion MSR 62 gr ammo it will get 1 3/4" group (5 shots) at 100 yards regularly and occasional 3" from 200 yards. In past 5 years this rifle/ammo combo has bagged 7 deer and 22 or 23 hogs up to 275 lb. and none required 2nd shot. Most shots were within 75 yards with 2 greater than 150 yards...longest was a shot on hog from 170 yards. Last year my youngest son assembled a AR carbine in 300 BLK set up similar to my AR carbine and using 110gr TSX ammo has taken 3 deer and 8 hogs and only one large barr hog took 2 shots to drop. I'm in the process of assembling another AR for hunting and it will be heavier 20" barrel rifle for use from tree stands where I can have longer shots. Sometime in future I plan on a AR pistol with about 10" barrel for stalking hogs in the hammocks but I'm not sure I'll go with 5.56/.223 as 300 BLK seem to be more effective in shot barrels.
As everyone always says, anything will work if you hit exactly at the right spot on the game and I agree but AR carbines and rifles make hitting small spots easier at lease for me. Also, 5.56/.223 ammo has come a long way in last few years and I'm surprised by their performance on game. My ammo has given me good penetration and good expansion with devastating effect on flesh and bone.

Yep. My go to calling rifle.Nothing fancy but really accurate. Mossberg mmr hunter with a leupold 4-12x40 on it

I would if i didnt live in the last daggone fudd state that doesnt allow big game hunting with semi auto rifles.

I'd like to. I bought a Colt Competition Rifle 18" .223 Wylde 1/8" (they purchased the right to use the Colt brand name) that has a heavy feel to it. I like heavy since they steady nicely when standing, but now wish it was lighter for the women in the family. Originally it came with a 100 target included that was barely less then an inch. The first time I shot it I noticed the brass was deformed at the neck so I called customer service. They said yup, your no 17 calling in. I guess a batch went out with a dull reamer cutting chambers. They sent a prepaid shipping box and rebarreled it with one with the better 3 port muzzle brake which I almost wish was a flash hider instead. The new one came with a 100 yard target sized .383 - much tighter with 69gr Sierra SMKs . They also swapped the stock from a Magpul MOE to the CTR that doesn't rattle so much.

No rifle hunting for deer in Illinois, but if I ever get to go back on the farm, I might try calling some coyotes in.

I wonder if a different freefloating forearm would lighten it much. I removed the long rail and replaced it with a 3" one.

Faxon sells tremendous and reasonably priced pencil barrels for AR's. I have one in my 10.5" AR.

a large majority of the guys I know own and occasionally hunt with various AR style rifles how many of you have used a 223 rem on deer & hogs ?
now I have several hunting buddies that have both bolt action rifles and AR15 clones of various types here in Florida,
and admittedly Florida deer tend to be smaller than most, Ive even hand loaded for several of these guys,
currently, the prefered load most are requesting and using,

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1010401268?pid=292014


THE HAND LOADS USED BARNES TSX BULLETS OVER 25 GRAINS OF VARGET POWDER,
AND WINCHESTER SMALL RIFLE MAGNUM PRIMERS

Im perfectly happy using my marlin 44 mag lever action or my browning BLR in 358 win,
perhaps I'm old school and just don,t trust a 22 caliber centerfire rifle
but Ive seen the trend (and yes the 223 caliber rifles so loaded does work)
guys fill freezers regularly
the fact is that a well placed shot is lethal, regardless of the case head stamp,
and most deer in the areas we hunt are shot at well under 200 yards.
no matter what your thoughts are on the matter, you can,t ignore results amd a good shot can kill a deer with a single 223 bullet.
now Im certain that some people are dead set against allowing the use of semi-auto millitary looking rifles for hunting,
but from what Ive seen theres no (SPRAY AND PRAY) shooting incidents and here in fla your limited to a 5 cartridge capacity magazine.
yes Im fully aware many people think a 243 win is marginal so a 223 rem is absurdly underpowered,
..youll have a hard time convincing the deer and hogs of that from the results I see!
and NO I'm certainly not one of the guys thats about to abandon my 358 WIN BLR for a 223,
but I would certainly not feel I was hopelessly under armed if I carried one either.

I have an AR-15 (M4) in 5.56 and an AR-10 in .308 and have yet to hunt with either because I live in PA where they are not yet legal except for coyotes and small game. I also just purchased a 350 Legend for my AR-15 to play with and just might be taking it to OH next year good Lord willing.

yep, often
AR chambered in 25 WSSM

another chambered in 458 SOCOM

just bought an AR10 in 6.5 Creedmoor,
have a 5.56 lightweight for a calling gun, and a 223 wylde for varminting.
RR

I do hunt deerflies, horseflies, houseflies and yellowjackets with my AR's...whenever they have the unfortunate opportunity to land on my target backing at our outdoor range.:biggrin:

There’s a lot which can be accomplished by the many ~2.3” cartridges designed for use in the AR-15. Want to shoot 600 yards after prairie dogs and coyotes? 17 Rem, 204 Ruger, 223/5.56. Want to hunt deer and hogs to 600yrds? 6.8 SPC, 243 LBC, 6 WOA, and 6.5 Grendel. Want a short range hammer for deer and hogs? 350 Legend, 450 Bushmaster, 458 socom...

I have had several other cartridges in the past, but currently my hunting AR’s are chambered in 204 Ruger, 5.56, 243 LBC, 6.5 Grendel, 6.8 spc, and 458 Socom. I’m thinking about a couple “spite builds” this year, in .224 Valkyrie and .350 Legend.

Built me a coyote / zombie ar15 rifle...

16" m4/a2 profile barrel. 1/7 twist
mid-length gas system.
5.56
4-16x scope

You're in Illinois - I didn't think you could hunt with a rifle there. Do you hunt coyote elsewhere?

Can't hunt deer with Rifle in IL, but can hunt just about everything else in IL with a rifle... LOL.

I think the thinking was... with deer being the most popular....max hunting pressure those weekends....they don't want people sending rifle bullets miles and miles...

When the zombies show up they're going to be more popular than deer I'm thinking.

-Jake

Didn't know that. Wasn't into hunting when I lived there.

I've got a Colt LE 6920-R. Bought it primarily to see what all the AR-15 fuss was about, with coyote hunting as my intended utility. I may be a handgunner, but when it comes to coyotes I stop messing around and grab whatever I can kill them most effectively with. I was kinda expecting to only see like 2-3" accuracy at best, but to my pleasant surprise it'll do 5-shot, .8 MOA all day with factory 55 grain V-Max loads.

I still haven't decided whether I still want to keep it, or trade it up for an M&P-10 6.5 Creedmoor on my local store's used rack.

Here's a picture of the feral goat my wife shot a few years ago. We went on a freezer filler to the Big Island, near Waimea. It was her first 4 legged animal. The EBR...a DD V3 M4

Barnes 70gr TSX in 5.56mm is certainly more than enough to take any deer. It is also a very, very accurate round in most rifles.