[tahunua001]

as counter intuitive as it sounds, I learned last year while trying to develop deer loads for my 9mm that heavier is better if you are handicapping yourself.

under most circumstances the AR is a pretty poor idea for elk but more because of the cartridges that it uses rather than the rifle itself.

last year for elk I packed a 9 pound weatherby vanguard setup with a 24" barrel for many miles through thick timber and brush... a 20" AR with a sling swivel higher on the handguard would make the going much easier without a sizable increase in weight, keep in mind I'm not going to be packing several spare magazines stuffed full of ammo and weighing myself down with flashlights, bipods, vertical pistol grips, lasers, and other worthless doodads.

for the purpose of hunting, an AR can be a great tool as long as you go about it the right way.