Anyone hunt with an AR-15?

Nightglock · September 22, 1999, 07:43 AM

I was wondering if it's legal to hunt with an Ar-15. In Maryland, the law states that rifles used for deer hunting must use ammunition developing a muzzle energy of at least 1,200 foot pounds. Corbon's .223 has a muzzle energy of 1251-1283 ft/lbs. Would it be legal for me to hunt deer with an AR-15 using Corbon ammo?

david_m_curry · September 22, 1999, 11:29 AM

While a .223 with the proper bullet is a legitimate deer round in the hands of someone who knows which shots to take and which ones to pass on, the Cor-Bon ammo is for tactical use and utilizes varmit bullets (Sierra Blitzking), so they really aren't appropriate for hunting as they cannot offer any assurance of adequate penetration on big game. The good news is that Hornandy makes a 60 gr. .223 round that is appropriate for hunting and it makes 1322 fpe from a 24" barrel. Better yet, Federal offers a load with the 55 gr. Trophy Bonded Bear Claw, but it only puts out 1175 fpe (barrel length unknown). The Federal load is the best hunting load that I know of for the .223, and my father-in-law often hunts with a .223, but it doesn't make that ridiculus 1200 fpe rule in Maryland. In my opinion, energy, by itself, is a poor indicator of cartridge performance. I think that I will start a new thread on this

Ankeny · September 26, 1999, 10:56 PM

My personal code of ethics dictate that I use the largest firearm that I can comfortably shoot and hit reliably with under field conditions. I use my 30-06 or 30-338 on big mule deer (in fact on antelope I use the flat shooting 30-338).

I hunt with archery equipment and the only time I use a rifle is when I go hunting for truly trophy animals and for that I body slam them with a magnum.

September 22, 1999, 07:43 AM	#1
Nightglock Junior Member Join Date: September 21, 1999 Posts: 2	I was wondering if it's legal to hunt with an Ar-15. In Maryland, the law states that rifles used for deer hunting must use ammunition developing a muzzle energy of at least 1,200 foot pounds. Corbon's .223 has a muzzle energy of 1251-1283 ft/lbs. Would it be legal for me to hunt deer with an AR-15 using Corbon ammo?

September 22, 1999, 11:29 AM	#2
david_m_curry Member Join Date: August 5, 1999 Posts: 55	While a .223 with the proper bullet is a legitimate deer round in the hands of someone who knows which shots to take and which ones to pass on, the Cor-Bon ammo is for tactical use and utilizes varmit bullets (Sierra Blitzking), so they really aren't appropriate for hunting as they cannot offer any assurance of adequate penetration on big game. The good news is that Hornandy makes a 60 gr. .223 round that is appropriate for hunting and it makes 1322 fpe from a 24" barrel. Better yet, Federal offers a load with the 55 gr. Trophy Bonded Bear Claw, but it only puts out 1175 fpe (barrel length unknown). The Federal load is the best hunting load that I know of for the .223, and my father-in-law often hunts with a .223, but it doesn't make that ridiculus 1200 fpe rule in Maryland. In my opinion, energy, by itself, is a poor indicator of cartridge performance. I think that I will start a new thread on this

September 26, 1999, 10:56 PM	#3
Ankeny Senior Member Join Date: December 14, 1998 Location: Shoshoni, WY USA Posts: 556	My personal code of ethics dictate that I use the largest firearm that I can comfortably shoot and hit reliably with under field conditions. I use my 30-06 or 30-338 on big mule deer (in fact on antelope I use the flat shooting 30-338). I hunt with archery equipment and the only time I use a rifle is when I go hunting for truly trophy animals and for that I body slam them with a magnum.