AR rifles for hunting?

[bobn]

younger first time hunters use it for deer in my area. light, easy to shoot, collapsible stock readily adjust for winter coats. also easier to use finger exposed mittens with it than other guns. I use one in 300 for heavy cover woods.
...also use a 30 30, 308, 243, 44 40.

[RC20]

The press is technically ignorant, not just on gun issues, on most things they don't have a technical clue. I think they should have mandatory hands on classes in some mechanical areas to get their degrees. But its part of the nature of it, their faux paus just annoy gun owners. High Power rifle is another one that is used.

Hi Power to me is a 30-06, not a 223. 375, 338 etc. Pretty much anything that has a bottle neck cartridge is high power. Anyone ever hear of a low power rifle? (22 aside)

Our local paper that many call liberal had a very good evenly balanced article on the AR from both sides perspective. So it does happen sometimes.

We don't have varmints, the game animals are enough larger than a deer to need at least a 243.

The only place I see them is at the gun range. Owners range from fully competent to the complete clown who had one slung over his shoulder, muzzle pointing down and down working on targets (range rules which I expect are the same everyone, no guns down range, muzzle up)

My thought was, people who would have been shooting 22s back in the day are now shooting ARs. A good 30% make me very nervous. Some just sloppy untrained, others sloppy, untrained and with a girl who has not a clue, I have seen girls in mini skirts.

And don't get me wrong, I like girls in mini skirts, its not what I call range attire.

[zukiphile]

The only place I see them is at the gun range. Owners range from fully competent to the complete clown who had one slung over his shoulder, muzzle pointing down and down working on targets (range rules which I expect are the same everyone, no guns down range, muzzle up)

Range rules vary. I've belonged to ranges that mandate muzzle down. When I go to a new range I ask. There are arguments for either.

[doofus47]

I used my AR in 6.5Grendel to take an antelope last fall.

When I pull a local late season deer tag, I usually use my AR in 7.62x39 and red dot b/c there's not a lot of visibility in the dark timber and a quick shot from a short barreled AR beats a slow shot with a bolt.

[USMCGrunt]

I think a lot of people think only of the 5.56mm caliber and only hunting deer. If that's the only criteria, then yes, I'd say that is probably overstating things a bit. That being said, I've taken a few deer over the years with my M-4gery.
However, when you start adding in other calibers, I've got a couple real nice bucks over the years with my AR-10s in 7.62 NATO for example, then look at the list of other calibers out there like 6.5 Grendel, 6.8 SPC, 6.5 Creedmor, and others, the numbers start to climb. Then when you add in game outside of just deer such as hogs, yotes, prairie dogs, and other varmints and game animals, things might not be that far off from being an accurate statement.
Either way, short of some kind of ban legislation stopping the growth and popularity of the AR design for hunting applications I believe will only continue to grow.

[Fishbed77]

I seriously doubt it and definitely hope not.

It depends where you are. .223 is legal for whitetail here (not that an AR has to be chambered in .223/5.56mm), people still varmint hunt, and, with the growing popularity of hog hunting (for which it is well-suited), the AR platform will only increase in popularity among hunters.

A lot of traditionalists/fudds will poo-poo the AR for hunting, but the basic design is well-suited for certain types of hunts in a number of ways:


-It's a very safe rifle (can be loaded/unloaded safety) with controls that are familiar to many.

-The design is resistant to corrosion/moisture due to the aluminum receivers and polymer furniture.

-It is easily scoped.

-It (in certain configurations) is compact and handy in certain terrains (brush, etc.).

-It is easily customized and well suited to folks of all sizes.

-There are a huge variety of calibers available, and some are fairly easy to swap.


Although I've never used an AR for hunting, I can certainly understand why one may want to.

[Fishbed77]

It's a military grade small arm {battle field proven} clone of firearm that's too controversial and one that has a checkered past.

If it doesn't have select-fire, an AR is not "military grade."

Don't fall into the the trap the gun-grabbers have set by calling all semi-automatic firearms "weapons of war" and such.

[COSteve]

It's likely that the 'local paper' article was written by a reporter who didn't understand what he/she was writing about (which has become the usual case unfortunately). It's true that the AR style rifle sells more units than any other style so he/she probably just extrapolated it incorrectly. Most of what you read in the papers now is junk anyway and if it's anything concerning firearms, almost certainly biased and mostly wrong.

[rickyrick]

I’ve used semi autos for hunting for a long time, now exclusively. I don’t even have a bolt action anymore.

I only load 3-5 rounds for hunting and have some spares in my pocket or bag, and many times I’ve left with the same amount ammunition, sometimes one or two rounds less if it was a good hunt.
If you don’t think that an AR can be appropriate for hunting, then go join the anti gun crowd. It’s not a freakin machine gun, duh. You can even make one a single shot if you want.

[smee78]

I use my X39 AR I purpose built for deer hunting and have a 300BO I haven't tried yet but it is showing promise.

[RC20]

Range rules vary. I've belonged to ranges that mandate muzzle down. When I go to a new range I ask. There are arguments for either.

Missed the point, our range is muzzle up and no guns down range.

On a side note, clearly muzzle up is more logical as ricochet off the ground is definitely an issue.

[RC20]

If it doesn't have select-fire, an AR is not "military grade."

Its generally black, it carries 30 round magazines, it could easily be used for the Military as most of their shooting is semi auto.

It really shoots your case in the foot to insist its not a duck when it has all the appearances of a duck.

The public is not knowledgeable about fire arms as most don't own one and could care less about the subtlety of semi auto vs full auto.

When I first heard the shooting in Vegas, it was, first time someone has used a full auto weapon. 350 million people in the US alone heard that.

You are only fooling yourself if you thank that argument is going to change anyone's mind.

[rickyrick]

You are right, the public thinks they are machine guns, the shooting sounded like a machine gun, yet gun owners are saying that they are not.
But then, go to YouTube and you see a multitude of videos of gun owners bump firing and all kinds of other stuff that show how fast they can be fired.
Then there’s videos of guys changing magazines quickly and ripping through ammunition.
We go all over social media and insult other Americans for being against our harmless weapons that only look like something evil. But yet there’s plenty of video evidence that what AR enthusiasts showing how dangerous they are.
The public hears the rapid fire echoing through communities when gun people are out recreating, I hear it so everyone else does too.

We are the bad guys, no matter how much you don’t like it, gun owners are the bad guys; we are the socially unacceptable.



That being said, the AR is a great rifle to hunt with. Most are reasonably accurate, the ergonomics and controls fit a lot of people, they are light weight and rugged.

Funny thing is, I own a FAL that once lived it’s life as a military select fire weapon with a more powerful cartridge. After it was retired, it was murdered and reincarnated as semi auto civilian rifle. No one is saying a word about the widespread FAL ownership.

[zukiphile]

Originally Posted by RR

Funny thing is, I own a FAL that once lived it’s life as a military select fire weapon with a more powerful cartridge.

SWEET FANCY MOSES!!! That thing is a "weapon of war"!

[rickyrick]

SWEET FANCY MOSES!!! That thing is a "weapon of war"!
__________________

Lol, when it doesn’t jam lol. I keep it because it’s pretty. I shot it a few times but quickly went into the “Meh” file.

[Fishbed77]

Its generally black, it carries 30 round magazines, it could easily be used for the Military as most of their shooting is semi auto.

It really shoots your case in the foot to insist its not a duck when it has all the appearances of a duck.

Nothing changes about my case. Military M4s, M16, Mk.12s, Mk.18s, etc. are all select-fire. It's the most significant difference between a true assault rifle (the correct definition) and a semi-automatic rifle.

The public is not knowledgeable about fire arms as most don't own one and could care less about the subtlety of semi auto vs full auto.

When I first heard the shooting in Vegas, it was, first time someone has used a full auto weapon. 350 million people in the US alone heard that.

You are only fooling yourself if you thank that argument is going to change anyone's mind.

You can repeat a lie as many times as you like, but that doesn't make it the truth. Many minds have been changed over time by focusing on (and repeating) the truth over lies - over subjects much more profound than "military -grade" vs. "semi-automatic". Slavery, Fascism, Jim Crow, & Communism all spring immediately to mind as accepted facets of society that were based on lies. All it took were people willing to fight for the truth.

[rickyrick]

Most gun owners won’t admit that the AR is indeed an Assault Weapon.
A civilian AR is not an Assault Rifle, but it is an Assault Weapon as defined by the AWB and several state laws.

[ammo.crafter]

My former Marine son in law loves hunting with his AR.

I love hunting with my single shot rifle.

To each his own, I guess. Neither annoy me particularly.

[sevt_chevelle]

Iowa just changed the rules and you can now hunt with rifles but only with straight walled cartridges. I have an AR in 450 Bushmaster just for this.

[Double Naught Spy]

In the local paper there was a guest opinion about gun control. The statement "Also, the AR-15, the most popular hunting rifle...." caught my attention. I am aware the AR platform is very popular and used widely for various hunting and shooting sports. But has the AR surpassed traditional style rifles for hunting applications? Just curious. I googled and could find no definitive stats.

I did as well. Nothing definitive, as you said. In part, this is probably because there is no actual census of hunting rifles us and certainly no uniformity when it comes to classification of "hunting" rifles. When you look at some articles, the only "hunting" rifles mentioned are bolt guns. Apparently, single shots often aren't always considered as "hunting" rifles either.

Then there is the issue of sales intent and actual application. I know folks with "hunting" bolt action rifles that don't hunt with them. Our local police department's "sniper" rifles are bolt guns original marketed as "hunting" rifles.

When I started hunting with an AR, I initially used one that was tasked with being a home defense weapon.

So what is a "hunting" rifle? As near as I can tell, it is a rifle used for hunting.

What is believed by many is that AR style rifles are the most manufactured (so apparently are the most popular) rifles in the US and are used in various types of hunting, from tiny varmints to big game, because of the wide range of calibers in which they are made between the AR15 and AR10 style platforms. In the last decade, AR sales have skyrocketed. Of course, like the bolt guns, not all ARs are used in hunting. I doubt anybody has a grasp on how many of what types of rifles are used in hunting. Again to hammer the point, sales intent does not equate to actual real life application.

I've heard of people using it for varmints and hogs.. but a lot of states I don't think will allow 223 for things like deer..

Currently, there are 10 states that won't allow .223 caliber for deer. There are 40 that will.

[9x19]

Most popular hunting rifle?

Probably not, but then again, the only two center fire rifles I kept to hunt with are both AR-15s, one in 5.56 and the other in .300 AAC.

I do have a Henry in .357 for woods walking with my GP100 along, but when I down-sized my accumulation a few years back, none of the bolt action "hunting rifles" made the cut.

I simply enjoy the AR platform much, much, more.

[Colorado Redneck]

I learned something about myself. I am a Fudd. A traditional bolt or lever action rifle with wood furniture is evidently etched into my increasingly feeble mind when referring to "hunting rifles." Seems dumb when thinking about this rationally. AR rifles probably are more adept as a modern hunting rifle, but the gears gnash in this old brain trying to imagine packing an AR. Seems that something about how attractive a gun is plays into this. I know, beauty in the eye of the beholder.....

[xandi]

Ar15s come is wssm too
243 wssm is a tad faster the 243 so you know it’ll work just as good
300wssm should work on the large critters better then a 30wcf

[rickyrick]

I don’t think that there’s anything wrong with sticking to traditional hunting rifles. But, most of those evolved from military weapons of times past.
I tended to shoot my semis more than anything else, so I was most comfortable hunting with them.

Not everyone that hunts with an AR stuffs 30rds into the mag. I suspect like I did, many just loaded a few rounds. When I used to hunt with the Mini14, I only used the 5rd mag.

I know a guy that has only used an old .303 surplus rifle, and it had seen military service.

[In The Ten Ring]

If a friend was just beginning to hunt and didn't want to have a bunch of different weapons I'd suggest he/she get an AR 15 and put on different uppers for different game. The rifle is very hard to beat.

I am not a fan of .223/5.56 so my upper is not in that caliber. I have considered getting an upper in .458 SOCOM, .300 Blackout, and 6.5 Grendel for deer,hog, and bear hunting. I think the 6.5 Grendel would be an excellent falling plate caliber for competitions.