Please Explain the popularity of AR's for hunting big game

[RadSav]

I do see the attraction due to wanting something before the communist leaders take that right away.  But, I have never found myself in a situation in the field where I wished I had an AR. 

I have used many different semi-auto hunting rifles.  The old Valmet we used back in the mid-late 80's for pig control hunts in S.Carolina put some serious hurting on the swine population.  But I can't say I liked it as much as the Remington or Browning sporters.  It was one heck of a lot lighter than the HK though

The AR platforms tickle my fancy every once in a while.  But never enough for me to spend any money on them.  I'd never bash somebody for buying one if they can afford it, but I myself will stick with bolts, levers and the occasional No.1.

[Biggerhammer]

Not sure how I missed this one.   If it has not be said there is one thing that all need to consider.


It is a Rifle!  If it shoots a legal size bullet accurately then it really does not matter what it looks like!

  nicely said

I'm not sure anyone has a problem with the way they look. That's irrelevant. The reason most people don't choose to hunt with an AR style rifle is they're simply not practical and not cost effective. You can have a decent bolt action rifle with scope for $500. A person could hunt big game with that same $500 rifle for 20 years and never have a need for anything else. I just can't imagine myself ever feeling like I need faster follow up shots in a deer and elk rifle. I prefer accuracy and one shot kills over firepower. So no, the way they look is not the reason why I wouldn't use one. Although I do have to say, thinking about it now, it would feel weird to me, like I was going to war instead of going hunting. If I ever do feel the urge to try one, my practical side would probably decide to spend that money on an out of state hunting trip instead.

Some of us don't care what something costs, if we want it we get it?   Most often than not the funds are there for many, it's what they choose to do with it. Nothing wrong with that, I choose to buy lots of powder, primers and bullets for whatever I'm tinkering with. I get board with stuff very quickly and it's on to the next , rifle, AR, shotgun, handgun, chambering, build, wildcat ETC.

[Biggerhammer]

I don't see how an AR isn't practical? And they are accurate.

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The cost. I already have a bolt action rifle and it's all I need.

So if you were to only have one rifle for all of your big game hunting, would it be an AR?

How about you start a separate thread with that question? You side tracked the Elk/AR ethics thread several by doing such.

[bobcat]

I don't see how an AR isn't practical? And they are accurate.

Sent from my E6782 using Tapatalk

The cost. I already have a bolt action rifle and it's all I need.

So if you were to only have one rifle for all of your big game hunting, would it be an AR?

How about you start a separate thread with that question? You side tracked the Elk/AR ethics thread several by doing such.

Really?  LOL   

I sure don't recall me being the one that sidetracked that other thread. Hilarious! It was already sidetracked by the time I got involved.

I have no desire to start another thread on this topic.

[lamrith]

After Sandyhook, I picked up an AR because my government wasn't going to allow me to have one going forward. Don't even ask how much I paid for it. It was only a 5.56mm (.223").

So I have this rifle, now what? I think I'll go deer hunting. Turns out that you need at least a 6mm (.24") to hunt deer. I did some research and decided i would pick up a 6.8mm AR15 upper. You just pop out two pins, take off the 5.56 upper and slap on the 6.8 upper and away you go. I ended up building a dedicated lower for the 6.8.

When I planned a hiking, backpacking, and fishing trip to Alaska, neither of those rifles seemed big enough for Grizzly defence. I decided I'd build a bigger rifle. I ended up putting together a .458 SOCOM AR15.  10 + 1, 350 Grain projectiles as fast as you can pull the trigger. I convinced myself I was good to go if a bear wanted to snack on me. We didn't encounter any Bears, but I was glad to have a bigbore autoloader.

Anyway, I think maybe versatile and capable are good descriptors.

And thus fell into the trap and why many of us like AR's.  They are legos for big boys..  It gets really bad when you realize you have a spare LPK or handguard in the closet and "have" to use it...  Ahhh crap, another rifle in the safe...

[Biggerhammer]

After Sandyhook, I picked up an AR because my government wasn't going to allow me to have one going forward. Don't even ask how much I paid for it. It was only a 5.56mm (.223").

So I have this rifle, now what? I think I'll go deer hunting. Turns out that you need at least a 6mm (.24") to hunt deer. I did some research and decided i would pick up a 6.8mm AR15 upper. You just pop out two pins, take off the 5.56 upper and slap on the 6.8 upper and away you go. I ended up building a dedicated lower for the 6.8.

When I planned a hiking, backpacking, and fishing trip to Alaska, neither of those rifles seemed big enough for Grizzly defence. I decided I'd build a bigger rifle. I ended up putting together a .458 SOCOM AR15.  10 + 1, 350 Grain projectiles as fast as you can pull the trigger. I convinced myself I was good to go if a bear wanted to snack on me. We didn't encounter any Bears, but I was glad to have a bigbore autoloader.

Anyway, I think maybe versatile and capable are good descriptors.

And thus fell into the trap and why many of us like AR's.  They are legos for big boys..  It gets really bad when you realize you have a spare LPK or handguard in the closet and "have" to use it...  Ahhh crap, another rifle in the safe...

It seems you find the more "Hands on" types building or shooting AR's. The simplicity and the overwhelming aftermarket part support. I would rather pile it up and put it together then hand my $$$ to a chump counter monkey if I can help it.

Same goes for rifles with bedding, pillars, different stocks, free floating barrels, opening base holes to 8/40 the list goes on. I would much rather tinker in the reloading room or work than sit on the sofa or in the recliner and stare at the TV.

[pianoman9701]

Hey guys, no bad feelings over guns. We all like different guns for different reasons. If you don't agree with the reasons, that's your own personal standards, not someone else's. WTH? 

[jaymark6655]

I don't see how an AR isn't practical? And they are accurate.

Sent from my E6782 using Tapatalk

The cost. I already have a bolt action rifle and it's all I need.

So if you were to only have one rifle for all of your big game hunting, would it be an AR?

I will bite.  YES.  One rifle with two or three uppers in different calibers.  Its like owning a TC with different barrels except its not a single shot break action.

In my experience those $500 bolt guns with the scope do not shot as well as an AR.  Last one I had the stock would twist when using a bipod throwing shots all over the place.  So another stock cost me about $300 and then the scope was poop so I spent some more money on that.  Its a nice gun now, but cost as much as I could build a nice AR for and when I moved out here and to meet all the strange deer hunting restriction all I had to do was build a second upper rather than rebarrel an action.

[lamrith]

Hey guys, no bad feelings over guns. We all like different guns for different reasons. If you don't agree with the reasons, that's your own personal standards, not someone else's. WTH? 

None taken!  I love a good bolt gun too.  Sadly I do not have one in the stable currently, but I am working on that slowly and the plan is it will be my next aquisition...

[JDHasty]

I tried getting into the fad of the ar style rifle and just couldn't.  Here is what changed my mind and why I chose not to hunt with them. 

1.  They are very heavy
2.  They are very loud.....I don't walk with one in the chamber and when I went to chamber a round, it was very loud.  Imagine metal on metal with spring sound while trying to chamber a round.  Anything withing 500 yards will hear you. 


If you hunt from a stand or blind and can sit with a round chambered it would probably work well.  They are fun and the recoil is very light in comparison to bolt rifles.  I still shoot .223 and even take it coyote hunting once in a while but for big game I prefer my bolt guns.   

  Add to that that I can carry a CZ527 or a Sako A1 much more comfortably and the only time I grab an AR15 is for predator calling where I will be set up.  I have absolutely no desire to lug an AR10 around in the field, I have had a couple Colt Hbars that I used to shoot DCM with and have packed them in the field before I got my Remington R15 and that cured me of ever even thinking I would want to tote around an AR10 big game hunting. 

[Curly]

Can we keep the drama over on that other thread?  This thread has some good info.  I just wanted to learn about AR's.

Thanks.

p.s. - can someone explain what a lower and an upper is?  Probably a dumb question, but I won't know unless I ask.........or I could Google it I guess. 

[boneaddict]

I haven't read the 5 pages.....but to,answer the OPs question, I think the obvious answer is...because we can.   America is on its way to being regulated out of existence, but at this point in time, we can, and some are obviously effective enough therefore, go for it. 

Part of the allure of the sport is being effective with multiple weapons.   Why pigeon hole yourself into one.  One day it might be a lever action carbine, one day an AR, the next day, a spear.  Oh, that's been outlawed maybe.....some user group might have thought it was ineffective so we should ban it.

[Blacktail Sniper]

Curly,

The lower is the part that holds the trigger, mag, etc and is also the ATF regulated piece because it carries the serial number.

The upper carries the bolt carrier group with firing pin, the barrel attaches to it, sights, etc.

[JimmyHoffa]

More related to the OP's question than my first response:

I have been considering building an AR10 for hunting elk in the rainforest. Shots are generally well under 75 yards.  While the last two elk have been bang flops, I think being able to sneak a second round into an elk and give you a bit more blood to trail could be handy in the deep dark wet rain forest.

I've used an AR in the deep, dark rainforest for varmints and didn't feel disadvantaged for not using one for bigger game.  In the real heavy stuff, I can't seem to get a second shot anyways--so auto, lever, pump wouldn't have made any advantages there.  Maybe in the alder bottoms could get a decent follow up.  Definitely different in the open country, mixed terrains where you can see the animal again after a first shot.  If you're in a clear cut, I could see it being a big advantage.  The only performance issue I had with the AR in the rainforest was after about a week of being rained on, ice/snow, mud and fir needles is that it can be a little bit of a dog and need some cleanings/oiling.  The lugs seem to get sticky.  But they are weatherproof in all the other regards, like corrosion and point of impact shifts.

[Curly]

The recoil reduction and accuracy aspect of a good AR is intriguing.  I found this video on Youtube:

300 Win mag with low recoil. 

I bet Inslee will try some sort of ban.  And if Hillary gets in office she is going after guns.  Seems like AR sales are likely to go thru the roof.