Are ARs socially acceptable for deer hunting?

Some people will look at you funny, but not to the point you'll feel like an outcast, lol. A couple years back, I invited my uncle hunting. I let him choose from my rifles, and he wanted the AR. Since he is not a hunter, and had never been hunting, he had no idea what the "typical" hunting rifle is. Well at the camp, everyone ragged on him because of the AR. Not in an offensive way, just the guys having a lil fun picking on him. Well during the day the ranch was pretty quiet, except for the area we had dropped my uncle off at. Just shot after shot. At the end of the day we went to pick him up and found him with a coyote, 2 does, and 2 pigs. No one else got anything that weekend. I thought it was kinda ironic, lol.

No stigma for me. My 14 year old took his first deer this year...with my AR. No problem.

If others don't like it...oh well!

Well, you obviously don't need the capacity of an AR to do deer hunting, but it shouldn't be a problem if you're using a .26 bullet.

You just need to make of the caliber restrictions in your state if they have any.

If people don't like it who cares.I hunt with mine more than any of the others in the safe.It's mind over matter...them that mind don't matter,them that matter don't mind.

There are also some restrictions on capacity by state. From what I recall for my state you cannot hunt with a semi auto with a capacity over 11 rnds including what is in the chamber. http://mdc.mo.gov/hunting-trapping/regulations/deer-regulations/2012-firearms-deer-hunting

I don't think you should concern yourself with what others think, just be safe and enjoy

There is a recent trend to "Traditionalize" the looks of an AR.

Such as the Remington R-25 series. They are just 'camo' ARs.

I don't deer hunt, but if legal with my colt 6920, my only long gun (long could be debated, with a 16 inch barrel), I'd use my 77 gr. MK 262 Mod 1, 5.56 rounds. Even then, I'd be careful of shot placement. I'd feel terrible if I just wounded an animal and had to track it...and NOT find it.

That would ruin my day, and certainly the deer's, especially if it languished for some time.

I wonder what the rest of the guys thought the first time someone brought one of those P-14 assault rifles hunting, with it's high capacity, extended range, bayonet lug and evil whatnot.

Which is a shame, because I ain't buying a camouflage ANYTHING, regardless of what I plan on doing with it. I'd have a Remington R25 if they weren't camo......and probably hunt with it. Make it a solid color like olive drab, flat dark earth, anything but camo.

I took an elk with my 6.5 Grendel. It can easily take deer. I was impressed.

Very typical here in west Texas.

Capacity limits?
Hmm.
Well its true that i never carry more than three mags.

I'd much rather see you show up with an AR in 260 rem, 6.5 Grendel, or 6.5 creedmoor ( or any of the AR-based 6.5 rounds) than a more traditional gun in 22-250 or 220 swift and the like.

Matt

Eventually you'll see more ARs at deer camps where rifles are legal for deer hunting. I think one in .260, 6.5, or 6.8 would be an excellent choice.

You'll get a few guys who still don't agree with your choice. I'd have no problem with it. Set up right the AR is a very good choice. We should welcome new hunters even if they don't use traditional equipment. I'm not personally fond or crossbows during archery season, but won't discourage a hunter who wants to use one.

You can get 5 round magazines so mag capacity isn't a problem.

If only deer hunting the 223 round is fine with proper bullets. And there are very few states were it is not legal. There are AR pattern rifles based on the 308 family of cartridges. They would be a better choice on larger game, but those rifles start getting much heavier and awkward to carry around compared to traditional bolt rifles.

That is the biggest reason I've not seriously thought about using one. My 223 AR is under 7 lbs scoped and is a joy to carry. Still heavier than my bolt rifle, but I have no desire to hunt with a 10+ lb 308 in an AR platform.

.223 usually makes a lousy exit wound, if it makes any at all.

The deer shot by the .223 will still die very quickly.

Its not that the .223 isn't sufficiently lethal.
Its just lousy for tracking.

I once shot a dear exactly through the heart with a 30-06 at close range. That bugger still ran far enough that I had to track it to find it. I was grateful for the COPIOUS blood trail. It would have been a long and tedious search if I'd had to set up a grid pattern to find it.

The only deer I shot with a .223 (actually .223 necked-up to 6mm for Virginia law) dropped like a light switch due to the shot that entered the neck and traversed the spine. Another close-range shot - about 20 yards. No exit wound whatsoever. Only ONE DROP of blood emerged from the entry wound. I was not impressed.

Prospectively, if I'm going to hunt deer with the black rifle, I will at least use one that will make an exit wound. I like my DPMS LR-308T for that.



The '06 definitely weighs less.

W.E.G. said:

.223 usually makes a lousy exit wound, if it makes any at all.

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Bologna. You may need practice. Quarter sized holes on the off side offer more than sufficient blood loss.

I've shot, killed, and have found deer DRT or close by with .223/556. Know you effective range, place the shot properly, and they fall.

On topic: I've used the Sport for a few deer hunts. It's an accurate platform, offers quick follow ups (never have I needed), and is light to carry. The modularity makes it tree stand friendly too.

My credentials: Over a solid decade taking deer with .224, 20 years off and on total with that round, a season with an AR amounting to five quick, easy kills up to and including 125 yards, and no deer wounded in the process. Never.

Edit to add: my best friend and coworker took his first deer (yearling doe) a
On Saturday at 90 yards with KelTec SU-16 and Barnes VorTx 55gr. (Per my suggestion). Shot through the shoulder, ricochet and exited lengthwise through the neck...putting a hole in its ear. DRT. How much more exit wound is needed?

An AR15 in 6.5 Grendel would be fine with the guys I hunt with, or even a 6x45, .50 Beowulf or .30AR. However if you showed up with a .223 we'd probably send you home.

We've shot a lot of does and spikes with .223's during culling shoots (note it's not hunting, it's killing, sometimes 20-30 deer in one weekend) but we don't like them for regular hunts. If you shoot a good bullet and limit your shots to headshots or heart lung shots at 50-75 yards like our culls then they usually (but not always) work fine. But there are just to many ways for a .223 to not work the way it should so why take the chance or wounding the animal. Particularly if the range starts getting out to 125-150 yards, the wind is blowing a little, the angle isn't peferct, etc.

However I also know leases where most of the hunters are shooting .223's, so it depends on the group you hunt with.

browningguy said:

An AR15 in 6.5 Grendel would be fine with the guys I hunt with, or even a 6x45, .50 Beowulf or .30AR. However if you showed up with a .223 we'd probably send you home.

We've shot a lot of does and spikes with .223's during culling shoots (note it's not hunting, it's killing, sometimes 20-30 deer in one weekend) but we don't like them for regular hunts. If you shoot a good bullet and limit your shots to headshots or heart lung shots at 50-75 yards like our culls then they usually (but not always) work fine. But there are just to many ways for a .223 to not work the way it should so why take the chance or wounding the animal. Particularly if the range starts getting out to 125-150 yards, the wind is blowing a little, the angle isn't peferct, etc.

However I also know leases where most of the hunters are shooting .223's, so it depends on the group you hunt with.

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You can wound with anything. If you came to my camp spouting the typical nonsense of "true deer cartridges", you'd not be offered a beer at the fire.

Well...I'd consider going deer hunting with a 7.62 upper/lower, if someone would carry it for me.

If it's legal, who cares what others think?

I'm not really into the AR thing, but I wouldn't look down my nose at someone who hunter with one.

Many states limit magazine capacity while hunting with semi-auto rifles. When restricted to 5 or 6 rounds, an AR is functionally no different than a Remington 7600 or one of the Browning semi-auto centerfires.

Let's put it this way:

25 years ago I was an anomaly when I showed up with an AR15
15 years ago my buddies kept on making jokes about my "assault rifles"
5 years ago nobody seemed to care anymore

Last month two of my hunting buddies asked me for advice because they want to buy AR:s for hunting.

The world is changing. Fortunately. I wonder how the first guy who got a lever or bolt action rifle was treated, when everyone else had trapdoors or muzzle loaders.

A lightweight AR, in the cartridge of your comfort level, makes a fine deer rifle.

I use a 5 round mag just because, and that means I have less capacity than the guys who grew up with Enfields and the same as most bolt rifles. It is a 6.8 SPC, which can be argued to be more powerful than the traditional .30-30, so I don't feel undergunned. It also is very accurate and light recoiling, so I am confident in my shot placement.