Are ARs socially acceptable for deer hunting?

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CraigC said:
How convenient.
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As a slurppy. I wanted to avoid muddying the OP's specific thread, but dont want that to appear as an excuse. You cherrypicked my post and I provided some data thinking it was more than some troll attempt. I also acknowledged that there are many ways to discuss the effectiveness of a cartridge. Energy and velocity matter because they are quantifyiable, colorful descriptions of freight trains are not. I do think we agree that bullet construction and weight are important, but that is a red herring to this discussion. Yes, sectional density matters too and I am not ignoring it, but dont ignore the other elements of external and teminal ballistics either.

I dont want to confuse my comments with thinking that a .30-30 is any less capable than it has been for generations. I think ultimately this is another light/fast or heavy/slow debate, and there is no way it will be solved here.
 
I would have to add that while I have never successfully hunted deer, (never taught HOW to hunt until very recently, nobody I "went hunting" with before then knew any more than I did, huge waste of time), but I hope to try it soon with some experienced hunters to help, this time. I will be using a Modern Sporting Rifle, (interesting moniker), in either 7.62x39mm or 5.56mm, (not ARs, but to avoid "muddying the water", I won't further identify them), that are black in color and utilize larger than 5 round magazines - they don't MAKE 5 round mags for one of them. My hunting buddies don't mind, and after some very gentle ribbing, the senior hunter said that the 5.56mm rifle would be an excellent coyote gun as well, and I have loads that I think will work just fine. The media would undoubtedly make hay about it, if I was foolish enough to invite them along...
 
OK. To add a bit of, "if a little is good, then more is better" spice, I talked with my BIL who is a huge firearm nut. He said if 5.56 NATO hardware is all a hunter had (in states legal for deer), he'd recommend the 77 gr. MK262 Mod 1, or 75 gr. Hornady 5.56 X45 TAP WC T2 with 1/7 or 1/8 twist, and double-tap the shot. .223 ammo or chambering wasn't discussed much, but he said some crack-shots have had excellent results, with the weaker loads.

I gotta say, after looking at the 5.56 NATO ballistics tests, when the bullet starts tumbling and fragmenting in ballistic media, I would not want to be shot by one of the rounds.

Don't kill the messenger...
 
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Is an AR-15 "socially acceptable for hunting"?

some persons do not think hunting is socially acceptable - please pray for them , part of there souls are missing.

It is true that rapid fire, large capacity mags, and tactical looks contribute nothing to a rifles potential as a hunting arm. That is not the point. I love to hunt , and would enjoy it the same , be it bow, blackpowder, classic wood and steel , or modern. I also enjoy phone conversations , and it matters not if it be an old school dial phone or the latest smart phone, its the quality and clarity that matters. As accuracy , trigger ,and trim count with a rifle. This is the 21st century, so unless I am playing dress up ( thats OK too) I will use 21st century implements.
The AR has been Americas battle rifle for 50 years, I have carried it in North America, Asia, Europe, and Arabia. Millions more Americans have also, many of them have no other firearms training.
Get with the program already. he AR is the most popular and best selling rifle in this country ,maybe the world. Learn it , love it, master it, teach it to our kids.
 
I agree, 40rod. The deer population in northwest AR is out of control. Something needs done ASAP. They graze in my front yard. They act like I'm not there, when I spotlight them and finally shoo them away. I see their fawn hiding in the woods around my house.

People here feed them, and think it's cute. My neighbor hit one and smashed the front of his Mercedes. We had a long discussion about it.

My wife went to work early, and a buck was standing in the road where we live, but quickly darted into the woods. Good thing it didn't have a taste for black Chevy Cruze.

I hope the hunting is successful. We may not discharge firearms in the city limits here, but I believe bow hunting is acceptable. Doesn't affect the animals in residential areas, though.

We have a coyote/fox/bobcat problem here too. Residential area with woods all round. I have heard shots in the area. Neighbor said a bobcat was lounging in my front yard when he retrieved his garbage containers. It looked at him, then lay his had back down, as if in a nice pillow-top bed. Woodpeckers constantly tear-up the trim around the house, looking for a nesting site. Squirrels munch on my picnic table, wife's cedar wishing well, and rough-cut cedar as vertical garage supports either side of the garage door. Raccoons, Armadillo, chimpunks, squirrels are all dispatched with my .22Benjamin Marauder or marauder pistol. Shrouded barrels, so very quiet pre-charged pneumatic air rifles.

Two coyote stopped to look at my wife standing in the driveway, and I charged them with a huge pipe, and they scattered. This is fun. Live in the sticks, and deal with the animal life.

However, forest rats must be put on the table, and quickly.
 
It pretty much depends on what sort of "Society" you hang out with.
Some of the hunters I've met think of the bolt action or Marlin 336 as "newfangled".
On the other hand, I've checked out a few hunting camps where I firmly believe that the "hunters" would call in artillery or air strikes if they thought they could get away with it... :)
 
Times are a changing.Not too long ago the Fudd would look down and make snide comments.Now with new generations of shooters they are gravitating to the Modern Sporting Rifle.The AR and its kind are just another shooting platform.
 
I know a guy who hunts with an AR in 243 Win, and another fella who uses an SKS in 7.62x39 both with 5 rnd mags (it's the law). In Western Washington, coastal woods and Commercial timberlands usually produce short range shots, 150 yards and less are the norm.
I use traditional bolt & lever-guns mostly, but my Remington 7400 weighs the same as the AR (9 lbs). The 243 and 7.62 drop deer as well as anything else, so as long as it's a quick, clean, kill, who cares.
If the man behind the gun has the integrity, and ethics of a sportsman and is an all around great human being, who cares about the tool he uses to harvest an animal? I don't.
 
Sam Cade, i was not trying to start a fight. my dmps m4 clone is heavier than some of the nula rifles and i think the tiny kimber is lighter also, not sure tho. the dpms was three times cheaper though. my post was mostly meant in jest.
 
Style points? We joke about this from time to time but if your state allows a semi auto rifle why not?

Use what you shoot best that fits the legal definitions of your game laws.
 
If it's legal, who cares what others think?
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Right. You shoot what you want to shoot if that is what you are comfortable with shooting and shoot it well and so can hunt humanely. Don't worry about what others think you should be shooting. It is YOUR deer hunt, not theirs. It is YOUR hunting experience, not theirs. It is YOUR deer to take home, not theirs.
 
I don't care if an AR is "socially acceptable" or not. You can hunt with what you want and I'll hunt with what I want. If it isn't acceptable for you that OK with me. I just won't hunt with you.

Easy, no stress, solution
 
Sure. I wouldn't do it. I enjoy nice bolt action rifles and don't really care for messing with an ar-15. But whatever floats your boat man. We couldn't care les what you wanted to hunt with.
 
It was not 'socially responsible' for Rosa Parks to sit in the front seat of the bus as well.
 
60 or 70 years ago when 30-30 was the norm and 257 Roberts was the 6.8 of its day, there were a lot of lost deer then too. If you don't believe me read the outdoor magazines of the day. At least with an AR in your hands you are shooting what has proven to be a very accurate platform and a flat cartridge with which shot placement will be as good as it gets.
I think the key is knowing limits. I would use it for well placed shots to about 250 from a good solid rest avoiding varmint bullets. I would not use it for a body shot on a big deer at 300 yards.
 
If your friends are skeptical or baffled by your choice in sporting arms, use it as a chance to educate them on the practical nature of more modern sporters. Trends in Sporting arms always follow those of military arms. It's just a natural progression. No different really than a sporterized Enfield or Mauser from years past.
 
Base your shooting activities on what is "socially acceptable" your in for a lot of disappointment. Look at how divided the country is - you really think your going to find a consensus on an AR.
 
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