hunting with what you have

[colt.45]

I plan on deer hunting for the first time this winter, and i've never really bought a dedicated hunting rifle. i have two rifles that could potentially take a deer, but i dont know wich one to choose. help me out...

i have an m-1 garand and an ar-15. should be an easy pick, right? the m-1 should win hands down, but theres one small problem. i have horrible eyes and shooting with the garands iron sights gets me 6 moa. (wow right?) on the other hand i have an ar-15 that i can dop 1moa with out to 200 yards and 1.5 moa at 300 yards, all form field positions. no it isnt a target varmint rifle. i put this together to be my out to 200 yards home defense gun, so it is verry rugged. although i will be taking shots well under 100 yards un the thicket of land where im hunting.

so what would you pick? more than adequate power or proper shot placement and minimum power?

 

[dstorm1911]

223 isn't really your best deer rnd, I'd deffinetly go with the Garande,


as a side note........ I wouldn't consider 200 yards for SD, thats pretty much a guaranteed conviction unless ya got a sniper shootin at you..... which BTW Has happened..... out here in Arizona in wide open terrain and in the middle of drug smuggler alley even then... it cost me alot of $$ in legal defense fees that was with 4 witnesses and 3 slugs embedded in my living room wall........ I'd look into a 30 yard SD gun if I were you thats pretty much the maximum ya can get away with and still have a chance at a legal defense

 

[trickyasafox]

if its under 100 yards, I'd bet you could probably still do a number on deer with the m1. . . .but if you insist, i'd load some 69 or 77 gr bullets up for the ar and im sure it too could humanly harvest some good game

 

[jpwilly]

The Garand 30-06 would be my choice for a deer rifle.

 

[Titan6]

If you use the Garand make certain you use bullets under a 165gr and nothing high powered. You can break your operating rod with excessive recoil from some hunting ammo.

 

[Sylvilagus Aquaticus]

Garand, definitely.

I'd probably look around for someone to load up some mildish loads with 150gr. Core-Loks or RNHP's if time permits. Otherwise, probably Remchester factory loads with 150gr. bullets suitable for medium game would suffice if you don't make a steady diet of them.

Don't feel funny about it- once I went on a deer hunt with an Uzi stoked with 4 Silvertips for lack of anything else. Fortunately for all involved, I didn't see a single deer but lots and lots of freezing rain.

Regards,
Rabbit.

 

[Frog48]

Neither of those are ideal deer rifles. However, if I had to choose, I'd say the AR. I'd sacrifice power for accuracy. The knockdown power of .30-06 doesnt mean jack if you cant cleanly hit your target.

 

[dakotasin]

at the ranges you're talking about, the 6 moa garand is fine, and 30-06 is far superior to the 223 for deer at every range.

 

[Chris B]

You went deer hunting with an Uzi? Would've been a great story back at camp if you'd taken one.

 

[Ian Sean]

Personally I would go with the Garand, BUT! Do a check with your Game Commision in your state!

Not all states allow hunting with semi-auto's and some have restrictions below a certain caliber round (you want a dead animal not a wounded one) I kind of agree with the reasoning for it. Here in Pennsylvania, no semi-autos for hunting.

 

[grizz]

Borrow a deer rifle. This is like asking "I want to pick up a 3/4 ton of rocks. Should I use my Toyota Corolla, or my 1972 F-150 that I can't drive because the transmission is shot?"

 

[MudPuppy]

Where are you hunting? The little goat-deer around here don't need that much.

I've not been a big fan of a 223 for deer, but seeing the size and with a proper round, I've reconsidered--especially at less than 100m. I think they'll both get the job done.

 

[dstorm1911]

ya could always use it as an excuse for another Milsurp too, a Yugo mauser or Mosin nagant will work perfectly if ya have a hard time with barrel mounted sights look a NO4 MK1 Enfield with a rear peep, ya can get any of these cheap right now I brought home many Oregon white tails and a few Elk growing up with an Enfield jungle carbine

 

[Father Knows Best]

Check your state laws. Many states don't allow deer hunting with the .223 round. If that's the case where you are, then your only choice is the M1.

 

[dscottw88]

They use M1 garands to take down a deer in Band of Brothers! Since it was on TV it must be true! Haha.... JK!

Realistically however I would choose the garand over an AR. It'll be heavy but worth the better round IMO.

 

[jay43]

Put a scope on the M-1

 

[MilsurpShooter]

Would all depend on the range you're taking the shot. I was initially going to use my Mosin Nagant with PU sniper scope for hunting this year, but as I've been reading and listening to some other hunters I've heard most shots here in New York are taken well under 100 yards. 3.5 magnification under 100 yards... Still might be able to do it. I've also a Yugo M48a that has some hunting rounds, but I'm hesitant to shoot with that one. My accuracy and shot placement is nowhere near my Mosin, but again, minute of pie plate should be half way decent. I may just wait and see how my new 1897 Trench Gun functions, find some of those new rifled slugs companies are selling and use that lol.

Overall though I'd probably find some hunting rounds for the Garand. The AR is a good platform and accuracy is good, but in order to have an ethical, clean, and efficient kill you'll need a balance of stopping power and round placement. I mean with the right placement you can take down a deer with a .22 I wouldn't do it because it would mean un-necessary suffering for the deer.

Check your local laws, it might be a moot point anyway, depending on semi-auto hunting laws in certain areas.

 

[The Annoyed Man]

+1 for borrowing someone's dedicated deer rifle.

 

[Father Knows Best]

Yeah, borrowing a rifle is probably your best bet. You can also pick up a good deer rifle for very little money -- as little as $100 to $150 if you shop the used gun racks and gun shows. But if you can borrow a rifle, use that $100 for ammo and range time to get comfortable with it and to be sure it is dialed in, and use whatever is left over to buy beer for the buddy who loaned it to you.

 

[Blackfork]

M1

I've shot several deer in the last two years with my M1 and Lake City 1969 FMJs. Clean kills on all. I had a good 100 yard zero and when I quit trying for headshots and just went behind the shoulder there really wasn't any problem at all with sight picture.

I shot eight deer last year with seven different rifles. Six of them were military surplus with iron sights. (one was a Garand) I found that waiting on the deer to turn sideways and give me a clear shoulder shot (out of a blind so I was generally shooting off a rest) made it simple.

I had shot all the rifles on a range and sorted out the 100 yard zero with the ammo I was going to use.

Shot the first doe with Garand a couple years ago. I had a 100 yard zero at six oclock on a NRA 100 yard rifle target. She was straight on and looking at me and I put the front sight blade right under her chin. Got a good trigger break. I was trying to shoot her between the eyes. Turned out she was 125 yards out and the LC69 FMJ hit right where the front sight blade was and went right through her neck from front to back. She went down in place.

Used M1, M1 Carbine, K31, 1909 Argentine, Jap Type 44, and Swede Mauser. This year it's 1903A3, P17, Krag, K98, 1891 Arg Carbine, 1911 .45 and AR15

 

[redneckrepairs]

Out here in Colorado it would be a no brainer since the .223 is not legal for big game .

 

[GooseGestapo]

Either caliber/cartridge will cleanly take deer.

Shot placement is infinitely more critical than caliber/cartridge/bullet

Having killed in excess of 100 deer with both calibers/cartridge I suggest that you use the AR-15 due to confidence in bullet placement.

However, bullet choice IS important.

Use any of the SOFT POINT 55gr to 64gr hunting bullets.

The Winchester 64gr PowerPoint is excellent. A close second choice would be either the Remington, Federal, or Winchester 55gr Soft Points.

DON"T use any of the "ballistic tips", "V-max" or "Blitz" bullets.
Just the Garden variety of Soft Points.
I'd also avoid any of the Match type bullets. They may, or may not give acceptable performance. I've lost deer with the above mentioned type bullets with both the .30/06 and .223Rem. On 100-175lb deer, there isn't a lot gained with the .30/06. With poorly placed shots, they'll both wound and loose deer. BTDT.

 

[TX1911fan]

Federal makes a .223 round that they rate adequate for medium, thin skinned game, like deer. In Texas, shooting inside of 150 yards, I wouldn't have a problem with it. Many a deer has been taken with a .243, and that is not that much bigger. If, however, you are hunting larger deer I'd borrow a modern hunting rifle.

I agree with checking your local regs. In Texas, the only restriction is that you can't use rimfire ammunition.

 

[JWarren]

I've shot several deer in the last two years with my M1 and Lake City 1969 FMJs.

Now, that can get you in problems. FMJ is not legal in many places for hunting purposes. It is a poor choice for a hunting round.

-- John

 

[eliphalet]

I n the past I have sold one gun to buy another that i needed and didn't have the money to buy one more. If a guy wants to hunt he needs a gun suitable for the job at hand, that he can hit what he aims at.