Wondering if I got this hunting rifle thing backwards???

[Hokkmike]

I was cleaning my guns the other day and came to a realization. The most EXPEN$IVE gun in my collection (they are all shooters) is a SAKO Finnlight in 6.5x55.......

.......And, it is the gun I use the LEAST! Maybe I should pick up a little lever action for 3 or 4 hundred bucks for deer and sell or trade the SAKO in favor of a nice quality AR which I would shoot spring, fall, and summer?

I shoot my pistol and .22 AR quite often while the SAKO waits for fall sighting-in and deer season. So the cheaper guns spend time with me and get the work out while the pricy gun sits.

I don't know. What do you think? Isn't that kind of a misuse of resources?

 

[George P]

If it has no sentimental value and you do not use it, then sell it and get something you want.

 

[Art Eatman]

That Sako IMO is a better deer rifle than any AR ever could be. Save up and get a reliable AR for shooting at paper and tin cans. Plenty of good deals on ARs.

 

[jmr40]

If the Sako is my go-to hunting rifle I'd use it year round. I NEVER go the range without taking my go-to deer hunting rifle. If it never gets used then sell it and buy something you'll use. I'd 10X rather have the Sako than any lever rifle ever made for hunting and the cartridge is a classic that is still getting the job done better than ever.

Nothing wrong with an AR. I've killed deer with one, but it still isn't my 1st choice for big game hunting. Or 2nd, even 3rd. They have their place and can be used for hunting.

 

[Armored farmer]

Nah, keep your Sako.
You should probably get the levergun too, you know, so you dont wear out your AR.

 

[Jessesky]

How long are your hunts? The SAKO Finnlight is nice and accurate, but if I’m not taking 300 yard shots and hiking 15 miles, a pound more of weight and 3/4 moa doesn’t matter to me.

I like having the best tool for the job and it’s fun using “the best”. Im a buy once cry once guy. That being said, if it’s not collecible has historic value, or is sentimental and you don’t use it I say put that money to something that you’ll use.

My go to is a Mauser in 30-06 which as been customized. I collect some REALLY obscure guns, but a go to rifle is something I want parts availability in

 

[Varminterror]

A guy can shoot 365 1/4 days per year. Big game hunting is far more restricted. Only natural a hunting rifle gets used less than a shooting rifle.

I never feel bad spending a little coin on a hunting rifle, as it’s a far more nostalgic pursuit than the average trip to the range. I also never feel bad spending a little coin on rifles I’ll shoot frequently, as the increased price gets spread over a lot more hours - pretty low cost entertainment in the long run...

So maybe that’s my problem, I never feel bad spending a little coin on my firearms.

 

[Hokkmike]

That Sako IMO is a better deer rifle than any AR ever could be. Save up and get a reliable AR for shooting at paper and tin cans. Plenty of good deals on ARs.

Sadly, AR's are not yet permitted for big game hunting in Pennsylvania.

 

[eastbank]

even if legal here in pa. I would not be using a AR-15, I have seen men run and shoot after being shot and hit at less that 100 yards with m-16,s. now if your talking about a legal m1A-14 in 7.62x51 its a different story.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Murphy's Law...., within a short time, maybe a two or three years or less, after you sell the 6.5x55..., you will get an opportunity to hunt with it where it will really be an asset...but you won't have it any longer.

Nothing wrong with you getting an inexpensive 100 yard gun, say a lever action in .44 magnum. Nothing wrong with looking around for a good, used single shot in something like .243 or 7mm-08 etc. But I wouldn't sacrifice the Sako for them.

LD

 

[Hokkmike]

even if legal here in pa. I would not be using a AR-15, I have seen men run and shoot after being shot and hit at less that 100 yards with m-16,s. now if your talking about a legal m1A-14 in 7.62x51 its a different story.

I was thinking about an economical caliber like the 5.56 or 223. But then nowhere did I say that I would use an AR for hunting. If I could only buy one gun then maybe... What do you think of the 6.5 CM?

 

[Loyalist Dave]

even if legal here in pa. I would not be using a AR-15, I have seen men run and shoot after being shot and hit at less that 100 yards with m-16,s

He may be strictly speaking of a platform in .223 but I don't think you'll see a deer getting up and running if properly shoulder shot with an AR in 7.62 x 39mm or a 6.5 Grendel, eh?

LD

 

[Loyalist Dave]

What do you think of the 6.5 CM

That will get the job done. So would an upper in 7.62 x 39mm. I'd hesitate on a Grendel though..., they are twitchy when it comes to parts.

LD

 

[Art Eatman]

Seems to me that military results are not meaningful when the issue is bullets for hunting. Bulletmakers' R&D has come up with bullets that have made the .223 useful as a deer cartridge. Weights around 68 grains, from what folks are posting.

I wouldn't take an angling shot, but my preferred neck shots or a 90-degree cross-body heart/lung shot oughta put meat on the table.

 

[Varminterror]

Seems to me that military results are not meaningful when the issue is bullets for hunting.

This.

I do admit, despite killing several deer over the last ~20yrs with 223 and 22-250, in an AR, but since they are available, and super simple, I’d rather have a 6.5 Grendel or 6.8 SPC (or better still, a 6mm Grendel variant). But a 5.56 AR does work just dandy for deer at typical hunting ranges, in the hands of a responsible hunter and marksman.

 

[eastbank]

ar,s are not real light weights after decking them out with a rings-bases and a decent scope. top ,a rem 7600 in 3006 with a 18.5" barrel and a 2x7 leupold scope and steel rings and bases, 7.8 lbs. middle, rem 700 sps in 7mm08 with a 20" barrel and a 2.5x8 leupold scope with steel rings and bases, 7.2 lbs. bottom a colt M-4 in .223 with 16" barrel, no scope or steel rings 6.4 lbs. add rings and scope on the M-4 and and the difference in small. weights were not taken with a official scale. if I were to use a semi auto for deer it would be at 7400 rem in .308

 

[CraigC]

This is my issue with folks who think .22's should be cheap. Why scrimp on the guns you use the most and splurge on those you only use a fraction of the year? Unfortunately for me, this has always meant that I own more .22's, rather than a handful of really nice ones. I've been contemplating selling off a few to pay for a really nice, heavily optioned Cooper.

 

[rodwha]

even if legal here in pa. I would not be using a AR-15, I have seen men run and shoot after being shot and hit at less that 100 yards with m-16,s. now if your talking about a legal m1A-14 in 7.62x51 its a different story.

They do come in other calibers than 5.56mm and can use other bullets designed specifically for hunting medium game. While .223/5.56mm wouldn’t be my choice the 6.5mm Grendel, 6.8mm SPC, and 7.62x39mm (as well as the 6x45mm) would do quite well with the proper bullets.

 

[MCgunner]

Keep the Sako! I have an AR/M4 and it's fun, but I didn't sell my Remington M7 for it, would NEVER do that! I have a pretty good collection and none of it is particularly expensive. My M4 was a little over 500, a Bushmaster. Guys build 'em and save money, but I'd rather pay to have it built for me and just shoot and clean it. Calibers for AR15s are pretty limited for hunting. Go big boy SOCOM or such and you lose range. They are great for night hunting hogs I suppose, but hogs are at close range. I wouldn't wanna be stuck with only an AR15 for hunting when I go for my elk this winter. Shots can be long where we're going and ARs aren't available in 7mm Remington Magnum or anything close to it, not even AR10s.

I've never really warmed that much to the ergos of my M4, either, tough I've found ways around some of my dislikes. I still reach for a bolt rifle for serious hunting. And, I'll never NOT appreciate pretty wood and blued steal.

 

[eastbank]

there,s killing them, and then theres killing them cleanly. with smaller calibers if your shot is a little off or at the wrong angle leaving little or no blood trail the animal may get away to die a lingering death or eaten alive by a coyote or bear. give me a dead right now or a good blood trail to help me find it.

 

[Varminterror]

ARs aren't available in 7mm Remington Magnum

Except the ones that are... this one’s in 300wm, same rifle comes in 7rm.

 

[Varminterror]

there,s killing them, and then theres killing them cleanly.

This one went down pretty cleanly to a small caliber AR.

 

[MCgunner]

Yes, seems .300 Winmag has gone tacticool. Probably the book/movie "American Sniper" has something to do with it. Can't be an "operator" without one. Doesn't surprise me that they've managed to scale up the AR platform for it SOMEwhere. I doubt that's a sub 7 lb direct impingement AR15, though. I'd as soon tote my bolt rifle around, thanks. Besides, hunting ain't about firepower, not even for hogs.

You know, if they went with the .300 Winchester Short Magnum, they could increase firepower with the shorter bolt throw.

 

[eastbank]

any caliber would have done that if the shot was the same. try to reach the heart from a quartering away shot on a large deer or a straight away shot. this heart shot was on a very large kudu quartering away in thick brush in Africa.

 

[bearcreek]

I was cleaning my guns the other day and came to a realization. The most EXPEN$IVE gun in my collection (they are all shooters) is a SAKO Finnlight in 6.5x55.......

.......And, it is the gun I use the LEAST!

I don't know. What do you think? Isn't that kind of a misuse of resources?

I normally kill 4-5 deer each year so my deer rifle only gets fired 10-20 times a year. Confirm zero before the season starts, 4-5 rounds for the deer and on very rare occasions a coup de grace shot. My fighting rifles get fired roughly 200-700 times as often as my hunting rifle since I train with them.