6.5 AR-10 Deer Rifle. Thoughts?

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Harmonious Fulmination

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I've had the idea of a 22" AR-10 6.5 Creedmoor build as a hunting platform for a while. I figure with a carbon fiber handguard, lightweight stock, and at heaviest a medium weight fluted barrel, I should be able to keep it near the 7.5 lb weight range pre-scope.

Anyone have any experience with a build like this? I really like the idea, but it does seem like a lot of cash and hassle to end up with a rifle barely at an acceptable weight for it's cartridge and barrel length compared to a bolt action, especially considering how rare parts are currently.
Just fishing for thoughts.
 
Harmonious Fulmination said:
I've had the idea of a 22" AR-10 6.5 Creedmoor build as a hunting platform for a while. I figure with a carbon fiber handguard, lightweight stock, and at heaviest a medium weight fluted barrel, I should be able to keep it near the 7.5 lb weight range pre-scope.

Anyone have any experience with a build like this? I really like the idea, but it does seem like a lot of cash and hassle to end up with a rifle barely at an acceptable weight for it's cartridge and barrel length compared to a bolt action, especially considering how rare parts are currently.
Just fishing for thoughts.
Click to expand...

I'd probably go with a light weight barrel, and build a "heavy" upper for the range/practice. If you've got the cash, go for it. Especially if you don't have to carry it very far.
 
gotboostvr said:
I'd probably go with a light weight barrel, and build a "heavy" upper for the range/practice. If you've got the cash, go for it. Especially if you don't have to carry it very far.
Click to expand...
I'd be carrying it pretty far, actually. I like the idea of an ultralight barrel like a pencil, but I can't find one longer than 20".
 
I don't think it makes any sense unless you're talking about the type of hunting where you walk out to a stand and sit. I hunt out west which involves hiking and mountains, so light is important and none of the advantages of an AR platform are particularly advantageous for that kind of hunting. A good bolt gun is lighter and cheaper, and it opens up any cartridge option you care to have including longer actions and/or magnums.
 
Ballistic Advantage makes a 22” fluted 6.5 barrel that may work for you. Last year, I assembled an 18” 308 AR with a Ballistic Advantage government profile barrel. While extremely accurate, it weighs nearly 10 pounds with scope, mount, and ammo. I keep it for range use because I have lighter rifles for hunting.
 
I see no reason it won't work, but 7 1/2 lbs including scope and mounts is as much weight as I'd want to carry around while hunting. Depending on your scope choice you'll be 8 1/2 -9 lbs once you get it scoped.
 
I had a custom AR in .358 WSSM. It met our rather strange state criteria so I had it built.

IMO, the disadvantages far outweigh the advantages. They’re loud if anything hits it, swivels clank, they’re cold to hold in sub zero weather, and it’s cumbersome with the grip and mag sticking out the bottom.

The biggest advantage of an AR is a lot of rounds in a short time. I didn’t need that deer hunting. Sold it.

I still have three AR’s, but my deer rifle is a bolt action
 
I agree with Varminterror on the rifle weight. I carried at 10 lbs rifle this entire season in some fairly rough terrain..

If you want supper light weight and you don't mind an odd ball gun find a (now defunked) DPMS GII Hunter or Compact Hunter. They did make a few of the Hunters (but not Compact Hunters) in 6.5 Creedmoor but not many before they went bell up, but you could definitely find one in 260 Remington and even easier in 308. It's much closer to an AR-15 size rifle but with the receivers lengthen to fit around the 308 cartridge but still using a 1-inch diameter bolt carrier the same diameter as an AR-15. This makes it a much more compact and lighter than a traditional AR-10 that uses a 1.25 inch diameter bolt carrier. The GII Hunter (20-inch) is ~7.75 lbs and the GII Compact Hunter (16-inch) is ~6.9 lbs. You could always have it re-barreled with a 6.5 Creedmoor if you're really set on that cartridge. There are still a few places that can make GII barrels.
 
mcb said:
I agree with Varminterror on the rifle weight. I carried at 10 lbs rifle this entire season in some fairly rough terrain..

If you want supper light weight and you don't mind an odd ball gun find a (now defunked) DPMS GII Hunter or Compact Hunter. They did make a few of the Hunters (but not Compact Hunters) in 6.5 Creedmoor but not many before they went bell up, but you could definitely find one in 260 Remington and even easier in 308. It's much closer to an AR-15 size rifle but with the receivers lengthen to fit around the 308 cartridge but still using a 1-inch diameter bolt carrier the same diameter as an AR-15. This makes it a much more compact and lighter than a traditional AR-10 that uses a 1.25 inch diameter bolt carrier. The GII Hunter (20-inch) is ~7.75 lbs and the GII Compact Hunter (16-inch) is ~6.9 lbs. You could always have it re-barreled with a 6.5 Creedmoor if you're really set on that cartridge. There are still a few places that can make GII barrels.
Click to expand...

I really hope someone picks up the ball and runs with it for the GII.
 
gotboostvr said:
I really hope someone picks up the ball and runs with it for the GII.
Click to expand...

Agreed, the GII was fairly unique and a nice step in the right direction for the 308 based ARs and yet never got the attention the platform probably deserved. Hand someone on a GII AP4 and most people unfamiliarly with the GII won't even realize they are holding a 308 gun and not a 556. They were so much more svelte that an AR-10. The Remington Defense R10 with is ambidextrous lower and a few other upgrades to the uppers were even nicer but only a handful of those ever made it to the civilian market.
 
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From a functional perspective, it should work fine, but I took one of my AR's out hunting a few times this season and will say that the ergonomics for me weren't optimal. The pistol grip was a bit in the way in the stand and though you wouldn't have the issue with carbon fiber, my gun with an aluminum handguard and so much other aluminum was very cold to hold. Also the Ar-10 platform vs Ar-15 is going to add some weight - a decent amount of weight compared to a similarly chambered bolt gun.

If I wanted to have a single gun to perform multiple duties: no question I'd go the AR route, but if I'm going to have multiple guns - to me the AR just isn't quite optimal for the stand. For me if money wasn't an issue I'd probably buy a Kimber Adirondack in 6.5 Creed (though the 7mm-08 or .308 chamberings are pretty much just as good) - 4 lbs 13 oz before scope, and already threaded for a suppressor if you want one.
 
Harmonious Fulmination said:
I've had the idea of a 22" AR-10 6.5 Creedmoor build as a hunting platform for a while. I figure with a carbon fiber handguard, lightweight stock, and at heaviest a medium weight fluted barrel, I should be able to keep it near the 7.5 lb weight range pre-scope.

Anyone have any experience with a build like this? I really like the idea, but it does seem like a lot of cash and hassle to end up with a rifle barely at an acceptable weight for it's cartridge and barrel length compared to a bolt action, especially considering how rare parts are currently.
Just fishing for thoughts.
Click to expand...
I would look at the Smith Wesson Performance Center 6.5 rifle. After that there is the DPMS gen 2, you might need to rebarrel it to 6.5. There are some high end AR 6.5's.
Daniel Defense
Wilson Combat (I think their small game rifle should be called the Wilson Combat Wombat.)
https://www.smith-wesson.com/product/mp-10?sku=10057
POF Revolution looks cool:
https://pof-usa.com/firearms/direct-impingement/

These are not 22" rifles though. But still good performers.
 
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Harmonious Fulmination said:
I'd be carrying it pretty far, actually. I like the idea of an ultralight barrel like a pencil, but I can't find one longer than 20".
Click to expand...
If you want to build one and carry it go for it. At one time I thought carrying my heavy 26 " varmint barrel 700 would be no big deal. It was a mistake, nothing like a light Mountain style rifle for hiking even the flat land...
 
Dunno, sounds good, if not my cup of tea. Most of my time chasing deer was in brushy tree-studded river bottoms. What little time I got out west was closer to the Big Bend, and the ranges were either right in your face, or too far to see.
Weight and walk get to be pretty proportional. If you are humping 10km out and back, everything will be heavy, even a 3kg AR. As you get to 4kg, then that "too far" will creep down to 5-7km out and back. The country between here and there will matter, too. The "up and down" will matter too. Dryland scrub on top of the hills that becomes mesquite thickets in the draws (especially in javelina country) can make an extra kg seem like ten.
Those are my limitations, not yours. YMMV
I like the idea, the concept. I might prefer a 20" barrel just for the OA length of the build. Maybe. 6.5 in a 24" has a logic to it.
 
Too heavy. With a given barrel length, you pretty much have a 2+ lb penalty over a bolt rifle. An extra 2 lbs in your pack ain't much, but in your hands or hanging on your shoulder, it matters if you're not hunting from a blind or stand but hiking about. They're also more awkward to carry slung with the pistol grip and protruding magazine.

ARs make sense for hogs and other vermin where you likely will fire in rapid succession at multiple targets that are scampering about.

Big game? No thanks, I'll take a traditional bolt action every time. There's no practical advantage to a semi-auto chasing deer, elk, moose, etc IME.
 
Life is too short to hunt with ugly guns. If you want to hunt with a 6.5 Creedmore I recommend a Mossberg Patriot Revere. They are super accurate and have beautiful wood.
 
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