AR Rifle for hunting

Spray and pray is not a gun problem as much as a shooter problem. They likely wouldn't be any better with anything else and not hurting anything if you consider the hogs varmints. Be nice if they could get more than one or none though.

How did you not jap-slap that sucker around after spraying those shots???

Just to mimic what everyone else is saying, I say hunt with whatever you want; that's not the problem. I'm of a younger generation, and there are VERY few rifleman/hunters among us. Those of us with interest go into it expecting results NOW. I've done my darndest fuse the old-school "art" of the rifle with the modern rifles. Others don't. Even my military friends are fairly poor with rifle skills... the art is being lost, and it's not even being replaced with science; it's being replaced with low patience.

I think you should re-title to "idiot hunters" as it has nothing to do with the rifles.

The connection I see here with the rifles is that there are a lot of kids that buy the tacticool stuff and have NO experience at shooting, let alone hunting, other than spray and pray on video games. Still not the gun, but there is correlation methinks.

Me, I still prefer higher caliber guns for pig shooting. .308 is a great caliber IMHO and it's available in the AR platforms, maybe a bit heavier rifle, but available if you just gotta be tacticool.

Yes, but a lot of them are not kids anymore and will still add a bunch of "stuff" to there rifle or any number of other things as a substitute for skill.

Yes, but a lot of them are not kids anymore and will still add a bunch of "stuff" to there rifle or any number of other things as a substitute for skill.

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Well, see, anyone under 30 is a "kid" to me anymore.

Yeah, I think it's a lot to do with all the high tech craze now days. Everyone has to be online with their phone, texting has replaced talking to the point these young mind numbed robots will sit at a table together speechless and text to converse. My daughter is always texting when I'm trying to talk to her, just wanna grab the damned thing and stomp on it. I have a dumb phone, but then, I still kinda think my old bag phone was good enough. Kinda wish I had it now. I have to walk out in the front yard to get a signal on clear summer days out here in the woods. When I was on a lease in Pumpville 13 miles west of Langtry Texas in the REAL middle of no where, I had my bag phone. I was the only one that could get a signal out there. When I go outside to use the phone, sorta reminds me of Oliver Douglas in "Green Acres" climbing the telephone pole to answer the phone. LOL

Anyway, these kids and their technology, well, they have to have 20 gadgets bolted on the gun and, of course, there's no substitute for firepower. I thought one of the strengths of the AR platform was its light weight? What good does THAT do when all the crap bolted to all the rails weighs more'n the gun?

My failing old eyes sorta demand a good light gathering scope anymore, but hey, I don't need lasers and flashlights and crap...maybe for night hunting, but I can't stay up that late to hunt hogs. I'd rather be in bed snugglin' with mama.

The connection I see here with the rifles is that there are a lot of kids that buy the tacticool stuff and have NO experience at shooting, let alone hunting, other than spray and pray on video games.

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And it isn't as if some old folks are so set in their ways that they think that the only correct way to do things is how they do them, that their experience is the only proper experience to have. LOL, it isn't just an age thing. There are plenty of folks of every generation that should not be hunting for various reasons.

Anyway, these kids and their technology, well, they have to have 20 gadgets bolted on the gun and, of course, there's no substitute for firepower. I thought one of the strengths of the AR platform was its light weight? What good does THAT do when all the crap bolted to all the rails weighs more'n the gun?

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Light weight is a benefit, but the AR platform isn't a particularly lightweight platform unless you compare it to what is replaced in the military.

What good does compromising the light weight with all the accessories do? That is really simple. It is the light weight that allows for the accessories. So you end up with a gun that isn't particularly heavy, but that can do a whole lot more because of the accessories that it has.

Besides us young guys are not crippled under the extra weight from things such as a bipod and flashlight.

Hey, do y'all remember the really good old days when putting a standard scope on your rifle was considered to be something done by those who didn't have the skills to use iron sights properly and that the scopes added all that unnecessary weight to the rifle? Never mind the fact that they looked like hideous abominations screwed to the top of sleek, good looking rifles.

Technology advances for every generation and seemingly every generation of old folks disapproves of the younger generation and how they do things. It is inevitable. Just because things are new fangled and different doesn't make them wrong.

Double Naught Spy said:

Technology advances for every generation and seemingly every generation of old folks disapproves of the younger generation and how they do things. It is inevitable. Just because things are new fangled and different doesn't make them wrong.

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Maybe guys born in the 1810s complained when guys born in the 1850s started to use Henry rifles and Spencer Rifles for hunting...after all, if you could reload your rifle in under 30 seconds, then you probably wouldn't worry too much about taking careful aim would you?

reminds me of an old Saturday Night Live skit...."back in my day"...."that was the way it was and we liked it"

brainwake said:

reminds me of an old Saturday Night Live skit...."back in my day"...."that was the way it was and we liked it"

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbU4Cb4A4-o

Sounds like the guy didn't even have his rifle zeroed. Shooting a hog standing still within 100 yards should be easily doable for an AR.

Rapid follow up shots do not improve poor shooting. Hunting rifles should be single shot rifles. If you only have one you ought to make
it count.

I disagree that they SHOULD be single-shot rifles. But hunters should learn to use them as if they were.

j1 said:

Hunting rifles should be single shot rifles. If you only have one you ought to make
it count.

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Hey, that's exactly what the anti-gunners say.... I'll just go ahead and say no.

Nothing to do with the rifle.

When I was a child a herd of deer came up on me. I shot the first one, and they all went crazy. I emptied my 30-30 lever action as fast as "The Rifleman".

I learned a good lesson that day. Buck fever to a young hunter is overwhelming.

Was it the lever action guns fault?

Technology advances for every generation and seemingly every generation of old folks disapproves of the younger generation and how they do things. It is inevitable. Just because things are new fangled and different doesn't make them wrong.

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Just to note, the M16 was adopted when I was in junior high school. It's been in service longer than any other small arm to my recollection in the history of the military except the 1911 and the M2 (which ain't so small). These guns have been around for a long, long time and I've NEVER liked 'em. I don't like the caliber and I don't like the ergos plain and simple. Pistol grips are for pistols. If you like 'em, great, buy all ya want. I'll let you cut in line. What I think is new and what I think has driven the sudden popularity of the AR platform in the last 15 or 20 years is war based video games. Hell, it's even given the lowly zombie a revival of popularity. I thought the zombie lost its popularity in the 50s. Zombies have been around a long time, too, ya know, and we didn't need no stinkin' AR to take 'em down back in the day. Our Springfield muskets did the job nicely.

As for light weight, I've got a lightweight .308, a Remington M7 Stainless. It's got a scope on it, but no sirens, can openers, flashlights, lasers, anything else. It's a HUNTING rifle, that's a rifle specifically designed for HUNTING. I don't hunt with a M1 or an M14, either, even though I know I could and am not as averse to the ergos on those rifles, rather like 'em. I've shot the M1 in our club, DCM club, never felt compelled to add one to my collection though they are neat. I would like a M1A some day, maybe. They're pricy, though. I don't need no stinkin' picante rails on the thing, though, and it'd just be a plinker and take up space in my gun safe for show and tell. I have a few other rifles like that that were a lot cheaper, like my eighty dollar Egyptian Hakim. That one always freaks out the unknowing.

I have an AR-15.. I doesn't have any of the things you mentioned hanging of off it either. Very basic.

Do you give these new folks any ground rules when you invite them? Every new hunter that comes with us gets a quick lesson on anatomy and about where to shoot an animal. We have a bunch of hunting magazines at the farm and i just break out several pictures and show the best shot for each situation...then I have them show me some pics and where they would shoot. They also have to show me their rifle is zero'd on our range. If they are truly a novice hunter they have someone with them who knows the farm and can guide them both on the hunt and back to the barn after.

If they are more experienced you ought to just give them a 30 second dump along the lines of "now don't be shooting the place up...I've had hunters out here in the past who couldn't hit a bull in the butt with a snow shovel and they are wounding animals and generally messing things up for everyone. You should be able to hit what you're aiming at with one shot. Any questions?"

I don't think that's a hard speech to give at all...and it puts everyone on notice that you're not running a sloppy operation where people can just spray and pray.

It sounds like they need to use a bolt action.
I'd recommend a seven pound .460 Weatherby magnum with a 12x scope in this instance.

I'd recommend a seven pound .460 Weatherby magnum with a 12x scope in this instance.

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That would teach them, exactly what I am not sure. Maybe make the first shot count? As the blood running into your eye from the gash above would slow the follow up shots?

jmorris said:

That would teach them, exactly what I am not sure. Maybe make the first shot count? As the blood running into your eye from the gash above would slow the follow up shots?

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*Would not allow for follow up shots

Sadly I don't have pigs to shoot at will but I have taken 3 coyotes coming on hard with an AR so fast effective shots are quite possible. The videos of the guys shooting pigs from helicopters looked pretty effective as well.
I rarely buy into the idea that a certain "platform" is to blame for bad marksmanship, shooting poorly is what causes bad marksmanship the world of bolt and single shot shooters is full of about the same percentage.
I know if I were charged with clearing some pigs off property I would be packing an AR at least part of the time.

The general consensus seems to be that it's all up to the shooter. Guns don't cause people to do silly. The silly (or ignorance, whatever) came first.