Carrying a rifle through the woods: MSR vs Wood stocked lever/bolt guns

[Macchina]

I got out coyote and turkey hunting a few times this winter and like to think about things in the woods. I took my straight stocked double barrel turkey hunting and hardly noticed it when walking through brush. Same think for my 357 lever action even with the scope mounted. When I bring an AR into the brushy woods the hollow metallic parts make a lot of noise, the many holes in the handguard catch a lot of sticks, the QD mounts make the most racket on the whole gun, and pistol grip can really hang down when holding an AR in one hand.

I love an AR as much as the next guy but really don't like to take them hunting when I'll be walking a lot. Way to noisy and too many parts hanging off. They are not near as comfortable on the sling either and I've tried many positions.

I could half-address some of my complaints (get rid of the QD mounts, plastic handguard, etc.) but the AR seems to always be a more clunky/clanky rifle than a lever gun...

 

[entropy]

I got out coyote and turkey hunting a few times this winter and like to think about things in the woods. I took my straight stocked double barrel turkey hunting and hardly noticed it when walking through brush. Same think for my 357 lever action even with the scope mounted. When I bring an AR into the brushy woods the hollow metallic parts make a lot of noise, the many holes in the handguard catch a lot of sticks, the QD mounts make the most racket on the whole gun, and pistol grip can really hang down when holding an AR in one hand.

I love an AR as much as the next guy but really don't like to take them hunting when I'll be walking a lot. Way to noisy and too many parts hanging off. They are not near as comfortable on the sling either and I've tried many positions.

I could half-address some of my complaints (get rid of the QD mounts, plastic handguard, etc.) but the AR seems to always be a more clunky/clanky rifle than a lever gun...

View attachment 911967

Weren't in the military, were you? They teach you how to quiet AR type rifles down.

 

[Macchina]

Weren't in the military, were you? They teach you how to quiet AR type rifles down.

I wasn't but am related to a lot of guys who are. They seem to add a lot to their personal rifles to make them quiet (plastic rail covers, gizmos and tape everywhere). I acknowledge I can do that but would rather carry a naturally quiet rifle. That is my observation I have done this year instead of modify my hunting AR to make it quieter.

 

[Macchina]

My BIL has really nice rifles (Daniel Defense, LaRue, etc) and only gets quadrails then add a bunch of covers to quiet it down. I guess this was how he was taught?

No matter what you do however an adjustable buttstock over a hollow metal tube and hollow plastic grip are always going to be louder than wood. This may not the case in the desert or city but in the woods small twigs really seem to make a lot of noise against the surfaces of an AR.

 

[entropy]

Problem solved. Carry other guns. Some tape adjustable stocks. Some get non adjustable stocks. I've found MOE pistol grips to be fairly quiet, particularly with the cover in place. If twigs are scraping across your rifle, you are in too thick of cover to shoot in, unless you are a driver on a deer drive. Then, you don't need to worry abound sound, you want to make noise. If you are trying to sneak around in thick brush, you might want to reconsider and find the deer trails that go into and come out of it and sit near those at before dawn or dusk. Nor do you want to be firing a .223 in that thick of brush, IMO.

 

[LoonWulf]

Ive found ars to be awkward to carry, but never noticed them being loud except to chamber.
I fixed that bu going to right side reciprocating handles, other folks let em down slow and use the forward assist.

Generally i dont go thru really thick stiff anymore, but the nicks, dings and dents on my guns are usually from getting lugged thru brush or tight trees. Again Ive not noticed wacking an ar on a tree to be any louder than a synthetic stocked bolt gun.

I also LIKE the idea of an ar as a forest gun even in .223. They are easy to shoot well in confined spaces, are accurate, and allow for a fast second or third shot.
More than once ive fired in really thick cover at fairly short range, and had animals stand still after the shot, I think because it was too hard to figure out exactly where it came from in all the brush. When they do break its often in different directions, sometimes affording you another chance on one that stops to decide where to go.

All that said I did, and do, most of my "brush" hunting with a longish barreled bolt gun.

 

[DocRock]

It's hard to beat the handiness of a lever carbine. That's their thing.

 

[Varminterror]

If someone says an AR is too loud to carry and has too much stuff “hanging down,” then I can only imagine they simply don’t want to like AR’s for hunting.

I’ve fought through plenty rough scrub while hunting and walked many a-mile... complaining about added noise or added snags is really a matter of looking for any reason to be imagined to complain over.

 

[Demi-human]

Doesn’t look like a forest hunting AR to me.
Sometimes the deer do stop if you hit the flashlight,
but “Shining” is illegal in Michigan...

 

[sarduy]

I got out coyote and turkey hunting a few times this winter and like to think about things in the woods. I took my straight stocked double barrel turkey hunting and hardly noticed it when walking through brush. Same think for my 357 lever action even with the scope mounted. When I bring an AR into the brushy woods the hollow metallic parts make a lot of noise, the many holes in the handguard catch a lot of sticks, the QD mounts make the most racket on the whole gun, and pistol grip can really hang down when holding an AR in one hand.

I love an AR as much as the next guy but really don't like to take them hunting when I'll be walking a lot. Way to noisy and too many parts hanging off. They are not near as comfortable on the sling either and I've tried many positions.

I could half-address some of my complaints (get rid of the QD mounts, plastic handguard, etc.) but the AR seems to always be a more clunky/clanky rifle than a lever gun...

View attachment 911967

That's because of the sizes, and yes, too many holes in it. If i were you i would build an AR for your purpose (hunting) with a smooth stock, short rail and light weight. Also add a rubber grip the Magpul K2+

This is my hunting project for this year. A light weight AR in OD green with rubber all over hahaha

10.5" 300 BLK
SBA3 Brace
Magpul K2+
Magpul Sights
BCM rail covers

1-6x scope coming soon

 

[mcb]

I hunt with both. I really like both in the woods for different reasons. My only complaint about AR is all that aluminum (being such a good conductor of heat) sucks the heat out of your hands. My hunting AR hand-guards get some type of coating/covering so I am not touching the aluminum. This also seems to make them quieter too.



The tubular aluminum hand-guard got a layer of padded bat handle tap and then cloth athletic tap wrapped over that. Keeps the hands warm and the hand-guard silent for the most part.

 

[Jack B.]

I lived on a 1000 acre farm and all my neighbors had farms just as big or bigger. I had permission to shoot and hunt on the property of all of my neighbors. I carried one of these almost everyday as I wandered around all of the woods.
https://www.marlinfirearms.com/lever-action/model-336/model-336c-35-remington

 

[Gojo03]

There are several things you can do to quiet one down if you are still interested in carrying the AR hunting. Tape can go along way if that's the method you want to go. When I built mine, I just made sure the buttstock fits the buffer tube really tight. If the hollow pistol grip is causing noise, stuff a rag in it. Take off all the extra things you don't need for hunting. If the upper and lower are rattling then you can use an accu-wedge between them to tighten it up. Take off the sling when you don't need it, or tape it up some.

I had some good results with my AR this year from a stand. Carried with a 2 point sling, chambered a round at the Jeep so I wouldn't make that noise at the stand. Here's my hunting build

 

[rbernie]

the AR seems to always be a more clunky/clanky rifle than a lever gun.

I've carried AR's in the brush for almost two decades now - about the only things that I ever found noisy were the sling swivels (I've been wrapping clanky sling bits with horse wrap since, well, forever) and the stupid extended charging handle latch (note to self - ya don't need/want one of those on a walkabout gun). Other than that, the biggest piece of advice that I can offer is to make sure to keep them modestly muzzle-heavy / butt light, so that they carry in the hand properly.

My only complaint about AR is all that aluminum (being such a good conductor of heat) sucks the heat out of your hands.

This is a good point; I've trended towards skinny MLOK forearms and Magpul inserts to give me some grip and keep my hands off the metal. Then again, I hunt in Texas so it's never really all that cold.

 

[12Bravo20]

I don't mind using an AR for hunting, It's actually my preferred rifle to use. I really never had much of a problem with my M16's getting caught on underbrush. Now all of my load bearing equipment and rucksack always got snagged on stuff. I've had to deal with everything from tropical jungles of Central America to the thick forests of North America and Europe. And yes we usually put a wrap of 100mph tape on the sling swivels.

I understand that the ergonomics of the AR platform doesn't suit everyone. Use what is most comfortable to you.

 

[Picher]

The last time I checked the Maine hunting laws, the max capacity of semi-autos was 5 rounds. Anyway, I don't need more than 1, most times, so use a bolt-action .270, but load it with 4 or 5, just in case my first shot hits a tree, which has happened, on occasion.

 

[MistWolf]

...My only complaint about AR is all that aluminum (being such a good conductor of heat) sucks the heat out of your hands....

View attachment 912068

This is exactly half the reason I don't use aluminum handguards on my ARs. (The other half being heat!) I use either polymer drop in handguards or carbon fiber free float tubes.

 

[Corpral_Agarn]

Weren't in the military, were you? They teach you how to quiet AR type rifles down.

Not military either. I'm interested in learning more about this.

 

[Fine Figure of a Man]

One of the things I like best about AR's for hunting is how easy they are to carry while walking. Mine is usually slung across my chest. I don't have to touch it until I need it and I can quickly shoulder it when I do.

 

[adcoch1]

If someone says an AR is too loud to carry and has too much stuff “hanging down,” then I can only imagine they simply don’t want to like AR’s for hunting.

I’ve fought through plenty rough scrub while hunting and walked many a-mile... complaining about added noise or added snags is really a matter of looking for any reason to be imagined to complain over.

I will politely disagree that it is all just a dislike of the ar15 to find these complaints come up. I have carried an ar around in Pacific Northwest rainforests and mountain scrub for 20 years or so, and every complaint here is an issue to some level compared to a 16" lever gun or a short barreled single shot.

I love the ar for a woods gun, but you do have to make a few concessions. First, you have to cover up the aluminum if your hand will be on it. Rubber or tape, neoprene or cloth slip covers, etc.

I have also found that slinging an AR can take some trial and error to find what works. Barrel down is really the only comfortable way I've found to carry with a conventional 2 point sling. My favorite way to sling one is single point. Wears like a necktie. Another point about sling swivels, tape or elastic tubing over the connections really quiet them down.

I have also found that the aluminum rail systems do snag on stuff, again tape to the rescue, but standard furniture isn't too shaggy. I prefer magpul stuff for quiet comfort in the woods.

The other issue with the ar is size. For a carbine length gun, it takes up some real estate with the mag (if more than a ten shot), pistol grip, and higher mounted optics than a conventional hunting arm. It isn't what I would call a downside, just a reality that needs to be addressed. Trying to use your sling or rifle case from your bolt gun probably will end in frustration, but with proper equipment the ar patter rifles are amazingly handy.
I will say that I prefer an AR pistol to even my carbine when moving through brush or long climbs. Single point slung under the arm it just disappears.

So yeah, an Ar15 isn't the same as a lever, but they are pretty great in the woods when set up for it. It's the reason an MSR doesn't have exactly the same features as an M4.

 

[Varminterror]

God forbid anyone ever carry a compound bow afield... I don’t know how it would even be possible to hunt with one in real brush, they’re so bulky and wide compared to a rifle, and sticks and branches will get tangled up between the cables, and the sight and stabilizer hanging down will snag on everything................................

 

[WestKentucky]

The issue may be all the crap bolted onto a good many ARs these days. A simple free float handguard and optic add no noisy components, and a fixed rifle stock tidied up the noise on the lower pretty quickly. There really isn’t much need for a rifle to be turned into a firearm version of a SAK, but when they are I can clearly understand how and why they may be noisy. As for a simple and basic carbine, tape or a piece of Velcro on the handguards, and a toothpick to wedge into the buttstock between the stock and tube settles most of the noise.

 

[Browning]

I mostly hunt hogs and somehow I’ve managed it.

I’ve used SKS’s, AK’s, an M1A, a PTR, FAL’s, a few different bolt actions, a couple different pumps and so on, but mostly I’ve used AR’s. If you tape or use kling wrap on the sling swivels, use a 20 rd or less mag and figure out how to carry it it’s fine.

 

[Demi-human]

I don’t know how it would even be possible to hunt with one in real brush

In a camouflage trailer, behind the camouflaged four wheeler, on the way to the blind that is heated and has 4G, to wait for feeding time on the spreader...

 

[mcb]

This is exactly half the reason I don't use aluminum handguards on my ARs. (The other half being heat!) I use either polymer drop in handguards or carbon fiber free float tubes.

I have never had a heat problem while hunting. I have gotten hand-guard hot enough to burn you at the range (I have melted polymer hand-guards on one or two occasions) and 3-gun matches but unfortunately I have never manage that high of rate of fire while hunting.

But a man can dream...