Deer Hunting on AR15 platform?

[Bfh_auto]

This is really not correct. My 300 blackout shot 2400 FPS from a 16” barrel with a 125 hp, which matches factory 7.62x39 ammo step for step.

That's 200fps faster than most 110 gr factory loads. Unless they are using pistol length barrels, you must have a freak of nature.

 

[redneck2]

But PCR is legal on private AND public.
PCR spec is 1.16 to 1.8" case length and .35 cal or larger.

.450 BM and .458 Socom fit the bill

For several years I hunted with an AR in .358 WSSM. Totally custom. Launched a 180 at +/- 2,750 FPS.

I found the AR platform somewhat cumbersome with the bottom protruding grip and magazine. Also, when I had mine made the gunsmith could only get the barrel he wanted in heavy contour so it was heavy.

Went back to a standard bolt rifle.

 

[Browning]

.223 or 6.8 SPC II. That's what I have used on deer. On the .223 I've just used heavier grain bullets (70 gr. TSX or 75 gr. Hornady BTHP).

.223 Remington Hornady 75 grain BTHP - angled through torso

Entrance

Exit



6.8 SPC II - SSA



Same with hogs.

 

[CarJunkieLS1]

Are you a reloader? Do you mind sourcing components and waiting to get them? If you answered yes/No then look at the AR-15 Wildcats that MDWS is putting out. My personal favorite is the 7mm Valkyrie but many others they sell are great for what you are wanting to do.

Following answers if you aren't a reloader.

If you want a hunting AR only and don't plan to target shoot with it, then a 6.8SPC is IMO the best SAAMI cartridge available for hunting in the AR-15. Ammo is easy to find and the Federal Fusion line has stellar on game performance. Next would be a 6.5 Grendel the 123 SST performs well and they tend to be very accurate. There is also a 120 Federal Fusion available too.

After that I'd go with 7.62x39 ammo is everywhere the uppers are lightweight, plenty of "knockdown" for deer out to 150 yards. Just stay away from any of the Russian steelcase HP's or SP's they have a reputation for acting like FMJ's. One exception is the Tula 154 SP. Myself personally for the x39 caliber stay with the American made brass case ammo from Winchester, Hornady, or Federal. I do have a preference for the Federal 123 Fusion in the 7.62x39.

If you don't find searching long and hard for a rifle, ammo to shoot, and have no factory support then the 30 Rem AR has got to be the best SAAMI cartridge ever done inside the AR-15 platform for medium game hunting.

Long story short get a 6.8 SPC II with an 18" barrel buy some 115gr Federal Fusion and go kill any medium game you pull the trigger on.

 

[marksman13]

5.56, 6.8 SPC, 6.5 Grendel and 458 SOCOM have all found their way into my safe. Inside of 200 yards I would be confident in any of those four rounds to reliably kill deer and pigs quickly. The 6.8 and 6.5 G are my favorites and I would recommend them with equal enthusiasm inside the ranges you propose. If you were shooting paper or medium sized game at longer ranges, the 6.5 G eventually gains an edge, but at the distance where it would start to matter on targets made of meat and bone, I would suggest stepping up to a larger cartridge any way.

The 300 BLK is a round I have just not been overly impressed with. I suppose you could throw the X39 into that group as well. I know both have been killing things for a while, but the 300 BLK just does not have the same authority on game as the 6.8 and 6.5 G. We shoot them side by side al the time on pig hunts and the 300 BLK just does not perform the same way that the 6.8 does. YMMV

 

[beeenbag]

That's 200fps faster than most 110 gr factory loads. Unless they are using pistol length barrels, you must have a freak of nature.

What’s so freaky about 2400 FPS with a 125 in 300 blk? Here is data right from hodgdon’s website.

Btw, I get 2275 FPS (5 shot average) from my 10.5” barrel with 125g sst bullets.

 

[Bfh_auto]

What’s so freaky about 2400 FPS with a 125 in 300 blk? Here is data right from hodgdon’s website.

Btw, I get 2275 FPS (5 shot average) from my 10.5” barrel with 125g sst bullets.

View attachment 818115

I stand corrected. I thought they loaded factory ammo for it like 556 is where you don't gain much from hand loads.

 

[entropy]

What caliber would you use if using an AR 15, not an AR 10?

The caliber I actually use; .223.

 

[Rembrandt]

Don't know that we ever found out what state the OP is hunting. If you're hunting little bodied southern whitetails, then a smaller caliber should work. There is a reason northern states place caliber limitations on deer hunting, They can be twice the size what's found in the south. African hunter Ruark had it right, "Use Enough Gun".

 

[FL-NC]

I use mine in 223 with 75 grain Hornady BTHP match rounds, with excellent results on both deer and hogs. I would not hesitate to use one in 300 BLK with Hornady 90 grain SUB-X if I had one, but since I don't, I use that ammo in a bolt action Ruger American ranch.

 

[BigSteve57]

I think you should be fine with an AR type platform for whitetails.
The wife took a very nice Ram using a Sig 516 5.56x45, Leupold 1.25-4x20 scope with Accuracy 1st cant gauge, Atlas bipod, Geissele SSA trigger. Ammo: Barnes 5.56 VOR-TX 70 gr. , Barnes TSX.

OK the Ram is a smaller than a large whitetail buck but that 70 gr Barnes TSX bullet is very effective and would be fine on even a large buck IMHO, assuming proper shot placement of course.

 

[entropy]

Don't know that we ever found out what state the OP is hunting. If you're hunting little bodied southern whitetails, then a smaller caliber should work. There is a reason northern states place caliber limitations on deer hunting, They can be twice the size what's found in the south. African hunter Ruark had it right, "Use Enough Gun".

Pshah. I hunt in WI, the deer are big, and I still use a .223. I also know where to aim, when to shoot and when not to, and my limitations. Not all northern states exclude the .223. I do think it is ironic that my son, who just moved down to southern Indiana, has to buy a different upper for his AR to hunt deer.

 

[gotboostvr]

If my state allowed bottle necked cartridges either 6.5 Grendel or 6.8 SPC with a slight nod to the Grendel.

Since it doesn't though, I'd go 450 Bushmaster if I wanted factory ammo. I'm considering building a 357AR MAX though (223 case blown out straight for a 358 cal bullet at 357max OAL and velocity).

 

[Varminterror]

Don't know that we ever found out what state the OP is hunting. If you're hunting little bodied southern whitetails, then a smaller caliber should work. There is a reason northern states place caliber limitations on deer hunting, They can be twice the size what's found in the south. African hunter Ruark had it right, "Use Enough Gun".

The buck I knocked down last season was estimated within 15lbs either side of 300lbs. Hit with a 6.5 Grendel. My processor said the buck I hit in 2011 with a milquetoast 45-70, which I can match with 458 socom loads would have went 315-325 on the hoof (hanging weight without his cape or head was >190lbs). I hit my buck this year with a low-node load in 6 creed which matches a 6mm AR or 243LBC load, weighed in the field whole on block & tackle was ~290lbs, less what looked like a gallon of blood on the ground.

So how much gun do you suggest? As any of these AR rounds, or equivalents, knocked down some damn big deer.

 

[Cowhide Cliff]

I've found size of a deer doesn't mean a whole lot as long as there is adequate size bullet and good placement.

I've seen yearlings run a hundred yards after shot through the heart and lungs with a 7mm mag and had large bucks fall in their tracks with less gun. In fact come to really think about it large bucks usually come down easier than smaller and younger deer. I guarantee I've tracked does on average farther than large bucks.

Sometimes shooting a small deer through the heart is akin to chopping the head off of a chicken. They will run like crazy for a few seconds and then pile up but they can cover a lot of ground in those few seconds.

 

[someguy2800]

Whitetail don't seam to know they are dead for about 30 seconds, and they can cover about 150 yards in that time with no heart or lungs. It doesn't seam to matter much what you shoot them with, if you shoot them in the heart or lungs they will either drop dead or run on the trail to the nearest cover. The biggest thing to me is getting a big enough entrance and exit wound to get them to bleed so you don't spend all night looking for them when they take off into the brush and dive in the tall grass somewhere. For that bullet weight and bullet diameter wins the day.

 

[25-20 WCF]

...African hunter Ruark had it right, "Use Enough Gun".

Who here has actually read anything Ruark wrote, besides me? Going on two African safaris hardly makes one an “African hunter”. The book “Use Enough Gun” was an anthology published after his death, and IIRC in it he only mentioned firearms once or twice. For all we know, the publisher made up that catchy title.

The whole point of this thread is to find out what “enough gun” is, and thanks to the forum members the OP now has lots of opinions. BTW, for the 27 years I lived in Alaska I could legally shoot a moose or grizzly with a .22 Hornet.


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[Rembrandt]

I don't dispute that deer can be taken with a .223, I'm sure many have done so. A few upper Midwest states do allow the .223, that caliber barely makes the minimum requirement in those states. Shot placement and bullet weight becomes more critical when using the smaller round.

My point was that we don't know where the OP is hunting, Florida or near the Canadian border....there's a big difference in the size of deer. Hence the caliber should fit the game. Size matters, that's why so many Texas/Oklahoma pig hunters ditched the .223 for larger AR calibers.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

Shot placement is critical with every round, but is more critical with smaller or less powerful rounds. As for .223 "barely makes the minimum requirement," it isn't really like that. The system is binary. It either qualifies or not. The notion of "barely" isn't relevant.

As one of the Texas hog hunters, I don't hunt with .223 very often but not because size matters in the same sense as it might be applied to deer hunting. I shoot a lot of hogs on the run which often means trying to break them down quickly for finishing shots. For typical deer hunting where you are dealing with a stationary or near stationary target, such as hunting lone boars or hogs under a feeder, I think a .223 is great.

 

[WestKentucky]

Does an AR in 6.8 SPC use regular AR mags?

No, but mags aren’t bad. Pricing for hunting capacity mags is about 50% over standard. I bought aluminum body 10rd mags at like $12 or 15 each.

You can feed a few from a .223 mag, but it’s not reliable, and I would rather spend $30 after shipping and tax just to have a couple proper mags and peace of mind that I have a rifle that will give me a second shot if I can.

 

[jmorris]

Shot placement is critical with every round, but is more critical with smaller or less powerful rounds.

That’s it in a nutshell. I watched two butchers as a kid drop one 1000lb+ bovine after another with an old .22 short pump rifle. All easy shots to the head though, dropped like a light switch was flipped.

 

[d2wing]

I have killed a few deer in Minnesota, the biggest deer in the lower 48 with 55 gr soft points. The bullet blows up the heart lung area, making a bloody mush mess. I have posted a pic of a 300 lb 14 pt buck I shot, one shot.

 

[Mule]

We have successfully used 223 to take whitetail with Mini14's and AR's for about 12 years. Projectiles have been 60 gr Partition, 62 gr Fusion, 64gr WW PP , 65 gr Sierra SBT. Next on the list is Sierra 69gr TMK.