For after the AR-15 scare is over

[4season]

I have never liked AR-15's. Not that I have anything against the rifle or anyone owning them. I have just never liked the .223/5.56 round. Seem too small for big game and too big for small game. I am in East Tennessee and most shots are under 50 yards on any game so I have no need to pop prairie dogs at 500 yards or elk at 1000 yards. But since all this get rid of "Assault Weapons" talk in congress and the media I have taken an interest in the AR-15. I have always thought that I may get an AR-10 someday because of the .308 round being more useful but with a little searching on AR-15's I have found that you can build everything from a 6.5 Grendel to a .50 Beowulf on the same lower. Now I don't have any use for a 6.5 Grendel as I already have a .260 Remington bolt gun, and I have heard limits on the .50 Beowulf due to AR bolt strength, I am curious about the rounds in between. For example the 358 Gremlin seems to have lots of promise but not a lot of details, and the .458 SOCOM seems interesting as well. I have also heard of a .358 WSSM or even a 7.62x39. I am wondering who has some of these more rare AR-15's, how they shoot, what they shoot with them and if they may stick around.

 

[adelbridge]

I happen to hunt with an AR-10 and sometimes an AR-15. The idea seemed great at the time but after a few years of experience the AR does not make the best hunting weapon. I use my AR-10 for hogs and occasional deer. It is heavy but does lend it self to lights and lasers and fast follow up shots. Mounting a scope on an AR is its Achilles heel. For one the charging handle becomes obstructed and the high scope axis does not lend itself for close up shots. I built an 18" 6.8 SPC hunting gun but realized it is pretty anemic when compared to tried and true hunting rounds plus the ammo choices are limited and good luck finding it at the hardware store if you run out in Podunk. If I had to do it again I think I would go with a 7.62X39 AR-15. It packs more punch than 6.8SPC at about 1/3 the cost and ammo is everywhere.

 

[4season]

LOL..what a silly post.

And what is silly about wanting more info on more obscure ar-15 calibers?
Or were you referring to my reference in the title to the huge shortage to ar-15's because of some nuts on the left wanting to take our guns away? I am not going to pay the huge prices of this panic buying right now, but when things settle down and components come back to reasonable prices I will build an AR. I just won't build it in the crappy .223 that everyone else has that I have no use for.

 

[CLP]

LOL..what a silly post.

Sounds like a legit question to me...

I built a RRA lower with a Timney 3lb single stage trigger in 6.8 Rem SPC. No particular reason other than I had read about that caliber and found it interesting and that it was a fun project to do. Found a good deal on a barrel from White Oak, YHM light weight free float handguards...I only use it at the range around 100yds, but I've read that it's a decent hog and whitetail round.

 

[pintler]

300 AAC might be worth a look for the kind of hunting you describe. 30/30ish ballistics, standard magazines and bolt, lots of .308 bullets to choose from.

 

[kimberkid]

I've got one in 9mm, 5.7 and 7.62x39 ... as well as .223/5.56 and an AR10 in .308 ... I like'em all!

For some odd reason, I've never been interested in one in 22LR

 

[Captains1911]

7.62x39 tends to have feeding reliabilty issues in the AR platform. You're better off with the 300 BLK for similar ballistics.

 

[chasu]

6.8 SPC and 300 Blackout are super for the AR platform. Not super expensive in normal circumstances. But then again, I don't have any issues with 55 or 62 grain 223 or 5.56 at all.

 

[cacoltguy]

As far as alternative calibers for the AR-15 go, I think the 6.5 Grendel is a really appealing option. Much better knockdown power than .223 and the superior ballistics of the 6.5mm bullets give it better long range performance compare the other non .223 options (300 black out 6.8 SPC etc.) If I had to choose one alternative caliber to shoot out of an AR-15 it would be the 6.5 Grendel.

 

[Texan Scott]

I dunno what your deer are like in TN ... our white tail are quite small, and axis are smaller. I'm a 7.62x39 guy myself, but I have both family members and friends that hunt deer with ar15s and heavy 223 JSP. If I hunted with an ar, I might want 300blk for hogs. Then again, it's worth noting that around here at least, 50 yds is about the longest shot you're normally gonna have (small deer in cedar chaparral make for short shots).

 

[mf-dif]

Mounting a scope on an AR is its Achilles heel. For one the charging handle becomes obstructed and the high scope axis does not lend itself for close up shots.

Ummm...just get a gas block without a fixed sight and extended charging handle? Pretty much the whole point of the modularity thing...

 

[jim243]

Troll or no troll, he has a right to dislike the 223. He is correct, the 223 is a crappy caliber for what he wants to use it for. But, 4 seasons, you are missing the point, it wasn't design as a hunting rifle. I felt the same way as you do for many, many years. I have owned a AR-15 since 1967 and have shot them often.

For hunting I use a 243, 270 or 35 Remingtion. But for general shooting I use the AR in 223/5.56. It is substantially cheaper to shoot than anyting else except 22 LR. For home defense or short range personal defense it works extreemly well.

As to building a AR-10, I would say you could buy 2, 3 or even 4 really good bolt guns for what you will be spending, even after the scare is over.

The truth is the AR-15 is really a fun gun to shoot and the 223/5.56 make it affordable to do so, that is why it is so popular.

Now as to alternitive calibers, WHY, you are not going to take 10, 20 or even 30 shots at what you are hunting. If you need that many rounds to hunt with, I would recommend seeing an eye doctor and getting your prescription changed for your glasses.

Just my 2 cents.
Jim

 

[Hacker15E]

I have the word of many "reliable" sources that the AR-15 is not suitable for hunting.

</sarcasm>

 

[Texan Scott]

Jim243, I wouldn't take 30 shots at deer... but they do have 5rnd mags, too
Ten might not be bad for a sounder of hogs, though.

But me, I'm just a hillbilly with an SKS.... what do I know?

 

[4season]

As to building a AR-10, I would say you could buy 2, 3 or even 4 really good bolt guns for what you will be spending, even after the scare is over.

Now as to alternitive calibers, WHY, you are not going to take 10, 20 or even 30 shots at what you are hunting. If you need that many rounds to hunt with, I would recommend seeing an eye doctor and getting your prescription changed for your glasses.
Jim

Yep I agree that the AR-10 is a pricy project, but some of the nice bolt rifles can get pretty pricy. I have always wanted a Sako 85 and just one of those with nice glass could run into the same price range as AR-10 pre-panic.

Now I have never needed 30 shots to kill anything. I have killed more deer with my muzzle-loader than anything else. But I don't like the government telling me I can't carry 30 rounds in my magazine. Don't need my eyes checked just wanting to have something different that the bolt and lever guns that everyone else shoots.

 

[kimberkid]

7.62x39 tends to have feeding reliabilty issues in the AR platform. You're better off with the 300 BLK for similar ballistics.

It doesn't have feeding problems if you use the proper mags like the ones from C-Products which have the proper curve for the tapered 7.62x39 round ... and at a fraction of the cost of 300B.O.

100 yard target with 7.62x39

​

 

[Mobuck]

I have AR rifles/carbines in 5.45x39, 5,56x45, .223, 300AAC, and 7.62x39 and would like to add 6x45mm, 25 Sharpes(.257x45mm aka 257/223), and 6.8 but am holding off due to cost and availability. I'm not wanting to spend for parts,ammo, and/or reloading components at this time.
I haven't shot the 300AAC much at all but have shot the 7.62x39 enough to have a good indication of it's potential. The only reason I added the AAC was to improve the accuracy over the x39 while retaining a .308 bullet diameter. The 7.62x39 is a decent 100-150 yard deer round and gives total reliability with the C-Products mags(in my use/rifles). It also adds knock down effectiveness to a home defense carbine vs the .223.
The 5.45x39 is a companion to an AK74 as a little diversity plan to utilize the cheap but reportedly effective Russian designed fmj in case I need to arm less than highly skilled family members(in my guns this ammo is less than highly accurate so an operator miss might still result in a hit) to generate a large amount of outgoing fire.

 

[browningguy]

I've used a .50 Beowulf for several years for deer and pig hunting, always when the shots are going to be under 150 yards. With 325gr. SP's it rolls them right over with no problem.

 

[k_dawg]

The newer 77gr Sierra Matchking HP in .223 has really been coming on strong, assuming your rifle can handle the heavier/longer bullet.

In my JP Rifle with 1:8 twist, they are far more impressive than the more standard m183/m885 type loads both in accuracy and terminal ballistics.

While overkill for varmits, it has become my 'go to' round for the ranch rifle. Boar and Coyotes, no problem.

I would not hesitate to use it for white tail deer and similar size game.

 

[Akita1]

I put an AR Performance 6.8mm upper on a RRA lower and it has become my dedicated hog hunting rifle - simply love it. A little better performer than 300 AAC, IMHO, as the 300 drops like a rock after ~100 yards (at least the one I shot did).

Also believe the 300 doesn't carry as much punch as the 7.62 x 39. We did some (admittedly) rather non-scientific tests at our hunting camp with an AK 7.62 x 39 and AR 300 and the AK blew bigger holes in cinderblocks and didn't drop as much. I have been looking for a 7.62 x 39 upper for a while but may just have to build my own (everything I see is crap or a rip off given our current state of affairs).

Plus my deer rifle is .270 so I'm relatively partial to that round given the 6.8mm is just a short-necked .270.

 

[<*(((><]

QUOTE jim243
"Now as to alternitive calibers, WHY, you are not going to take 10, 20 or even 30 shots at what you are hunting. If you need that many rounds to hunt with, I would recommend seeing an eye doctor and getting your prescription changed for your glasses."

One word for you....WOLVES

They travel in packs and you have a multi-tag limit. Granted, the OP probably doesn't hunt wolves but up in my neck of the woods an AR15 in .223/5.56 does have a hunting purpose as far as I'm concerned. The linear nature of the recoil and capacity magazines help with follow-up shots to get rid of these vermin.

 

[sixgunner455]

The AR15 was originally marketed to civilians as a hunting rifle. Yes, in .223. Maybe not the best caliber for deer, certainly not for elk, moose, or big bears, but that leaves a lot of other critters to hunt with it.

Lots of people do hunt with them, whatever caliber they have. I'm building a 6.8 upper to hunt with. Most of the parts got here this weekend.

 

[mljdeckard]

Look at an AR-10?