Let's not stir up a hunting debate over traditional rifles vs MSR's. There is plenty of room for both.
I appreciate the large number of .45-70 fans, there needs to be, as the rifles are slipping in sales. Winchester already went under, Savage is considered questionable, there are only imports or Henry on the market at first glance.
AR15's now make up 20% of the market and it's been growing for a decade. There are specific reasons which I outlined, and it really has a lot to do with the gun helping the shooter, not hampering him.
With the AR series being issued for over 45 years now, and some early models actually making C&R status, there's plenty of room to consider that they are becoming their own tradition. 2014 - 50 = 1964. They were available and deliberately marketed as hunting rifles then.
https://www.ar15.com/archive/topic.html?b=3&f=118&t=626583
$189.50 MSRP.
I paid less for an HK91 in 1978. I used it hunting then, with a first gen Aimpoint red dot, which had a battery life of 8 hours. I learned pretty quick how to dial it on if I heard interesting sounds out of sight.
What I also learned after having the luxury of simply pulling the trigger and tracking the game was that if a follow on shot was necessary, I was ready and on target. When I switched to a Rem 700 in .30-06, that advantage disappeared. When I tried a '64 Win 94 .30-30, the recoil wasn't that diminished.
When I went back to the previously despised AR - which I had carried and used in training for 22 years in the Reserves - I did so because it was lighter in the hand, and tired me less walking over rough terrain. It had less recoil, which prompted me to hesitate less taking a shot. And I could track the game with the same confidence as I had with the HK, knowing it wouldn't likely disappear while trying to chamber a new round.
Lots of self loading actions were on the market in the 20's and 30's as the next step in the evolution of firearms. It's still interesting as those models became dated, the market retreated to the simple cheap bolt action. The Great White Hunter fad of the '50's with magnum cartridges didn't help.
It takes a lot more development and work to make a self loading action. They don't inherently tolerate a wide variety of different ammunition. Military models are built to handle 1 - one - issue round, and the few others available have to conform to the gas pressure curve the gun requires.
If you choose a compatible load for the self loading action, they are highly reliable. Conversely, the manual action guns can shoot them all - but they generally don't have the same point of aim. Switching ammo about becomes an exercise in memorizing all the various holdovers.
As a rifle designed to shoot the first round well, they do the job. Unfortunately, game does not cooperate. Even deer. They may not stop, they often are in cover that can deflect a bullet.
Having hunted the same public land for 40 years now, and knowing what other hunters take into the woods, it's not hard to hear the rushed pace of a manual action gun blazing away in desperation trying to knock down game. Having heard the even quicker pace of a self loader in two shots, and seeing the game downed, I have more confidence it can do the job better.
If you want to shoot a more accurate gun that doesn't batter you with excessive recoil, keeps you on target, has plenty of sufficient cartridges available to tailor to the game you hunt, with a widespread and varied assortment of accessories to choose from, get an AR. Even the scope mounts are all the same, which is the first thing no assortment of manual action guns share, or are generally available. I've purchased all of mine from brick and mortar stores, the manual guns all had to be ordered.
There is another factor - even the major traditional makers see the handwriting on the wall. They all offer AR15's. They don't plan on going out of business because the public is changing their buying habits. They make what sells - unfortunately, Winchester and others simply would not follow the market and became victims to their stolidity. If there is one absolute certainty in life, it's that things change, and we can't stop it.
Like having all 50 states permit CCW. It's not all bad.
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