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Posted: 6/17/2014 11:07:49 PM EDT
[#1]
Deer hunting, in my experience, is a one shot game. I have used .22-250, 5.56, .270, 30-06, and .308 ... I've also used a 9mm AR with 147gr (poor man's 300 blackout) ... it works too. But, for deer hunting, in my experience, you need a round that is guaranteed to exit. All of the above calibers, including 5.56 does not give you that guarantee.
FWIW, I would grab a Savage 110 in .308 and put a decent piece of glass on top and be 'done' with my deer hunting setup. Under 450 for the entire setup if you buy used from our equipment exchange or a local pawn shop. If you want an AR15 for other things, plinking, hog hunting, home defense .. lots of options on the market for that. TRG |
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Posted: 6/17/2014 11:16:08 PM EDT
[#2]
Both 300BLK, and .223 are sufficient for hunting, and killing deer. Don't be fooled by all the nay sayers, and unrealistic standards!
I will say; Shot placement is key! ETA: Funny how an AR15 is sufficient for hog, and not deer according to some folks. |
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Posted: 6/17/2014 11:40:30 PM EDT
[#3]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Both 300BLK, and .223 are sufficient for hunting, and killing deer. Don't be fooled by all the nay sayers, and unrealistic standards! I will say; Shot placement is key! ETA: Funny how an AR15 is sufficient for hog, and not deer according to some folks. Deer and hogs are different goals. I shoot deer with the intention of recovering the meat and can not legally 'shoot to wound' a game animal in my state.Hogs are non-gam and I don't worry about recovery. Deer are game animals and I hunt them with the intention of recovering the animal. I use 9mm on hogs. I don't care if the hog runs away, wounded, and dies three days later. Both rounds will kill both animals, but ... A deer (and a hog) can run a substantial distance when shot. For a deer, I am legally responsible for recovering the meat. Even with a 'perfect' shot on a deer, they can still live, and run, a 100-200 yards or more. I need a blood trail to find them when they run. I have recovered heart-shot deer 75 yards from the point of impact. They run, jig, juke, and dive through brush. Hogs do as well. I've probably killed more hogs on this forum with a 9mm AR15 than anyone else. I've also killed several deer with that 9mm. But, 9mm won't leave a gaping, bloody, trackable, exit wound. It goes in at .38 diameter and exits at .38 diameter. Deer, and hogs, don't bleed much with a .38 diameter exit wound. Nobody is going to argue that a 9mm, or .300 Blackout, won't kill a deer or hog, but ... unless they fall DRT, you are going to need some method to locate the carcass. Blood trails are only generated by a bleeding exit wound. TRG |
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Posted: 6/17/2014 11:51:54 PM EDT
[#4]
Buy an AR10 and don't worry about shot placement on a twitchy target.
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Posted: 6/18/2014 7:58:02 AM EDT
[#5]
If I was going to get an AR15 specifically for deer hunting I'd get a 6.5 or a 6.8. 5.56 has taken plenty of deer though.
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Posted: 6/18/2014 3:32:32 PM EDT
[#6]
Everyone will give you different answers and experiences. The best thing I've read so far was something about shot placement. In all honesty, that is nearly the only factor that matters. If you put a half way decent bullet in the right spot, a deer usually won't go far. As far as exit wounds from bigger rounds go...the only deer I've ever lost came from a Hornady Superformance 7x57 that left basket ball size splotches of blood. Three men and 8 man hours later we called off the search.
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Posted: 6/18/2014 4:39:23 PM EDT
[#7]
5.56 will drop a deer dead, so will a 22LR if PLACED properly. Placement is key. Practice is necessary.
I like 308 or 3006 for deer. Lots of KE and devastating wound channels. |
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Posted: 6/18/2014 5:32:28 PM EDT
[#8]
Just an FYI you can't use a semi-auto rifle to hunt in Pa. You can look up all the regs on the game commission site. And I use a .243 win or a .308 for what it's worth.
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Posted: 6/18/2014 7:26:04 PM EDT
[#9]
Go with a 6.8
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Posted: 6/18/2014 10:23:17 PM EDT
[#10]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Just an FYI you can't use a semi-auto rifle to hunt in Pa. You can look up all the regs on the game commission site. And I use a .243 win or a .308 for what it's worth. This. Though there working on something for semi auto for varmints. You may be able to pull the gas tube and leave it home and its not basically a bolt action. |
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Posted: 6/18/2014 11:07:03 PM EDT
[#11]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Deer and hogs are different goals. I shoot deer with the intention of recovering the meat and can not legally 'shoot to wound' a game animal in my state.Hogs are non-gam and I don't worry about recovery. Deer are game animals and I hunt them with the intention of recovering the animal. I use 9mm on hogs. I don't care if the hog runs away, wounded, and dies three days later. Both rounds will kill both animals, but ... A deer (and a hog) can run a substantial distance when shot. For a deer, I am legally responsible for recovering the meat. Even with a 'perfect' shot on a deer, they can still live, and run, a 100-200 yards or more. I need a blood trail to find them when they run. I have recovered heart-shot deer 75 yards from the point of impact. They run, jig, juke, and dive through brush. Hogs do as well. I've probably killed more hogs on this forum with a 9mm AR15 than anyone else. I've also killed several deer with that 9mm. But, 9mm won't leave a gaping, bloody, trackable, exit wound. It goes in at .38 diameter and exits at .38 diameter. Deer, and hogs, don't bleed much with a .38 diameter exit wound. Nobody is going to argue that a 9mm, or .300 Blackout, won't kill a deer or hog, but ... unless they fall DRT, you are going to need some method to locate the carcass. Blood trails are only generated by a bleeding exit wound. TRG Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Both 300BLK, and .223 are sufficient for hunting, and killing deer. Don't be fooled by all the nay sayers, and unrealistic standards! I will say; Shot placement is key! ETA: Funny how an AR15 is sufficient for hog, and not deer according to some folks. Deer and hogs are different goals. I shoot deer with the intention of recovering the meat and can not legally 'shoot to wound' a game animal in my state.Hogs are non-gam and I don't worry about recovery. Deer are game animals and I hunt them with the intention of recovering the animal. I use 9mm on hogs. I don't care if the hog runs away, wounded, and dies three days later. Both rounds will kill both animals, but ... A deer (and a hog) can run a substantial distance when shot. For a deer, I am legally responsible for recovering the meat. Even with a 'perfect' shot on a deer, they can still live, and run, a 100-200 yards or more. I need a blood trail to find them when they run. I have recovered heart-shot deer 75 yards from the point of impact. They run, jig, juke, and dive through brush. Hogs do as well. I've probably killed more hogs on this forum with a 9mm AR15 than anyone else. I've also killed several deer with that 9mm. But, 9mm won't leave a gaping, bloody, trackable, exit wound. It goes in at .38 diameter and exits at .38 diameter. Deer, and hogs, don't bleed much with a .38 diameter exit wound. Nobody is going to argue that a 9mm, or .300 Blackout, won't kill a deer or hog, but ... unless they fall DRT, you are going to need some method to locate the carcass. Blood trails are only generated by a bleeding exit wound. TRG I don't really give a shit what your rap sheet is. A .223 round is more than enough to kill a deer on the spot, and more than enough to leave a good blood trail. I didn't ask you what the responsibility of a hunter is, how far a deer can run after being heart shot, or how terminal ballistics work! You aren't the only person in the world that knows something about hunting, or firearms. xtreme762 |
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Posted: 6/18/2014 11:32:09 PM EDT
[#12]
http://s27.postimg.org/69nk57kn7/WP_20131116_002.jpg
As seen above, 300 BLK is more than enough to take out deer. Took this particular one at about 40 yards this past season and she dropped immediately. I have taken one other doe with this same setup, and haven't had the chance to get a buck. Anything under 150 yards is plenty for the 300 BLK, although I'd venture that it could still kill deer past that. As others have already mentioned, shot placement, shot placement. I've had bad experiences with other hunters shooting the shoulders out of deer with .308 and having to track more then 200 yards of red and guts.. |
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Posted: 6/18/2014 11:50:21 PM EDT
[#13]
Yes I'm aware of the silly regulations that the state of PA has
I would not hunt deer there I hunt In Maryland |
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Posted: 6/24/2014 4:33:40 PM EDT
[#15]
I use a 6.8 and the wife will be using a .300 BO this year with supers. I have seen the deer up north, they are huge compared to what we have down south but I would think either of those two calibers would ethically harvest a deer. I will give the nod to the 6.8 at distance though.
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Posted: 6/28/2014 11:30:32 AM EDT
[#16]
Shot placement and bullet selection are more important than the cartridge selection with the great available bullet selection these days, IMO. I would seriously reconsider the 16" barrel for a designated hunting rifle for hearing protection reasons.
Unless you are going to always use hearing protection, every shot, a 20" will be much more comfortable to shoot in the event you fire without ears on than a 16". Shorter barrels can be absolutely brutal on your ears & tinnitus isn't fun.
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Posted: 6/29/2014 12:15:00 PM EDT
[#17]
Buy the AR of your choice in 5.56, then for deer (or anything else on this continent) get a .450 Bushmaster upper.
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Posted: 6/30/2014 8:31:28 PM EDT
[#18]
My choice would be either a .300 BLK or 6.8 SPC for deer hunting with an AR-15. Since the calibers you have mentioned are interchangeable as far as uppers go, it doesn't matter what caliber rifle you start with. You may as well buy a 5.56 rifle then then an upper in the caliber you want for deer.
5.56/.223 can work for deer with proper shot placement and bullet choice, but be sure to check the regulations, as many states won't allow that small a caliber for deer (mine doesn't). |
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Posted: 6/30/2014 8:50:31 PM EDT
[#19]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Buy the AR of your choice in 5.56, then for deer (or anything else on this continent) get a .450 Bushmaster upper. This is an awesome idea. I actually thought about this last week. |
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Posted: 7/1/2014 5:49:06 PM EDT
[#20]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
This is an awesome idea. I actually thought about this last week. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Buy the AR of your choice in 5.56, then for deer (or anything else on this continent) get a .450 Bushmaster upper. This is an awesome idea. I actually thought about this last week. Then now's the time to buy one. Midway USA has the .450 Bushmaster 16" upper on sale right now... $549.99 (in stock... I ordered mine about 2 hours ago ). 20" barrel model on sale also, for $649.99 (out of stock, but backordable). They've also got Stoner 9 rnd mags for the .450 on sale for $19 & change. Also have Bushmaster uppers in .300 AAC on sale... $639.99.
Link |
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Posted: 7/1/2014 6:32:02 PM EDT
[#21]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Then now's the time to buy one. Midway USA has the .450 Bushmaster 16" upper on sale right now... $549.99 (in stock... I ordered mine about 2 hours ago ). 20" barrel model on sale also, for $649.99 (out of stock, but backordable). They've also got Stoner 9 rnd mags for the .450 on sale for $19 & change. Also have Bushmaster uppers in .300 AAC on sale... $639.99.
Link Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Buy the AR of your choice in 5.56, then for deer (or anything else on this continent) get a .450 Bushmaster upper. This is an awesome idea. I actually thought about this last week. Then now's the time to buy one. Midway USA has the .450 Bushmaster 16" upper on sale right now... $549.99 (in stock... I ordered mine about 2 hours ago ). 20" barrel model on sale also, for $649.99 (out of stock, but backordable). They've also got Stoner 9 rnd mags for the .450 on sale for $19 & change. Also have Bushmaster uppers in .300 AAC on sale... $639.99.
Link That's the one I was looking at. The 20" is what I'll get to take full advantage of the round. Cabelas has the 20" in stock but for $699. |
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Posted: 7/3/2014 8:18:37 PM EDT
[#22]
Wow! Midway ships fast!!! Ordered 16" .450 upper at 2pm on Tuesday, big brown truck dropped it off today (Thursday).
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Posted: 7/3/2014 10:12:29 PM EDT
[#23]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Wow! Midway ships fast!!! Ordered 16" .450 upper at 2pm on Tuesday, big brown truck dropped it off today (Thursday). Nice! When you get it together, post some pics of the rifle, and targets for us? I'd love to see what I'm getting myself into here. |
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Posted: 7/13/2014 10:20:31 AM EDT
[#24]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Nice! When you get it together, post some pics of the rifle, and targets for us? I'd love to see what I'm getting myself into here. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Wow! Midway ships fast!!! Ordered 16" .450 upper at 2pm on Tuesday, big brown truck dropped it off today (Thursday). Nice! When you get it together, post some pics of the rifle, and targets for us? I'd love to see what I'm getting myself into here. All set up, sighted in. Accuracy is amazing. I used Hornady's 250gr FTX loads. Not set up for reloading yet (dies & bullets enroute from Natchezz), so I only shot 30 rounds. All I've got for a scope right now is a cheap BSA Deerhunter 2.5X20 shotgun scope.... but I've been using the same model scope on my Marlin .45-70 Guide Gun for 5 yrs with no issues. At 50 yds, from a Lead-Sled Solo, 13 of 15 shots overlapped! But.... I had a functioning issue. Constant failure to eject ("Stovepiping" ) in the 1st 20 rounds. Only 4 ejected cleanly. By the 22nd shot, it was working fine. I'm thinking it just needed a break-in. When dis-assembled for cleaning the shipping oil off, I noticed the bolt head didn't rotate very freely in the carrier, and the gas seals were such a tight fit, I really had to yank on it to get it from the carrier. Checked it again after test fire session and it now rotates as it should. It was feeding OK, extractor & ejector seem to be just fine (ejected every round manually when I tested it), but I think the stiff bolt may have caused a bit of a short cycling. When I get my dies and bullets this week, I'll load up some more ammo and do more testing. ETA: I did some mixing & matching of uppers & lowers when I encountered the FTE issue. I put the .450 upper on an Armalite A2 lower, same thing happened. I put the Armalite upper on the lower I built for the .450, and dig a mag dump of 5.56 with no issues. Then I put a DPMS 5.56 upper on the .450 lower, did another mag dump... so the lower is GTG. btw... Don't have pics available yet... brand new computer and still learning 8.1, so I don't have pictures downloaded yet. But I did take some of my targets. |
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Posted: 7/13/2014 10:39:29 AM EDT
[#25]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
All set up, sighted in. Accuracy is amazing. I used Hornady's 250gr FTX loads. Not set up for reloading yet (dies & bullets enroute from Natchezz), so I only shot 30 rounds. All I've got for a scope right now is a cheap BSA Deerhunter 2.5X20 shotgun scope.... but I've been using the same model scope on my Marlin .45-70 Guide Gun for 5 yrs with no issues. At 50 yds, from a Lead-Sled Solo, 13 of 15 shots overlapped! But.... I had a functioning issue. Constant failure to eject ("Stovepiping" ) in the 1st 20 rounds. Only 4 ejected cleanly. By the 22nd shot, it was working fine. I'm thinking it just needed a break-in. When dis-assembled for cleaning the shipping oil off, I noticed the bolt head didn't rotate very freely in the carrier, and the gas seals were such a tight fit, I really had to yank on it to get it from the carrier. Checked it again after test fire session and it now rotates as it should. It was feeding OK, extractor & ejector seem to be just fine (ejected every round manually when I tested it), but I think the stiff bolt may have caused a bit of a short cycling. When I get my dies and bullets this week, I'll load up some more ammo and do more testing. ETA: I did some mixing & matching of uppers & lowers when I encountered the FTE issue. I put the .450 upper on an Armalite A2 lower, same thing happened. I put the Armalite upper on the lower I built for the .450, and dig a mag dump of 5.56 with no issues. Then I put a DPMS 5.56 upper on the .450 lower, did another mag dump... so the lower is GTG. btw... Don't have pics available yet... brand new computer and still learning 8.1, so I don't have pictures downloaded yet. But I did take some of my targets. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Wow! Midway ships fast!!! Ordered 16" .450 upper at 2pm on Tuesday, big brown truck dropped it off today (Thursday). Nice! When you get it together, post some pics of the rifle, and targets for us? I'd love to see what I'm getting myself into here. All set up, sighted in. Accuracy is amazing. I used Hornady's 250gr FTX loads. Not set up for reloading yet (dies & bullets enroute from Natchezz), so I only shot 30 rounds. All I've got for a scope right now is a cheap BSA Deerhunter 2.5X20 shotgun scope.... but I've been using the same model scope on my Marlin .45-70 Guide Gun for 5 yrs with no issues. At 50 yds, from a Lead-Sled Solo, 13 of 15 shots overlapped! But.... I had a functioning issue. Constant failure to eject ("Stovepiping" ) in the 1st 20 rounds. Only 4 ejected cleanly. By the 22nd shot, it was working fine. I'm thinking it just needed a break-in. When dis-assembled for cleaning the shipping oil off, I noticed the bolt head didn't rotate very freely in the carrier, and the gas seals were such a tight fit, I really had to yank on it to get it from the carrier. Checked it again after test fire session and it now rotates as it should. It was feeding OK, extractor & ejector seem to be just fine (ejected every round manually when I tested it), but I think the stiff bolt may have caused a bit of a short cycling. When I get my dies and bullets this week, I'll load up some more ammo and do more testing. ETA: I did some mixing & matching of uppers & lowers when I encountered the FTE issue. I put the .450 upper on an Armalite A2 lower, same thing happened. I put the Armalite upper on the lower I built for the .450, and dig a mag dump of 5.56 with no issues. Then I put a DPMS 5.56 upper on the .450 lower, did another mag dump... so the lower is GTG. btw... Don't have pics available yet... brand new computer and still learning 8.1, so I don't have pictures downloaded yet. But I did take some of my targets. Awesome. You might try an oring on the extractor spring to aid in extraction. I know a lot of folks don't believe in those, but sometimes they do help. The gas rings should loosen up as it gets shot more. Just make sure you keep them lubed real good for the first couple hundred rounds. That's about the only thing that should need broken in. The bolt, and carrier were one of the things that concerned me. I haven't picked my upper up yet. I'll be getting it at the end of this month. It's good to hear they are pretty accurate. I'm hoping to find, and pick up some Speer Gold Dots to load up for it to hunt with. |
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Posted: 7/24/2014 11:04:57 AM EDT
[#26]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Awesome. You might try an oring on the extractor spring to aid in extraction. I know a lot of folks don't believe in those, but sometimes they do help. The gas rings should loosen up as it gets shot more. Just make sure you keep them lubed real good for the first couple hundred rounds. That's about the only thing that should need broken in. The bolt, and carrier were one of the things that concerned me. I haven't picked my upper up yet. I'll be getting it at the end of this month. It's good to hear they are pretty accurate. I'm hoping to find, and pick up some Speer Gold Dots to load up for it to hunt with. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Wow! Midway ships fast!!! Ordered 16" .450 upper at 2pm on Tuesday, big brown truck dropped it off today (Thursday). Nice! When you get it together, post some pics of the rifle, and targets for us? I'd love to see what I'm getting myself into here. All set up, sighted in. Accuracy is amazing. I used Hornady's 250gr FTX loads. Not set up for reloading yet (dies & bullets enroute from Natchezz), so I only shot 30 rounds. All I've got for a scope right now is a cheap BSA Deerhunter 2.5X20 shotgun scope.... but I've been using the same model scope on my Marlin .45-70 Guide Gun for 5 yrs with no issues. At 50 yds, from a Lead-Sled Solo, 13 of 15 shots overlapped! But.... I had a functioning issue. Constant failure to eject ("Stovepiping" ) in the 1st 20 rounds. Only 4 ejected cleanly. By the 22nd shot, it was working fine. I'm thinking it just needed a break-in. When dis-assembled for cleaning the shipping oil off, I noticed the bolt head didn't rotate very freely in the carrier, and the gas seals were such a tight fit, I really had to yank on it to get it from the carrier. Checked it again after test fire session and it now rotates as it should. It was feeding OK, extractor & ejector seem to be just fine (ejected every round manually when I tested it), but I think the stiff bolt may have caused a bit of a short cycling. When I get my dies and bullets this week, I'll load up some more ammo and do more testing. ETA: I did some mixing & matching of uppers & lowers when I encountered the FTE issue. I put the .450 upper on an Armalite A2 lower, same thing happened. I put the Armalite upper on the lower I built for the .450, and dig a mag dump of 5.56 with no issues. Then I put a DPMS 5.56 upper on the .450 lower, did another mag dump... so the lower is GTG. btw... Don't have pics available yet... brand new computer and still learning 8.1, so I don't have pictures downloaded yet. But I did take some of my targets. Awesome. You might try an oring on the extractor spring to aid in extraction. I know a lot of folks don't believe in those, but sometimes they do help. The gas rings should loosen up as it gets shot more. Just make sure you keep them lubed real good for the first couple hundred rounds. That's about the only thing that should need broken in. The bolt, and carrier were one of the things that concerned me. I haven't picked my upper up yet. I'll be getting it at the end of this month. It's good to hear they are pretty accurate. I'm hoping to find, and pick up some Speer Gold Dots to load up for it to hunt with. Finding bullets has been easy... finding powder, not so easy. I just bought 100 of Hornady 250 FTX from Natchez, and already had some Hornady XTPs which I use for .45 Colt. The .450 uses powder typically used in magnum pistol loads, like Lil Gun, H110, W296, IMR 4227. Lil Gun seems to be the preferred powder on all the forums, but there's none to be had. I've used H110 & W296 in both .44mag & .45 Colt hunting loads, so I've got several pounds of those two. Guess they'll have to do for now. 
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Posted: 7/27/2014 2:19:24 AM EDT
[#27]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Buy the AR of your choice in 5.56, then for deer (or anything else on this continent) get a .450 Bushmaster upper. That's what I did...sorta. Bought a colt in 5.56, then built a blackout upper. Then built another lower. Next comes SBR and suppressor. Blackout killed last year's deer just fine. Probably build a big bore rifle while waiting for tax stamps. Got to love MS...if NFA says you can own it, you can hunt with it, excluding full auto firearms. |
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Posted: 8/7/2014 2:46:52 AM EDT
[#28]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Deer hunting, in my experience, is a one shot game. I have used .22-250, 5.56, .270, 30-06, and .308 ... I've also used a 9mm AR with 147gr (poor man's 300 blackout) ... it works too. But, for deer hunting, in my experience, you need a round that is guaranteed to exit. All of the above calibers, including 5.56 does not give you that guarantee. FWIW, I would grab a Savage 110 in .308 and put a decent piece of glass on top and be 'done' with my deer hunting setup. Under 450 for the entire setup if you buy used from our equipment exchange or a local pawn shop. If you want an AR15 for other things, plinking, hog hunting, home defense .. lots of options on the market for that. TRG This will do you just fine. I picked up new Savage 11 with a Nikon already on it for less than $400. |
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Posted: 8/7/2014 5:49:14 AM EDT
[#29]
Well, I use my old Lee Enfield .303 for hunting. However, for using the AR platform, 300 Blackout is fine in a carbine. That's a 7.62 bullet in a 7.62x35 cartridge with better accuracy than a an AK. That being said, it's not great at over 100 yards. The absolute best hunting round in the AR 15 platform is the 6.5 Grendel. It's accurate to 800 yards for one thing. At 500 yards it's still supersonic and actually passes a .308 bullet in flight. I build my own AR's so I build for what I want them to do. I only buy parts - I have never even bought a complete lower or upper.
I have my AR's but I hunt with my .303 - no particular reason really. It only has basic old iron sights. I just happen to really like the rifle and every time a bring a deer down with it I'm using a piece of history. If I manage to save enough for an M1 I'll hunt with it too :) I suppose that when I get an AR10 in .308 built I'll switch to using it for hunting. Save the old guns. AR's with optics don't fit in a saddle scabbard though. I don't only hunt deer. I also hunt elk and we have plenty of them around here in the mountains too. Also mountain goats. All good meat. I doubt anyone is going to take down an 800 lb. elk with a .223 from 300 yards. Elk don't let you get very close either. Generally you can get within around 150 yards of an elk for a good shot. After it is down, it's hard to move it out. I generally hunt with my horse so I gut it on the spot and remove the intestines saving the heart and liver. Then rig a skid with a couple saplings and my horse pulls it home. I do the skinning and butchering at home. I do the same with deer too. They are a bit easier but a lot less meat. |
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Posted: 8/10/2014 2:31:20 AM EDT
[#30]
Can't believe nobody else said it but 458 socom. I use one myself for deer hunting here in Indiana. Every deer I've taken hasn't moved after being shot and the few hogs I've shot haven't moved either.
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Posted: 8/13/2014 8:49:45 AM EDT
[#31]
I good 70-77 grn soft/hollow pont in 5.56 will drop adeer real fast, so if you go 5.56 bullet selection is key, and if say you ever wanted to just plink its the way to go, I would not hesitate to shoot my 300blk at a deer either as its a great round too, think 30/30 ballistics. The 6.5 and 6.8 ballistically are awesome but quite cost prohibitive compared to the 5.56 and 300blk
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Posted: 8/13/2014 10:24:10 PM EDT
[#32]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
This will do you just fine. I picked up new Savage 11 with a Nikon already on it for less than $400. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Deer hunting, in my experience, is a one shot game. I have used .22-250, 5.56, .270, 30-06, and .308 ... I've also used a 9mm AR with 147gr (poor man's 300 blackout) ... it works too. But, for deer hunting, in my experience, you need a round that is guaranteed to exit. All of the above calibers, including 5.56 does not give you that guarantee. FWIW, I would grab a Savage 110 in .308 and put a decent piece of glass on top and be 'done' with my deer hunting setup. Under 450 for the entire setup if you buy used from our equipment exchange or a local pawn shop. If you want an AR15 for other things, plinking, hog hunting, home defense .. lots of options on the market for that. TRG This will do you just fine. I picked up new Savage 11 with a Nikon already on it for less than $400. He will have a hard time finding a Savage 110 in .308. 110 is a long action. Also a quick clean kill should be the goal in taking ANY animal. Shooting hogs with 9mm to let them run off and die 3 days later is totally unacceptable as a hunter. |
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Posted: 8/21/2014 3:45:35 AM EDT
[#33]
I have a standard AR15A2 lower built. I just haven’t decided what I was going to build (what upper). I’ve been thinking about either the 450 Bushmaster or the 458 Socom. I’ve seriously thinking about the 458 Socom, but the price of factory ammo is what is stopping me. I can’t see paying 50 – 80 $ for a box of shells.
Wolf |
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Posted: 8/21/2014 6:40:16 AM EDT
[#34]
5.56 is just fine for whitetail. Hit them in the boiler room and you'll have a dead deer that is easily found. I don't worry about exit wounds....they'll be blowing plenty of blood out of their mouth. I haven't had any issues tracking any deer I've taken with one, including a 214lb dressed out buck. I wouldn't say it's a good caliber choice for a newbie, as you do have to pay attention to having clear shooting lanes and be sure to place the shot correctly. With a decent marksman though, it's a non issue.
My fav bullet has been the 70gr TSX. Haven't yet failed to get an exit wound with that yet. A larger caliber gives you a little more room for error. Choose what you are comfortable with according to your skill set. |
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Posted: 8/21/2014 7:24:05 AM EDT
[#35]
Like I said in an earlier post I’ve taken more deer with my old mini 14 than any other rifle I own, and I own quite a few. All I have ever used was 55gr.psp. Like I said I just acquired my first AR15 in Jan. 2012 and I’ve been using it ever since. Now this year I built a LR308 Carbine because I’ll be doing some longer shots and in heaver brush.
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Posted: 8/21/2014 4:33:08 PM EDT
[#36]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I have a standard AR15A2 lower built. I just haven’t decided what I was going to build (what upper). I’ve been thinking about either the 450 Bushmaster or the 458 Socom. I’ve seriously thinking about the 458 Socom, but the price of factory ammo is what is stopping me. I can’t see paying 50 – 80 $ for a box of shells. Wolf Ammo cost was a deciding factor for me too... along with the fact that I've reloaded .45 Colt for years, and have a good supply of .452 Hornady bullets as a result, that I can load for the .450. .450 Bushmaster ammo, 250 gr FTX made by Hornady, averages about $30 per box of 20. My LGS had it for $26.95, so I bought 5 boxes. Hornady dies for reloading your empties are about $70, I found them on sale at Natchez for $60, where I also bought 100 Hornady FTX bullets (don't recall the price, but Natchez was cheapest of those I checked, and I was already paying shipping for the dies, so I ordered all from same place ).
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Posted: 8/21/2014 5:32:07 PM EDT
[#37]
I just built a 11.5" .450 bushmaster "pistol" for deer hunting in Ohio. Hopefully I have a tag left after bow season!!!
Any guesses on velocity from that barrel from you .450 reloaders? |
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Posted: 8/22/2014 3:44:15 PM EDT
[#38]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I just built a 11.5" .450 bushmaster "pistol" for deer hunting in Ohio. Hopefully I have a tag left after bow season!!!
Any guesses on velocity from that barrel from you .450 reloaders? Probably not as big a loss as you might think. I'd guess about 100-200fps less than the 16". Got a chronograph? Test it with the Hornady FTX loads, I've got a chrono, so I'll test my 16" barrel next time I shoot it. Hornady claims 2,200 fps from a 16".
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Posted: 8/22/2014 9:18:08 PM EDT
[#39]
Run 300blk supers and you will be fine. Or get a 6.8. Or get a large frame in .308. A 556 shot in the right place will work too.
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Posted: 8/23/2014 4:08:44 AM EDT
[#40]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Probably not as big a loss as you might think. I'd guess about 100-200fps less than the 16". Got a chronograph? Test it with the Hornady FTX loads, I've got a chrono, so I'll test my 16" barrel next time I shoot it. Hornady claims 2,200 fps from a 16".
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
I just built a 11.5" .450 bushmaster "pistol" for deer hunting in Ohio. Hopefully I have a tag left after bow season!!!
Any guesses on velocity from that barrel from you .450 reloaders? Probably not as big a loss as you might think. I'd guess about 100-200fps less than the 16". Got a chronograph? Test it with the Hornady FTX loads, I've got a chrono, so I'll test my 16" barrel next time I shoot it. Hornady claims 2,200 fps from a 16".
I'd be real happy with only a 200 fps loss. I believe the 20ga shotgun slugs shooting these in a sabot are around 1800 fps and they work great terminally. Unfortunately I don't have a chrono. It sure does give me the giggles sitting in the safe next to my 12ga Benelli SBE slug gun It sure does look TINY!!!! (sig brace on the pistol)
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Posted: 8/31/2014 8:31:15 AM EDT
[#41]
I would stick with a 223-5.56 but with a 20" barrel and with a 1-7 twist so it will shoot heavy bullets well. I have 1-9's but after about 60-64 grain bullets the groups start to open up, i use 55 grain in mine for whitetail, 64's shoot ok but not like lighter ones.
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Posted: 9/5/2014 3:04:08 PM EDT
[#42]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
He will have a hard time finding a Savage 110 in .308. 110 is a long action. Also a quick clean kill should be the goal in taking ANY animal. Shooting hogs with 9mm to let them run off and die 3 days later is totally unacceptable as a hunter. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Deer hunting, in my experience, is a one shot game. I have used .22-250, 5.56, .270, 30-06, and .308 ... I've also used a 9mm AR with 147gr (poor man's 300 blackout) ... it works too. But, for deer hunting, in my experience, you need a round that is guaranteed to exit. All of the above calibers, including 5.56 does not give you that guarantee. FWIW, I would grab a Savage 110 in .308 and put a decent piece of glass on top and be 'done' with my deer hunting setup. Under 450 for the entire setup if you buy used from our equipment exchange or a local pawn shop. If you want an AR15 for other things, plinking, hog hunting, home defense .. lots of options on the market for that. TRG This will do you just fine. I picked up new Savage 11 with a Nikon already on it for less than $400. He will have a hard time finding a Savage 110 in .308. 110 is a long action. Also a quick clean kill should be the goal in taking ANY animal. Shooting hogs with 9mm to let them run off and die 3 days later is totally unacceptable as a hunter. Down here, killing hogs ain't necessarily about hunting. It's more like exterminating roaches. |
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