Posted: 8/2/2009 8:43:21 PM EDT
So I grew up shooting birds but just recently built an AR for fun. Like a lot of others, I thought that I should do this while I could. So, once I finished I immediatley started scouting family land for a place to shoot. Found the perfect spot! I also discovered that the woods that I thought was the property line is really the beginning of 35+acres of deer heaven. Never been deer hunting before but I started to think that it might be a good reason to build an AR10. While doing some research I see that a lot of people hunt with .223. Can someone give me some guidance here? Pros and cons of hunting with this caliber, best hunting loads, best glass (might as well drop some coin since I won't need to build the new gun....yet), etc. I'm in kansas but will be hunting in northwest mo. Thanks in advance. 
|
|
Quoted: So I grew up shooting birds but just recently built an AR for fun. Like a lot of others, I thought that I should do this while I could. So, once I finished I immediatley started scouting family land for a place to shoot. Found the perfect spot! I also discovered that the woods that I thought was the property line is really the beginning of 35+acres of deer heaven. Never been deer hunting before but I started to think that it might be a good reason to build an AR10. While doing some research I see that a lot of people hunt with .223. Can someone give me some guidance here? Pros and cons of hunting with this caliber, best hunting loads, best glass (might as well drop some coin since I won't need to build the new gun....yet), etc. I'm in kansas but will be hunting in northwest mo. Thanks in advance. You have opened a topic that is able to draw you all kinds of advice. If you have the cash, build an AR10. If not don't worry. Your .223 is adequate. Bullet selection is key, I prefer the Winchester Ballistic Silvertips. Now comes shot placement, Proper shot placement will make your deer DRT (Dead Right There). I have always preferred a neck shot, some prefer the head shot. Vitals are always a safe bet. As for optics, depends on what your wallet can afford. I use an EOTECH on mine. Of course 300 meters with iron sights will do the job. That was the way it was designed. As for Missouri, Get ready to PAY OUT SOME CASH for an out of state hunting license. (They went up to $225.00 this year and Bonus Antlerless Tag is now $25.00) Also FYI, Missouri did go to a 4 point one side rule for a majority of the state. Not sure I helped or confused, good luck with the upcoming season. ETA: Why would you not hunt Kansas? Don't get me wrong, I like to hunt Missouri, but if was able to hunt Kansas, I think I would do that. Now if you are going back for "family deer camp", then I understand. That is what brings me back every year to Missouri. |
|
The pros and cons will largely depend on your own preference, hunting/shooting abilities and the conditions under which you hunt. Speaking strictly for myself...
Pros: - My AR is my most fun and cost-effective rifle to shoot. As a consequence I shoot it a LOT more than I do any other rifle. This means that it is the one I'm most proficient with. - All of the evidence suggests that modern .223 hunting rounds of around 62 gr. & up will kill whitetail just as dead as anything else if hit in the vitals, they will generally do it with less meat damage than larger calibers. - While not a virtue of the round itself, a semi-auto offers quicker follow-up shots in the unlikely event that one is required. Probably not a huge comparative advantage, but a benefit nonetheless. Cons: - You have listen to ill-informed crap from the ".223 isn't enough bullet for deer" crowd. - Your range is constrained compared with larger rounds. But honestly, most hunters don't have the shooting skills to be reliably taking shots past 200 yds or so under most field conditions, and good .223 hunting ammo will do the job at that range. |
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
So I grew up shooting birds but just recently built an AR for fun. Like a lot of others, I thought that I should do this while I could. So, once I finished I immediatley started scouting family land for a place to shoot. Found the perfect spot! I also discovered that the woods that I thought was the property line is really the beginning of 35+acres of deer heaven. Never been deer hunting before but I started to think that it might be a good reason to build an AR10. While doing some research I see that a lot of people hunt with .223. Can someone give me some guidance here? Pros and cons of hunting with this caliber, best hunting loads, best glass (might as well drop some coin since I won't need to build the new gun....yet), etc. I'm in kansas but will be hunting in northwest mo. Thanks in advance. You have opened a topic that is able to draw you all kinds of advice.
If you have the cash, build an AR10. If not don't worry. Your .223 is adequate. Bullet selection is key, I prefer the Winchester Ballistic Silvertips. Now comes shot placement, Proper shot placement will make your deer DRT (Dead Right There). I have always preferred a neck shot, some prefer the head shot. Vitals are always a safe bet. As for optics, depends on what your wallet can afford. I use an EOTECH on mine. Of course 300 meters with iron sights will do the job. That was the way it was designed. As for Missouri, Get ready to PAY OUT SOME CASH for an out of state hunting license. (They went up to $225.00 this year and Bonus Antlerless Tag is now $25.00) Also FYI, Missouri did go to a 4 point one side rule for a majority of the state. Not sure I helped or confused, good luck with the upcoming season. ETA: Why would you not hunt Kansas? Don't get me wrong, I like to hunt Missouri, but if was able to hunt Kansas, I think I would do that. Now if you are going back for "family deer camp", then I understand. That is what brings me back every year to Missouri. Reason for possibly hunting missouri is because we own the land. Finding land to hunt is the problem if I want to hunt Kansas....kind of. I have a friend with 5,000+ acres in western Kansas (literally) but it is a hell of a haul to get out there when I have perfectly good land an hour away. Didn't know that about the tags though. Haven't done that research yet. Thanks for the help. |