Best AR cal. for hunting

[Gunbeaux]

I am wanting to put an AR 15 together that will double as a hunting rifle it will be used Deer size game and shooting 200 yards or less. What caliber would you recommend I know an AR 10 would be better but with the 15 platform I will be able to change the upper and shoot other calibers. Thanks in Advance

 

[frankinola]

see if this article will help with your research. it will come down to your budget and mags.

Best Alternative AR-15 Cartridges and Calibers

Looking for a harder hitting AR-15? We cover 5 of the best alternative cartridges and calibers with their pros, cons, and recommended uppers & ammo.

www.pewpewtactical.com

there were a bunch of sales for .308 AR10 these past few days.

 

[Doctor481]

1st vote for 458 SOCOM, what other caliber let’s you shoot 250-600 grain bullets. But you better be a reloader.

 

[MOTOR51]

My 9yo nephew uses a 6.8 and it’s works well.


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[twinin]

For deer-sized game and 200 yards or less, .458 Socom, 6.8 SPC, and 6.5 Grendel are all great choices. 6mm ARC would probably be good as well. They are all a little hard to source right now.

.458 and 6.8 SPC - plenty of power for deer but 200 yards is about the limit. Ammo is pricey
6.5 Grendel and 6mm ARC - adequate power for deer but can shoot beyond 200 yards. Wide variety of bullet choices

 

[obryap]

350 Legend would be a good option.

 

[ozarkpugs]

There are several options . The . 300 bo is on the bottom end but will work . Think of it as a light loaded 30/30 but 110 Barnes or 125 cavity back bullets will get the job done . The . 45 s and . 350 also work out to 200 but the bullet is heading down hill fast past 150 and the recoil is noticable . The 6.5 grendel is good as long as you don't mind a long barrel because it needs 20-24" tube to compete . Also the factory loads are kept mild as should hand loads because the bolts tend to break if you don't . The 6.8 SPC is the top dog as far as deer hunting with an AR 15 . It's performance is good past 300 yds with as short as a 10.5" barrel and 16" is optimum length . Low recoil and super efficient and accurate . I have owned and still do several calibers but if I had to give up all but one I would definitely keep the 6.8s.

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[Jstudz220]

Winchester and federal make 223 loading marketed towards deer. I haven’t hunted deer with one but doing some research online several people claim to take deer out to 200 yards with 223. It might not be ideal but with good shot placement it should definitely get the job done.

 

[sarky]

OK, well depending on distance you are shooting at and the game you are hunting, makes a huge difference on which cartridge I would pick, But that is why I like the AR-15 platform, I can swap uppers at will. For an over all best hunting cartridge in the AR-15 platform thou, I would say the 6.5 Grendel is hard to beat. It hits hard all the way out to 800 meters, and since its grand parent cartridge is the 7.62x39, and its parent is the 220 Russian it is easy to make brass from either of those two cases. And since the 7.62x39 uses large rifle primers if you are short on small rifle primers it is a good alternative.

 

[rdass623]

generally speaking, the 7.62 x 39 cartridge would probably be the most economical and accessible of choices. with ballistics near the 30-30 winchester, it would be a good chioce for a deer rifle, as the 30-30 win is the go to deer round for under 200 yards. cheap, available, and powerful seems like a great combination. c-products makes some great magazines which range from 5 to 26 rounds. the 5 rounders will keep you legal in most states.

 

[Xeon64]

I have taken Deer with the .223, 6.5 Grendel, and the 350 Legend. I have lost two deer with the 6.5 Grendel mostly because Hornady SST bullets are trash and blow up. Also have taken three deer with a .223. Two with the .223 were head shots and dropped. The other was a 8 point that I jumped and it took 5 rounds of 223 to drop him. The newest for me is the .350 legend. I have killed one deer with it and it dropped like it was hit by a train. So I would go with the 6.5 for shooting past 200yds and the 350 legend for within 200yds. These are the most common AR15 platform ammo used right now. 6.8spc has been take over by the 6.5 Grendel and ammo is not as common as it once was. The other AR15 rounds are even more obscure from a point of going to an ammo store and purchasing ammo off the shelf.

As mention too 7.62x39 would be excellent too if you can get an AR to cycle properly with it.

Just my thoughts.

 

[jkingrph]

I saw one about 15-18 years ago and really got interested in the 6.5 Grendel, Picked up a big target upper from Alexander Arms, and eventually ended up building a few more, most with gas piston systems. Fantastic cartridge, accurate, fairly flat shooting, and very mild recoil. I even ended up getting a nice little CZ 527, bolt action in that caliber. When I started loaded ammo and brass was hard to find and very expensive. I ended up getting a large supply of 7.62x39 brass which I ran through a 6.5 Grendel sizing die, loading and shooting to fire form. Even using a reduced load for fireforming the round fed through and operated my AR just fine, point of impact was way low due to reduced loading. Ammo is now plentiful, I found Hornandy and Wolf on the internet with no problem, although it has been a while and I have plenty to shoot.

If I did not want the longer range capability of this cartridge I would probably just go with an AR in 7.62x39, basically 30-30 ballistics and bullet size, and plenty of cheap surlpus ammo to shoot..

 

[tnelson75855]

This spring I built a 300 Ham'r around a Wilson Combat barrel. I could have obtained ammo from Wilson but opted for brass by Starline. I'm pushing a 130 Speer hollow point at 2400 and change. My only issue is that this is still a new cartridge and load data is limited to only 5 powders at this time. Brass is not a problem as it can be formed from 5.56 or .223 brass and 30 cal bullets can still be had from several sources. Once I got the seating depth dialed in it one holes at 60 yards. I would have no qualms to 200yds.

 

[freedive10]

I favor the 6.5 Grendel. I was slapping steel at 400yrd this weekend to the point it was boring. I know guys shooting it out to 1000yrds. Trying to get my hands on more Hornady SST rounds for hunting.

 

[Core]

I am wanting to put an AR 15 together that will double as a hunting rifle it will be used Deer size game and shooting 200 yards or less. What caliber would you recommend I know an AR 10 would be better but with the 15 platform I will be able to change the upper and shoot other calibers. Thanks in Advance

If not AR10 in 6.5 I would go with .450 Bushmaster.

 

[john17427]

I put together a 6.5 Grendel a few winters ago for the same purpose and the first rounds out of it were scary accurate. It’s still scary accurate. 7.62x39 might also fill the bill for your purposes IMO.

 

[peak98]

6.5 Grendel gets my vote, I’ll be on the stand using it within the hour.
peak98

 

[rdass623]

I have taken Deer with the .223, 6.5 Grendel, and the 350 Legend. I have lost two deer with the 6.5 Grendel mostly because Hornady SST bullets are trash and blow up. Also have taken three deer with a .223. Two with the .223 were head shots and dropped. The other was a 8 point that I jumped and it took 5 rounds of 223 to drop him. The newest for me is the .350 legend. I have killed one deer with it and it dropped like it was hit by a train. So I would go with the 6.5 for shooting past 200yds and the 350 legend for within 200yds. These are the most common AR15 platform ammo used right now. 6.8spc has been take over by the 6.5 Grendel and ammo is not as common as it once was. The other AR15 rounds are even more obscure from a point of going to an ammo store and purchasing ammo off the shelf.

As mention too 7.62x39 would be excellent too if you can get an AR to cycle properly with it.

Just my thoughts.

the way to get the 7.62 x 39 to function is to grind the ramp lower and taper the lower locking lug pretty much eliminating it until it becomes part of the feed ramp. this will allow for very reliable feeding. you will feel like you are destroying the upper but this is the way to get reliable feeding. tried to get photos but none came out well enough to see detail... here is an article which you can use also https://www.alloutdoor.com/2014/11/25/making-ar-15-7-62x39-work-reliably/

 

[Bigchillin83]

i have a 10.5" 7.62x39 upper and never had an issue... cheap ammo even with hornady sst's, but have killed a few hogs with the cheap wolf soft points... I have had a 6.8spc and its great but at over $2 a round ill choose somthing else ....

get a good bcg and good mags and it will run like a champ

 

[johnericmccorkle]

I'm a huge fan of the 300 blk...it's served me well for years and haven't found reasons not to like it out through 150 yards....which where I hunt 50 yards is a long shot

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