Home Forums Hunting & Shooting AR and Tactical Rifles Which AR Caliber for Deer and Home Defense

So I have a couple ARs, all in 5.56 and want to explore other calibers in the platform.

I absolutely want an off-the-shelf complete upper, not in to custom at this point.

I have a .30 caliber suppressor so want a suppressor friendly round of .30 or less.

Brass or ammo should be semi-available. Not interested in a bunch of fire forming or creating oddball cartridges.

AR (5.56) magazines would be a plus.

Should be suitable for home defense and medium game. Mostly within 100m, but 200-250m would be nice.

I know there are a lot of rounds released over the last ten years and I haven't really been paying attention but wonder what the gurus here recommend.

TIA

300 BO or 6.5 Grendel would work well.

I like the 6.8 , but seems like the cartridge is sort of falling by the wayside..........


ammo and components are usually available


a good killer on deer IME

Had one for awhile. It worked OK for Deer & hogs.
But like the 6.5 Grendel, it requires different magazines than the .556

That’s the one thing that makes the 300 BO more appealing


I still plan to build an AR pistol in 6.5 Grendel, though, one of these days. Neat little round.

Hornady has really been cranking out the ammo, how about the 6mm ARC.

The 5.56/223 could easily handle those tasks, if it's legal for hunting in your locale.

The 6.5 Grendel or 6mm ARC might be the most sensible routes if you are looking for a complete upper in a somewhat popular chambering.

Myself, I have a couple of uppers in 7.62x39. One is a floated 20" barrel. It's a good shooter too. It was a complete upper from AR15Parts.com.

If you go down that road, make sure you have an "enhanced firing pin"...(it's a little bit longer) it will give reliable ignition on the deep seated and hard milsurp ammo primers. Most of the people selling 7.62x39 BCGs include that, but make sure.

https://ar15parts.com/upper-assemblies/7-62x39-uppers-ar15/

I have a 300 HAMR.

30 cal 125 TNT at 2,500 FPS just flat has to hurt at home defense distances, and Bill Wilson developed it for hog hunting out to about 250 yards, so deer are in play.

Much more amenable to hunting weight bullets in the 110-150 range than a 300 BO. Wilson claims, and it plays like, a 30-30 in an AR.

I have a 6mm ARC as well, but the HAMR has 28 rounds in the mag, and that's gotta count for something.

The Hornady 55 SP in a 223/5.56 isn't anything I'd want hit by, either.

I have a 6.5 Grendel that I am going give a go deer hunting this year.
Need to figure out what optics to put on it pronto.

6.5 Grendel or 6 arc for off the shelf ammo. Grendel mags work for the arc and the asc 6.8 mags are exactly the same as the 6.5 mags, just a different stamp on the follower.

Only heretics shoot 7.62x39 😁

6x45 or .300 HAMR.

Anything bigger than 22 if you don't have neighbors.
A lot of calibers penetrate sheet rock. One consideration of several. More information needed to narrow down.
I would consider 9mm for home defense, but not white tail.
There's lots of options.
Grendel has harvested a lot of deer, but so have many others.

25 Sharps

350?

6.8 SPC

Crappy Hamper giving AR advice? LMAO
Here's the sum total of Crappy's AR experience.
Crappy figures if he's watched a YouTube video he's qualified to give advice.

6/30/20 - (HC finds that an AR15 is too much for him to handle)
"I was told many moons ago that I shouldn't get an AR.
I was told that you can't put them in the mud and expect them to run like you can an AK.

Another did me the favor of letting me shoot his.
I'm plinking away, and after a magazine or two I'm wondering why my trigger finger is sore? That's never happened before.....
He told me that I must not be using it right.

Ok then, show me how it's done.

After seeing my trigger pulling technique was kosher, he said it's just something that I have to get used to.
I never got one to see if I could get used to trigger slap."

Hold into the trigger slap.

A 5.56 pmag or MFT will hold a several rounds of Grendel without issue. That's what we do. It's a snug rattle free fit in the lower because sides of the mag bow out slightly. Been killing deer like that for a few years now

The 6.5 Grendel, 300 Blackout and 350 Legend are the most widely chambered. The Grendel is the ballistic frontrunner. Think much flatter shooting 30/30 performance on game.

Just about everyone makes Grendel uppers. You can swap a 223 over with barrel and bolt changes only.

You can get frangible 223, it'll still penetrate body armor at close range, just keep firing until you get the results you want. Watched a demo on this at Thunder Ranch, when Clint was making a point about frangible ammo is still a problem if you're wearing body armor.

God knows what it'll do on a headshot, but safe to say the headache won't last long on the receiving end.

Anyone mentioned suppressors? Shooting unsuppressed indoors is NOT for the faint of heart, or for people who need to hear for a livin.

And did I mention the 55 grain Hornady SP for deer?

Holy schitt....
The Crapster is now a AR expert too.
The AR is brutal on the trigger finger huh???🤣🤣🤣

Watch out Crapster the AR is the Debel,s wpn.
That was the sting of satan you was feeling on your finger.
A friend told me so.

TFF!!!!

about the only gun i am will to shoot inside of a house is a BB-gun . if some one was to enter with some ill intentions and i have a BB-gun he would have to know he is going to get shoot . not maybe ,count on it . if you dont think getting hit with a BB hurts and BTW can kill think again

1 BB in the nutsack would kill!!!! Ouch..