Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles anyone hunt with an AR?

im strongly considering going ahead and building an AR instead of buying a bolt rifle and just using that to hunt

is the 223 a sufficient round to take down a deer without much issue?

also, legally, would i need to buy 5 round mags or can i just load 5 rounds into the 30s before i go into the woods?

I've only taken 2 deer with the 223. But lots of guys here have done a lot more than that! And I've hunted with the AR, but it was an AR-10 derivative, not AR-15.

One deer was shot in the neck with a 75gr BTHP. Broke the neck, but it was still alive.

Second was shot through the lungs/upper heart with a 55 gr GMX. It ran about 40 yards and fell dead just like they do when shot with bigger calibers.


Unless I wanted to be able to shoot it a lot for relatively cheaply (which is never a bad thing!) I think I would go with something a bit bigger. 300 Blackout, 6.5 Grendel, 6.8 SPC etc. That's just me and what I like.

Guys here are getting it done with all kinds of bullets and will say "no prob" and can't argue with their results either.

The AR platform itself made/makes a good hunting rifle Its light (if it ain't a heavy barreled AR-10) its ergonomic, its very easy to add whatever accessories you wanted, its accurate...

Sorry about the legality (or illegality) I can only speak for my location.

Generally there is always someone who will tell you that they regularly take a particular game with a smaller caliber than average & scoff at the idea that you need anything bigger. But personally I think the laws of physics tend to favor a faster moving bullet with greater weight & larger diameter. The “problem” with your question as posed is the qualifying statement “without much issue”. A .375 H&H Magum will kill a deer without much issue. A .223 might require a bit more consideration about bullet selection, distance & point of impact. In other words, there might be issues. But once those issues are accounted for, then yes, a .223 can kill a deer. My AR-15 is chambered for .300 HAM’R & I shoot 130gr Speer HotCor bullets. So my chosen round transfers a bit more energy down range.


With shotguns you have to have a plug to guarantee you can’t be hunting with too many rounds. I wouldn’t risk it with a larger mag unless there was some way to put a 25-round plastic plug in the bottom of the mag that physically prohibited an excess of rounds from fitting in the mag. Telling a game warden you only had the correct amount loaded while carrying a rifle that allows 6x the limit is inviting trouble.

https://www.amazon.com/Magpul-Minus-PMAG-Round-Limiter/dp/B07KQ3CHS9

I have taken about 10 with a 223 soft point 55 grain all does. Only 2 made it past 10 yards. Furthest maybe 60. It does the job out to maybe 100 yards. I primarily bow hunt so my stands are set for closer shots. If your set on the ar-15 platform I’d suggest 6.5 Grendel for longer range, 350 legend, 450 Bushmaster, 300 Blackout or 7.62x39. I have all of those calibers except 6.5 Grendel and 350 legend. Haven’t used them for deer yet though. Capacity will vary by state regulations. Some states even require straight wall cartridges.

I put together a couple of 6.5 Grendel uppers when it looked like PA would allow semiautos for big game. I figured the AR platform would work really well for my young kids. Several years later, SA is still not allowed. My kids have been killing deer with a .260 and 6.5 CM loaded to Grendel velocities. It works really well. Perhaps it is no better than just using a .223 but I can vouch for the effectiveness of 120's at around 2500 fps.

I recently removed the gas components and welded the gas hole on the barrel of one of my (side charge) uppers. I believe the state will now accept it as a manual loading rifle. My youngest daughter may start with that.

I've used the 243 LBC (6mm Grendel) and a 450 Bushmaster. It appears that the 243 LBC's offspring is the 6mm ARC.

Pleasant round to shoot and flat shooting. I use 90-95 grain bullets and getting 2800+ to 3000 fps depending on the load and bullet combo. That's very close to 250 Savage ballistics out of an AR15.

Dan

Pigs sometimes

I've killed one deer and a few coyotes with one. With the right bullets it is a good deer killer within some range and shot angle limitations. I'd not feel comfortable past 200 yards and closer to 100 is even better. And I'd not take a shot with less than ideal shot angles I have better bolt rifles that I like better, and I don't want to deal with the limitations, so I don't deer hunt with it often.

No reason to lug around a 30-round magazine. I much prefer the 20 round mags unless I were going to war with it. No mag limits here so I use my 20 round mags. The 10 round Mag-Pul mags are easy enough to find and I know they make some 5 round mags that are the same length as the 10 round mags. I've never had a need for them, so I don't know much about them other than they are out there.

Of the "other" cartridges available I sort'a like the 6.5 Grendel and the 6.8 seems like a viable option. In my opinion the 300 BO, 350 Legend and most of the others are just a lateral move and don't really offer any advantage over a 223 with good bullets. The 350 Legend and 450 BM are popular in states that require straight wall cartridges. I wouldn't buy one if I could legally hunt with a 223.

.223 is certainly adequate for deer, just choose a proper bullet. Assuming of course it is legal in your locality.

P.S. I hunt with 10 rounders.

if a 77gr tmk or a 75gr eld-m isn't enough

maybe get some shooting skills.


nowadays i run a 6br and leave the ar at home.. mostly for the times i need to shoot the plus side of 400 yards.
and elk refs require it.

but i've eaten enough critters felled by the venerable 223 to know without a shadow of a doubt it's "enough" and it's a lot easier for intermediate (less then 1000 rds a year) and beginner shooters to accurately place bullets where they need to go.

again a 77gr tmk through the lungs kills wyoming and sodak deer nicely. east of the missouri i'd not use anything more then a 16" AR

Had a few AR-15s in the past ,but never an AR.

Mine was the evil black ones,so I got rid of them.

Whitmer thanks you for your service

I replaced them with something better. She don't like them ..grin

I got my deer last year with my 6.5 grendel AR. It was 1&done drt! I was very happy with the results. I bought a 5 rnd magazine for mine because I live in Michigan and the DNR can be kind of anal up here.

I have no doubt a 223 with a 62 grain Bear Claw will kill a deer just fine, but all of my other rifles would be pissed off if they found out I was using an AR.

I have an AR 10 in 308 that I hunt deer with. Works great. Personally I wouldn't ever hunt deer with a 223. It’s a varmint cartridge. Here we are limited to 10 round magazines, they must not hold more that 10 rounds. It doesn’t matter how many cartridges you put in them.

My son killed this 8pt on opening day of rifle season using a newly built 6mm ARC using factory Hornady 108gr. ELD-M.
Shot was 320yds, bullet entered behind shoulder and you can see the exit in pic. buck ran 10-15 yds

I built the rifle using Radians Weapon builders kit and 18" Proof Carbon bbl. w/ SAS Reaper MX suppressor. Rifle shoots under a 1" @200yds, velocity avg is 2,571 fps.

My kids and I have killed several deer with mine. I load a Barnes TTSX 62 gr. bullet for it. It’s great on deer but the margin for error is small with a .223. It’s definitely not my first choice if I’m after a buck.

I’ve killed a pile of deer with bolt action 223 using 55soft points. Usually hornady or Sierra. Killed a bunch of coyotes with an AR but no deer. But my AR is currently loaded with 62TTSX in hopes of running across some hogs. I’m very confident it’ll get’r done.

No need for an AR . To each their own though. Just doesnt do anything for me that my bolt actions, single shots or pumps do just fine.