Hunting rifle ?

[Gebrown]

Okay, I wanted an AR 15 in 5.56 for fun and to hunt with, however, as I do research I see the AR in 5.56 is not necessarily the best caliber to hunt deer with. How about coyotes and boar?

Should I look at a larger caliber rifle? A 30-06 for the deer?

Money dictates only one rifle right now so getting both wil not be happening for some time.

I've never been hunting for anything but would like to start.

 

[Oklahomabassin]

An AR 15 in 5.56/.223 will in fact kill Oklahoma deer no problem. It is all about a good hunting bullet and shot placement. Is it the best platform for the job? Not really. If the AR 15 will shoot sub 2 moa with good hunting ammo, it will be good to 200 yards. (2 moa at 200 yards is a 4 inch group) Deer vitals are bigger than that, but I don't like to risk wounding a deer and not killing it fast.
You say you can only buy one rifle right now, however the cost of a basic AR is considerably more than the the cost of a basic economy scoped bolt rifle. You can buy a Ruger American rifle and scope combo in .308 for hunting and one in .223 for plinking for nearly the cost of an Wyndham Arms AR 15 at Wal Mart. (Just using Wal Mart as an example)

 

[dennishoddy]

I've killed over a dozen deer with my AR in .223.
It will kill hogs, prairie dogs, or coyotes out further than most are capable of shooting.
Go with what ever your budget allows. The AR platform is a whole lot more fun to shoot than a bolt gun. Down the road, you can add uppers in different calibers.

 

[excat]

Okay, I wanted an AR 15 in 5.56 for fun and to hunt with, however, as I do research I see the AR in 5.56 is not necessarily the best caliber to hunt deer with. How about coyotes and boar?

Should I look at a larger caliber rifle? A 30-06 for the deer?

Money dictates only one rifle right now so getting both wil not be happening for some time.

I've never been hunting for anything but would like to start.

If you are dead set on an AR and want a bigger caliber, get an AR in 6.8SPC. Then later you could add an upper for 5.56.

I do have to agree with Oklahomabassin though, for the price of an AR, you can get anywhere from 2-4 rifles. Being in the OKC area, there's several places for deals to be had.

 

[crrcboatz]

I have this rifle and LOVE it. Made in Japan. Quality , accuracy, fit and finish consistent with all firearms made there. One of the best bang for the buck rifles on the market. Howa makes an entire series of rifles for Weatherby too.

http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/...49684/Howa+Hogue+.243+Gameking+Combo+22+Black

Scope on this is actually surprisingly good too. I will probably put a Nikon on it by next fall.

 

[Oklahomabassin]

Yes AR 15 are fun to plink with. However most public range only allow slow fire (5 seconds between shots here) and that cuts down on the fun to me.

 

[AKguy1985]

As others have said 5.56 is fine for oklahoma deer. Its all about shot placement and bullet.

 

[criticalbass]

If you choose a bolt gun, there are several calibers that will kill deer that are not the kicker the 30-06 can be.

I personally like the 7mm-08. Shoots very well at long range, and is a fairly available commercial round.

Everyone but me will try to sell you on a .270 . . .

 

[turkeyrun]

I have used 5.56/.223 for over a dozen deer. Bullet and placement is EVERYTHING. The 62-64 gr HP or SP work great, the Barnes TSX is AWESOME. Deer taken from 40 yrds out to 265 yrds (measured). All but 1 taken with 1 shot. That 1 was shot a second time ONLY because it was getting dark and he was close to some thick woods and I wanted to make sure I didn't have to search for him.

IF you want the AR, go for it. You could get 2-3 good bolt actions for the same money. Caliber, IMHO, seems to be mostly just personal preference or experience. The right bullet placed properly will get the job done. This doesn't mean hunt grizzly or rhino with your 5.56, but on deer/yotes, hogs; 5.56, .243, 6.8, .308, .30-06, .260, 7mm, .270; it doesn't make much difference.

 

[Massasauga]

A .22LR will kill a deer with proper shot placement. If I were in the market for a deer rifle, I'd go with a flat shooting .308 case based rifle. My main rifle is a 257 weatherby shooting 100 gr TSX. Get something that's effective. I've had buddy's make "proper placement" shots on big bucks in the NW part of the state with ARs and never find the animal. That said, I have shot smaller does with an AR, but wouldn't trust it on a mature buck.