Question. How do you feel about Deer hunting with a AR 15, 223 round? I was going to go hunting with my buddy this weekend and apparently he has tons of hogs. He is in a 2 man tree stand normally I hunt out of a blind and carry a backpack loaded down with hunting equipment my 300 win mag and my new AR in case hogs, coyotes come out for some fun. I have taken a few hogs and dropped them in there tracks with my AR. It is very accurate. My question is I am not going to lug my normal things up in a tree stand with him due to the room that we will have up there. So can I just bring my AR and shoot deer with it? I know its legal to hunt with it but wondered how you all felt about it? I think a 223 is a small round but wanted to hear some experiences that you have had with it. Like how far can I shoot a deer with it? My guess is 100 yards max but I don�t know. I feel comfortable shooting uup to 300 yards with my win mag but don�t know the knock down power this 223 has. I am using 55 grn bullet chepo Russian full metal jacket bullets

.223 work fine. Do not use full metal jacket ammo, get something better suited. We use the barnes TSX.

I shot tons of mature buckswit a 223 before I got my 270 and a 223 brought them down fine

Sounds like I would not use the AR for any animal, especially if I dont know what type of ammo to use. Full metal jacket ammo is for plinking and for war, not for an ethical kill shot. Full metal jacket will punch a hole through something, as intended to do. It does not mushroom, break apart, or anything like that.

Hell, you can shoot a .223 further than 100 yards. Also, I would not use cheapo russian bullets. I would do a little more research, before taking the AR to the field and just blasting away.

And with a .300, you should feel comfortable shooting out past 300 yards. To me, that is on the lower limits of minimum range with that caliber. Unless you are hunting Iowa or Canadian whitetail, elk, moose, mule deer, or african game, I think a .300 is too much gun anyway, for whitetail.

Just my opinions, so take it as it is. I believe in ethical hunting, and not knowing about what bullet to use, to me, is not very ethical.

as said above, full metal jacket is a poor choice for game. Use a Nosler Partition, Barnes TSX/TTSX, or even the Winchester 64 grain power Point. With a .223 bullet selection is very important, as well as trying to keep the range shorter.

That said, on a hunt where you are a guest, your 300 Win. Mag. would probably be the better rig to use, IMO. Good Luck.

That last sentence sounds like he is baiting you guys!

Sounds like you have allot of opinions. Ethical? Sure my 300 win mag will go out farther than 300 yards but I feel comfortable at that range. If I was not ethical I would shoot farther and hope for the best right? If I was not ethical I would not be asking about the 223 on this forum. Of course a 223 will go farther than 100 yards I can throw a baseball 100 yards but it wont kill a deer would it? That�s why I am asking to see if others have had any problems with it. Seems that you are the only one. And blasting away? Maybe a pack of hogs but not deer, I only need 1 shot. Thanks for your opinions.

It's pretty much unanimous on this forum or any others for that matter, (just do a little research on the topic) and you will find that a full metal jacket is a poor choice unless you don't mind tracking for hours on end.

This will save me some typing, and even though I don't know who the individual is, this pretty much says what I would have said.

http://www.macon.com/2011/10/09/1736318/full-metal-jacket-bullets-poor.html

Do some research and if you don't, you are just trolling.

You asked for opinions and then when you got them you didn't like them, or so your post indicates.

No I don�t mind the feedback I do however mind that I am not an (ethical hunter)

Ok my question is this. I have gun sighted in with a 55 grain bullet. I belive that I can go to store and buy another bullet that expands with 55 grain and it will shoot the same right?

What about the higher grains that I have been looking at with 62, 70 grain. If I buy these then the gun will shoot differently right? So am I safe to buy bullets as long as they are 55 grain?

Thanks for the link, mine is a hollow point. dont know how that works with it being a FMJ but it is.

All the World is an expert....just ask them. I can't tell you what to do. I can tell you what I did. I killed two deer using my AR with open sights and Monarch Brass 55 gr SP. Both of them at 40 - 70 yards. Unless I'm mistaken, both were as dead as if I'd hit them with a 416.

You have a real rifle already, why would you want to take a freaking AR deer hunting?
It's an assault rifle, meant for war, especially in 5.56mm.

I just don't get the fascination with ARs from so many people. I carried those damn things for 20 years. A deer rifle they are not.

A AR-15 is not a "assault rifle" unless it's full auto or 3 round burst. Taking a AR-15 in the woods is no different than hunters did 60 - 80 years ago when hunters started bringing bolt actions in the woods. As gun advance, so will the weapons in the woods. Makes no sense to stick to a bolt action when there are better advances out there. Have a quick second shot option is nice to have if needed.

I'm shooting a 64 grain bonded bullet from Bitterroot Valley ammunition. It has worked well on pigs with pass through performance and good wound channel and exit wounds on the ones I have killed. Would I shoot a deer with it? Sure. With that rifle I could hit it three times in the time it would take me to rack in a second round with my bolt guns so even if the first shot was not doing the job as well as I wanted I could follow up very quickly.

If I were hunting deer and had a choice I would use the bigger gun and shoot pigs with it too.

And mark, if you carried them in defense of our nation and freedom I thank you for your service and courage. The fact is though they are lethal. In the hands of the right shooters with the right ammo, extremely lethal.

Its about shot placement and your ability to make a good shot. I worked with Vietnam sniper who regularly shot Elk in the neck with a 25.06 and laid them down. But he had the confidence to make that type of shot.

I shoot Hornady 55 grain soft point from my Bushmaster XM-15-E2S. This gun has a heavy barrel and a scope and I noticed Monarch 55 grain FMJ shoots consistently 3 inches to the right of the Hornady ammo setup. So not all ammo will shoot the same.

Since your limited on space take your .300 Winchester. If you shoot a deer no worries. If you shoot a pig then it might not scream or bawl as much when it hits the ground. IMHO.

Good luck.

JT

Sierra 77gr SMK's are devastating! Drops deer and pigs in their tracks and is good out to 500yds!

CJ

UMM, I was not calling you unethical. It is obvious that you have not done a lot of shooting or have a lot of experience with a full metal jacket bullet or hunting with an AR. If you did, you would not have asked the questions that you asked, especially if you have a .300 win mag. Take the .300, some extra ammo, and blow deer in half with it, and kill the pigs DRT.

Also, a full metal jacket bullet cannot be a hollow point, unless someone cut the tip of the bullet. Again, just shows how little experience you have with the AR platform, as a hunting rifle.

Goold luck to you with your hunt.

steel core hollow point is what it is. Thought is was full metal jacket due to range not letting me fir it in same range as my 300 win mag. I know nothing about AR's at all I bought a S&W from gun show a year ago and just shot it for the first time 3 weeks ago. I bought a boat a month after I bought gun so was not important at the time.

Guess that means you don't want to buy my boat then.

Easy Guys......

No seriously, I want to sell my boat. But that's a whole other forum.

Uh no... not necessarily...