wow this topic really took off....im not sure, i might hunt this year with mine just so i can post a pic of a buck with my ar-15....i honestly dont think it can do less damage than a bow

really, even with the 6.8, 300, 6.5 and etc? The AR platform is more than capable, and really greatly suited for hunting. With the amount of quality barrel makers, great calibers, and the ease of using and cleaning, as well as taking apart and troubleshooting, I prefer mine. How is a bolt gun more "proven" over an AR, or any other type of rifle?

Gingerbread man im with you! Dont think much of the 223 for deer but the 6.8 and lots of other calibers will do the job and in the right hands is just as accurate as most bolt guns. I can bullseye a beer can at 300yds every time with my 6.8 and thats plenty good enough accuracy to deer hunt and i like the idea of a quick follow up shot if i need it.

exactly, and seeing how most shoot between 100-200 yds...you are fine.

this topic always gets fun....my boy (13 now) has been using his .223 for 3 years. Most all the shots on our place are less than 100 yds. He takes a couple deer every year and I always pick them up right where he shoots them. It really works good on the turkeys which is what he prefers to hunt.

Teach a kid to hunt and feed him for a lifetime.....

Shot placement is important. If you've got something bigger go with it. If not, take a good shot.

I got a Stag Mod 7H in 6.8 this year for deer hunting. It's an AR in 6.8 that's designed for hunting and I gotta say - I couldn't be happier. (bought it off this forum actually) My goal was for quick follow-up shots on deer and pigs but I also like that it's just a good utilitarian gun. I have a great Win Mod 70 .308 that is beautiful - and every time I took it to the stand I got another nick in the finish on the wood. I just got sick of that and wanted something that wasn't so pretty. I could of gone with a synthetic stock bolt guy - but the AR platform is just so easy to use and versatile (and I couldn't pass up the deal).

Just my $0.02

A rifle is a Rifle....Shot placement is king.

if you are shooting one with a .223.. Make sure you make it count, cause yes.. You will be tracking if your a bad shooter, or you shot a big buck.

I have an AR in .450 Bushmaster with a 20 inch barrel that I hunt with, it's a real tack driver at 100 yards. I go for heart/lung shots in the rib cage so I'm not wasting meat. I really enjoy big bore rifles. It's great on hogs too. shooting Hornady FTX 250 gr at 2200 fps.

AR 6.5 Grendel 18in Barrel 123 A-Max

30.06 all the way for me!

I have two AR's myself, and while I will take one to the lease and do some exterminating of hogs, coyotes etc., I would never purposely walk to my stand thinking I am going to take a deer with it. It's consistently my .30-06. I have taken 5 deer with it in the last 2 years, and its proven itself over and over for me. The AR on the other hand, well, I have missed many many hogs I have shot at, and its just not worth taking the chance if you ask me.

Looking to draw "first blood" with my custom built sbr, 300 blackout complete with a thunder beast suppressor.

WAAAAYY to small of a round for deer man. May as well be using a pellet rifle.

I think 223 is enough caliber for deer. If everyones going to talk about 223 will not humanely harvest a deer or needs bigger caliber (or unethical) to shorten or stop the suffering of the animal, then why a lot of people are hunting with bow and arrow? Do you think every time you shot a deer with bow and arrow it will go down right in front of you? Maybe? Does it made the animal suffering shortened or even stop right there? Perhaps? Same thing with 223. If you have to track the deer after, find it. Bow hunters do that. If you are good with AR and have no doubt you can deliver that bullet in the right place, then do not hesitate to use it but if you are going to argue whether the 223 is not enough, then I don't know why nobodies complaining about bow and arrow.

sorry folks, you'll have to call me a liar. I said earlier that most shots my son makes with his .223 are 100 yds or less....well this weekend he dropped his spike, dead in his tracks at 256 yds. Verified by brother and nikon range finder. I asked him what he was aiming at and he just said the whole deer!! Hit him in the neck (I know he was aiming at the body and got lucky with the placement). Dropped his first bobcat also Saturday morning!

I have seen too many times where people on this website attack others for their post and perhaps I'm a little sensitive as two new hunters on my lease shot and wounded deer without recovery this weekend. But I have read and come back to this post several times before deciding to respond. My question is, do your really think aiming at the whole body of a deer is behavior that should be encouraged? Congratulations! this time, as things turned out, but I would not encourage any young hunter to take a shot where he is hoping and praying to hit a deer? Wounding an animal is just not worth it.

I used my AR-15 this weekend to drop a FAT 135lb Doe at 120 yards in her tracks. 64gr bullet broke her neck then penetrated nearly a foot into the chest cavity. The bullet exited through the off side shoulder. I was VERY impressed with the penetration of this bullet.

Lots of guys i know shoot their does with their .223 and bucks with higher caliber... i guess they dont want "the big one" getting away.

Im surprised no one is talking ammo selection.I have dropped big hogs and deer with a .223,although I perfer bigger.Good ammo and shot placement can make .223 a effective round.