I hate to disappoint you JG, but I don't see a point to argue here.

And JG, you are simply stating your opinion, which has no more value here than that of anyone else. We don't all have to be enamored by the same things.

I love my bolt actions, especially the much older ones. AR type rifles have their place,
At least (at present) we still have the freedom to choose pretty much what we want. Hopefully we can keep it that way.

I think the point of the original post is that there is only so much you can do to an AR. I don't see any real craftsmanship in them, and a "custom" AR is a joke. It's assembled out of parts. The same goes for a Glock.

Don't get me wrong, I like an AR just as much as the next guy, but the personality of any AR is lacking when compared to a classy, walnut and blued rifle.

And what's a "custom" $5000 bolt action assembled from? Machined action, trigger, bolt knob, barrel, muzzle brake, stock, base, rings, scope... all parts from different companies. How is that so much different than a "custom" AR assembled from parts.

An AR is just not the best hunting gun - period. It was not designed to be and cannot be made to be. I'm all for folks having fun and playing with them and enjoying them. That's cool. I have one myself and it's a hoot to shoot.

But it's obvious the KoolAid has been drunk when so many come on here touting ARs whenever a hunting rifle recommendation is sought. They are fun to have when you get into a sounder of hogs - but that's about it. For every other hunting application another choice is better.

I especially cringe when I see kids being forced to deal with a clunky AR pushed upon them to hunt with.

I'm a bigger fan of bolt actions but those statements are simply your opinion and not to be misconstrued into pure fact.

I agree they are the best hot sounder gun. But they are just fine for stalking and killing deer and coyotes. They were designed to hunt men, lest ye forget. Go back in history and see all the battle rifles that made fine hunting rifles. 1903, M-1 Garand, M-1 Carbine, M-14, and now the rifle in question. If they didn't work, people wouldn't use them. Name me one more complete rifle that the average guy can order 95% of the parts, have them delivered in the brown truck, and assemble them in his garage with less than $100 invested in special tools. The Savage rifle is close, but I've got my own issues with it.

Trust upon a kid? I personally won't put an AR in the hands of my kids until they are in their late teens, they will master the bolt action first. But I can understand why so many guys hand ARe to their kids simply due to the adjustable length of pull on the stock.

The AR is not usually to my acceptable level of accuracy, but I am spoiled to custom barreled bolt actions that shoot tiny. But let's compare former acceptable level of accuracy 30 years ago working backward in history. Many, many hunters were satisfied with the ability to put three rounds in a pie plate at 100 or 200 yards. Today's ARe will shoot well smaller than that as a general rule. My LR 308 ended up putting five rounds inside 2 3/4" at 300 yards, and it is a mass produced rifle, not a custom.

Which leads me to the next reply. Those of you old grumpies complaining about the way things are going today are also forgetting how performance has drastically improved in rifles, ammo, loading components, and scopes. The average Joe now has the technology available to him to put together a scoped rifle, make a hand load for it, and shoot very small, very far out. Our general acceptable level of accuracy, as hunters, has drastically shrank. Thank God for smart men that aspire to improve products. And other men that figure out how to use them to those products' full potential.

What's the difference? Any rifle that shoots a big enough round accurate enough is a great hunting rifle.

What do you need for a good hunting rifle? A good barrel, trigger, and optic set in a stock that you can shoot comfortably. Both can be accomplished regardless of platform. My AR's outshoot most bolt actions and single shots I come across.

I agree, although I am not a huge fan of a .223 or 300 BO for deer. I know plenty have been killed with both calibers, but I like a little more punch in case of a marginal shot.

I've never seen a bolt gun that cost the same as any of my AR's shoot as good though.

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6.8 my friend.

I said "I've never seen one", not that they don't. What I said is truth because it's been my experience. You're also talking about only budget AR's. I caught that.

I love

They are both excellent hunting tools. But totally different and having both expands my hunting enjoyment and capabilities.

I love my 2 set ups for their own unique capabilities. Everybody hunts differently and needs to buy the tools they need not what their friend on the internet need.