It’s hard to say where the trend started. Perhaps some Vietnam veteren in the deep south struggling with a feral hog invasion decided the best way to eliminate the varmints was the AR-15 he picked up after returning from the jungle. Maybe it was a rancher out in Midwest who liked the flat shooting 40 grain round for taking out coyotes. Wherever it began, it started a years long transition from traditional wooden stocked bolt action hunting rifles to the eventual production of Remington’s R-25 AR-platform rifle chambered in anything from .243 to .308 Winchester.
Now, before you dismiss the traditional 5.56mm/.223 caliber AR-15 rifle as a viable hunting weapon, lets go over some ballistics first. I know many will dismiss this rifle/caliber combination as a “poodle shooter” unsuitable for use in a war zone, much less as a hunting rifle for use on medium game, but let’s look at what the numbers say, starting with one of the most popular deer cartridges in the Unites States, the .30-30. Traditionally, the .30-30 used cast lead bullets with most weighing in around 160 grains. Though it was one of the first cartridges designed from the ground up to use smokeless powder, black powder was simply more available at the time and was commonly used when the .30-30 was introduced. Sitting atop a compressed load of FFF black powder the muzzle velocity of a 160 grain cast lead bullet was only around 1,600 feet per second, giving it a muzzle energy of just under 1,000 ft-lbs. While this performance pales in comparison to a modern smokeless powder propelled .30-30 bullet, it was more than adequate to take down what amounts to probably millions of deer over the decades. Moving on to the modern version of the .30-30 round we find that using smokeless powders a somewhat lighter 130 grain copper jacketed round nose flat point bullet is easily propelled to a muzzle velocity of 2,500 feet per second which results in a muzzle energy just a hair under 1,800 ft-lbs: much more than the older blackpowder version.
How does this traditional deer cartridge stack up against 5.56mm/.223 caliber ammunition? In fact, they are surprisingly similar. A standard 62 grain FMJBT round fired at 3,050 feet per second has a muzzle energy of 1,300 ft-lbs., more than our traditional 160 grain black powder propelled bullet but slightly less than a modern 130 grain smokeless propelled .30-06 bullet. Still, that gives the 5.56/.223 round more than enough energy to drop a good sized mule deer.
“But…” I hear you cry, “The .223 round has far too much penetration, it will just shoot through and through without doing much damage.”
Not quite. It’s true that the standard M855 round used by our military does have some overpenetration issues due to variations in the neck length, but heavier 69 and 75 grain hollow point or OTM bullets (both of which should easily by stabilized by most 1:9-1:7 twist barrels) have superb performance and fragmentation in less than 12 inches of ballistic gel. While ballistic gel is not a direct substitute for a deer, it does serve to give us a rough estimation of the round’s performance on a game animal. This evidence, when coupled with the thousands of anecdotes from wild boar and deer hunters who swear by the .223 AR-15 rifle/cartridge combination, should be more than enough to prove the viability of the .223 cartridge as medium game ammunition.
But, for those of you who still feel the need to step up to a larger caliber, there are plenty of AR-15 platform rifles out there chambered in calibers such as 6.8 SPC, 6.5 Creedmoor, .243 Winchester, .308 Winchester, and even 7mm-08. DPMS and Remington, both owned by parent company Freedom Group, have a line of rifles dedicated to these larger calibers. From DPMS we have the LR-308 platform and from Remington the R-15 and R-25 rifle, both dedicated hunting rifles available with a camouflage finish.
While the larger caliber AR rifles were initially dismissed by many traditional hunters as “overkill” or “not suitable for hunting” it didn’t take long for many to realize that there simply isn’t much difference between a Remington 750 or Browning BAR and an R-25 or LR-308 chambered in .308 Winchester. While some will undoubtedly prefer the traditional look of a walnut stock or the increased precision of a bolt action, it appears that the AR platform is here to stay as a viable option for small, medium, and with the .308 or 7mm-08 chambered R-25 large or dangerous game such as moose or bear.
The modularity of the AR platform makes it able to be quickly swapped over from an iron sighted .458 SOCOM brush gun to a scoped 6.8 SPC caliber rifle capable of much longer shots. No other rifle platform demonstrates such versatility. Combine this with the wide availability of aftermarket parts, and you can build an AR rifle to fill just about any role you can conceive of.
The mission of Cheaper Than Dirt!’s blog, “The Shooter’s Log,” is to provide information—not opinions—to our customers and the shooting community. We want you, our readers, to be able to make informed decisions. The information provided here does not represent the views of Cheaper Than Dirt!
HOGS. How would the .223/5.56 stack up against feral TX hogs?
I am saving my pennies for an AR…I don’t have a hunting rifle, and was wondering if I should look into a .308 version as a more versatile rifle…
Comment by Steanson — October 7, 2010 @ 12:26 pm
The AR-15 rifle in .223 or 5.56 is great to use on Texas feral hogs. As always, shot placement matters: you’ll still need a good solid it on the head or neck (I prefer just behind the ears) or on the heart or lungs. I’ve yet to have a hog get up and run after being hit in either of those areas.
Comment by CTD Blogger — October 7, 2010 @ 2:54 pm
Thanks for that info!
Comment by Steanson — October 7, 2010 @ 5:20 pm
I just got back from Iraq and after handling my M-16 (AR-15) everyday, I decided to get one for personal hunting use. This is the first time that I’m hunting and having to use a rifle that I’ve very familiar with helps out a lot. I did all my research of course before I decided to use it as my hunting rifle. My AR-15 has a 1:7 twist which allows me to use a heavier grain bullet. I’m going to purchase a 6.8 SPC upper receiver if I ever choose to hunt larger sized deer. The deciding factor for me is the familiarity that I have with the rifle, plus I can use it for home protection.
Comment by Eric V — October 9, 2010 @ 7:33 am
meratol
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Comment by a9xecx7 — December 28, 2010 @ 10:25 am
Great little article, but barely touches the surface of what the AR can do. Check out http://www.AR15hunter.com. This site is dedicated to sportsmen who have chosen to use their AR platform rifles as their primary hunting tool. Check it out!
Comment by Tom Spithaler — July 7, 2011 @ 10:52 am
[...] Wrong on both counts. The AR-15 series of rifle has picked up in popularity as a hunting rifle. The AR-15 Platform As A Hunting Rifle | The Shooter's Log This site specifically mentioned it being legal to hunt in most areas with this particularly [...]
Pingback by A Question For the Gun Control Crowd — December 14, 2011 @ 8:38 am
I took down a doe this last week with my Ruger SR556 and using a 55grain particularly nasty hand load from about 75 yards. Granted, I did shoot her in the neck but it was a clean kill and she fell practically where she was hit (11 paces). The vertebra was shattered, spinal cord, both carotid arteries severed and the exit wound was the size of a quarter. I killed another one years ago with a headshot using this same cartridge but it was out of a bolt gun. Shot placement is paramount no matter which caliber you use to make a clean kill. I would not hesitate to use this same bullet/rifle configuration to take a trophy buck with a heart shot, providing I was sure of the shot.
Comment by Bill — January 1, 2012 @ 2:04 pm
I think this is a real great blog article.Really thank you! Much obliged.
Comment by Darian Poindexter — February 21, 2012 @ 11:41 pm
[...] [...]
Pingback by Common Senseless: GUN CONTROL DOES NOT WORK | The Bulletproof Patriot — August 24, 2012 @ 2:25 pm
AR-15 hunters should check out .223 ammo from DRT (Dynamic Research Technologies). The copper jacketed bullet contains a mixture of powdered metals that dramatically expand after penetrating, creating an interior wound about the size of a baseball. A well placed shot brings down a deer or a hog on the spot, earning DRT the nickname “dead right there”. I was looking for a .308 bolt rifle but now don’t need one.
Comment by JiminGA — September 22, 2012 @ 6:00 am
6.5 Grendel. Covers all the bases for dog sized deer on the east coast, any vermin you care to shoot, and is flatter shooting than any 5.56 or .308 round, with more retained energy past 325 yards for any long shots. For hog or bear, drop on a 50 Beowulf upper with the exact same bolt and carrier. Buy one lower, take any game short of grizzly bear.
Comment by Leigh Alan Dyer — September 22, 2012 @ 5:33 pm
[...] The common argument that guns don’t kill people, people kill people, has become drummed to such a sad cadence that I’m sure even the Gun Lobby has to be tired of it by now. Sure, there is truth to the statement, however, people would kill a lot less people if you reduce the amount of lethal people killing weapons around. Further, please don’t tell me that your AR-15 is for hunting deer. I don’t want to hear that fiction. [...]
Pingback by Solving the US GUN Violence Problem, With more GUNS! | WESTCOAST UNITED — December 21, 2012 @ 5:52 pm
It’s funny, 5 to 10 years ago if I was to joke around and say that I was going to use a AR-15 or AK-47 for hunting then I’d have been frowned upon and told that there would be no sport in that and that it would almost be considered cheating. But now days since a Ban is being spoken about all these big Hunters and Gunman are all “no no no no no, wait, it’s cool, you can hunt with those guns” ,, give me a break, how predictable can you get. And most like to say “we’ll it’s more convenient” ,,, Ha!,, ‘Convenient Hunting’ that’s a good one, where is sport in convenience??
Comment by @SaintJRobinson — January 15, 2013 @ 8:07 am
I have never been hurt by people who had problems with the law. But I have been hurt by some who were taken to be checkout for medical mind problems or drug use. I have never been a person who liked the AR-15 rifles but this year my grandsons shot with them. They used these rifles because the stocks were adjustable. Both made one shot kills, so by good training and with me and their father with them I see no reason to do away with these rifles. I cannot understand why some people want to take my right to use a rifle I like, but tell me that it is ok for same sex to marry and have the same status legally as my wife and I have. Do what they may but leave my world alone.
Comment by retired policeman — January 18, 2013 @ 10:01 am
[...] The AR-15 Platform As A Hunting Rifle | The Shooter's Log [...]
Pingback by For those of you who would never go near a gun... - Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, Conservatives, Liberals, Third Parties, Left-Wing, Right-Wing, Congress, President - Page 7 - City-Data Forum — January 25, 2013 @ 3:09 pm