Using the AR15 to hunt Whitetail or other medium game?

[SWMP15Pks]

Hi all, I have decided after much research that the new .223 Rem. hunting projectiles and factory loadings are definitely lethal enough to reliably expand and deliver plenty of energy at nominal hunting ranges (200 yards MAX) to humanely harvest my favorite game species.

Do any of you folks even hunt with your AR's? Ive never seen one on the pubground I stalk every year.

What suggestions would you offer as far as hunting loads?
I'm actually considering using the Barnaul Golden Bear BTHP in 62 gr... I know it's not exotic like the TSX or V-Max pills but folks elsewhere swear by its lethality. (plus, at its price point its affordable to practice and zero with prior to gameday!)

Please feel free to criticize my lack of ability to find this thread topic elsewhere... I did attempt some searches on ar15+hunting. Yielded no practical results for me...

 

[Rpg]

Here in Colorado, the 223 isn't legal for deer, elk, antelope: big game.

Also, here you're limited to 5 round ammo capacity.

Check your state's law.

 

[federali]

I think they're legal in NYS but with a five-round limit. Also, if your magazine is loaded, even detached from the rifle, the rifle is considered loaded. No shortage of "common sense" gun prohibitions up here.

 

[speedyquad]

Semi Autos are not legal for hunting in PA.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

Check the laws where you live or plan on hunting.

 

[sgtsandman]

Since PA does not allow a cartridge below .243 for hunting deer or allow the use of a semiautomatic rifle for hunting in general, I've never studied the matter in detail.

Like stated above, check your State laws first to see if .223/5.56 is legal for hunting deer.

Beyond that, you will need to wait for someone who has hunted with .223/5.56 as to what works best. I would think you would want a soft point bullet or a bullet with a rubbery ballistic tip in the heaviest weight your barrel twist will support.

 

[Pisgah]

.223 is legal here in SC as long as the bullets are not full metal jacketed. I have used Silver Bear 62 gr. JSP ammo and Federal MSR 62 gr. ammo with great success. In fact, although I would stick to bigger calibers for anything over 200 yards, the effectiveness of these two loads on deer has been nothing short of amazing, and spectacular on coyotes.

 

[mazer]

I hunt with my AR....of course, it's a 458 SOCOM....personally I'd never hunt big game with a .22 anything....but that's the way I was brought up...but, as mentioned, check your state regs and if you can...I guess have at it if you can put the shot where it needs to go! After all, in the end it's shot placement that tends to be the most important thing. You have to be confident that you can humanely dispatch whatever you are shooting at...do you have any specs on the hunting rounds you propose to use?
Just curious!

 

[vonn]

Never used a .223 on deer but started my kids who were excellent shots with a .243 and was not overly impressed with its ability to make clean kills unless hit just right. Based on that I wouldn't recommend .223 for deer but you could get a larger caliber upper that would do the job for a good price with some shopping around.

 

[MichiganScott]

Centerfire .22's are legal in Michigan, although I use a 6.8 SPC. Personally, if I were to use a 5.56, I'd want it loaded with a Barnes product or one of the various bonded loads on the market made specifically for medium game.

 

[Bill Bates]

You will certainly want to check your states game laws on minimum legal caliber or muzzle energy. Some states will will have .24 caliber and other may have a 1500 ft/lbs. at muzzle minimum.

An old kind of recommended minimum energy to ethically kill a deer has been 1000 ft/lbs. at impact. To me that is kind of number randomly pulled out of the air. Certainly with a well very placed shot a much lower number will do the job on a deer and drop it in the tracks. Then again with a marginal shot that 1000 ft/lbs. really is a good lower limit. That makes a .223 a 100 yard or less gun.

For sure I wouldn't pick an AR in .223 as my choice for a deer rifle but here in Utah I now can.

My rifle of choice for many years has been a Ruger 77 .243 with 100 gr. Nobler Partition bullets for Western mule deer. I've killed a lot of deer with one shot from that rifle but I've passed a lot of shots where the distance passed 300 yards. I can legally hunt elk with the .243 and I know plenty of people that have killed elk with a .243 but to me that is unethical. If I'm chasing elk I'm looking for a caliber that will give me something north of 1500 ft/lbs of energy at 300 plus yards.

We owe a duty to the animals we hunt to kill them in a quick and humane manor. I'm not sure pushing the minimum caliber limits is doing that.

Of course that is just one guys opinion which sure might not be worth much.

 

[ameridaddy]

Virginia doesn't allow less than .24 caliber, so a friend uses a .300 Blackout upper on his AR and got his limit last year. He says its fun, easy to carry and does well in the under 100 yard shots we get around here.
With proper weight bullet, it's about equal to 7.62x39 in energy.

 

[Big Cholla]

Several years ago, my hunting partner (a fellow LEO) and I took a Patrol Rifle Instructor Class with Clint Smith when he was still in the Texas Hill Country. In the class we met a local LEO that had a hunting lease on a great Whitetail area. He invited us to hunt with him after the class. We looked at each other and said, "Why not?" We stopped at a LGS and purchased one box of SP 223 Rem ammo. I don't even remember what brand it was. We purchased our out-of-state hunting licenses and were given four doe tags with the license. We could have bought four more each. We bought four big ice chests and went hunting. We harvested four dry does each in 1 1/2 Days hunting using our AR-15s and the SP ammo. My partner used two shots on one doe when she didn't drop immediately. I got my four with four shots. This hunting lease was on a huge ranch with lots of feed being grown for cattle. We had the deer processed, fast froze, and packaged. Packed some dry ice in the bottom of each ice chest and drove back to Las Vegas. I, being used to eating tough and 'sagey' Nevada Mule deer, never expected the wonderful flavor and tenderness of the venison from these Whitetail Deer. I was ready to go back to Thunder Ranch for another class real soon just because of the Whitetail Deer available.

As far as the use of the .223 Rem Soft Point ammo. Not one of those deer complained about not being shot by "enough gun". ........

 

[Frank237]

The absolute best mule deer buck I ever had a chance to shoot...I foolishly shot with a Sako bolt gun in .223 with 64 gr WW PP's. He ran off after the shot failed to penetrate, after blowing up on a rib.

Trailed minimal blood in fresh snow.....twenty minutes later I heard a shot a few hundred yds away. Got to see him after he was harvested by another hunter.

Last time I ever flirted with varmint guns on big game.

Depends on WHERE you are as well. Some of those little southern deer can probably be taken just fine as long as you have a decent bullet that will stay together, like a Nosler partition or X-- bullet.

 

[Muss Muggins]

Missouri Firearms Season: Any centerfire cartridge, 10 round magazine limit for semi-autos. Missouri has separate alternate method seasons for just about any way you can kill a deer, including an atlatl . . .

 

[SWMP15Pks]

So many with the same advice! What seems most sad to me is that so many of today's hunters have made doing something they shouldn't or don't have the right to do the starting point of these conversations. Personally, I have never taken a shot I did not have the knowledge of the legality, the ethos, and moral compass to take.

If only hunting in general was a sport where this was the assumption - that every hunter had the full awareness of his/her laws in mind and the morality to make good and responsible decisions before embarking on a trip.

Yes, .223 is legal in my state. Yes, I am aware of the cartridges limitations, and am confident in selecting my shots accordingly. Yes, I hunt ethically, and as I said in the OP I have done the research to have full confidence in the rounds capabilities in hunting deer.

What I am looking for are suggestions about the specific loadings that have proven successful. I am hoping that someone here might have some evidence to offer as to their experiences in hunting with (X bullet). Thanks.

 

[SWMP15Pks]

We owe a duty to the animals we hunt to kill them in a quick and humane manor. I'm not sure pushing the minimum caliber limits is doing that.

Of course that is just one guys opinion which sure might not be worth much.

Opinions are what I asked for I appreciate the input.

Killing an animal quickly is the only way it should be done. In my opinion this is easily accomplished with good judgement and shot placement. I agree 100% with the premise. If you can't take a shot with reasonable faith of a humane harvest, you must pass. It really is that simple.

 

[SWMP15Pks]

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qE5ZnQmKy2o[/ame]

I think this is my round of choice for the woods. I'm quite frankly impressed with the performance.

 

[G-Mac]

I've always considered deer hunting with a .223 caliber rifle to be unethical. What you have there is a varmint gun.

 

[cyphertext]

I've used the Silver Bear on hogs... it was effective. I would use the soft point rounds though instead of the HP. I believe you will get more reliable expansion from the soft point.