AR-15s for hunting?

[Riposte1]

I have not ever been a huge AR fan (speaking of personal preference here, I am willing to go to war to prevent someone from taking yours!).

Even so, I spent a summer back in the early 80s hunting woodchucks with a cobbled up "CAR" (11" barrel, fake moderator welded on) using a handle mounted 4X scope. Naturally, the stalk became a bit more important than with my normal Woodchuck guns but I dont recall missing any woodchucks.

I actually thought about cutting off the handle and having someone weld on a Weaver scope base (this was before "flat tops" but some folks were doing it. I think Brownells even had a base to fit).

Naturally, prophet that I am, I traded that gun off while it was still only worth about $250...soon therafter you could not beg borrow or steal and AR.

Later, when I started training military folks, I got back into them and I have used them for varmint and deer hunting (mostly to test bullets) in 5.56 and 6.8 SPC.

ARs can be made accurate in the extreme. They can have a good trigger. I see no reason they would not make good hunting rifles...but they will never have the class of a Pre-64 Wincester M-70

BTW, I understand them a bit more now - I will be out zeroing one (a Bushmaster fluted H-Bar 16") as soon as the fog lifts around here. Its main mission will be coyotes on our training site.

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