Paradigm Shift
3 Responses to “Paradigm Shift”
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October 9th, 2009 at 5:37 pm
Hmmm. Not around here (Oregon). Upwards of 95% of AR-based rifles are in .223, and it hasn’t been too long since ALL .22-based rounds were verboten for large game.
Now legal, they still don’t make much sense except on the small Coast Range blacktail deer, which usually run around 80#, but there are a lot of 60# ones (I carried the last one I shot out 1/2 mile on my neck).
The bigger interior mule deer run to 250#, and .223 is not the right round for them. Elk are out of the question for .223, at 800-1000#
Oregon restricts you to 5 rounds in the magazine, so you have to get some of the stubby hunting magazines.
It isn’t so much about the rifle, anything that fires the right ammo will work, and if you are an AR fanboy, by all means get an upper in 6.8, or go to an AR-180 and shoot .308 WIN in it.
Just don’t waste game by drilling .22 caliber holes in a muley and then bitch about it getting away (to die miserably a few miles or ridges over).
Take as much gun as you need to bring down your animal with one shot, and in OR, that shot is in brush over half the time. .223 gets deflected by twigs. My dad never lost an animal he shot with his Winchester Model 1901 in .401 Self Loading Rifle caliber (a 10mm on steroids).
October 9th, 2009 at 8:08 pm
Anyone thinking of using an AR for big game hunting ought to check the relevant game laws of your state. Here in ID, we don’t have any magazine limits and .223 is legal but probably not prudent on any thing much bigger than a coyote. But accessories could get you in trouble, its illegal to use any electronic sights on rifles for big game. So no red dots or holosights. A standard scope is probably better for muleys or elk anyways, they hang out in fairly open country, so 200-300 yard shots are possible though probably not the norm. Even 308 seems a little marginal for elk though, I’m not sure if anyone is making an AR platform in .300 Win Mag or anything of that power. I know, there’s the .450 Beowulf, but its a short-range cartridge. It would make a good brush cartridge for an AR though.
October 10th, 2009 at 9:30 pm
I believe tha article discusses the AR “Platform” and not the .223 cartridge. From the article: “The .223 caliber bullet is too small. Most states require a minimum of .243 or 6mm for deer and larger game.
Which leads us to the new paradigm. The AR-15 model is so popular for so many reasons that we are now seeing it available specifically in “hunter” versions–AR rifles in calibers that are great for North American big game hunting. We’ve had ARs in .308 (7.62 NATO) for a long time. We’ve added things like the 6.8mm SPC, the .243 Winchester, the .338 Federal, 7.62×39, .450 Bushmaster and there are more lurking out there.” Reading is FUNdamental, try it sometime.