Anyone hunting long range with an AR?

[Call.me.porter]

I built this AR10 in 6.5CM to be a 50/50 target/hunting rifle. It's definitely out of the ordinary for me as I've never hunted with anything but a bolt gun. It came out twice as heavy as my mountain rifle, but after getting the gas dialed in and preliminary accuracy tests I think it is bound to be a force to be reckoned with. Don't mind the sloppy target, I was messing around with the zero, the last 5 shots fell into the ragged hole right above the bull. Still have some tweaking to do but I think there is a bear out there waiting to be the first candidate...

 

[Apollo117]

I've used a Rock River AR-10 for hog hunting before. At close to 15 pounds all up I definitely consider it a truck or stand gun.

DPMS makes an AR-10 that's close to eight pounds bare. That's about as heavy as I'd want to go.

I just don't have a lot of opportunities to need multiple quick follow-up shots. It's very rare that I need (or can pull off) a follow-up shot.

 

[wind gypsy]

No reason to unless you have an accurate AR and don't have an accurate bolt gun in the same realm. Closer range with need for follow up shots on hogs and coyotes they seem to make more sense.

I wont tell you they don't work but for "Long Range" an AR just isn't as easy to shoot accurately, triggers aren't as good, tough to get low velocity SDs, have to run lower pressure, and are hard on brass if you want to practice a bunch. That and I just don't like how they handle as much if carrying around.

 

[Call.me.porter]

No reason to unless you have an accurate AR and don't have an accurate bolt gun in the same realm. Closer range with need for follow up shots on hogs and coyotes they seem to make more sense.

I wont tell you they don't work but for "Long Range" an AR just isn't as easy to shoot accurately, triggers aren't as good, tough to get low velocity SDs, have to run lower pressure, and are hard on brass if you want to practice a bunch. That and I just don't like how they handle as much if carrying around.

All of those are valid concerns that I think I addressed, respectively, while putting together components for this particular rifle. The only variable I can't account for yet is whether I can get low enough SD and ES with hand loads to be effective at distance. I'm not a pressure/velocity monger in my handloading practices, unless that's all that works. I'll be working up a ladder test in the next day or 2 to see how it handles it, now that the barrel should be broken in and the gas system is tuned so that the rifle functions and the brass comes out in great shape. It has a high pressure bolt and I believe it is up to the task, and the Gieselle trigger is far better than any standard mil-spec trigger, arguably better than any trigger I have in my bolt guns. As far as handling and carrying, I know it isn't ideal. But for spring bear hunting in Western MT where you spend a lot of time glassing and shots over 500yds are common, I think it will fill a niche. At least for myself. We shall see!

 

[Call.me.porter]

At close to 15 pounds all up I definitely consider it a truck or stand gun.

Yeah, I knew it was going to be heavy starting out, just shy of 14lbs loaded. I won't be doing any 15 mile hikes with it that's for sure! But for keeping in the truck or short hikes to glass I think I can suffer.

 

[Justin Crossley]

That looks like a fun rifle but I wouldn't personally use it for long range bear hunting. I would personally use something bigger and faster. I'm not saying it won't work. I'm just saying I wouldn't do it. Would make a great deer and antelope rifle.

 

[Call.me.porter]

That looks like a fun rifle but I wouldn't personally use it for long range bear hunting. I would personally use something bigger and faster. I'm not saying it won't work. I'm just saying I wouldn't do it. Would make a great deer and antelope rifle.

I think you're right for a deer and antelope gun, it will be an absolute blast! And I'm not trying to start an argument, but what are your reasonings behind not using it for black bears? I've killed a lot of bears from everything from a bow to .338 Win, and in my experience they're easier to kill than whitetail. Again, just trying to have a respectful conversation and not an argument. I'm always trying to expand on things. Nothing is perfect.

 

[Sobrbiker]

My 65 Grendel gets deer duty to 500ish, and my 16” AR10 308 is thick country deer and elk for the same distances.
Depends on what “long range” means to you.

AR’s are more unforgiving of compromised positions and flaws in firm and follow through than bolt guns.

if you’re talking truly longer range, I’m not against a Creedmoor, because I’m not a fan of making up for bad shot placement with caliber-but you’d better be willing to pass on sketchy animal presentation, anything less than ideal shooter position.

 

[Justin Crossley]

You mentioned shooting 500 yards or possibly more which is what I'm basing my opinion on. I don't believe bears are crazy hard to kill and the 6.5 CM can do the job if you make a good shot. The biggest problem with shooting bears at long range in my opinion is the way their fat fills bullet holes and stops the bleeding. If they don't fall in sight, they can be extremely hard to trail. I have seen it happen multiple times where a bear was hit well and either lost completely or found the next day or later after all the meat spoiled.

Another way to look at it is why? Why choose a 6.5 CM to shoot bears at long range? If it is the only rifle someone has and they are proficiant and understand the limits I understand it. If a hunter has other rifles that shoot bigger projectiles I think they are wise to choose differently.

 

[Call.me.porter]

My 65 Grendel gets deer duty to 500ish, and my 16” AR10 308 is thick country deer and elk for the same distances.
Depends on what “long range” means to you.

AR’s are more unforgiving of compromised positions and flaws in firm and follow through than bolt guns.

if you’re talking truly longer range, I’m not against a Creedmoor, because I’m not a fan of making up for bad shot placement with caliber-but you’d better be willing to pass on sketchy animal presentation, anything less than ideal shooter position.

I've definitely accounted for the imperfections associated with ARs, and in any situation I am pretty picky on my shots---with that being said I have never lost an animal in 15 years, but i don't ever discount the possibility. I try to do right by all means necessary. I didn't go calling for the 6.5, it just kindof fell into my lap when I couldn't get the caliber I wanted in the rifle I bought for my wife. In essence we graduated from a .257 Roberts to a 6.5 Creedmoor for all Western big game so I see nothing but an advantage. My hard long range limit is 600 yards, which after spending lots of time shooting that I feel comfortable with any rifle I own at that distance. I have some very accurate bolt guns that I'm comfortable in almost any situation as long as I do my part. I was just pleasantly surprised and kindof excited by the capabilities of this rifle first time behind it. My initial thought behind building it was that it would be a hunting rifle. But the weight threw me off, so I thought it would be a good rig to practice shooting for accuracy. Until I saw how well it shot... Some guns you just know but msn my initial impression is that I have a ton of confidence with it.

 

[Call.me.porter]

You mentioned shooting 500 yards or possibly more which is what I'm basing my opinion on. I don't believe bears are crazy hard to kill and the 6.5 CM can do the job if you make a good shot. The biggest problem with shooting bears at long range in my opinion is the way their fat fills bullet holes and stops the bleeding. If they don't fall in sight, they can be extremely hard to trail. I have seen it happen multiple times where a bear was hit well and either lost completely or found the next day or later after all the meat spoiled.

Another way to look at it is why? Why choose a 6.5 CM to shoot bears at long range? If it is the only rifle someone has and they are proficiant and understand the limits I understand it. If a hunter has other rifles that shoot bigger projectiles I think they are wise to choose differently.

I definitely see your concern about being able to track a bear shot at distances, and I've been there. Man it just seems like every instance is situational. The 2 bears that I had to track made me nervous as hell. One was with a bow that was a PERFECT double lung and one was with my 300 WSM at 535yds. The bears that have had the biggest blood trails for me have been with the smaller calibers, and bullet selection obviously has a big deciding factor so I won't discredit that. The bear I shot with my 300 was with a 165GR TTSX and it left a pencil hole 3 ribs back missing all bone. I had no blood for 200 yards, but thankfully I was able to find him piled up just from following the swath of dirt he tore up to his resting place. And I have killed bears with a 6.5's and smaller it was surprisingly devastating... Impressively devastating, actually. I almost feel bad for even bringing it up at this point, because I thought I had something blueprinted out to a T. Maybe I've just been lucky?

 

[Varminterror]

DPMS makes an AR-10 that's close to eight pounds bare.

The GII’s were discontinued, what, two years ago? And DPMS closed down entirely a couple months ago.

 

[macjensen]

Consistently shoot my AR @500. 18" BA match barrel, elftman trigger, and a bunch of other good parts. Have it topped with a Leupold mark AR mod 1 3-9 X 40. Solid 1" group @ 100. Wouldn't hesitate to shoot at coyotes @ 500 yards with it but deer probably not.

 

[mmw194287]

one was with my 300 WSM at 535yds. ... The bear I shot with my 300 was with a 165GR TTSX and it left a pencil hole 3 ribs back missing all bone. I had no blood for 200 yards, but thankfully I was able to find him

Just for curiosity's sake, how fast are you shooting that TTSX? Might be getting pretty close to minimum recommended impact velocity (thus the pencil) at 535 yards.

 

[Call.me.porter]

Consistently shoot my AR @500. 18" BA match barrel, elftman trigger, and a bunch of other good parts. Have it topped with a Leupold mark AR mod 1 3-9 X 40. Solid 1" group @ 100. Wouldn't hesitate to shoot at coyotes @ 500 yards with it but deer probably not.

I'm running a 22" BA Fluted heavy, Giesselle SSA-E trigger, good innards and Vortex HSLR 4-16. It's been holding 1/2 MOA out to 600 so far. The bigger shocker was the cheap mossberg bolt gun I picked up that put a 2.5" 3 round group on a 6" gong at 600 yards. Those were the 11th, 12th and 13th rounds out of the gun after getting a quick zero.

And FWIW, it wasn't the most enjoyable rifle to pack in the woods but it worked just fine. Running within 10 fps of my wifes XBolt 6.5 cm. I was able to get to within 250 yards and had a good quartering to shot. In between the neck and shoulder and just past the last rib on the opposite side. Went about 3 yards.

I learned how fast a rifle can turn into a really heavy trekking pole when you forgot your real trekking poles in the truck.

 

[macjensen]

I'm running a 22" BA Fluted heavy, Giesselle SSA-E trigger, good innards and Vortex HSLR 4-16. It's been holding 1/2 MOA out to 600 so far. The bigger shocker was the cheap mossberg bolt gun I picked up that put a 2.5" 3 round group on a 6" gong at 600 yards. Those were the 11th, 12th and 13th rounds out of the gun after getting a quick zero.

And FWIW, it wasn't the most enjoyable rifle to pack in the woods but it worked just fine. Running within 10 fps of my wifes XBolt 6.5 cm. I was able to get to within 250 yards and had a good quartering to shot. In between the neck and shoulder and just past the last rib on the opposite side. Went about 3 yards.

I learned how fast a rifle can turn into a really heavy trekking pole when you forgot your real trekking poles in the truck.

View attachment 189675

I should have added that I'm shooting a 223 wylde with cheap factory ammo haha. I would definitely be squeezing one off on that guy too. Nice bear!

 

[Call.me.porter]

I should have added that I'm shooting a 223 wylde with cheap factory ammo haha. I would definitely be squeezing one off on that guy too. Nice bear!

Haha, that definitely makes a difference. And thank you. I was pretty happy with him. Second biggest spring bear thus far at 5'10" and 18 1/2" on the skull. Best hide I've ever seen in a spring bear. He may be getting rugged...

 

[22lr]

In my opinion, AR-10s are probably the single best candidate for a carbon fiber barrel! Could chop off a good bit of weight there.

I don't hunt with one, just because I've never been committed enough to the AR-10 platform. I run the AR-15s all day long, but for 308+, I am solidly in the bolt gun camp. But if you wanted to go lightweight, you could do it. AR-10s are just going to be an expensive way to do it. But, I'm not judging I've spent money on worse endeavors.

There are lots of good lightweight components out there, it may just be easier to do that build from scratch. 2A-Armament has a 6.75 pound AR-10 platform on the market that looks very interesting (*disclaimer, I have never shot one, and cant speak to them as a solid choice, just that its an option). I'd probably prefer it with a carbon barrel vs the pencil barrel it's wearing... but that's just me. At that weight, it's not much heavier than a lot of the bolt gun options. They sell the complete package for $2.6k+, but you can buy their lightweight receivers for $700 for a matching set. If you piece together your components well you could probably do it cheaper and less weight. With optics, there is no reason you cant have a solid 8-9lb AR-10 platform, its just gonna be way more expensive than a 8-9lb bolt gun for obvious reasons. Shoot, im now thinking this would be a fun project to build...

 

[tdhanses]

My AR-10 in .308 has a 18’ carbon barrel but that thing is just bulky and heavy, I can’t see using it on a pack in hunt when my 300wsm is a sleeker design and about 2lbs lighter.

 

[Call.me.porter]

In my opinion, AR-10s are probably the single best candidate for a carbon fiber barrel! Could chop off a good bit of weight there.

I don't hunt with one, just because I've never been committed enough to the AR-10 platform. I run the AR-15s all day long, but for 308+, I am solidly in the bolt gun camp. But if you wanted to go lightweight, you could do it. AR-10s are just going to be an expensive way to do it. But, I'm not judging I've spent money on worse endeavors.

There are lots of good lightweight components out there, it may just be easier to do that build from scratch. 2A-Armament has a 6.75 pound AR-10 platform on the market that looks very interesting (*disclaimer, I have never shot one, and cant speak to them as a solid choice, just that its an option). I'd probably prefer it with a carbon barrel vs the pencil barrel it's wearing... but that's just me. At that weight, it's not much heavier than a lot of the bolt gun options. They sell the complete package for $2.6k+, but you can buy their lightweight receivers for $700 for a matching set. If you piece together your components well you could probably do it cheaper and less weight. With optics, there is no reason you cant have a solid 8-9lb AR-10 platform, its just gonna be way more expensive than a 8-9lb bolt gun for obvious reasons. Shoot, im now thinking this would be a fun project to build...

Originally my plan was to build a light weight rig. At least light in the AR world, but the price for all the lightweight options deterred me. So I figured I would just slap it together and use it to shoot steel, mostly, with an occasional outing in the woods just for $&!%'s and giggles. And I wasn't expecting phenomenal accuracy, just 'ok.' Except I incidentally built one of, if not THE most accurate firearm I own. My thought was if I could suffer packing it around (which was actually made rather pleasant with the Kifaru Gun Sling) for a mile or 2 into some good glassing spots with up to say a 5-700yd shot possibility then the rifle would be more than adequate in the right situations. My Finnlight 300 WSM has spent plenty of days in the woods, and honestly I don't have one dedicated hunting rifle. Granted this AR isn't going to be going with me every day, but there are gonna be some more times where it gets to go for a ride.