Who else hunts the west with a black rifle?

[Long Cut]

This gun wasn’t setup to be lightweight by any means.

PSA Upper/Lower
Mixture of Radian/Geisselle components
18” FN SS barrel
5-20x50 SWFA

8.4# unloaded. I’m not upset about it, this setup is a power line/gas line gun for quick shots from 20-400 yards. Typically out of blinds or tripod stands.

 

[Titan_Bow]

My son and I have killed a lot of deer and antelope with a little 6.8 SPC I built him for his first hunting rifle. It’s probably 6.5 lbs, small, easy to pack around, and that little 6.8 round does great on deer size game.
I put together a 6 ARC a couple years ago, it’s not lightweight but it is insanely accurate. I’ll definitely bring it along on my next rifle antelope hunt.


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[Weldor]

Does this count?

 

[Thegman]

Come on, half of these things aren't even black...WTF!?!?

I may as well chime in. These are repeat pictures, but my bolt rifles haven't been in the field for a couple years now. The black rifles are winning me over as well.

The 223 thread was pivotal for me in deciding these could replace my 308/30-06 and make the same shots on the same game as I have with them. So far, so good.

 

[hereinaz]

We were shooting simple PSA rifles today at 500 yards drilling a vital sized rock with a 1-8x scope.

One guy was convinced to use his AR in .223 for hunting.

 

[Tobe_B]

Thanks for the details and info. What distance did you take your elk at?

200 yards. One round and she went down. Traveled maybe 10 feet. Put one more round in just for good measure.


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[TheM1DoesMyTalking]

This one is a 6mm ARC, aero upper and lower, LaRue trigger, Nightforce 2.5-10, Hyperion suppressor. Shooting 103 eldx factory loads.

My accuracy in this rifle is right around 1.25-1.5 moa which is adequate and good enough for me to comfortably take game at its max distance.

That's really solid accuracy for a gas gun, realistically for most rifles. How many rounds in those groups?

What barrel, bolt, gas block and gas tube in this build? How is the back pressure with the Hyperion?

 

[czgunner]

I run a 6.8 SPC.

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[Tobe_B]

That's really solid accuracy for a gas gun, realistically for most rifles. How many rounds in those groups?

What barrel, bolt, gas block and gas tube in this build? How is the back pressure with the Hyperion?

Here’s one of my groups from when I first started breaking it in. 10 round group at 100yds. It’s got an 18” ballistic advantage barrel, Grendel hunter BCG, rifle length gas tube and just a fixed gas block. The back pressure isn’t bad with the Hyperion. It is higher on this rifle than it is on my 5.56. It’s also a touch louder.


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[Northern Outback]

I hunted bear every spring religiously for a hand full of years with a semi auto Stag 10 AR 10 in 308 with an 18” barrel. Had a blast using it and always effective.

Then our traitor commie government banned ARs and 2000 other semi auto rifles and completely screwed everything up.
careful how you guys vote down there

 

[AZ_Hunter]

I have shot all but 3 of my animals with some form of AR…. My interest in bolt guns is a recent thing. I’ve been into the AR system since the ban lifted and have been an AR wildcatter for over 15 years, always looking to stretch performance in the platform.

One of my favorites is my last bull killed with a 12.5” 6.8.

 

[AZ_Hunter]

Does it count if it’s not actually black? I rarely use a bolt rifle anymore. I’m not a long range enthusiast, and I like the modularity of the AR platform.

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Nice paint job. Was that a 223?

 

[AZ_Hunter]

100% it counts. What are the details of your rifle?

How long ago did you almost exclusively start hunting with your “not so black rifle”?What made you switch from bolt guns to an AR? What has been the things you like (aside from modularity) or don’t like about hunting big game in the mountains with it?

I am not who you are asking obviously, but I have always preferred the platform for the same reasons I have come to learn since coming on this forum why Roksliders like the ‘Rokslide Special’….

The ergonomics of the AR are intuitive, I built my hunting rifles to be very lightweight and short (suppressed), fast follow up shots, high accuracy, low recoil, etc. plus I have high 10’s of thousands of rounds through the system.

90% of my shots on game have been sub 300 yards, with most being sub 150. Why carry a big heavy bolt gun when I can carry something compact, light, and stay in the scope when fired, and then fire again.

The modular aspect allowed me to constantly upgrade/change my rifles as I saw fit. Wildcatting and building suppressors worked its way into the hobby concurrently, resulting in highly specialized systems. It was fun.

But I have kind of maxed out on that journey over 20 years and now getting into bolt guns simply because it’s different. But it’s hard to not take one of my AR’s back into the woods when the time comes other than out of state hunts where I don’t want the political optics of an AR.

 

[FSB12B]

I am reviving this thread instead of making a new one. How did everyone fair this year with their AR platform? I will be setting one up for next fall.

 

[RockAndSage]

I am reviving this thread instead of making a new one. How did everyone fair this year with their AR platform? I will be setting one up for next fall.

One of the greatest things about hunting with an AR, especially over a larger-cartridge bolt gun, is just how much field experience you can get in with them, across so many different types of hunts. Predator, varmint, small game, and as large of big game as you're comfortable with in your bullet selection. It adds up, and gets you dialed in for deer season in a way not many guys get to, if they only use their "deer guns" on deer.

 

[Taudisio]

I am reviving this thread instead of making a new one. How did everyone fair this year with their AR platform? I will be setting one up for next fall.

3/3 big game fall animals will ar15 platform.

 

[FSB12B]

One of the greatest things about hunting with an AR, especially over a larger-cartridge bolt gun, is just how much field experience you can get in with them, across so many different types of hunts. Predator, varmint, small game, and as large of big game as you're comfortable with in your bullet selection. It adds up, and gets you dialed in for deer season in a way not many guys get to, if they only use their "deer guns" on deer.

I have plenty of experience (like you said, more so than with my bolt guns) with them and have typically always preferred them over bolt guns. Just preference I suppose. Like most things, I will see it on Rokslide and ask myself "why haven't I done that?". So naturally, the plan is to set 2-3 up for deer/elk this season and see how much more I prefer it.

 

[waterengineer]

I am reviving this thread instead of making a new one. How did everyone fair this year with their AR platform? I will be setting one up for next fall.

I killed 4 whitetails with a 12.5” AR last year. None went further than 30 yards. Plan to use the same gun this year.

 

[AZ_Hunter]

I killed 4 whitetails with a 12.5” AR last year. None went further than 30 yards. Plan to use the same gun this year.

In 556?

 

[waterengineer]

In 556?

Yes.

Just realized this thread is about the west. I am hunting in the east with shots less than 300 yards