A Complete Guide to AR Hunting

I’m pretty sure I have hunted with and taken more game with an AR-platform rifle than anyone else. This is primarily because I’ve been hunting with ARs for decades. I’m also blessed to live on a large Texas ranch where we shoot several hundred feral hogs a year and harvest 70 or more deer each season. Hunting with an AR-platform rifle started for me back in the 1970s. It was when I bought my first one, a Colt SP1, which I still have. Of course, back then, the 5.56mm NATO/.223 Remington was your only real caliber choice.

Also, bullets capable of reliably taking deer-sized game like the 62-grain Barnes TSX had not been invented yet. So, in those early days, my AR hunting was mostly limited to predators and groundhogs. Fortunately, that has all changed now with AR-platform rifles chambered in calibers capable of taking the largest game in North America and all but a couple of African animals. We are fortunate to have bullets available to us that are suitable for almost any application imaginable. This includes hunting big tough game animals.

AR Hunting Advantages

Why hunt with an AR or modern sporting rifle (MSR) anyway? What are the advantages? Compared to your typical bolt-action hunting rifle, an MSR has some distinct benefits. Benefits such as ammunition capacity and the ability to easily attach various accessories to them. I know many states have limits on how many rounds of ammunition may be loaded into a rifle for hunting game animals, and obviously, those game laws should be respected. However, I live in the great Republic of Texas. The Parks & Wildlife Department hunting regulations state, “There are no restrictions on the number of shells or cartridges a legal firearm may hold when hunting game animals or game birds (except migratory game birds).” Scroll down to the bottom of this article to see a map of states that permit hunting with ARs.

Since we do a lot of feral hog hunting here, having a few extra rounds of ammunition available often comes in handy. I’m always weight conscious when it comes to the rifle I’m going to have to carry, so I don’t get too carried away and normally have only eight to 10 rounds in my rifle.

MSRs For Everyone!

The ability to easily attach accessories like a weapon light, laser, night-vision device, or quick-detach (QD) sling is extremely handy, especially when you’re hunting hogs or predators at night. Here again, it’s nice to live in the freedom-loving state of Texas, as the Parks & Wildlife Department regulations state, “Non-protected non-game animals and fur-bearing animals may be hunted at night with the aid of an artificial light on private property.”

Also, due to their easily adjustable length of pull and light recoil, MSRs are ideal for women, young hunters, and anyone that’s recoil sensitive. An AR in 6.8 SPC, 300 Blackout, or 7.62×40 WT would make a great deer rifle for young hunters and smaller-framed women. For those recoil-sensitive tough guys, an MSR in 6.5 Creedmoor or .308 Winchester will handle most hunting situations and do it with very minimal recoil.

Choosing the Right AR Hunting Rifle

So what makes a good AR hunting rifle? Obviously, caliber selection is critical. As ethical hunters, we always strive to make a quick, clean kill. With so many choices, it’s easy to match the caliber to the intended game.

This brings us to accuracy. Hunting is always precision shooting. Due to the makeup of the AR platform, a correctly installed, quality barrel will normally create a very accurate rifle. This is especially true if you take the time to try various ammunition to find out what load your specific rifle shoots the best.

Sporting rifles should also be kept reasonably lightweight, the nature of hunting involves a lot more carrying than shooting. An overly heavy rifle can take all the fun out of a long stalk. However, if you go too light, especially at the muzzle end, you will end up with an AR hunting rifle that’s hard to hold steady and shoot well. Have you ever tried shooting a really light-barreled rifle in a crosswind?

For myself, I’ve found that a rifle weighing around 9 pounds with optics installed and loaded, ready to hunt, is a good compromise between the amount of weight I’m willing to carry and a weight that allows me to shoot the rifle well from field positions. Not going too light on the barrel profile and taking weight off the other end by choosing a lighter optic and stock results in an MSR that’s extremely accurate, easy to carry, and easy to shoot well.

What Caliber?

So what chamberings are available to us MSR hunters? I’ve personally used AR-platform rifles in:

.223/5.56mm
6.5 Creedmoor
6.8 SPC II
.300 Blackout
7.62×40 WT
.30 Remington AR
.308 Winchester/7.62mm NATO
.338 Federal
.358 Winchester
.458 SOCOM

Other AR-platform calibers that I haven’t yet hunted with include:

.204 Ruger
.22 Nosler
.243 Winchester
6mm Creedmoor
.25 Sharps
6.5 Grendel
.264 LBC
.260 Remington
7mm-08 Remington
.375 SOCOM
.375 Raptor
.450 Bushmaster
.500 Beowulf.

On top of all these caliber choices, there are specialty AR rifles in chamberings like 7mm Remington Magnum, .30-06, .300 Winchester Magnum, and .338 Lapua Magnum.

As you can see, there are well over 23 caliber options available between the AR-15 and its larger cousins. There’s an MSR available today that’s suitable for hunting almost any animal on the planet. So what are my favorite go-to hunting calibers?

Varmints and predators: .223, 6.5 Creedmoor
Open country and longer-range hunting: 6.5 Creedmoor
Whitetail deer and average hogs: 6.5 Creedmoor, .308
Elk-sized game and big hogs: .338 Federal, .358 Winchester and .458 SOCOM
Really tough game, up to and including big bears and Cape buffalo: .458 SOCOM

There are a lot of good ammo choices and bullets out there today, especially for the .308. Almost anything works fine for deer-sized game and smaller. For tougher game, I have had such good success for so many years with the Barnes X and Nosler Partition bullets that I rarely use anything else. The .338 Federal with 210-grain Nosler Partition or the .458 SOCOM with 300-grain Barnes TTSX bullets will handle any game animal in North America and all but a couple in Africa.

bill wilson ar hunting 338 federal rifle — Wilson used a .338 Federal to tackle a big nilgai bull on the famous King Ranch in Texas.

Zeroing In

The best MSR with the best ammo won’t get the job done if you can’t place an accurate shot in the vitals of your game. That is why a top-quality riflescope is a necessity. Never outfit a hunting rifle with a bargain-basement product.

In today’s marketplace, we have numerous quality scope options available with a street price of $400 or less. I’ve found the Burris Fullfield II series, Bushnell Elite series, or any of the Leupolds from the VX-2 series or better give me good, reliable service. If you can afford a scope in the $600 to $800 range, and you have a need for an illuminated reticle, consider the Leupold VX-R or Trijicon AccuPoint series. Both have proven themselves on my ARs.

For an all-around hunting scope, most of my personal rifles are topped with optics in the 2-7X, 3-9X, or 2-10X magnification range with 35mm or larger objective lens. 1-4x24mm and 1-6x24mm “tactical” scopes are the current craze right now, but they leave a lot to be desired in low-light situations. Big-bore ARs can be fairly heavy, so be conscious of the weight of your scope and mount. Remember, a hunting rifle is carried a lot more than it’s shot!

My Top 5 AR Hunting Strategies

AR Hunting Strategy 1: Know Your AR

Five years ago, I went on an AR hunt in South Texas with Eddie Stevenson, who worked for Remington at the time. At the ranch, Stevenson stuck a brand-new camo Remington R-25 in my hands and said, “What do you think?”

I spent an hour with the R-25, reading the owner’s manual, and getting familiar with the firearm. Get to know your AR before you shoot it, much less go hunting with it.

I turned the unloaded R-25 over and over in my hands. Then I shouldered and un-shouldered it many times, until the large, round forend tube and the pistol grip felt comfortable. Next, I worked the rear-sliding bolt over and over. I practiced seating and removing the unloaded magazine.

The side safety on an AR sits low on the receiver and has a much different feel than the triggerguard or tang safety that you are probably used to, but with time and practice, it’s easy to engage/disengage. All told, it takes an hour or so to get a good, initial grip on an AR-platform rifle.

AR Hunting Strategy 2: Understand Impact

The day before my Texas deer hunt with the R-25 began I hit the range, sat at the bench, and loaded four 150-grain Core-Lokt Ultra-Bonded cartridges into the four-shot magazine. I clicked it into the rifle, chambered a round, and settled on a target bull. I fired the first shot—it was dead on at 100 yards! The next two bullets printed within an inch. The first time I fired this particular rife I produced three tight shots. Not bad!

I proceeded to ravage Eddie Stevenson’s ammo stash and shot up most of the rounds he had brought. Shooting an AR is addictive! I was impressed with how the R-25 produced virtually no recoil, and easily settled back into the bags and on target after every shot. The semi-auto gas action eliminated most of the muzzle flip. I was getting used to the feel and position of the pistol grip, side safety, and fat forend. The single-stage trigger had a bit of creep, but not very much. It’s all part of the process.

John Fink offers an AR shooting tip you need to keep in mind. “With an AR rifle, there is a considerable point of impact vs. point of aim difference at close range. Think 20 to 25 yards, as compared to 100 yards. This is because the line of sight is higher than the centerline of the bore. For example, a rifle zeroed dead-on at 100 yards could be as much as 6 inches low at 25 yards. It will vary by load. You need to practice shots at various hunting distances so you know where your particular AR rifle and load impact at those distances.”

AR Hunting Strategy 3: Ensure Target Engagement

With a standard bolt-action or semi-auto, you can slip into a hunting spot and chamber a round quietly. But with an AR, you normally pull the bolt back fully and let it slam forward to make sure you lock a round home. “Never baby an AR bolt closed,” says Stevenson. “You want to ensure full engagement of the bolt lock-up.”

This obviously makes a lot of noise that will travel especially far on a cold, still morning. Factor that into your hunting routine. Before heading out to call coyotes or stalk a deer, load up at your truck, make sure the rifle’s safety is engaged, and handle your AR safely as you sneak forth.

AR Hunting Strategy 4: Maintain Stability

On the ground, an AR carbine is easy to handle and shoot, especially from the kneeling or sitting position. But you’ll shoot better with a tree or fence post for a rest, or with the use of shooting sticks. An AR has an oversize forend, and you’ll need thick, stout shooting sticks to rest it solidly. Thin, flimsy sticks that work well with a bolt rifle won’t cut it with a hefty, modular-repeating rifle.

Some ARs come equipped with small bipods, and they are easy to add to most rifles. These work great in big, open country, where you can go prone for shots at deer or antelope. Stout sticks work best for sitting shots and especially when you’re calling predators. This is when you need to be able to see and shoot into sage or grass.

AR Hunting Strategy 5: Be Treestand Savvy

Hunting whitetails from a treestand with a .308-caliber AR-10 is tricky from a lock-and-load standpoint. When you sneak in for an afternoon hunt, go ahead and bolt a round home at the truck. Then sneak toward your stand from downwind and hunt your way in. Many a buck has been taken by the good hunter who moves slowly, looks, spots a rack, kneels, and kills a deer halfway to his stand.

Of course, most days it won’t happen like that, and so you have a dilemma. You must remove the magazine and unload the AR’s chamber before roping the gun up to your stand (barrel down). Then what? Once you’re up in the stand, if you lock and load and clang-bang, every deer within a half-mile will hear it.

You have this problem in the morning, too. There is no reason to load any rifle for the hike in the dark. For safety, never do that. After roping your unloaded AR up into the dark stand, now what?

Here’s what. Once you’re up and harnessed into your stand, pull up your AR and pop in a full mag. “To quietly close the bolt, utilize the charging handle to keep the bolt from slamming home and making noise,” says Fink. “While holding the charging handle fully to the rear, hit the bolt release and ease the bolt forward. You may have to pull back on the charging handle and release slowly to get a round to feed from the magazine. Once the round is chambered, use the forward assist to ensure complete lock-up.” This is one of those unique and complex AR things that you need to practice many times at the range before you try it 17 feet up in a deer stand.

Most people equate an AR rifle with stalking and ground shots. A short, easy-to-handle carbine is great for popping deer from a treestand. Set your stand so that it points at a 45-degree angle to the right of where you expect to see deer out front (assuming you are a right-handed shooter). Now you can easily see and cover a buck that comes in anywhere in the 180-degree arc in front of your stand with virtually no movement.

When you see that 10-pointer, scrunch low on the seat. Lock the AR to your shoulder, bore your elbows into your thighs, or rest them over your knees. Flip off the side safety and take him.