Anyone use a Big Bore AR15??

[thatguy]

I got bit by the Big Bore AR15 bug last week and cant stop thinking about getting one.. I like the idea of using it for deer hunting here in VA..

I am leaning toward the 450 Bushmaster mainly because the ammo is available (not a lot of mfg or bullet choices though) and the ammo is not outlandishly expensive ($27/box hornady, and soon to be availabe Remington Core-Lokt will be around $24)..

My first want was a 50 beowulf - but that ammo appears to be almost non-existant.. The 458 Socom was also on the list, but what ammo i found online was almost double the 450BM..

I currently dont reload so that is not a variable.. BUT I have a neighbor with the basic equipment that I bet I can use if i buy my own dies and supplies down the road..

Any thoughts.. Suggestions??

 

[actionaj]

I have a BushMaster in .243 absolutely love it. Great round great gun.

 

[Western]

Try ar15.com I think that's it, there is allot of good discussion, pros and cons, of differant ar makes and models

 

[gsganzer]

If you want something with more versatility and range, I'd get an AR-10 style in .308

I use mine for hunting deer and hogs and love it. I can buy a box of 150gr. Winchester Power Max for about $22/20rds and the ballistics of the .308 are very good.

.

 

[Ductape]

My neighbor has a .50 beowulf and i want one BAD.


YouTube - 50 Cal Beowulf vs Watermelon .50 cal

 

[thatguy]

thanks everyone.. I have already read thru the 130ish pages of stuff at ar15.com and found a lot of useful information. Actually way more info than my brain can comprehend at the moment.. lol

I like the idea of a 308/243/7mm-08 AR, BUT that requires a new lower and I didnt want to go that direction.. Less costly to just get a new upper..

the 50 beowulf/450 Bushmaster/458 Socom will fit my needs for where I live.. I already have a Ruger M77 .308 so I really dont NEED anything, but like Ductape I WANT one.. LOL

Brian

 

[Erik_in_Hoyt]

how about a 7.62x39 upper?
gives you cheap ammo for plinking and ballistics similar to 30-30 for hunting.

 

[gsganzer]

I like the idea of a 308/243/7mm-08 AR, BUT that requires a new lower and I didnt want to go that direction.. Less costly to just get a new upper..

True, but once you have the larger AR platform you will have both lowers. Then you accomodate every upper/chambering you may ever want.

I love helping people justify spending money on things they need (notice I didn't say want..)

A quality upper in the chamberings you mention will probably run at least $600 (or more). An AR-10 will run you $1K. Pay once and cry once.

 

[thatguy]

how about a 7.62x39 upper?
gives you cheap ammo for plinking and ballistics similar to 30-30 for hunting.

I thought of that and it certainly would be cheap enough ammo.. BUT for right now 'I feel the need' for something a little bigger.. Not sure why.. I just do..

I also thought about the various 6.5/6.8's - which would work on Deer as well.. But the call of that big bore is very strong.. LOL

 

[thatguy]

True, but once you have the larger AR platform you will have both lowers. Then you accomodate every upper/chambering you may ever want.

I love helping people justify spending money on things they need (notice I didn't say want..)

A quality upper in the chamberings you mention will probably run at least $600 (or more). An AR-10 will run you $1K. Pay once and cry once.

BUT - if i just buy the upper I can tell the wife Im buying some 'accessories for hunting' if i buy the ar10 i am buying a 'gun' and she will probably say i dont need it.. LOL

to be honest she wouldnt care what i bought or how expensive it is... Im pretty frugal most of the time.. The AR10 is something I should look at though..

Brian

 

[valley]

I would love an AR 15. The last time I priced one, should have bought it then, it was $355. I'm afraid to look now. My 308 is great but its a bolt action, sure would like to aim and click, click, click. The 30 cal carbine doesn't hit hard enough for some things.

 

[Sigarms]

But the call of that big bore is very strong.. LOL

Just get yourself a .45-70

Then again, I remember when Hornady came out with the .450 Marlin, and how that round was going to replace the .45-70 Problem was, people didn't realize that you could load for the .45-70

Just don't see big bullets out of an AR platform. Guess I'm getting to be too old school.

 

[CTW]

If you want something with more versatility and range, I'd get an AR-10 style in .308

I use mine for hunting deer and hogs and love it. I can buy a box of 150gr. Winchester Power Max for about $22/20rds and the ballistics of the .308 are very good.

.

Ditto. I have an AR-10 T in .308 and love it as well. Nice and heavy, you can watch the hog drop in your scope.

 

[Jay4200]

Pshaw. Get an AR50. Smoothest action I ever felt - sliding the bolt back is like silk...for about a foot! SA-WEET! The main advantage to one of these is you don't have to butcher your deer after you shoot it.

JayC

 

[czechsonofagun]

Just get yourself a .45-70

That's the next one on my list Black gun does not have too much *** appeal for me; proly because of the time I had to drag around the Vz58.

Here is a nice video to watch, btw.

 

[thatguy]

Pshaw. Get an AR50. Smoothest action I ever felt - sliding the bolt back is like silk...for about a foot! SA-WEET! The main advantage to one of these is you don't have to butcher your deer after you shoot it.

JayC

do you think it would be good enough to shoot a deer at less than 100 yds? I would be worried that that 700 gr bullet may not have enough steam past 50 yds and I dont want to risk not having a good kill...


NOT!!! -

I dont know of any ranges that would even start to be big enough for a 50BMG.. Also I wouldnt want to have feed it LOL

 

[valley]

Sigarms, I have a 45-70 Springfield 1889 on the stock. Its a trapdoor. I traded it for seven 22 cartrages when I was about 10. I know thats not what you meant.
I have an AR 7, wonder if I can get a spare barrel for it, there is something I want to try.

Re: 700gr bullet. You'ed have a kill alright, clean I don't know!

 

[RobertN]

Interesting this thread. I have been reading some of the books about the Marines in Vietnam, and how awful upset when they had to turn in ther M14's for M16's. Pronlems they had, lack of effective round compared to 308.

Interesting all the new larger calibres that are out now on the AR platform. It is impressive how flexible the AR platform has become.

Have shot them, but gotta admit, give me an M1A first. 308, large calibre, heavy, downrange power.

 

[HCJ]

Not trying to start an argument, but I never have understood why anyone would want to use the AR platform for deer hunting. I agree, it's great for plinking, or shooting at running hogs or coyotes, but it just seems a poor choice for deer hunting. Why do you need a mag full of rounds to hunt deer? And the calibers it is available in are limited and there are dozens of calibers far superior, with cheaper ammo and more choices in terms of loads. Give me a trusty bolt action in a standard caliber (say .270, .308, .243, 30/06 etc). It only takes one shot. If you miss with the first, chances of hitting it with the second are slim to none anyway, especially hitting it in the vitals. And before I get blasted, I have a .223 Bushmaster and love it (just not for deer hunting). A big bore AR may be a fun toy, but seems not the weapon of choice for hunting deer. What advantages does it have over my .270 Sako or my .308 Kimber? If you say the ability to fire multiple rounds, I would question your hunting tactics. When I hunt and hear one shot, I think "dead deer". When I hear 4 or 5 shots in succession, I envision someone spraying shots at the tail end of a deer going warp speed.

 

[czechsonofagun]

I am with you; OK in my military service we hunted or poached roe deer with the mentioned Vz58, but I much prefer the looks and feels of nice hunting rifle.

Maybe they carry for the case being ambushed by a herd of tough rogue deer with tatoos and leather bandanas?