Best military style rifle for hunting deer, please help.?

Question

was looking for something not overly bulky and with the look and feel of an m4. i am new to hunting and am in the army, wanted something thats similar to what i work with so that i can practice at the range and hunt with the same weapon as well. i figure the more closely it resembles an m4 the better off i will be. is it an appropriate weapon for hunting deer or boar. i am also interested in the .450 by bushmaster as it has a similar look and feel to the m4 could you tell me the difference in range stopping power and what would be the best. thanx el hefe

Answer 1

Given your criteria, I suggest selecting an "AR-style" rifle which can shoot .308 Winchester cartridges.  These will be sufficient for deer and boar hunting.

The .450 is nice, but has a relatively short effective range.

There are AR-15 type rifles which can chamber the 7.62x39mm Soviet cartridge.  This is a reasonable compromise for deer, but may not be enough for boar.

I suggest visiting http://www.ar15.com for additional articles & information about AR-15 rifle variants.

Edited to add:  Yes, I agree with the notion to consider the 6.5mm Grendel cartridge too.

Answer 2

Avoid the .450 by Bushmaster.... The ammunition is way to expensive...... Get a DPMS in .308.....

http://www.dpmsinc.com/firearms/firearm....

http://www.dpmsinc.com/

Answer 3

Bolt action Springfield 30-06 with a scope.

Answer 4

Several AE15 clones are available in .308, (and some in 243 and 260.) as well as bigger like the 450. I would suggest the .308 as it is a good powerful deer, boar, and other medium/big game cartridge which is very popular, relatively inexpensive, and easy to find at most places like wally world. New or odd ball cartridges may be hard to find in the future (eg 6.8)

Answer 5

Well if your looking for something that is similar to the m4 there are literally hundreds of different options out there. And as far as the .450 for boar hunting, It is a great choice. The article at http://www.bushmaster.com/community-hunt... talks about its use as a boar hunting rifle. And with the .450 if you buy it and you dont quite like the feel you can always buy different parts such as a different style handguard or buttstock.

Answer 6

Take a look at the grendel instead, it has better accuracy and is better for distance shots, the recoil isnt bad. The grendel has at least 4 choices of ammo i think where as the Bushmaster has only one made by Hornady. Might not be the easiest or cheapest to find and use.

The Grendel has a muzzle velocity of 2600fps and accuracy out to 1200 yds where as the Bushmaster  450 has only 2200 fps and a range within 200 yds.

Answer 7

I own a .303 B Lee Enfield #4 Mk1 (original stock/altered), great rifle for deer

[my opinion]

"can't go wrong with a rifle of war for hunting, all were made for the trenches"

Answer 8

It's the choices we make that make our life better. 82nd Delta I hunt alot. I use all sorts of weapons. My 1st choice for Hunting is Archery. Shoot accurate with a bow and you'll find shooting with an M4 is a breeze.but if you like try the Mac-90 assault rifle with hollow point and 5 round clip. just remember do not take the 30 round with you in the woods. just having it in your vehicle is the same as having it loaded. Good hunting. PS don't overlook Florida we some challenging and good hunting. As long as snakes don't bother you too much.

Answer 9

You can use an m4 style and a 5.56x45/.223 for hunting deer. But you better be a very good shot. Most hunting rifles will weigh a bit more will be longer. The caliber would have to be larger for other animals.

I hunt with a mosin but it's 4' long, weighs 9 pounds empty and the recoil is rather hard.

Answer 10

Try something along the lines of the M-14. I am not sure what the civillian variant is, but snipers in Iraq have been using them for some time. The look and feel in comparison, very close to the M-4. The best part is, they make them in different calibers. I have shot them before, (on the range), and they are quite accurate out to a mean distance. I shot a target 800m away, first time even seeing the rifle. It's a beautiful machine. Not to mention, it'll leave a huge gaping hole in the back of a terrorists head. SWEET! Rangers Lead The Way!!!!

Answer 11

You could put together an AR platform, in .308.  A .308 has enough 'umph' to hunt anything in North America, and long legs to boot.  

      Thank-You for your service, I too was Army.

Answer 12

Panther makes a great .308. It is more accurate than most bolt actions.

Answer 13

You shouldn't be worried so much about the feel of the gun as it is the caliber of the riffle that will dictate its shooting characteristics.  As for using 2 different styles of guns wont make a difference...it only takes a couple of shots to reset yourself from gun to gun.  Find a caliber that matches your m4 ballistics and your good to go.

Answer 14

Mini Thirty. it is a .30 caliber in a mini 14 style rifle made by Ruger.

Answer 15

If you can still find any in good shape Id go with the British 303 the military version with the mil style peep sights, this thing might kick like a mule and have a loud bark but is very accurate with plenty of stopping power. I had one hunted deer and moose in Maine for years, it was a real tack driver out to 200 hundred yards with open sights, but then again I never fired at any thing beyond that.

Answer 16

I build custom AR-15's and have sucessfully hunted deer in Alaska with the AR-15 in 5.56mm (223 Remington).

Taking your AR-15 M4 hunting is a great idea!  Although the 2nd ammendement says nothing about hunting............ our society is starting to judge firearms by being 'good for hunting' and 'no good for hunting'.  The AR-15 has a bad rep as a hunting rifle - but - not when my friends, ex wife, or I use it.  

We have taken good one shot kills with the old 55gr bullets.  Now Sierra, Hornady, etc are making much heavier, better flying, and more powerful bullets in the 70-80 grain area.  The Barnes 70gr triple shock is a real deer slayer.  The trick to making these work - a 1:7 twist barrel.  These are becoming more and more common every day.

To take down a deer you need about 500 ft lbs of energy.  Nearly any magnum handgun and center rifle can muster that - the AR has no problems here.  The issue with using these for hunting is the ability to sucessfully pull off a 'quartering shot'.  This is when the animal is not presenting a good broadside target or is running and you need to shoot through a front or rear quarter - the bullet needs to pass through the quarter without destroying the meat and have enough retained energy to lethally damage vital internal organs.  A 223 Remington with standard 55 gr bullet can not do this.  However, many of the new bullets in 65-75 grain can do this.  You need to avoid the HPBT (hollow point boat tails) and using fmj or green tips - even though you probably can get them for free........ save 'em for practice and hunt with a good high end and highly effecient bullet.   Again, that Barnes tripple shock will expand into 4 razor sharp pieces - all copper, no lead - and once these break off the remaining 60% of the bullet is free to travel into the vital organs.  This round, and others like it, are the ones to us.

I have looked at the other calibers available for the AR-15.  I think if you do not own another centerfire rifle - these things make sense.  Very, very seldom you get an AR lower that is disabled in the field - usually the upper.  So if you bought an AR, then bought a .450 or other caliber upper later on - the older upper would actually work as a back up.  DO NOT buy the rifle with the dedicated upper from the factory - you really want that 223 upper for practice and back up!!!!!!!!!!!

Hope this helps.

Answer 17

An AR-15 in cartridges such as 6.8mm SPC, 6.5mm Grendel, or the .450 Bushmaster would be a great choices for for deer hunting. I got a 6.8 SPC kit rifle from model1sales.com and built it on a Bushmaster Carbon-15 lower. This is my hunting rifle and I use a Aimpoint 2X Red Dot type sight. Although I have no personal experience with the .450 Bushmaster cartridge, my concern would be the same marginal performance and accuracy at ranges much over 100 yards that affects many big boar rifles. But I can tell you that I have taken Whitetail in one shot at ranges up to 300 yards with the 6.8 SPC. I realize that is highly unusual (particularly where I live), but I like to know I have that option given the opportunity. With any big boar I'd be mighty nervous about a shot like that.

Answer 18

Hey, El Jefe, anything .308/7.62x51 or larger caliber.  The old German Mauser in 7x57 or 8mm is good too.  Be sure and use hunting ammo for deer also.  Forget the FMJ ammo when hunting.

Happy hunting.

H

Answer 19

I would recommend an AR-15 type of rifle in .308/7.62 or in .450 Bushmaster configuration upper. The AR-15 platform is stable and good for hunting.

Answer 20

AR10

The original Stoner design that morphed into he M16 and AR 15

308 goodness with the same M16 feel

That or an AR15 chambered in 7.62x39

Same ballistics as the tried and true 30-30 in an AR package

More than enough for pigs or deer

Answer 21

0.308 mauser

Answer 22

your M4 is most likely chambered for .223 or .308. these are perfect calibers for just about any game in north america. you could use your service rifle, if it's in .223, for anything from coyote and other varmints all the way up to whitetail deer, whereas the M4 in .308 can be used for anything from whitetail deer up to elk and moose. the .308 has a distinct advantage over the .223; it has more powder and is a heavier bullet. you can take game at 500+ yards with a .308. the smaller .223 would be used for shooting within 250 yards or so because it is a lighter bullet.

Answer 23

sks..hollow tips