Why Your Beloved AR Is The Perfect Hunting Rifle

Author: Jeff Edwards

If there is one thing America’s vibrant gun community loves, it is a classic gun debate.

Just mention your love for the 1911 around a Glock lover and you’ll be in one soon enough.

So we are very aware that we have created a little controversy by saying that your beloved AR is the perfect deer hunting rifle.

If you’ve got a few minutes to stick with us here, we’ll explain it in more detail.

You see, the AR style rifle has become America’s rifle and it resides in homes across America from sea to shining sea.

Yet, far too many fail to appreciate its potential to drop mid-sized game and put dinner on the table.

The bottom line is that if you own the AR platform then you have the perfect deer hunting rifle right at your fingertips. So let’s dive right in.

 

America’s Love Affair with the AR Rifle

The AR-15 was born out of the U.S. military’s request for a lightweight rifle that could go toe to toe with the AK-47 in the jungles of Vietnam.

Originally evolving into the classic M16 that has since become the standard service rifle for the U.S., the civilian version was quickly put to the market as the AR-15 by Colt.

Over the next 70 years, Americans would fall in love with this rifle as they saw it as the Yin to the Soviet Union’s AK-47 Yang. The good guys carried the M-16 and the bad guys carried the AK-47.

 

Apart from a brief moment in history where the 1990’s assault weapon ban made their purchase illegal, the rifle has been a popular mainstream in the American gun universe.

Whereas we are pretty sure half the consumers purchase the AR-15 with a looming zombie apocalypse in mind, its function extends far beyond such scenarios.

It is a rifle well suited to secure and maintain the Second Amendment for decades to come.

It is a rifle that will serve up a very bad day to any bad guy that should choose to invade your home.

It is easy to maintain, fun to shoot, and yes, it can be a perfect rifle to take into the deer stand with you during those cold fall mornings.

 

Perfection in all the Possibilities

Perhaps the genesis behind our decision to sell premium accessories for firearms like the AR-15 is the belief that every gun should be a personal choice.

As the rifleman’s creed goes, there may be many like it, but this one is yours.

The AR platform is remarkably versatile and in this manner, it can quickly become the perfect deer hunting rifle with a quick modification.

Swapping out the upper receiver for the AR-10 or the .300 Blackout alters the capabilities of the rifle, while still allowing you to quickly switch back to the AR-15 when needed.

F1 Firearms, straight out of Texas with this sexy beast

After all, a gun is simply a tool and for every job, there exists the perfect tool.

However, in keeping with the fidelity of the title, we said the AR-15 can be your perfect deer hunting rifle and we meant it. If this were 1965 and you told us that you were purchasing an AR-15 to hunt deer, we might chide you for your poor decision.

Certainly, it will kill a deer, but there are better options.

In the present, advancements in modern ballistics have created .223 or 5.56 rounds that are specifically designed for hunting game like deer.

You do not have to swap out the upper receiver to pack a powerful punch with the AR-15, as advanced ballistics will deliver it for you.

Winchester offers up their Power Max Bonded 223 round that is designed specifically for game like deer.

They boast a proprietary bonding process that they claim delivers massive expansion, long-range accuracy and some serious power to knock down the animal.

Premium ammunition manufacturer Hornady has jumped into the game with their 223 Rem 50 Grain GMX Full Boar.

This round explodes out of the muzzle at 3335 feet per second and at 300 years out, it is still moving at 2071 feet per second.

It is a round designed specifically with medium sized game in mind and delivers in every way.

Truthfully, whether it is Remington, Black Hills, or Federal Ammunition, nearly all manufacturers have taken advantage of modern technology to deliver an AR round that will get the job done.

With the right ammo, your AR will not let you down in the deer stand.

Gun lovers can, and will, argue over which round is best. Yet, it is beyond contestation that such rounds do exist.

 

Hornady 'Full Boar' Ammunition

A Rifle for All Seasons

Despite the fact that the AR-15 loaded with the right ammunition will offer a clean kill in its own right, the true reason we believe the AR-15 is the perfect deer hunting rifle rests in its ability to do everything else you need it to do.

The United States military had all the funding it ever wanted during the Cold War and could have chosen any rifle to lead the way.

They chose the M-16/AR platform for a reason.

You have certainly heard the stories about the unreliability of the rifle to function in dirty conditions, but these were born out of early experiences in the Vietnam War.

By 1965, modifications were made and it would be America’s weapon all the way through the Global Wars on Terror.

Gun control enthusiasts may laud the AR as a “weapon of war”, but make no mistake about it, you will indeed have a weapon in your arsenal that is capable of fighting a war.

It will also drop that deer and put a little deer jerky in your pantry for an afternoon snack.

Personally, if the zombie apocalypse should come, the AR platform would be an excellent choice.

It is lightweight and accurate out to a very long range.

No need to fear the undead when you can drop them from over 500 yards out. It is also fantastic for giving Bambi the deer something to cry about when loaded with the right ammunition.

The cold hard truth is that the AR-15 is a rifle for all seasons, all budgets, and deer season is most certainly included in that resume.

So let’s talk budgets.

If money is no problem and your personal armory looks like a scene out of a Rambo movie, then spare no expense to get the best AR in your hands.

With a little over $2,000 to spend, you can pick up the Yankee Hill Machine Co’s Model-57 Specter XL Billet Carbine.

The Yankee Hill Specter is a mean looking unit, with silencer or muzzle brake.

It’s sexy with a rugged design and comes fully zombie apocalypse and deer stand approved. But you do not have to break the bank to find a capable rifle.

Smith & Wesson offers a host of options like the M&P 15-22 Sport. You can pick it up with an optics ready scope and bipod for anywhere between $500 to $1,000 bucks.

Load it with top tier ammunition utilizing modern ballistics and you’ll have venison on the table before you know it.

Yes, there are better options out there.

However, we are always of the belief that the best rifle is the one you can actually afford as opposed to drooling over in the gun shop window.

 

In Conclusion

The AR platform is one rifle with many options.

When you customize it to the job at hand, you will find no better option before you.

Hunting deer is just one job and the fact that the AR-15 can deliver on that job and stand ready to do many more makes it the perfect deer hunting rifle.

It is a weapon that is great news for the good guys and terrible news for the bad guys and deer alike.

Here at Tier One, we deliver solutions that are good enough for the British Special Forces and the American hunter alike.

Every product is made in-house with our CNC machines and we do not farm out a single piece of the manufacturing process.

We take the best materials on the planet to make the best accessories possible to give you the best shot when it matters most.

The new Tier One cantilever monomount is the perfect mount for any serious AR setup.

About the author:

Jeff Edwards is a United States Marine veteran of Iraq who served as an infantryman during the early days of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. In addition to being a over of the 2nd Amendment he runs the blog UnprecedentedMediocrity.com and regularly contributes the written word as a freelance writer and blogger.