Thinking about buying a new AR-15

[southkogs]

... I actually hunted deer with the Ruger Mini14 decades ago. Not the gun to use, believe me.

That doesn't surprise me. I've always seen that 14 as a target / defensive gun. More fun to shoot than anything else. My favorite long gun is a .243 that I have. I could hunt with it, but even that seems a little light for bringing down a deer.

I do have my great grandfather's Remington .300 Savage that he used to hunt deer with. I've never hunted with it, but the couple of times (literally 2) that I've shot it - it feels like it would stop a train.

 

[MTboatguy]

My Favorite hunting guns are my .270's I use them for both elk and deer and they are the guns I am most comfortable, great round, especially if you load your own ammo, the 165 Nosler partition bullet will take down just about anything I will ever hunt.

 

[gm280]

That doesn't surprise me. I've always seen that 14 as a target / defensive gun. More fun to shoot than anything else. My favorite long gun is a .243 that I have. I could hunt with it, but even that seems a little light for bringing down a deer.

I do have my great grandfather's Remington .300 Savage that he used to hunt deer with. I've never hunted with it, but the couple of times (literally 2) that I've shot it - it feels like it would stop a train.

southkogd, I started off hunting deer with a Remington 700 ADL in .234 cal. It was actually my wife's first Christmas present to me when we got married. Her dad owned a gun shop. YEA! And I had taken many deer with that rifle. It will drop them without issue. However as I continued hunting deer I wanted a little more rifle for long shots, being how I was usually hunting clear cut land.

So she bought me a Ruger 77 in .280 cal. for another Christmas Present (because that was what I asked for). I hung a Leopold Vari-X III with 50mm lens and it was a tack driver after I sent it to Timney Trigger Company to have Timney himself do the trigger job on it. Zero creep and over travel, and a very crisp 3lb let off. I love that rifle and that is my favorite.

However, I then had to have a .300 WIN Mag as well. So another Ruger M77 Christmas present under the tree and another Leopold Vari-X III as well. And that fact that I do all my own ammo reloading, It shoots Minute Of Angle as well. What more can you ask from any rifle, especially for hunting!

MT, I have loaded .270 rounds, but not for any of my rifles. I like the .280 because it uses 7mm bullets in a 3006 size brass case. So it can shoot anything from 90 grain rounds to well over 200 grain offerings. And is very flat shooting. That is my favorite rifle of all times. Hence GM280! :thumb:

 

[dwco5051]

If I only could keep one of my long guns it would be my Ruger 270. The areas I hunt are heavily wooded and often you can?t even see a deer 100 yards away let alone get a shot. I have several loads I make up and it is good for anything I hunt. Deer, black bear, or coyote. The longest shot that I ever took a deer with in my 60 years of hunting was about 75 yards and that was with my 45 flintlock. I was sitting up on the hill and it offered me a broadside shot in a clearing.

I have yet to see a hunter around here with a bullet drop table taped to their stock.

 

[thumpar]

I agree GM. People who think that know nothing about guns. Just because they "look" military doesn't make it so. They're no different than my semi auto hunting rifle...... They just look cooler......

Yep. The mini 14 shoots the same round, has the same capacity and capability as an AR-15 but the AR-15 is scary because of it's looks.

 

[thumpar]

I have a .270 mauser action fn built in Belgium in 1953. It was my Grandpa's hunting rifle. They are a great gun and round.

 

[southkogs]

"Too many guns. Not enough time. Not enough money."

 

[aspeck]

Here is the .270 I got for my daughter for Christmas. She wants to go elk hunting in CO with me in the fall. Got a really sweet deal, I think. It is a Savage action (Axis), which is a decent action, with a custom trigger, stock, and muzzle break. The scope is a 4-16x Center Point with illuminated cross hairs and windage and elevation markings. 2 boxes of ammo came with it, I think only about 10 rounds were fired through the gun. Would you pay $475 for this package?

 

[MTboatguy]

Heck it seems like the 2 boxes of ammo is worth 25% of what you paid these days!

 

[thumpar]

That is a pretty stock. Those are great guns. I have almost bought one in .308 many times.

 

[gm280]

Here is the .270 I got for my daughter for Christmas. She wants to go elk hunting in CO with me in the fall. Got a really sweet deal, I think. It is a Savage action (Axis), which is a decent action, with a custom trigger, stock, and muzzle break. The scope is a 4-16x Center Point with illuminated cross hairs and windage and elevation markings. 2 boxes of ammo came with it, I think only about 10 rounds were fired through the gun. Would you pay $475 for this package?

Ha aspeck, the Savage action is really a good action indeed. I have a Savage 110E in 3006. The stock on that .270 of yours looks like a copy of Richard Microfit gun stock thumbhole designs. Nice setup in my opinion. I bought a lot of Richard Microfit Stocks for all types of guns. Colors are your option!

http://www.rifle-stocks.com/laminated_woods.htm

 

[aspeck]

I saw it online and it was about 50 miles away, just outside of State College, PA. You can buy a NEW Axis for $289. There is about $500 in the stock (Glass bedding, recoil pad, etc.), trigger, and muzzle break I am guessing, and a couple hundred maybe in the scope. The one box of ammo is not a full box (missing 4 or 5 rounds), so probably another $50-$80 in ammo (Ballistic tip higher end big game rounds). That was my take on it. My daughter loves it ... now the practicing begins. She will need to shoot tacks at various yardage before we are comfortable to shoot elk in the wild.

 

[gm280]

aspeck, one really nice thing about a thumbhole stock, the felt recoil is so much less. I guess the reason is because you are holding it much like a good revolver with the thumbhole absorbing some of the recoil. And while she is shooting for practice, try this to reduce felt recoil. Use an old ~9" x ~9" piece of house carpet between the butt of the rifle and the shoulder. You will be amazed as how much less recoil you will feel AND she then concentrates on the target and shot to shot groupings. Then when in the field, the adrenaline will never let her feel the recoil anyways...guaranteed!

I have used that technique for years and others seen it and tried it and are equally amazed at the difference in felt recoil. JMHO!

 

[MTboatguy]

Although the .270 is not really that hard of a kicking gun, one thing I did on my Mauser actioned rifle was a Limb Save pad, I actually put it on for the length increase, but I was amazed at how well it reduces felt recoil, I have installed them on all of my shotguns, including my shorter barreled HD shotgun, which is a 3 inch mag and with buckshot, it kicks the crap out of you, much better with the pad on it.

 

[southkogs]

Wow - that looks like a nice setup aspeck. I like Thumpar's idea of that in .308.

 

[aspeck]

I liked the muzzle break and thumb hole stock for recoil. Her 14 year old frame took a beating with my Ruger M77's in .270. She likes shooting this one ... I will try the carpet square. Cool.

 

[dwco5051]

I liked the muzzle break and thumb hole stock for recoil. Her 14 year old frame took a beating with my Ruger M77's in .270. She likes shooting this one ... I will try the carpet square. Cool.

Hey Speck, quit coming over the mountain and stealing guns off us dumb locals.:lol:

Seriously, that is a nice find. I picked up a scoped Marlin 336 in 30-30 for $250 for my eleven year old grand daughter this Fall. Some one had painted the stock camo and I had to spend a few evenings removing the paint, staining and refinishing it with an oil finish but it now looks brand new. Started out with reduced recoil loads and the first evening with it she was shooting 1 ? groups at 50 yards. Bought a box of Remington Managed Recoil loads and she held the same tight groups with them. She is getting a real kick out of helping Pappy reload practice loads for it and shoots up a box every time she comes down.

 

[gm280]

Great to hear so many folks enjoy shooting and teaching their kids the right way to handle and shoot any gun. That does make the huge difference. I do remember my older son, then 9 year old, taking his first deer in the deer stand with me. My younger son hunted a few years with me but never connected with a deer while in the stand with me. It wasn't until he was a lot older hunting by himself did he take his first deer. But those memories will always be with me. Now we all enjoy fishing!

 

[thumpar]

Great to hear so many folks enjoy shooting and teaching their kids the right way to handle and shoot any gun. That does make the huge difference. I do remember my older son, then 9 year old, taking his first deer in the deer stand with me. My younger son hunted a few years with me but never connected with a deer while in the stand with me. It wasn't until he was a lot older hunting by himself did he take his first deer. But those memories will always be with me. Now we all enjoy fishing!

Yep, It is also how kids learn how to respect guns. When I was young my dad had all the guns in one of those wood with glass front cases. There was no lock but I knew not to touch it unless he wanted me to help him. My son has been shooting with me since he could walk. He is now 7 and I got him a Rossi takedown with 22lr and 410 barrels for his birthday. I have guns all over the house and he knows not to touch them.

 

[WIMUSKY]

Yep, It is also how kids learn how to respect guns. When I was young my dad had all the guns in one of those wood with glass front cases. There was no lock but I knew not to touch it unless he wanted me to help him. My son has been shooting with me since he could walk. He is now 7 and I got him a Rossi takedown with 22lr and 410 barrels for his birthday. I have guns all over the house and he knows not to touch them.

Same here. My dad just had them behind a door to a storage room. Handguns were in his bottom dresser drawer. I never thought once about touching them. I have mine in a glass cabinet that isn't locked. When my daughter was younger I would lock it up when she had friends over. She never touched them either. I basically told her at a young age, "Don't even think about opening this cabinet", in a stern voice. Never a problem. She started shooting my Ruger 10/22 at 5........ She's now 19....