Hunting with an AR-15: 5 Surprising Reasons You Should Switch

Is the AR-15 a good rifle for hunting?

Here’s the short answer: yes, it is. Depending on the game that you’re hunting and the specific ammunition that you are using, the AR-15 is a superb hunting rifle.

Unfortunately, due to its very negative and controversial presence in the news media, many people fail to see the value of the AR-15 as a hunting tool. Many of these people may also believe the AR-15 to purely be a ‘weapon of war’ or ‘instrument of death’ based on what they see in the headlines.

But in reality, nearly half of all hunters have reported using an AR-15 for hunting within the last year, which just goes to show how popular of a tool it is for the task.

With an increasing number of hunters opting to switch their traditional bolt action rifles to the AR-platform for hunting purposes, it should be only natural for you to wonder if you should do the same.

But if you’re still not sure about why exactly the AR-15 can be a valuable hunting tool, here are the top reasons why:

1. Ergonomic and Lightweight

The AR-15 is currently the bestselling centerfire rifle in the United States, and one of the many reasons for that is because of how ergonomic the rifle is

It’s also a very compact and lightweight rifle, at least when you go with the 16-inch barrel configuration.

This means that when you’re out trekking through the woods and climbing mountains in pursuit of your prey, the AR-15 is not a rifle that is going to weight you down.

If your AR-15 has an adjustable stock, you can make the rifle even shorter so its more nimble using it in the thick brush and trees.
Add all of these things together, and you should start to see why it’s an excellent deer rifle

2. Customizable

While there are already an abundance of AR-15 models for you to choose from, the AR-15 is also easily customizable. In fact, the only other rifles that rival it for customization options are the Glock pistol, 1911, and the Ruger 10/22.

This is important because it means you can easily modify your AR-15 to be the way you want it if it’s not perfect for you out of the box. If you want to change anything from the trigger to the muzzle device to the stock to the magazine release to the sights and so on, you’ll have absolutely no problems doing so.

Once you get your AR-15 into the configuration that you truly want, you’ll enjoy hunting with it even more.

3. Limited Recoil

One of the hallmarks of the AR-15 is the fact that it is very easy to shoot with limited recoil. Part of this is due to the lighter 5.56 round, though it’s also due to the design of the rifle (and there are also steps you can take to make it produce even less recoil as well).

Limited recoil is important for a number of reasons. For one thing, it means that you’ll enjoy practicing with your rifle when you sight it on the shooting range. It also means if there are any people in your family who are smaller and may therefore be more recoil sensitive, the AR-15 can be a more suitable choice for them.

Additionally, the fact that the AR-15 is a semi-automatic rifle combined with the fact that it produces minimal kick means that firing fast and accurate follow up shots will be much easier in comparison to more traditional hunting rifles.

4. Practicality

The AR-15 is without question one of the most practical firearms in the United States today. Besides hunting, it can also be easily used for casual range shooting, competition use, home defense, and tactical training.

Now why is this important when it comes to hunting? Simple: if you need just one rifle that you can use for everything (or almost everything) the AR-15 could be the best way to go for you.

Having ‘one rifle that can do everything’ may sound like a bit of a stretch, but if you’re on a budget and just want a rifle that you can use for both hunting and tactical uses alike, there’s no denying that the AR platform is one of the best options.

5. Accuracy

Last but not least, the AR-15 is well known for its accuracy, both of the 16 inch and 20 inch barrel configurations alike.

For hunting purposes, this is an obvious plus. You want your bullets to hit where you’re aiming at, right?

For ethical reasons especially, it’s important to have a hunting rifle that will strike your game in the ‘kill zone’ region to hopefully bring it down with only one shot.

So long as your AR-15 is properly sighted in and comes from a reputable manufacturer, it should be one of the most accurate rifles in your inventory.
Conclusion

The AR-15 is one of the most practical and versatile rifles in existence, and hunting is only one of its many useful applications.

Just remember to be careful about the game that you’re hunting and the ammo you’re using. For example, an AR-15 chambered for the proper load of 5.56x45mm NATO will be excellent for game such s deer and pronghorn, but far too light for even larger game such as elk (for which you’d want an AR-10 chambered in .308 Winchester).

Hunting with an AR-15: 5 Reasons Why You Should Switch

1. Ergonomic and Lightweight

2. Customizable

3. Limited Recoil

4. Practicality

5. Accuracy

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