.223 got the job done, but

[newfalguy101]

I am going bigger next year.

I used my Ar-15 rifle for deer this year, I REALLY liked using the AR, its a lightweight gun, going about 6 lbs with a New Frontier Armory poly lower and Surplus Arms and Ammo upper in 5.56.

I used a handloaded .223, 63gr powerpoint loaded to mid-upper power level.

The bullet hit a rib on the way in and didn't exit.........turned the lungs to mush, but no exit hole.

I LIKE exit holes, they bleed for tracking, should that be needed.

Anyway, meat in the freezer, yea!!

Now for next year.

What caliber do you think is a minimum for consistently passing through, assuming good shot placement.

100ish pound deer, hit either in or just behind the shoulder.

Optimally, I want to stay with the Ar-15 rifle, just replacing the upper.

Let the debate begin.........

[RobertH]

pics or it didn't happen.

i'd say .223Remington is just fine, but if you want a few more ft/lbs, just use a .50BMG. 

[bkoenig]

If you want to stay with an ar15 I would go with 6.8 SPC or 6.5 Grendel.  Either one will reliably kill deer out to the limits of how far most people can accurately shoot.  300 Blackout is fine too, I probably wouldnt go much beyond 150 - 200 yards with it.  Think of it as a modern 30-30.

[newfalguy101]

ask and..........

[shooter]

 .308, ive  taken a lot of deer in the last 40 years with them,

[tstuart34]

If you want to stay with an ar15 I would go with 6.8 SPC or 6.5 Grendel.  Either one will reliably kill deer out to the limits of how far most people can accurately shoot.  300 Blackout is fine too, I probably wouldnt go much beyond 150 - 200 yards with it.  Think of it as a modern 30-30.

What Bkoenig said.

 I am a big fan of the 6.8. A lot of bullet choices for reloading a lot of good production ammo readily available.

 I'm kind of keeping a eye on the 277wolverine. It uses a 223 case 270 projectile. High velocity capability.

[newfalguy101]

I might be wrong, but, doesn't the 6.8 use .270 bullets??  Or rather .277 cal bullets??

[bkoenig]

I might be wrong, but, doesn't the 6.8 use .270 bullets??  Or rather .277 cal bullets??

Yes, it does, although lighter weight than a .270.

For hunting there is essentially no difference between 6.8 and 6.5.  At hunting ranges they will both ha a similar trajectory and energy, and both have several good hunting bullets available.  6.8 probably has more factory ammo. 

6.5 is better for longer range shooting due to the superior ballistic coefficient of the 6.5mm projectiles.  This doesn't really come into play until you're getting past what most people consider ethical hunting ranges, so if you only care about hunting it really doesnt matter.  If you want to shoot long range with an AR15 then 6.5 Grendel is what you're looking for.

There seems to be a consensus that 6.8 is a more efficient cartridge out of shorter barrels, so if you want good performance with a shorter barrel while still retaining mid range capability then 6.8 is for you.

There is a lot of bickering between the 6.5 and 6.8 fanboys, but frankly I think it's pretty stupid.  They both have a lot of overlap, but excel at different things.  Which one is better depends on what type of shooting you want to do.

Like Shooter said, 308 is a great hunting cartridge, but it won't fit in an AR15.  You would have to step up to an AR10, so you would need an entirely different lower receiver.

[newfalguy101]

I want to stick with the Ar-15 as I really enjoyed using it for this past deer season.

I have an Ar-10 in .308, and compared to my '15 its a hog!!  It has a heavy 20 inch barrel and I would guess its close to, if not over 10 lbs................however, for personal reasons, I likely will never shoot that particular gun..............I fully intended to when I got it, but.............

I am actually leaning towards the .300 simply because I already have .30cal bullets and it uses the same BCG as the .223, which in theory at least, should save me a couple bucks on an upper.

That doesn't mean I have made up my mind, just initial leanings...

[RobertH]

i have a 300BLK on a 10" barrel.  i don't think it can make the 900ft/lbs @ 100yds, so i've lost interest in 300BLK.  right now, i'm really liking the LR308 build i did.

[Hardwood83]

I'd vote for 6.8. I've used one to take 3 deer the last 2 seasons and it's very accurate, fits the standard AR platform. Will try to post some pics later.

[tstuart34]

I want to stick with the Ar-15 as I really enjoyed using it for this past deer season.

I have an Ar-10 in .308, and compared to my '15 its a hog!!  It has a heavy 20 inch barrel and I would guess its close to, if not over 10 lbs................however, for personal reasons, I likely will never shoot that particular gun..............I fully intended to when I got it, but.............

I am actually leaning towards the .300 simply because I already have .30cal bullets and it uses the same BCG as the .223, which in theory at least, should save me a couple bucks on an upper.

That doesn't mean I have made up my mind, just initial leanings...

Just curious what bullets do you have and use?

[JimP]

100ish pound deer, hit either in or just behind the shoulder.

Why limit yourself?

One of the the deer I killed this year was over twice that.......

I am glad I was not holding a poodle shooter when he ran  into the kill zone ..... maybe it would of worked, but I certainly would not have had the confidence I had in the .270WIN I had ......... I'm pretty sure that it was the biggest deer I've ever killed. 

Curiously, we found an extra bullet hole high in the base of the neck- very small, recent, entrance and no exit and no hydrostatic shock evident ..... we were thinking a failed poaching attempt in the day or so before season....... did not find a slug in the neck meat ...... but then again, we were not looking real close when we skinned it on Sunday ..... cold as hell!

[Mntnman]

Curiously, we found an extra bullet hole high in the base of the neck- very small, recent, entrance and no exit and no hydrostatic shock evident ..... we were thinking a failed poaching attempt in the day or so before season....... did not find a slug in the neck meat ...... but then again, we were not looking real close when we skinned it on Sunday ..... cold as hell!

Probably a puncture wound from an antler.

My buddy did shoot a huge buck this year that his cousin's son shot in the neck shortly before with a .243. That bullet went in about an inch and exploded. I am guessing it wasn't the proper bullet design for large game.

I am using a .223 this year and my 11 year old daughter is carrying a 300 AAC. It would be nice if we got the chance to use them. (late rifle, now) I have witnessed some deer taken with a .223 and they died quickly in all of those instances with no head shots.

[JimP]

Probably a puncture wound from an antler.

A possibility .... had not thought of that.

Though I'd hate to run into the buck that stabbed Big Boy in the neck and lived to tell about it .......