.308 AR for Deer Hunting

[macronova]

Just wondering if anyone hunts with a .308 AR. I've been thinking about making a purchase. I figured it would be a way to get really good with the gun if I made it my main hunting rifle. It seems possible WW3, a large scale invasion or civil chaos could be on the horizon. Although I'm still hopeful that won't happen it seems like I should be at least somewhat prepared. I have experience with various firearms but would be totally new to deer hunting. What are some of the pros and cons of using a 308 AR as a hunting rifle?

 

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[Hillbilly Prince]

What type of habitat are you talking about? Whitetail or mule deer?

 

[macronova]

Whitetail mostly, thanks for any advice.

 

[DizzyDigger]

.308 makes a good deer round, so the only real question is, can you shoot it
well enough to make a one shot kill on a deer?

If you can't, then it's not the right rifle to use for deer hunting.

The rest is completely irrelevant.

 

[Kray Gelder]

I don't think deer hunting is a good preparation for war. Dizzy, I spent my hunting years in Western and Eastern Washington, so we both know that opening weekend sounds like there is a war going on. Many times, you could hear the rounds whistling by overhead. I never fired my rifle more than one time taking a deer. Some years, my rifle wasn't fired in the woods. If I couldn't get a sure kill shot, I didn't take it. Macronova, if you fancy yourself emptying a magazine at a running deer, please don't. Take the AR to a range.

 

[Tpmetal]

My brother uses, and I have used as well, a .308 savage bolt action. Great deer gun, as is his .223 AR., as is the 30 06 winchester, as is my rifled 20 gauge. As others have mentioned, practice makes perfect and don't take shots you can't hit. The type of gun is often less important than the practice and knowing your gun. Growing up I was only allowed to deer hunt with a breech loading 20 gauge with a rifled barrel on it for sabot slugs. Iron sights only. Forced me to learn the gun, how it shoots, and to hit everything with one shot and only one shot. Now it is like childs play using a rifle and scope. If ww3 breaks out .308 is a great round for stopping power and range, but only if you have the ammo. Stuff like .223 is widespread and will be more available.

 

[GB1]

my dad uses a 308 AR he built himself it does get the job done if you can hit it in the right place

 

[Wilderness medic]

Haven’t used a .308 AR but I have and do use a .308 SCAR. For both deer and elk


It will work. Fire as many as it takes to put it down humanely. Hopefully the situation warrants a clean kill, and you have the capabilities. But that’s not always the case. Don’t beat yourself up if you have to follow up with more shots or don’t hit exactly where you wanted.

That round and barrel are what counts. The platform is just the same as any other semi auto

 

[Tpmetal]

View attachment 1657478

Fire as many as it takes to put it down.

Thats a dangerous mentality. If you can't hit it in one clean shot then you shouldn't be out there hunting. Yes mistakes happen to everyone, but going out with the intention of shooting at something until it drops is crazy.

 

[Kray Gelder]

I would not have shown a pic of an animal I gut-shot. And blazing away is careless. You killed it alright, but you need to work on shot placement.

 

[Wilderness medic]

You’re entitled to your opinion. Even if it’s wrong.

 

[Tpmetal]

You’re entitled to your opinion. Even if it’s wrong.

Showing up telling people to shoot away and showing a pic of a gut shot animal like you are proud (unless that shot was taken as the animal was turned away, and even then it is bad placement.)....What is it like living at that level of ignorance? You give hunters a bad name doing stupid stuff like that.

 

[bowwinkles]

If you have your 308 tuned to shoot under an inch at a 100 yards, it should make a fine tool for the harvesting deer sized animals. I would stick to a small clip and not toat a 30 round mag in the field. The fire arm is only a good as only as good as its user. Be it bolt, slide, single shot, break action, or automatic---take the time to learn it and practice so you are comfortable with the results. Then enjoy your trips to the field.

 

[RTR]

When it comes to deer hunting I'm lazy. I Only do neck or head shots.No tracking needed,No Adrenalin to taint the meat,and No stinking gut stink

 

[macronova]

.308 makes a good deer round, so the only real question is, can you shoot it
well enough to make a one shot kill on a deer?
If you can't, then it's not the right rifle to use for deer hunting.
The rest is completely irrelevant.

I am new to deer hunting but I like to think I'm not suffering from any learning disabilities and have some experience with other rifles (AR-15, AK 47, 30-30 lever action etc.) so I'm pretty sure I can get to the point of being able to take down a deer with some practice. I'm willing to give it a shot anyway, thanks.

I don't think deer hunting is a good preparation for war. Dizzy, I spent my hunting years in Western and Eastern Washington, so we both know that opening weekend sounds like there is a war going on. Many times, you could hear the rounds whistling by overhead. I never fired my rifle more than one time taking a deer. Some years, my rifle wasn't fired in the woods. If I couldn't get a sure kill shot, I didn't take it. Macronova, if you fancy yourself emptying a magazine at a running deer, please don't. Take the AR to a range.

When I think of deer hunting I get an image in my mind of myself having to use stealth and subtlety to make my way through the woods in order to spot a target, quietly position myself and get a good clean shot off without the creature ever being aware of my presence before its too late. It seems like at least in that way, it would be similar to taking out enemies in a wartime scenario. If its a long range shot then it would be similar enough to sniping. Am I right? At the range there's an opportunity to work on accuracy but I'm just sitting there aiming at stationary targets. The idea would be to get real good with the weapon at taking down targets with one clean shot, while also having the option to quickly unload a mag on a fleeing target if the shot is missed, or to quickly take out any other enemies that may be traveling with the target after they are alerted by the initial shot. That's sort of why I'm leaning toward this rifle and getting good with it through the deer hunting process. But yea I certainly wouldn't be unloading a magazine in a forest during deer season.

My brother uses, and I have used as well, a .308 savage bolt action. Great deer gun, as is his .223 AR., as is the 30 06 winchester, as is my rifled 20 gauge. As others have mentioned, practice makes perfect and don't take shots you can't hit. The type of gun is often less important than the practice and knowing your gun. Growing up I was only allowed to deer hunt with a breech loading 20 gauge with a rifled barrel on it for sabot slugs. Iron sights only. Forced me to learn the gun, how it shoots, and to hit everything with one shot and only one shot. Now it is like childs play using a rifle and scope. If ww3 breaks out .308 is a great round for stopping power and range, but only if you have the ammo. Stuff like .223 is widespread and will be more available.

That's great advice about the .223 caliber being more widely available during wartime. If I purchased the 308 I'd go ahead and load up on a few thousand rounds of ammo as well. Thanks bud.

Haven’t used a .308 AR but I have and do use a .308 SCAR. For both deer and elk
It will work. Fire as many as it takes to put it down. Hopefully the situation warrants a clean kill, and you have the capabilities. But that’s not always the case.
That round and barrel are what counts. The platform is just the same as any other semi auto

Man that is a nice looking rifle. I'm far behind you guys when it comes to my hunting experience. Right now I'm at the stage of choosing the weapon I want to perfect my abilities with. I'll be taking a good look at the .308 SCAR as well. If it was ever a situation where I had to keep firing shots like that, then honestly I would probably let the creature run away. I just don't want to send abunch of high caliber rounds spraying through the woods during hunting season. But if I could see natural barriers just beyond the target I wouldn't have an issue with it at all. I'm thankful to say I've never had to fight in a war but I can only imagine how freakishly chaotic it would be. The ability to spray rounds like that from a distance with some accuracy would clearly be an advantage.

I didn't expect so many quick replies and such great info guys. I really appreciate it.

 

[Wilderness medic]

Now is a good time to buy a SCAR17. The Scar20 just came out so there are a lot of people trying to sell them off quick

 

[Johnnybravo300]

The rifle is the last thing you need to worry about.
Higher up on the list is a lifted Chevy with a 35 foot camper and a razor behind that.
And before that you need to move to Texas and gain about 300 lbs hehe. And bring your wife and mother in the razor with ya like they do here, but you cant leave the razor to hunt cuz you're too fat and out of shape. Well I guess round is a shape.
Then take some "sound shots" like they do here.
You know, that's when you hear something in an Aspen grove so you shoot in the grove too scare it out. (I've been told this by the texan mouth breathers)
Make sure you leave plenty of trash and piles of exposed toilet paper close around the campsite, and even receipts with your name on them. Also dump your Blackwater tanks in the closest mulch before you leave but dont worry, FS is only concerned with permits so feel free to do anything you want. After all you dont live here.
Also make sure your lifted truck has 4 ply Passenger rated tires. If your gonna spend a week totally out of your element you may as well have lots of flats to make it more fun. No one tells a Texan about tires cuz they probably invented it and they will say that.
And when finding an area to hunt, dont drive in far. The last fence line just past the houses is fine and way more convenient. No need to waste fuel. When the gunshot animal runs onto the property bolt cutters come in handy to cut the fence, maybe more important than the rifle you use.
There are many other things to think about if you're a serious hunter. Just to list a few popular ones around the gunnison valley.

 

[Johnnybravo300]

The rifle is the last thing you need to worry about.
Higher up on the list is a lifted Chevy with a 35 foot camper and a razor behind that.
And before that you need to move to Texas and gain about 300 lbs hehe. And bring your wife and mother in the razor with ya like they do here, but you cant leave the razor to hunt cuz you're too fat and out of shape. Well I guess round is a shape.
Then take some "sound shots" like they do here.
You know, that's when you hear something in an Aspen grove so you shoot in the grove too scare it out. (I've been told this by the mouth breathers)
Make sure you leave plenty of trash and piles of exposed toilet paper close around the campsite, and even receipts with your name on them. Also dump your black water tanks in the closest gulch before you leave but dont worry, FS is only concerned with permits so feel free to do anything you want. After all you dont live here.
Also make sure your lifted truck has 4 ply Passenger rated tires. If your gonna spend a week totally out of your element you may as well have lots of flats to make it more fun. No one tells a Texan about tires cuz they probably invented it and they will say that.
And when finding an area to hunt, dont drive in far. The last fence line just past the houses is fine and way more convenient. No need to waste fuel. When the gut shot animal runs onto the property bolt cutters come in handy to cut the fence, maybe more important than the rifle you use.
There are many other things to think about if you're a serious hunter. Just to list a few popular ones around the gunnison valley.

 

[DizzyDigger]

No worries, I understand the hostility to bad hunters, especially the type bravo described above. Excuse my mockery but as you can imagine I’ve gotten a lot of crap from online people who jump to conclusions and bash me, and it gets old quick

I'm sorry, but posting the image of that shot elk with a fist-sized hole
in it's middle doesn't help the situation one bit. I agree though that you
did the right thing in putting it down with an extra round.

As for the AR, personally speaking, I am not a fan of that platform for
a hunting rifle. It's shorter barrel and design are for situations of battle,
and while it's a superior weapon in that arena, I don't see it as a good
Elk rifle. But then, to each his own. So long as you're accurate with it at
hunting distances, then all else is irrelevant.

Any hunting I do is strictly for subsistence, and I use traditional bowhunting
gear. Longbow, cedar shafted arrows I make myself and razor sharp broadheads.
Last 3 deer I've taken have moved maybe 6 ft. (cumulatively) from where they
were shot.

 

[Kray Gelder]

You’re entitled to your opinion. Even if it’s wrong.

Yes I am, and no I'm not. Not trying to be superior. I have outlived my desire to hunt. I learned to hunt with a single shot .22 (small game). Somehow I get the impression people are learning the craft playing video games. I never enjoyed the kill part, I enjoyed eating them, and thought it a serious responsibility to drop them where they stood. You say you had an equipment malfunction when an elk was charging directly at you within bow range? Sounds like campfire talk to me.