ARs for Varmints--Pros and Cons

[Richard Coody]

well an AR can be set up for whatever type of shooting you care to do. There are better cartridges then the .223 for long range accuracy in an AR15 like the 6mm AR turbo 40. of course cheap bulk ammo is available in 5.56 that may be perfectly adequate for your varminting.

i like my bolt guns. the only drawback i see for shooting prairiedogs with an AR is you will need even more ammo. Probably 2 or more uppers or you will melt it down.

 

[retired]

i use 2 ar 15's for pd's and an ar10.
1) 26" hart bbl 1/14 twist 50 gr zmax right at .2. ejector spring trimmed
brass falls close at hand. just over 1" at the muzzle
2) 27" krieger bbl 1/7 twist 50 gr zmax aprox .5 ejector spring trimmed,
brass falls close at hand. 1" under the handguard, 3/4" from there on
3" 24" krieger bbl 1/15 twist 125 tnt well under .5 ejector spring trimmed,
brass falls close at hand
these are custom target rifles, not 16" blasting carbines

 

[Justin B]

My only gripe is with the supressor my brass is dirty. Was told a gas piston setup is less acurate

 

[Intell]

This year I'm taking 2 AR's prairie dogging. My varmint 223 AR, with a 1 in12 twist rock creek, it does well out to 500 yards or so with 50 grainers. And a 224 Valkyrie with a 6 1/2 twist shilen that im in the process of putting together. It's going to take the place of my 6.5 creedmoor this year for the long shots. I just installed a Jard 1 1/2 pound trigger in the lower, it's by far the lightest AR trigger I've ever felt. I'm planning on shooting the 90 gr SMK's. If it's a tight shooter the 90s should flip them pretty good at long range. Can't wait for red mist!

 

[kzin]

No he can't buy a used AR15, registered or not.

AR15s all must be registered, or possession is illegal in California.

Once they are registered they are non-transferable to anyone in state--you can't even sell them to a California-based FFL for consignment,and future out of state sale). A registered AR, can, however, be sold by you personally to an out-of-state buyer,provided you ship to out-of-state FFL and comply with all local laws.)

And you can't even pass them down to your kids.

this is only true for a very narrow definition of 'AR15'

With a 'varmint' upper and a precision (non folding) stock all that is necessary is to choose your favorite out of what is now dozens of compliant grips.

More and more companies sell a variety of 'ban' state ARs or build exactly what you want from a stripped lower.

eta - I replied to a years old post but the only thing that has changed is that bullet buttons don't comply any more and 'hi cap' mags are going out. Featureless or other mag-locks still make an AR as legal as a bolt gun. To me they are still ARs.

 

[Iowa Fox]

This year I'm taking 2 AR's prairie dogging. My varmint 223 AR, with a 1 in12 twist rock creek, it does well out to 500 yards or so with 50 grainers. And a 224 Valkyrie with a 6 1/2 twist shilen that im in the process of putting together. It's going to take the place of my 6.5 creedmoor this year for the long shots. I just installed a Jard 1 1/2 pound trigger in the lower, it's by far the lightest AR trigger I've ever felt. I'm planning on shooting the 90 gr SMK's. If it's a tight shooter the 90s should flip them pretty good at long range. Can't wait for red mist!

Are you planning to single load the Valkyrie? I'd like to hear how it shoots for you when you get it together.

 

[Intell]

Are you planning to single load the Valkyrie? I'd like to hear how it shoots for you when you get it together.

I will report when she's done, I'm still waiting on the barrel. I'm planning on mag length to start with and see how that goes. I work out of state all the time, and have limited time to hand load when I'm home. I'm hoping the factory 90 grain gold metal ammo shoots as well as the hornady 6.5 creedmoor ammo. Accurate factory loads was my reason behind these two rounds. I load all I can when I'm at home and they shoot better than factory, but it's nice to have the option to buy factory ammo that shoots sub MOA. On my last hunt I burned through all my 6.5 hand loads then started on factory hornady shells and made some 1st round hits out to 750 yd's with them, my rangefinder only went to 800 at the time, That's cured now by Leica.

 

[AP2020]

Definitely!

 

[Intell]

Well I got my Valkyrie barrel and broke it in this am. It's a 6.5 twist shilen select match 24" long, .875 dia. I was using the 75 grain federal AE while shooting and cleaning and they clocked 3064 average, magneto speed and shot about one inch, some smaller. The 90 grain gold metal clocked 2749 average. I then shot four five shot groups while getting my 100yd zero. Three of them measured 5/8" and one was just under 1/2". I had a 10 mph wind, gusting to 15, and no flags. I'm sure that opened them up a little. For shooting factory shells, im pretty happy with it and think it will get better. The way its shooting, there's no reason it shouldn't work at 700 to 1000 if it's dialed correctly, it wearing a S&B PM2. Now I have to buy dies, it never ends!!

 

[people]

Well I got my Valkyrie barrel and broke it in this am. It's a 6.5 twist shilen select match 24" long, .875 dia. I was using the 75 grain federal AE while shooting and cleaning and they clocked 3064 average, magneto speed and shot about one inch, some smaller. The 90 grain gold metal clocked 2749 average. I then shot four five shot groups while getting my 100yd zero. Three of them measured 5/8" and one was just under 1/2". I had a 10 mph wind, gusting to 15, and no flags. I'm sure that opened them up a little. For shooting factory shells, im pretty happy with it and think it will get better. The way its shooting, there's no reason it shouldn't work at 700 to 1000 if it's dialed correctly, it wearing a S&B PM2. Now I have to buy dies, it never ends!!

I have always said what ever you spend on your setup expect to spend double to be able to shoot it the way it needs to be shot.

 

[Intell]

Well I took the Valkyrie out to Wyoming this weekend for some PD shooting. It really bucked the wind compared to my 223. My longest first round hit was 670yds. It was actually the longest shot I got. The grass was higher and they were darting in and out. I did manage a double at 600, but it took 3 shots. The factory 90 SMKs didn't have the explosive killing power of the varmint bullets, and sometimes I had to hit them twice to finish them off. The place I went to had a steel range also so I shot it out to 1015. The wind was stiff and hard to read because it was going two directions the way the range was situated. I did get a good group for me at 800, it was a little under 4" on a 10" plate, but it took two misses to get the wind right. My 1015 group was nothing to brag about, it was probably 10", I didn't take a tape with me. All in all I'm pretty happy with the performance. The 90s would bounce them 3-4 feet when you hit them right. I've got plenty of empty brass now, time to order some dies.

 

[Timinator]

832 yard PD shot with Bushmaster Varminter. However, I found.....I just blew through and wasted way too much ammo with the AR. It was nice for some things, but I had to put my hand on top of the scope pushing down so that I could see the "hits" because of the lightness of the gun and barrel jump. It was nice not having to move your eye off the scope for adjustments in Kentucky Windage, but, alas, I still sold it after the first first prairie dog trip and built another Tac .20 bolt gun. The Tac .20 is like firing a little laser pulse at them compared to the .223.

 

[sscoyote]

.224 60 gr. TMK just introduced by Sierra. OAL-.910, BC .323. Just bought 100. Look out coyotes! https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1...r-224-diameter-60-grain-polymer-tip-boat-tail

 

[NDAR15MAN]

Not to change subject on this thread.
But I have a D760 nigh vision scope on my 16 inch bushmaster 223. I have not hunted with it in a few years but I have it set up with a 100 zero. It is a dedicated night vision gun and scope.
My question is maybe I would be better off setting this one gun up for a point blank range zero ? Not sure what that number is with black hills 53 gr ammo. But it would take a lot of the guess Work out of it shooting coyotes 100 to 300 yards I think ? marty

 

[sw282]

l really don't care for ARs.. l love the 223/556 ctg... l only hunt/shoot varmints with people who single feed their rifles.. That's my choice

 

[moorepower]

I just got my varmint AR built. I used a KM tactical 24" fluted bull barrel, 1/8 twist. Fiocchi 50 vmax goes into an inch and 40 grain Vmax also Fiocchi shot 5 in 5/8" Not bad for a $100 dollar barrel, off of Gunbroker. The only issue is the 40 grain does not hit hard enough to pick up a shell. I hope to mess with some 53 vmax hand loads this week, and see what I can come up with. I probably have less than $550 less optics, which is also bargain basement, Cabels's Covenant FFP 4x16. Most of my rifles are single shot's. On last years hunt I would have left it in my pickup, but 2 years ago, the ground was crawling with them, and I could have cleared out many more. planning/ hoping for a Utah ground squirrel shoot next year, so it may just go with me. I enjoy all kinds of accurate gun's no matter how scary they look.

 

[Cannon]

So I shot bolts for over 50 years (I'm 65). Never had the desire for an AR, until last year after shooting a Grendel....So I built one (A Grendel) (with the help of my gunsmith). Best thing I ever did. Since I mainly hunt coyotes the AR platform affords me the opportunity for a second sometimes third shot. Something that rarely happened on a coyote in the south where they are back in the wood in a flash. The Grendel affords me the opportunity to shoot coyotes, deer and hogs with the same rifle with just a load change. I LOVE the Grendel with a 95 gr. Vmax it knocks coyotes on their butt. No more hunting in the dark they DD right there. Everyone I've shot has an exit wound similar to this. Devastating...

 

[Cannon]

Shcal,


The 6.5 grendal might have too much recoil, you want to be able to see your bullet hit... It might wear you out to shoot 600 or 700 rounds of any 6.5.... Get a .223 with a bbl twist that will the 80 grain bullets, I still shoot mostly 40 to 55 grain bullets, the big long, high BC bullets will not fit into a AR mag.

You need a BIG 30 round mag....


Chuck

Granted I dont shoot 6 or 700 rounds thru my Grendel at one sitting but with an AGB the recoil from my hand loaded 95 VMax is really no worse than my bolt 223. As far as OAL's you're correct but if you plan to hunt with it and not shoot paper then fitting them to mag length still affords some good accuracy. I've shot coyotes out to 300, which is about my optics and eyes limit anyway....

 

[Cannon]

I'm not a verminter, but it is hard to overlook the overwhelming advantages an accurate AR has over a bolt gun when lots of targets need to be shot in a small amount of time.

Agree completely that if I was limited to one rifle it would be an AR, and that it is truly a rifle that is ahead of its time still today.

YEP...

 

[shooter65]

224 Valkryie, 22'' 7 twist Wilson Arms barrel, Colt 6724 A3 Lower, JP LMOS bolt, Jewell trigger, Aero upper and handguard, Vortex Viper 5-25x50 SFP scope.