AR 15 recommendation for coyote hunting

jeremyray25

New member
Guys,

I am thinking about purchasing an AR 15 for coyote hunting and a little target shooting.

I don't want to purchase something that is a piece of crap, but can't afford to spend a lot.

What is an accurate AR15 that won't break the bank?

Also, who has them and where can you get them?

Any help is appreciated. Thanks!
 
Quote:
I don't want to purchase something that is a piece of crap, but can't afford to spend a lot.

What is an accurate AR15 that won't break the bank?

Also, who has them and where can you get them?

Any help is appreciated. Thanks!



jeremyray25,
Welcome to Predator Masters! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif

As long as you stay with a name brand there are a lot of good ARs on the market. I own a Rock River Arms A4, because it had the features that I was looking for and at the price that I was interested in paying. I purchased it at Adco Firearms, in Sylvania, Ohio (near Toledo). I don't know where you're located at in Ky., but it might be well worth the drive.
www.adcofirearms.com

I do suggest a flat topped upper, as this will allow you a lot of options for sight choices.

If you're going to be carrying this rifle, I suggest a 16" barrel, but no longer than a 20" barrel. Of the guys that have both barrel lengths, everyone of them said that the 16" barrel got the vote when they were calling. Reason being is that it's easier to handle and just as accurate to the distances most coyotes are called...inside 250 yards.

Another place is Atlantic Firearms. I know 2 people that have ordered ARs from them and are very satisfied with their purchases.
www.atlanticfirearms.com

As I stated earlier, there are a lot of good brands to choose from and here are a few (in no particular order): DPMS, Rock River Arms, Olympic Arms, Armalite, Stag and Bushmaster.

Some of the more expensive ARs are: Wilson Combat, DSA and Les Baer. I don't recommend Colt, as you're paying for the name and I've not heard all that great of things from those that have handled them.

Also, take your time and do some reading on this forum as well as www.ar15.com and you'll be more informed on your purchase. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

Good hunting, Bowhunter57
 
For target shooting, what kind of accuracy are you expecting, and at what range? Narrow it down a little and you'll get better responses.
Roughly how much do you want to spend (rifle, not optics)?
 
I built my own lower to what I wanted and then I orderen my upper from model one and it is a tack driver. total for my lower and upper and scope was under $1000.
Rob.
 
I'm quite happy with my Remington R-15 in .223!!


DSC00643.jpg



Jim
 
I'm working on building two of them....started out as one but then I got the "fever". If you're looking for something to do before fur season, it may be an option.

I have one rifle that started as a Rock River lower. I put a collapsible stock on it and bought a White Oak Armament 16" stainless barrel with ion bonding from Global Tactical (Denny's Gun's).

http://global-tactical.com/

It's almost done - just need scope mounts for it. This will be my "carry" gun.

The second started as a DPMS lower. Put a full sized stock on it and an 18" Compass Lake Barrel on it (again from Denny's). It too just needs a scope and mounts....it will be my "blind" gun.

Some things to consider when you're shopping around:

You'll find barrels usually come in either a 1:7 or a 1:9 twist on AR type rifles (1:9 being most common). If you look close, you'll be able to find one in 1:12.

One question a lot of folks ask is about barrel length....aside from what has been mentioned above, barrel length does not effect accuracy at any real significant level - what it does effect is velocity. The only advantage you'll have with a longer barrel is velocity.

Keep in mind some States only allow 5 round magazines for hunting (I think Arizona is one)....most out of the box rifles come with 30 round magazines so you'll need to invest in a replacement if you're in one of these areas.

Your going to have to have patience....at the moment there's a shortage of guns and ammo. Try to figure out exactly what you want before you buy - don't rush into it.

Be careful with relation to ordering a scope....a scope with a sunshade may be almost as long as the gun depending on what you buy and it may not be practical (The Bushnell 4200 I ordered to put on the 18" barreled rifle is 22" long with the sunshade....not too practical so I had to buy another gun for the scope /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smiliesmack.gif ).

You might consider buying an upper receiver and a lower receiver separately....or having multiple upper receivers eventually.

White Oak Armament makes terrific uppers
http://www.whiteoakarmament.com/

and if you want to switch to .204 Ruger later, Cabelas sells a .204 DPMS upper for about $750 (when they're in stock).

Have fun!
 
I just sold a 16" bushy with a standard bbl. something was wrong with it and wouldnt shoot very good. it looks like the bbl had been bent, it was used but low miles.

I want to hunt yotes too, but I am mostly in woods so do you think the .223 would do alright or should I pick another caliber? I have a 25.06 and 308 should I just be satisfied with that?
I know a twig will deflect a .30 caliber just as well as a .22, just wondering

anyway not to jack this thread to much. and the topic of the AR is what got my attention. I'm looking at a dpms with a 20" heavy bbl. any reviews on this rifle? maybe that will help me and the original poster out?
 
After building and using DPMS, Armalite & RockRiver ARs I have settled on the Remington R-15s. They are set-up for hunting.

Hey Frogman! What is that on the front of your R-15 fore end?
 
Thanks for the input so far, been much help.

I am looking to spend $500 - $800 on rifle only.

Accuracy: I think 1" at 100 yards would be plenty.

The more the better, but understand that high accuracy usually goes hand-in-hand with $.
 
DoubleCK,

That is a bulb squeeker attached to the front of the forend with some camo tape. I lost two of those things before I started attaching them to the rifle????

Jim
 
Here's mine.

CoyoteAR-1.jpg


I went with a 20" barrel for velocity and noise reduction. The noise will be substantially higher with a 16". I don't think the handling issues warrant a shorter barrel, and I have both.

It is a "build", where I bought component parts and then assembled them myself. That way, you save money and can build exactly what you want without having a box full of parts left over.

Fast Ed
 
Heres some food for thought . Im a rancher and a hunter and as a rancher im not to quick to give out permission to hunt on my country to guys that hunt with semi automatic weapons . I know many others that feel the same way .
The reasoning being that there is a fear of guys firing 15 shots at a running coyote and not knowing where the 15 shots go always . ive seen this 1st hand and is a warranted concern .
Now I know that there is plenty of responsible hunters out there that this will never be an issue BUT there is those that do get crazy and get tunnel vision when a hog or coyote run across the road in front of them .
Ive been close to being shot 3 different times by guys that did not see me in the brush horseback checking cattle .
long story short ....im not turning anyone lose on the ranch i run with an AR-15 unless I know them personally .
Short action rifles you get 1 maybe 2 shots and it makes you a lil more intent on hitting the 1st time .
Im not putting anyone in this category 2 of my partners use ARs just food for thought .
 
that's kind of the same arguement that the anti-gunner people have. Need to get the AWB back in place because the 10 or 20 round guns are more dangerous.

It comes down to the operator of the gun. Why not limit hunters on your ranch to single shots. After all, it would be "more safe", wouldn't it?

Instead of painting all hunters that carry AR's with a broad brush, why not weed out the bad ones, by not allowing the "perpatrators of bad safety habits" back on your ranch? Who's to say that you couldn't be hit by a bullet from a bolt action rifle?

Doesn't make much sense to me! What makes more sense to me is to have the hunters check in before hunting and have them informed as to the fact that you will be checking cattle at a certain time in a certain location, so as that they can keep an eye out for you, and simply be aware that you may be near by. A bullet from a bolt action striking an un-forseen target in the brush seems as likely as a bullet from an AR!
 
clayreid, As a ranch manager myself I understand your take on this.

However, if you think about it songdog is right. Neither an M16, a Genuine Hawken .50 Caliber SmokePole or anything in between can provide the necessary "Good Judgement."

But SongDog keep in mind ClayReid's point that Perception is often Reality might be good "Food For Thought" when looking for new places to hunt!

I guess I am having trouble getting with my ARs. I load twenty rounds and still can't get more than a couple of shots off at Mr. Wiley. (-:
 
I fully understand where clayreid is coming from, BUT if his safety is priority #1, then why not limit all hunters to smoke poles/black powder.

There's no doubt that a few bad apples can ruin the basket. We've seen it take place every where from hunters, to preachers, to policeman. I understand perception of the AR isn't well accepted by all, even with in the ranks of hunters. I've often read on many hunting boards that those that speak out agianst those of us that use AR's, and it seems like alot of hunters that don't use AR's think all of us that do have the "spray and pray mentality." I think in time, they will be more accepted by more of the hunting community. Even I, at one time not too long ago, didn't see myself ever using an AR to hunt with, but now that I have and do, I would rather not go back to a bolt, or a single shot for that matter.

t's his ranch to manage as he sees fit. Just don't like seeing all hunters that use AR's being thown in the same basket.
 
Ok, my .02's worth into this about AR's being not quite as safe as another action...

I'm on both sides. We ranch & shoot AR's too. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

If you are safe in taking a shot with a bolt gun, then the same standard of safety applies to the AR.
I use an AR as "sugically" as I do any bolt gun. It's not 'spray & pray' when we hunt coyotes. Never has been.

We use AR's for the quick follow-up shot that affords us more doubles. Not because we can shoot at them as they top out on the rise two ridges away.

Your control of who you let into a place to hunt ought to be determined by the caliber of the person requesting permission, not the caliber, make, model or capacity of the firearm they are using.
If you suspect that the person isn't responsible, don't give them access. It's that simple.

All too often the old prejudices come into play. I've been guilty of them too.
But since shooting an AR the past two seasons has taught me about their reliability, accuracy, and value to kill more coyotes, I try to have a more open mind.

We need to be careful as sportsman to not condemn the methods or equipment of our fellow hunters. That's a division among the ranks we don't need. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

If you would have asked me 5 years ago what I thought about AR's, and told me I'd be using one today as my go-to calling rifle, I would have thought you were daffy....
I'm glad I didn't publically condemn them then. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

I'll bet Jim Zumbo wishes he had thought things out a bit longer too. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Barry
 
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