What would you build for deer?

Mr Potato Head

New member
Indiana is proposing a change to allow high power rifles for deer firearms season. Reducing the minimum caliber to .243. Considering the following what cartridge would you go with in an AR platform?

.243 minimum
cost and availability of ammo
almost all shots under 150 yds.
factory ammo/ non reloader

I've never hunted deer with a high power rifle, just .223 coyotes.

What say you experts?
 
Do you mean the .243 cartridge is the minimum or a 6mm bore is the minimum? Are you wanting an AR15 or AR10 platform?
 
There is the .243 Winchester, a specific cartridge, and there's a .243 (or 6mm) bore diamter. What the minimum specifically is matter.

AR-15's are for short cases, .223 length max. the AR-10 is for medium length cases & you can get on in a .243 Winchester. Or a .308 or any number of other rounds.

Ar-10s are not as common & thus cost more to build or buy.

For the AR-15 platform a lot of options are available. I recently had a custom built in 6.5 Grendel, which will do fine for deer & more. While I handload and will make my own ammo, good factory ammo is available, though only from 3 manufacturers that i know of. Hornady, Alexander Arms (company that invented the round) and Wolf.

That's one good option, there are others.
 
I would not own a AR10, just to darn heavy no matter what caliber.
Now if it can be 6mm bore (.243") Id build a 6x45/6x6.8/243 wssm or something in that arena on an AR15 frame if that's the way you want to go. Other ideas is standard bolt gun in .243.
 
6.8 spc will take any whitetail out to 150 yds. 130 berger hunting vld... oh yeah thats what I would use....

oh yeah...it is what I use
smile.gif
 
I'd go either 6.8 or a 6.5 Grendel (or the 6mm variant of those two) over the 300 BO myself.

I would also avoid the AR-10 platform as mentioned above
 
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I wouldn't wish a blackout on anyone, under powered and really pretty worthless without puny subsonic ammo and a suppressor. Do a 6.8 or a Grendel in an ar15 frame. Walmart here has a DPMS ar10 in .308 for $900. The ammo for an ar10 will easier to come buy and more available if you don't reload. It's weight without a scope or loaded mag is 8.3 lbs.
 
Ammunition supply for the non-loader would go to the 6.8 . They are so close for most deer hunting it would make no never mind.

Greg
 
FWIW, I see both here. academy sports stock both 6.5 Grendel and 6.8 SPC, as I recall both are Hornady offerings. I don't have a 6.8 but noticed the ammo when I was looking to see if they had stock on the grendel the other day.

Might come down to what you can easily get locally, if you're not a reloader.
 
For a non-handloader it is a tough call. I'm not real up on factory ammo prices/availability as I have handloaded nearly everything for a long time now.

What I can add, is that all the deer I have taken with an AR were via 223s stoked with TSXs. The only other chamberings that interest me at all are the 6.5 Grendel and 450 Bushmaster.

After seeing what a 223/TSX does to a deer, I can't bring myself to buy the Grendel now. Dead is dead, and it deals death well........
 
I too would pass on the Blackout. I have several AR type rifles in various calibers. I currently worked up a load for my 243WSSM. That would be more than enough for deer. I see factory ammo in the big box stores around here routinely. That said, if you were to move up to an AR10, you can't go wrong with one in the 308 configuration. You would have many ammo choices as well. I would stick with the Barnes TTSX bullets in which ever caliber you choose. From 223 to my 300 RSAUM, all TTSX's have been awesome!
 
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