SBR to Hunt??

J

Jason B

Member
Is anybody using a SBR to hunt with? Just starting to get into the AR world and plan on picking up 1 or 2 lowers before Nov. 8.

I've been reading a lot of posts on here and the rest of the internet as well as watching videos.

One thing I'm seeing is a lot of people saying SBR's can't be used to hunt. I would think that they might not be a great long range round, but should have an effective range.

What do you guys use and what is "the effective range" that you are seeing.

Personally, if I went with an SBR it would probably be a 300 BLK and hopefully be suppressed at some point.

Thanks,
J
 
Ive got 2 Form 1's im still waiting on.
Doin them in 6.8SPC with 12.5".
Only reason is i love the round and have alot of ammo and reloading stuff for it.

I used a buddys 10.5" 5.56 a couple years ago on deer depredations and it ran good but the drop was pretty bad compared to my 18" 5.56 i had been using and it was pretty loud with his AAC SDN6 can.
After tinkering with the 6.8 and testing with the 12.5" ARP barrel and 7.62 YHM Phantom Ti, it was a good bit quieter and still carries alot more energy out to 400 yards easy compared to the 5.56 and 300.
 
i dont have a SBR at this time, but i cant say that would stop me from using it to hunt with - inside its effective range based on the velocity limitations it gave you.

as we well know - all hunting bullets have a minimum expansion threshold. Know your bullet and know your actual velocity and understand the limitations of the combination you're using and life is good.

also be aware of your local laws - not all states allow SBR hunting, or suppressed hunting, even in some cases where ownership is legal.

generally speaking though lots of folks using 300blk sbr's for piggies and deer.


one thing to note of course, concerning suppressed hunting - or more specifically subsonic with the 300 blk - you have to treat it more like hunting with a handgun. Similar velocity's and trajectory patterns and energy levels. As such bullet selection becomes very important. Thankfully there are a reasonable selection of subsonic expanding bullets available these days from folks like Lehigh, Outlaw State and Maker bullets that fit these roles quite well.

the important takeaways for subsonic hunting though is know your drops and KNOW the range to your target. being off on your range estimate by as little as 25 yds could potentially lead to a miss or a wounding shot thats not fatal, depending on your choice of shot placement.

If i were to go the subsonic hunting route the Lehigh 194gr ME would be high on my list of choices, zeroed for either 75 or 100 yds for a decent MPBR. thankfully back in the woods where i hunt rarely do i have to shoot past 100 yds so the trajectory for either zero would work out fairly nice

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I have a 12" 6.8 I use for hogs and deer. With handloads I can zero at 50 and hold center mass out to 200 yards and be within a 3" circle. I also have a 7.5" 300 BO that is deadly out to 100 yds. These SBR's are super handling rifles. The longest barrel I have these days is a 16" Tactical 20 for coyotes, I will never go back to a long barrel.
 
Plant - thank you for the input. I honestly hadn't even looked into the ballistics yet. Just figured I'd see what real world experience said. But thank you for posting. Interesting results with a subsonic round.

WhoCares - I would mainly use to have fun, but I have land I can hunt in Tennessee with hogs and would love to take it down there. It's mainly wooded and most shots would be under 75 yards. I guess it might fit my needs for coyotes in certain areas of Indiana as well.

I will definitely have to do some more research and keep the idea alive.
 
I have a couple of sbrs that I hunt with. I have a 12.5" 6x6.8 and a 12.5" 223, both ARs.

I like suppressed sbrs, although I'm on a bolt gun kick lately
 
I love my 11.5" .223 and wouldn't hesistate calling coyotes with it. The best SBR round IMO would be the 6.8. It's still very efficient in short barrels, carries more energy than .300 BLK, and will still drop deer at a reasonable distance.
 
Originally Posted By: roky0702I love my 11.5" .223 and wouldn't hesistate calling coyotes with it. The best SBR round IMO would be the 6.8. It's still very efficient in short barrels, carries more energy than .300 BLK, and will still drop deer at a reasonable distance.

I was just looking into the ballistics of the 6.8. I am very impressed with it and will have to look into it more.

I like the sub-sonic of the 300 BLK. From what I can see it doesn't look like a 6.8 will go sub. But at the same time, I'm more interested in a light hunting rifle for dogs and pigs more than a quiet gun.
 
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I recently read an article in a mag where the author wrote about this very same topic. Though he took the route of building a short upper on a pistol lower. Thus just making it a "pistol" hunt versus an actual SBR. Many benefits to include NOT having to file with the ATF and wait months to be approved, not paying the $200 tax stamp, not notifying the ATF every time you take your SBR across state lines, and being able to leave the weapon loaded while transporting in your vehicle because technically it's a pistol (law may vary by state).

Obviously biggest downside is learning how to shoot the thing accurately when it doesn't have a buttstock. The article showed the authors technique which basically was holding the buffer tube (which was wrapped in 550 cord) to his cheek. Most AR calibers are fairly low recoil so you should be able to accurately fire like this.

I'm seriously considering starting a similar build so I can try it out myself.
 
i shoot my blackout pistol the same way.

buffer tube along my cheek with the rear of the buffer tube just touching my earlobe.

it gives me a nice consistent anchor point - kind of like drawing a bow almost - and makes it easy to bring an optic right to eye level.


i run subs and supers this way, and neither have enough recoil to make it uncomfortable.

i do find that in cold/chilly weather you do need to cover your buffer tube with something - that aluminum gets chilly fast!

other than getting a bit chilly, its a whole lotta fun to shoot!
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i have been considering swapping that elcheapo fixed power out for a 1.75-5x32 diamondback i have, which i think could make it very huntable.
 
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Originally Posted By: Plant.Onei shoot my blackout pistol the same way.

buffer tube along my cheek with the rear of the buffer tube just touching my earlobe.

it gives me a nice consistent anchor point - kind of like drawing a bow almost - and makes it easy to bring an optic right to eye level.


i run subs and supers this way, and neither have enough recoil to make it uncomfortable.

i do find that in cold/chilly weather you do need to cover your buffer tube with something - that aluminum gets chilly fast!

other than getting a bit chilly, its a whole lotta fun to shoot!
smile.gif

ICTifAu.jpg


i have been considering swapping that elcheapo fixed power out for a 1.75-5x32 diamondback i have, which i think could make it very huntable.

Plant - Did you have to get the stamp for yours or is it considered a pistol? I have seen others set up just like yours and I honestly prefer it that way.

Especially if I could get past the stamp tax.
 
under both michigan and federal law that is a pistol. with the suppressor off its short enough to be carried under michigan CPL rules.

like varminterror said, until such time as the BATFE reverses its decision on the AFG its staying and i have no intent of putting a VFG on it.

it was originally built with a sig brace as well, but then the BATFE went sideways on those things, so i decided to swap the weight out for the optic instead, which thankfully made it much more shootable to me anyway - near sighted + iron sights = sucks
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the one messed up part is - to hunt it as a pistol, i have to go into the michigan 'unrestricted' firearm zone. (which is where my hunting spot is anyway).

in the southern half of the state (roughly) where the restricted firearm zone rules apply, pistols (and pistol caliber carbines) must be .35 caliber or larger, straight wall, and have a brass casing length between 1.16" and 1.80" in length (basically 357 mag, 357 max, 44 mag, 450 bushmaster, 50 beowulf, 45 long colt as the most common choices). but no No bottle neck cartridges at all, weather or not they're in a handgun or a rifle.


if i were to hunt it, i would go supersonic with lightweight bullets - probably the barnes Tac-TX "blacktip" or nosler varmageddon.
 
I decided to avoid all of the SBR nonsense and opted for a "pistol" instead. This 7" one is in .223 and I have its twin in .308 with a 10" barrel. Great fun and I have killed a coyote with this one just so that I could say I had done it.

Here it is shown with its $5 Costco insulated shopping bag. Keeps the gun nice and is TOTALLY discreet!



 
Originally Posted By: jcs271I decided to avoid all of the SBR nonsense and opted for a "pistol" instead. This 7" one is in .223 and I have its twin in .308 with a 10" barrel. Great fun and I have killed a coyote with this one just so that I could say I had done it.

Here it is shown with its $5 Costco insulated shopping bag. Keeps the gun nice and is TOTALLY discreet!



Sorry about the upside down photo, photobucket shows it upright. If you are having trouble viewing just turn your monitor over.
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I really like the green!
 
Originally Posted By: Redleg84I have a couple of sbrs that I hunt with. I have a 12.5" 6x6.8 and a 12.5" 223, both ARs.

What speeds are you getting out of your 6x6.8?
 
Originally Posted By: SubpaROriginally Posted By: Redleg84I have a couple of sbrs that I hunt with. I have a 12.5" 6x6.8 and a 12.5" 223, both ARs.

What speeds are you getting out of your 6x6.8?

Around 3100fps with the 55/58gr and 3000fps with the 65s
 
Quote:I really like the green!

It is cerakote and has proven to be very durable. Sorry about the crappy photo, in real life the black accessories really look sharp and contrast nicely with the green finish.
 
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