AR-15 style rifles VS. Bolt action

eccad252

eccad252

New member
Hey everyone. Im new to the site and have become quite addicted. There is some great info here! I am interested in getting into the predator/varmint hunting. I am suprised to see that there is a good number of you that use AR-15 style rifles. I didn't expect to see that. What are your opinions when comparing AR-15's to bolt action rifles. When specifically refering to coyote hunting, do you feel one is more accurate than the other? Is there an advantage to having a fast repeating rifle for coyotes? I am planning to buy a .223 in either one of the Rockriver Arms varmint rifles or a Remington 700 SPS varmint. Any comments are appreciated.

Nick in San Diego
 
i just recently got rid of my bolt gun for an ar in 223, its a 16 inch bull barrel, i love it, to me it feels way more comfortable than my bolt gun did. i havent got to put it on paper, but from what i read, now days a good ar can dish out groups thatll run with good bolt guns. maybe somebody with more experience can tell you more.
ar gets my vote!
 
Yes its always a advantage to Modernize,I'd put my AR up against any bolt gun,Problem is you need to spend some money to get their,To get that kind of accuracy your going to need a Match quality Barrel with a free float tube,And a Good match Quality Trigger, Plenty of advertizer's on Google
Chip Mc Cormick has the best trigger for the money if you ask me.Once you have everything assembled shot after shot will ring the bullseye round after round.Beside's You have the advantage of Freeking out every liberal you ever run across and thats something money can't buy...
 
Most out of box AR's will shoot with any accurized bolt action, and there is a huge advantage to haveing a fast follow up shot or three, with out haveing to work a bolt. If you have ever get a runner you will understand Yotes that get wounded tend to run to deep cover, they are hard and somtimes impossible to find when they do this, and no true sprots man or woman wants to leave a wounded animal to suffer and die a slow death from starvation, or school a coyote in what is waiting when they hear a caller. So some times it takes more than one shot andeven more than one good hit to drop a yote no matter what sort of bragging you may see here or elsewhere.
 
It will cost about the same to purchase a quality bolt rifle and equip it with a quality scope as it does to purchase a lower quality AR and equip it with a quality scope. I see better quailty AR uppers for 5 or 6 hundred dollars. I can buy a decent bolt rifle for just the cost of a high quality and heavy AR upper.
Last summer I put together an AR on the cheap. A 16" lightweight upper from Doublestar and a RRA complete lower. The standard trigger in the lower is crap and it will cost $125 to $200 bucks to upgrade it. I put a Burris Fullfield II 3-9 scope on the rifle. After buying a bolt, carrier, and charging handle I was able to get into it all for right at a grand. If I step up to a new tirgger I'll be in at about $1150 to $1200 depending on the trigger. It shoots .223 which I find to be a marginal caliber for coyotes. It will shoot Remington 50 grain HP's MOA or even a little less. If I try anything else it will open up to over an inch to an inch and a half. I think a trigger upgrade would help across the board. I've shot at one coyote with it and killed it DRT at 110 yards. Worked good on that one.
I have a Remington 700 SPS stainless in .22-250 that I bought a year ago for about $530 out the door. I put a Leupold VXIII 4.5-14 scope on it for another $450.00. I'm in at $980. I adjusted the trigger on the model 700 myself in 15 minutes. This rig will shoot several factory loads into .75 inch three shot groups and I can shoot my handloads into .50 inch five shot groups consistently. The 55 grain HPBT's I shoot at 3500 FPS are very good on coyotes. I won't hesitate to shoot it at 400 yards. It's MHO that the .223 is running out of steam on a 40 pound coyote beyond 200 yards.
I like my AR and intend to hunt with it more in the future. I also like my bolt guns and will continue using them. My .243's are great but to buy a .243 WSSM upper for my AR would be cost prohibitive for me at this time. I'm sure it would work well if I had one.

Coyote 6974
 
a bolt gun is going to be fundamentally, though negligibly more accurate. most good rifles out-shoot their owners, so if an AR suits you better, get the AR.
 
I like my Rock River 20" varmint for coyote hunting. It's very accurate, .3"-.4" all day, but it gets heavy when I have to walk a ways between stands..

A good AR will stack up very well against some of the most accurate bolt rifles and out shoot alot of them.
 
The average AR made by the better manufacturers will shoot some very respectable groups. They are somewhat heavier than the bolt actioned rifles offered by some of the better manufacturers. I like them both and think they will both serve you well for many, many years.
 
I just bought the Rem 700 sps in 223 about 3 weeks ago, I love it and it is shooting great with factory ammo so far. I just got time to load up a bunch of different rounds to find out what it likes and plan too shoot them tomorrow. If you go with the Rem let me know and I can tell you what I'm having luck with.
 
I use both cant say one shoots better than the other after a few mods to a bolt it is a draw.You will be more of a patient hunter with the bolt!!All THE BEST.Rick
 
New member here as well. I just got a new AR. I wanted a bolt gun in the worst way I was looking at a Kimber in 22-250 and was set on that when I went to the shop they told me to look at an AR I wasnt interested but after I picked it up I fell in love. I bought a Bushmaster Predator and it shoots very well I was doing about .8" with cheap Remington UMC ammo and a little less than .5" with Black Hills 60 grain V-maxes. Not too bad for my first day on the bench with it. The feel is great I dont think I will ever own another gun that isnt an AR. Only thing I dont like is the fact that it isnt a 22-250 but the .223 doesnt seem bad for my ranges. I am thinking about a .204 upper later though. I paid $950 for the gun and put a $270 nikon on it. I really like the set up.
 
I have said many times here that AR's are the best format for a predator rifle. It offers everything needed. Good AR's will shoot well enough for predator hunting.

Welcome to the new guys!
 
Quote:
I have said many times here that AR's are the best format for a predator rifle. It offers everything needed. Good AR's will shoot well enough for predator hunting.

Welcome to the new guys!



+1 Steve the AR platforms are very accurate weapons and are very good for predators. Not to mention that quicker and easier follow up shots on multiple dogs on a stand.
 
Somebody said AR groups did they. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

My Bushy Varminter with my handload that it likes. 5 shot group, 100yds.

The size written would be incorrect. I always thought you measure outside the longest measurement so that is what I wrote for reference.

Then I was educated that I was to measure outside, then deduct the bullet diameter. That would make this group .256

I'll take it. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif


halfinchgroup100Yards.jpg


My best bolt gun hasn't been able to do this yet.
 
I'm a bolt kind of guy, but accuracy wise both do excellent. I think you can get into a bolt gun for less money so let your pocketbook decide which you want. I'd rather spend the difference on hunting, but I'm on the bottom of the money scale. Nice thing about being retired all the time in the world, just not all the money.
 
Quote:
Is there an advantage to having a fast repeating rifle for coyotes?

YES. I've killed more runs coyotes since I swtiched to the AR platform than I ever did with my bolt guns. Accuracy is not an issue with todays AR's.
 
I have a DPMS AR with a 16" bull barrel that will shoot with my heavy barreled Savage in 25-06. It is not really that heavy either and since it is so short it is easy to carry and shoot in the woods, and I also like the quick follow up shot if needed.
 
The SPS varmint is deffinatly a shooter. At the range mine (chambered in .204) shot a 3 shot group ( was pressed for time that day) under .3. Didn't measure it, but all of the shots made one ragged hole. I really like it. I topped it with a Nikon Buckmaster 4.5-14x40 with a bdc ret. The weight doesn't bother me at all, but it is heaavy. Probably close to ten pounds (with bipod). So unless you have to take a freehand shot, stick to shooting sticks or a bipod.
 
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