Originally Posted By: jetmanBolt or AR?
when it comes to hunting.... the platform a specific bullet is shot out of - other than maybe a consideration for twist rate and MV variance due to barrel length or caliber anyway - isnt going to change anything on what happens when metal meets meat. thats not how terminal performance of a bullet works. especially when we're discussing modern engineered performance projectiles.
the result you get on impact is going to be primarily related to bullet construction, impact velocity, rpm, and shot placement.
prefect example: .308 diameter 165gr sst. engineered impact velocity range approx 1800 fps - 2700 fps. (it might be 1800 - 2900fps, i dont have the exact data from hornady in front me of me.. but thats close enough for our example) fired from an approx. 2700 fps mv caliber (ie 308 or 30-06) (impact velocity @ 100 yds ~2500 fps) will expand as expected on impact, mushroom out nicely and exit the body of a deer with a majority of its weight retained - exactly like we would a traditional cup and core SP bullet - even when making impact with a shoulder socket. meat will achieve room temperature if the shooter did their part.
however throw that same bullet in a 300 wetherby mag at ~3300 fps mv (impact 3125 fps @ 75 yds), catch the shoulder of a big whitetail at 75 yds and you're more likely to experience a splash and have the bullet come apart. its moving at the upper end of its engineered range at impact to operate as intended and will have a higher chance to perform more like a thin skinned varmint bullet at those impact velocity's.
this all of course is a completely different conversation of the accuracy performance expectation of a peticular platform (bolt gun, vs ar, vs non-ar semi auto, etc)
accuracy also may or may not be an entirely different discussion on the platform dependency - but thats going to have as much to do with the barrel than it will the platform itself in many instances, especailly when it comes to production grade rifles. and if we start to discuss match barrel offerings vs production... that can totally skew opposite of traditional thinking regarding accuracy on platforms.
ie: an ar with a $400+ match grade barrel is likely to perform accuracy wise better than a $400 production/rack grade bolt gun. just like a bolt gun with a premium match grade barrel is going to out perform a complete $600 ar rack grade rifle.
how well the shooter does with a specific platform of course will have some play in that (lets say ar vs bolt) but i dont know if i'd be willing to qualify that as a platform issue as much as a shooter ability issue.
TL
R - if its accurate out of your gun and suitable choice for the caliber's mv, stuff it thru something furry and made of meat at the right spot and you'll get your dinner to the table
hth