Will The Modern Hunter be my new rifle

[Dr. Hunter]

Great! I have to say I haven't had time to do any shooting for about 8 months so this was a treat, thanks Rick! I only had time to shoot 5 rounds at 50 yards (indoor range). Trigger was smooth and crisp. Here is the result, I can't wait to get some time in the saddle with her so I can improve my accuracy!

How was the recoil?

[GreenBob]

To me, the concept of using a gun like this for hunting is rather repulsive.
I respect the game I hunt, I don't view it like an enemy, and hunting to me is a completely different thing than shooting up Taliban a$$holes.
To use a weapon like this to shoot a deer or a moose would be a disrespectful way to hunt (in my opinion).
Having a 10 round clip in a big game gun is rather ridiculous to me...if you need that many rounds to hit the animal, you should not be out there hunting in the first place.
If you don't need that many rounds, then why lug it around with you in the woods all day?
So, I would not pick a gun like this for hunting.
Lots of folks out there will disagree with me, and that is fine.
They have their opinion, I have mine.
If you don't have a problem going hunting with an AR, then go for it.
I would enjoy a gun like this on the range, and that is about it.
For home defense, I use my 12 gauge. If you have a big property and are genuinely worried about zombies invading your place, then this gun might also suit you for that purpose...
I hope we don't follow the Americans down this path where every other deer/moose/bear gun in the woods is an AR...I think it will be rather sad if that happens. The traditional hunting rifles with their fine wood and metalwork were designed that way for a reason-respect for the game you hunt and respect for the tools you use in doing so.

I am sure that is exactly what deer, bear, moose is thinking after being slammed by 50-180g of lead... did i get shot with traditional pretty rifle or scary black one?

I respect your right to voice an opinion but whatever you are smoking or drinking I suggest you stop! Brain cells don't replenish.

[9x19p]

...

[ShaunM]

I feel like you're envisioning this


And the rest of us are picturing this


having done a lot of woodworking, I can almost grasp where you're coming from because there are some gorgeous wood rifles and the wood grain just has a certain warmth to it... but historically, that was the most abundant material to make a stock from and it was simply what was available. It had nothing to do with respecting the game or not.

In the lightest configuration this rifle weighs 8lbs.
by comparison my preferred bolt action rifle (rem700 5R) is 8.25lbs.

[Shrapnel]

To me, the concept of using a gun like this for hunting is rather repulsive.
I respect the game I hunt, I don't view it like an enemy, and hunting to me is a completely different thing than shooting up Taliban a$$holes.
To use a weapon like this to shoot a deer or a moose would be a disrespectful way to hunt (in my opinion).

Yeah! Right on! But maybe you should go back to the spear to really respect your deer... Or the club... Modern firearms are really for disrespectful hipsters!

[Billabong]

With all the replies out there, I would like to ask again: what is the benefit, what is the value of this firearm in a big-game hunting application?
I am not talking about shooting paper or varmints.
I am asking about big game hunting.

Why use this gun for that purpose? Why drop $3000 on it when you can have a lighter, more accurate, more reliable hunting rifle at a cheaper cost?
That is the main question here.
I am not "passing judgement" on others. I would like a genuine reason why you would carry a military, AR rifle to hunt big game.
I would suggest it has nothing to do with hunting ethics or fair harvest of game.


We all know that hunting is steeped in tradition. It is an integral part of the hunt for most of us.
Do you nice folks seriously think that using an AR to hunt big game does not change that? Of course it does.
The tools you use and the way you go about harvesting your animal says a lot about you.
Try walking up to a farmer's gate, carrying one of these and asking his permission to hunt his land.
Good luck.
Bet you dollars to donuts that I will fare a lot better with my hunting rifle in my hands.

[Jarvy]

I have hunted for 14 years. I have never been charged by a bear or any other angry critter.
It makes little sense to me to lug around a gun like this for the next 20 years just in case I get charged by something.

That's not the argument. It must be nice to get a flawless instant kill shot on your first try every time, and not have to deal with some deer slowly bleeding to death somewhere you can't find. Being able to finish off an animal with a quick second shot in case something goes wrong with the first sounds pretty respectful of the animal to me.

You're pretending that steel and wood bolt-actions were designed purely for hunting, and not for soldiers to more quickly and efficiently kill their enemies. So where does that line of thinking end? Breech loaders? Muzzle Loaders? Bows? Spears? Just about every hunting weapon you can think of had a military application first, and were taken up by hunters after the fact, because they're good for that too. Semiautomatics are no different.

[Stormchaser]

How was the recoil?

Nothing noticeable.

First shot was my centre shot, second shot I closed my eyes on the flier! The last three are the group.

[Kudu]

To me, the concept of using a gun like this for hunting is rather repulsive.
I respect the game I hunt, I don't view it like an enemy, and hunting to me is a completely different thing than shooting up Taliban a$$holes.
To use a weapon like this to shoot a deer or a moose would be a disrespectful way to hunt (in my opinion).
Having a 10 round clip in a big game gun is rather ridiculous to me...if you need that many rounds to hit the animal, you should not be out there hunting in the first place.
If you don't need that many rounds, then why lug it around with you in the woods all day?
So, I would not pick a gun like this for hunting.
Lots of folks out there will disagree with me, and that is fine.
They have their opinion, I have mine.
If you don't have a problem going hunting with an AR, then go for it.
I would enjoy a gun like this on the range, and that is about it.
For home defense, I use my 12 gauge. If you have a big property and are genuinely worried about zombies invading your place, then this gun might also suit you for that purpose...
I hope we don't follow the Americans down this path where every other deer/moose/bear gun in the woods is an AR...I think it will be rather sad if that happens. The traditional hunting rifles with their fine wood and metalwork were designed that way for a reason-respect for the game you hunt and respect for the tools you use in doing so.

What he said!

[Billabong]

That's not the argument. It must be nice to get a flawless instant kill shot on your first try every time, and not have to deal with some deer slowly bleeding to death somewhere you can't find. Being able to finish off an animal with a quick second shot in case something goes wrong with the first sounds pretty respectful of the animal to me.

You're pretending that steel and wood bolt-actions were designed purely for hunting, and not for soldiers to more quickly and efficiently kill their enemies. So where does that line of thinking end? Breech loaders? Muzzle Loaders? Bows? Spears? Just about every hunting weapon you can think of had a military application first, and were taken up by hunters after the fact, because they're good for that too. Semiautomatics are no different.

Agreed that a quick follow up shot is often needed. No argument. Been there, done that with my bolt action.
The reason why military arms were adopted by hunters is because they were superior to the weapons that were being used to that point. I get that.
What does this AR have to offer you that a modern hunting rifle does not?...with the exception of a large mag and quick follow up shots?
To what degree do we keep "evolving" in this regard? At what point do you, as a hunter say, "it may be legal for me to use a gun like that for hunting, but I will not do so because it goes against what I believe is fair chase?".

A 10 round AR is not a gun designed for fair chase big game hunting in my opinion...