G
Goyaałé
Guest
Bare with me. i am new to all of it. so my question is what can i hunt with my ar 15 & what is my effective range?
Welcome to the site, here is the blunt answer.
The ar15 shoots what is effectively a varmint round. So in the hands of a newbie hunter I would say coyotes, ground squirrels, rabbits, and the like. In the hands of a experienced hunter it can take deer size game with out trouble but you are a few years away from that.
Effective range?
Depends on the gun and the shooter. Some ar15's are as accurate as a good bolt gun. Some are not. If you have a typical home defense AR and given that you are new I would say 100 yards. Go shoot and when you can keep every shot in a 6" circle that's a good start to what range you can shoot. As far as knock down power on coyote size game a good load can kill a coyote at 400 yards no problem but trust me when I say energy at longer ranges is not worth worrying about. Work on clean kills at 100 yards. The rest will follow
The ar15 shoots what is effectively a varmint round. So in the hands of a newbie hunter I would say coyotes, ground squirrels, rabbits, and the like. In the hands of a experienced hunter it can take deer size game with out trouble but you are a few years away from that.
Effective range?
Depends on the gun and the shooter. Some ar15's are as accurate as a good bolt gun. Some are not. If you have a typical home defense AR and given that you are new I would say 100 yards. Go shoot and when you can keep every shot in a 6" circle that's a good start to what range you can shoot. As far as knock down power on coyote size game a good load can kill a coyote at 400 yards no problem but trust me when I say energy at longer ranges is not worth worrying about. Work on clean kills at 100 yards. The rest will follow
Hi Steve welcome. What area of so cal are you in? Most blm land and some national Forrest you can target shoot in. Look at the web sites for a particular area.
BLM land is legal for the most part, excluding specific areas closed to target shooting (which should be listed on the BLM site or call the field office). However, National Forest land in SD is mostly illegal for target shooting (but legal for hunting). Wherever you end up, just remember to pack out whatever you bring in (targets, casings, etc.). I hate seeing spots ruined by piles of empties, broken clays, and bullet-riddled appliances.
G
Goyaałé
Guest
Thank you @SurfNHuntSD . ive look on the site but i couldnt find a damn thing. jajajjaja I think ill have better luck actully speaking to a person. thanks again to everyone
Goyaale
some constructive advice here.
go the the fish and wild life and purchase the Cleveland national forest maps., any areas that are BLM,
purchase BLM maps from that zone, for example el centro, el cajon are two blm maps in our area.
next I would suggest to purchase the ONX Hunt application for your smart phone. purchase the California license. $25.
it will tell you National Forest and BLM, and if it is a No Shooting Area. like private land, and areas that have a regulation that prohibits shooting period.
next have you taken the California Hunter Safety class. You need to google it at the calif.Fish and Wildlife or call PK shooting range in El Cajon and set up for the next class, cost $25 and it's 8-10 hour class on saturday or sunday. Study the Calif. Hunting regulations and keep a handbook with you at all times. PK can give you personalized training in gun safety and handling while shooting and in general.
Ask any questions, it's better to learn from all the Brothers here.
some constructive advice here.
go the the fish and wild life and purchase the Cleveland national forest maps., any areas that are BLM,
purchase BLM maps from that zone, for example el centro, el cajon are two blm maps in our area.
next I would suggest to purchase the ONX Hunt application for your smart phone. purchase the California license. $25.
it will tell you National Forest and BLM, and if it is a No Shooting Area. like private land, and areas that have a regulation that prohibits shooting period.
next have you taken the California Hunter Safety class. You need to google it at the calif.Fish and Wildlife or call PK shooting range in El Cajon and set up for the next class, cost $25 and it's 8-10 hour class on saturday or sunday. Study the Calif. Hunting regulations and keep a handbook with you at all times. PK can give you personalized training in gun safety and handling while shooting and in general.
Ask any questions, it's better to learn from all the Brothers here.
G
Goyaałé
Guest
G
Goyaałé
Guest
I've been obsessing about this for a year now. Finally decided to act on my obsession... Thank you all for your help
Ar15- great versatile centerfire gun. Plenty of ammo to feed it with and also plenty of different bullets for different game. From prairie dogs to deer. You need to know bullet types for different applications. Lead free ammo, different weights and design of bullets, etc, come into play.
Plinking ammo (55gr FMJ) is for plinking only. You can use to break in the barrel, to get your rifle/scope on paper target, and for general rambo style fun.
The expensive rounds are for your accurate hunting rounds. They will impact differently from your plinking ammo, so you will have to set your scope to this ammo. Once again, you may shoot 45 gr varmint exploders, or 77 gr single load cartridge and they will hit differently.
My point is you will need to shoot it and shoot a lot to get proficient with it...which is the fun part. So you need a shooting range. Like said above, BLM is good to go as long as you are doing it in a safe manner. Have back stop for your bullet to hit, and no off roaders to pass through your bullet path (more of a challenge when you extend your range). National forest land is no target shooting unless it is a specified target shooting area. Invest in ar500 steel targets. They are fun to shoot at...repeatedly.
I shot my first deer with an ar15. I limited myself to 200 yards but was proficient with it to 500. Shooting prairie dogs however, I was doing 500 yards. I don't care about wounding a prairie dog but I care about wounding a big game animal. That is where your hunter ethics come to play. Only you can answer "what is your effective range". That said, go have fun hunting rabbits and coyotes. That will teach you skills of sitting still, and stalking.
Another plus...you would be ready for the zombie craze soon to come. Be sure to have the correct ammo for that.
Plinking ammo (55gr FMJ) is for plinking only. You can use to break in the barrel, to get your rifle/scope on paper target, and for general rambo style fun.
The expensive rounds are for your accurate hunting rounds. They will impact differently from your plinking ammo, so you will have to set your scope to this ammo. Once again, you may shoot 45 gr varmint exploders, or 77 gr single load cartridge and they will hit differently.
My point is you will need to shoot it and shoot a lot to get proficient with it...which is the fun part. So you need a shooting range. Like said above, BLM is good to go as long as you are doing it in a safe manner. Have back stop for your bullet to hit, and no off roaders to pass through your bullet path (more of a challenge when you extend your range). National forest land is no target shooting unless it is a specified target shooting area. Invest in ar500 steel targets. They are fun to shoot at...repeatedly.
I shot my first deer with an ar15. I limited myself to 200 yards but was proficient with it to 500. Shooting prairie dogs however, I was doing 500 yards. I don't care about wounding a prairie dog but I care about wounding a big game animal. That is where your hunter ethics come to play. Only you can answer "what is your effective range". That said, go have fun hunting rabbits and coyotes. That will teach you skills of sitting still, and stalking.
Another plus...you would be ready for the zombie craze soon to come. Be sure to have the correct ammo for that.
you are welcome. For your effective range question, I just thought of a perfect test for you. When you get your rifle and find your range, fill milk jugs with colored water. Food dye is great. Set apart at 50, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600 yards. This test will tell you two things. How accurate you are and what your bullet does. Note the explosive energy or lack of. It will give you an idea of what it will do to a thin plastic fluid filled jug.
And don't forget to pick up the jugs. My range, is walking only. I bring a heavy pack loaded with the jugs and I consider it a work out. Its considered a shame if you have to dump the fluid out by hand.
And don't forget to pick up the jugs. My range, is walking only. I bring a heavy pack loaded with the jugs and I consider it a work out. Its considered a shame if you have to dump the fluid out by hand.