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ARs are everything now days to the point that you mention shooting a rifle, people just assume it's an AR. 
I do have a M4 in 5.56, ONE AR. I do use an SKS for hunting pigs because I have it set up for night hunting. BUT, my deer hunting rifles are traditional bolt guns in decent calibers, .257 Roberts, .308 Winchester, and 7mm Remington Magnum. I'm old, guess I get set in my ways, but these rifles ain't broke, they're simple, and they all shoot at least 1 MOA or less.
ARs are capable of superb accuracy, the magic MOA. ARs are reliable even if they're a little more complicated. I have come to like the design, though I really still would rather have a traditional stock rather than that pistol grip. I've learned how to carry it, though, in the field comfortably. Hard to carry comfortably without a sling, but no real reason to not use the sling. I worked up a load with a 62 grain Barnes for it, shot a little buck last season with it just because. I'm waiting to shoot a turkey with it in the spring. I see that as a better use for it since I can use rifles here for turkey. I shot one several years back quite dead with a .22 magnum rifle, Remington 597 magnum. If I had a .450 Bushmaster upper, I'd turn it in to my night hog rifle, but there's nothing wrong with 7.62x39 and my SKS. I could use a bolt gun for this, but semi auto is the way to go with pigs. You will often get more'n one.
But, for general hunting, the bolt gun still rules. The calibers available put the AR to shame. You can get decent calibers for the AR, but they are range limited. Hunting out west with one, I would be hampered by this. I've taken game to near 400 yards, a MULE deer. He went down with a 7mm 150 grain Game King, but I don't think there's an AR caliber I'd wanna use out there. That 7mm bullet starts out at 3200 fps and carries elk killing power to 500 yards. I'm not one to take really long shots, but out there, 300+ is common.
There are new bolt guns that look like ARs, kinda hurt my eyes to look at. If I'm going to be shooting a bolt gun, I'll carry a traditional bolt gun. Might have a polymer stock on it, I'll admit, but I do love to look at a wood stock. I care NOTHING for a removable box magazine. I don't need more than the 3 round integral mag my Savage has (magnum caliber) or the 5 rounders my other two bolt guns have. It's hunting, not war. What it takes is one accurate shot..one shot, one kill.
The bolt guns available now days are affordable. That's one thing that has happened in recent years. Used to be the Savage was the only rifle under 700-1000 dollars that was worth anything. Remington made a lame attempt with the 788 and Savage had the 340 in .30-30, not a strong enough action for high pressure rounds. Now days, EVERYONE's jumping on the bargain bandwagon and these guns are good shooters and functional hunting rifles, but they're no Remington BDL to look at. We still have Weatherbys and BDLs, but I bet sales are near nothing anymore. It may be the end of the high end bolt gun. Wonder how long Weatherby will hold out making the Mk V?
Oh well, the old die to make way for the new. I'll be passing in a few decades at most and be buried with the traditional bolt gun, I guess. Nothing stays the same. After all, before WW1, folks loved their lever guns. They came home and wanted bolt guns for hunting, so the lever gun took a back seat. BUT, the lever gun never died. So here we are, after Nam and Iraq and Afghanistan, soldiers coming home from Afghanistan want their ARs. Wannabe operators used to their video game ARs want ARs, too. So, it's nothing new. I wonder what'll be the next revolution in firearms, phazers? :laugh:
I do have a M4 in 5.56, ONE AR. I do use an SKS for hunting pigs because I have it set up for night hunting. BUT, my deer hunting rifles are traditional bolt guns in decent calibers, .257 Roberts, .308 Winchester, and 7mm Remington Magnum. I'm old, guess I get set in my ways, but these rifles ain't broke, they're simple, and they all shoot at least 1 MOA or less.ARs are capable of superb accuracy, the magic MOA. ARs are reliable even if they're a little more complicated. I have come to like the design, though I really still would rather have a traditional stock rather than that pistol grip. I've learned how to carry it, though, in the field comfortably. Hard to carry comfortably without a sling, but no real reason to not use the sling. I worked up a load with a 62 grain Barnes for it, shot a little buck last season with it just because. I'm waiting to shoot a turkey with it in the spring. I see that as a better use for it since I can use rifles here for turkey. I shot one several years back quite dead with a .22 magnum rifle, Remington 597 magnum. If I had a .450 Bushmaster upper, I'd turn it in to my night hog rifle, but there's nothing wrong with 7.62x39 and my SKS. I could use a bolt gun for this, but semi auto is the way to go with pigs. You will often get more'n one.
But, for general hunting, the bolt gun still rules. The calibers available put the AR to shame. You can get decent calibers for the AR, but they are range limited. Hunting out west with one, I would be hampered by this. I've taken game to near 400 yards, a MULE deer. He went down with a 7mm 150 grain Game King, but I don't think there's an AR caliber I'd wanna use out there. That 7mm bullet starts out at 3200 fps and carries elk killing power to 500 yards. I'm not one to take really long shots, but out there, 300+ is common.
There are new bolt guns that look like ARs, kinda hurt my eyes to look at. If I'm going to be shooting a bolt gun, I'll carry a traditional bolt gun. Might have a polymer stock on it, I'll admit, but I do love to look at a wood stock. I care NOTHING for a removable box magazine. I don't need more than the 3 round integral mag my Savage has (magnum caliber) or the 5 rounders my other two bolt guns have. It's hunting, not war. What it takes is one accurate shot..one shot, one kill.
The bolt guns available now days are affordable. That's one thing that has happened in recent years. Used to be the Savage was the only rifle under 700-1000 dollars that was worth anything. Remington made a lame attempt with the 788 and Savage had the 340 in .30-30, not a strong enough action for high pressure rounds. Now days, EVERYONE's jumping on the bargain bandwagon and these guns are good shooters and functional hunting rifles, but they're no Remington BDL to look at. We still have Weatherbys and BDLs, but I bet sales are near nothing anymore. It may be the end of the high end bolt gun. Wonder how long Weatherby will hold out making the Mk V?
Oh well, the old die to make way for the new. I'll be passing in a few decades at most and be buried with the traditional bolt gun, I guess. Nothing stays the same. After all, before WW1, folks loved their lever guns. They came home and wanted bolt guns for hunting, so the lever gun took a back seat. BUT, the lever gun never died. So here we are, after Nam and Iraq and Afghanistan, soldiers coming home from Afghanistan want their ARs. Wannabe operators used to their video game ARs want ARs, too. So, it's nothing new. I wonder what'll be the next revolution in firearms, phazers? :laugh:
