Need help picking a caliber for my hunting AR build

[ed308]

Just this morning, I was searching the internet for a Six8 upper receiver! I've got a LWRC SPR piston plus a ARP SIX8 upper. Wanna guess which one is more accurate. ARP of course.

 

[diesel1959]

Just this morning, I was searching the internet for a Six8 upper receiver! I've got a LWRC SPR piston plus a ARP SIX8 upper. Wanna guess which one is more accurate. ARP of course.

No doubt. An ARP barrel for the Valkyrie would be my preference.

 

[KC Huntin]

Another vote for Grendel from a Grendel owner here.

 

[deemus]

I am a fan of the 300 BO. Been shooting one for several years. Hundreds of pigs and varmints to its credit.

Most people have issues with it due to poor ammunition choice. I use the 110 gn TAC-TX, and have had extremely positive results out to 300 yards.

Subsonic ammunition has no place for hunting. It is a novelty at best.


I am saving up to build a Grendel, I love 6.5 caliber and I’m excited about it.

My brother is building a 6.8, and I’d like to some day as well


A brand new cartridge that I’m interested in is the 224 Valkyrie.



I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately...

Henry David Thoreau

I shoot 300 Blk with 125g Nosler BT's supersonic. That bullet is extremely accurate in the 300 Blk. I did my dial-in exercise with it, and found a load that shoots a half dollar sized group.

That rifle just took its first deer a couple weeks ago. A doe that took zero steps at 80 yds.

 

[Gummi Bear]

I use the Nosler as target rounds. I tune them to fly exactly the same as my Barnes (I shoot out to 300 yards, and dial my shots). They group extremely well.

I’ve had some mixed performances with it shooting varmints and pigs.

The TAC-TX has proved thus far (to me) that it is a superior hunting bullet.



I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately...

Henry David Thoreau

 

[deemus]

I use the Nosler as target rounds. I tune them to fly exactly the same as my Barnes (I shoot out to 300 yards, and dial my shots). They group extremely well.

I’ve had some mixed performances with it shooting varmints and pigs.

The TAC-TX has proved thus far (to me) that it is a superior hunting bullet.



I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately...

Henry David Thoreau

I'm not comfortable shooting the 300 Blk at 300 yds. I generally dont' shoot them past 200 yds.

 

[viking_in_tx]

I am thinking of either 6.5 Grendal or 6.8 Remington SPC. Which one would you pick and why?

Have you seen the .224 Valkyrie yet? Up-and-coming caliber for long(er) range work out of standard AR
Bolts, carriers and mags are 6.8SPC



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Younggun]

Couple weeks ago I took my 300BO on a hog hunting trip.

Based on what I could get my hands on I went with 110gr TSX (not tipped) running at 2150fps at the muzzle. Zero at 150yards so I would be in the ball park from muzzle to around 200 based on a ballistic calculator. Rounds would drop quickly after that and I didn't intend to trust the data beyond 200 yards.

I set up for what I thought would be plenty of targets at 75-100 yards. The hogs were too stupid to come out in the right spot so I ended up with them coming out close to 240 yards.

I guessed at holdover and wind. Hit the hog but didn't drop him. Another shot before he got in to cover turned him back towards me. At 150 yards I broke both front legs with a shot which stopped him in his tracks. Stationary, I put one through his ear.

You could say I didn't have enough gun to bring the hog down, but that's not really the case. Every shot had an entry and exit. I just didn't put them where they needed to be. Doesn't look like there was much expansion but I knew it would be an issue with the bullet choice.

If there is an issue to be had with 300BO I would say it's trajectory. You really need to know your drops if you want to take shots at extended range. If I'd know I was going to shoot 250 yards I'd have brought a .308. But, the 300BO didn't fail me. I'm not an overly skilled hunter, and this was my first attempt at dropping game on the run. Every round hit, every round penetrated, and when the hog came in to the range for which I really knew where to put the crosshairs the hog dropped.

More time with the chosen load and I have little doubt I could have dropped him with the 1st shot. I was simply 5" off with my holdover estimation. Probably still try to limit my shots to 200 yards though with a preference to 150 and less. Also wouldn't use the regular TSX for deer. It's known they don't expand well at 300BO velocities. I was more concerned with weight retention and keeping it as flat shooting as possible.

 

[ed308]

110 gr TSX... I've killed a lot of hogs with that bullet, but in 6.8. Usually one shot. I've never been impressed by the 300BLK for hunting hogs. Your experience is what I've witness with that caliber even at close range.

 

[Younggun]

My experience was that it stopped a running hog in its tracks at 150 yards.

Unless you mean it doesn't drop a hog with poor shot placement. I blame myself for that, as I would anyone else. No fault of the cartridge.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ed308]

Actually, I think it is a fault of the cartridge. My opinion about the BLK for hunting its based on what I've seen in the field when hunting hogs. I'm sure it fine for clearing houses, punching paper and etc. Maybe it works for deer at close range. But my experience with the BLK and hunting is based solely on hogs. Ever time I saw one used, it took multiple shots to bring the hog down. And even at close range. Like the .223/5.56, the BLK doesn't leave a lot of room for error. I think that's why people have abandoned it for hunting and moved on to better hunting calibers like 6.8, 6.5G, 458 and etc (for the AR15 frame). My experience is also based on hunting during the day, dusk or early morning hours and not at night which increases the potential for error. Case capacity for the BLK isn't much compared to established hunting cartridges. That's the problem. Sure it can work people like it for the ability to run suppressed plus the limited recoil. I just feel there's better calibers available when hunting with an AR.

 

[Younggun]

"Better" depends on many variables. Otherwise there'd be no discussion.

I'm not going to blame a cartridge for my inability to put a round where it should go though. Nor will I blame it for lack of expansion when I knowingly selected a bullet that wouldn't expand under the conditions of my use.

Just not one for excuses I guess.

 

[deemus]

A guy on my lease dropped a doe at 90 yds. Took a couple steps and went down. 300 Blk, 125g Nosler BT, supersonic. I would be comfortable shooting anything inside 150 yds with that bullet, which is also what I load for my 300 Blk. They expand, but have good weight retention.

That said, I am planning an AR build for a 6.5 Creedmoor. Research has shown that round can reach out much further with no problem.

But my 300 Blk will still see action. You don't always need a gun to shoot 300-400 yds. In East Texas, shots under 125 yds is very common.

 

[Younggun]

Yep.

It all depends on the use and needs of the shooter.

If I find something that recoils like 300BO, shoots flat out to 400 yards with enough penetration for the game I hunt, can do so from an 8" barrel, and uses components that I already have laying around I'll start building a new rifle.

 

[ZX9RCAM]

First buck I killed I missed the first shot at about 100yds.
It ran away from the vehicle and stopped again about 190yds away.
Second shot dropped him dead with the .222.

 

[DwnRange]

110 gr TSX... I've killed a lot of hogs with that bullet, but in 6.8. Usually one shot. I've never been impressed by the 300BLK for hunting hogs. Your experience is what I've witness with that caliber even at close range.

ditto...........

Old 2008 CMMG 16" 6.8mm SPC 1/10 SAMMI spec chambered upper w/ Nightforce 2.5-10x42 NXS and Vortex FS.

I put it on a diet last year and now she looks like this:

She runs on nothing but redline 110gr TSX for hunting and while avatar at left is a 5 shot 100 yard group - she did 3/4" sized 3 shot group @ 300 yds the other day while testing some factory Wilson Combat and S&B 110gr TSX loads designed for the SPC II chamber (that felt hotter than my own custom load). Both WC and S&B loads are smoking hot due to the chamber differences and the S&B load shot the better group mentioned using the 300 line in the scope recticle with no scope adjustments.

It is a qualified tack-driver in my book since the day I bought it, hogs, 'yotes, deer or coons the 110gr TSX loads in 6.8 get-er-done.

 

[ed308]

If I find something that recoils like 300BO, shoots flat out to 400 yards with enough penetration for the game I hunt, can do so from an 8" barrel, and uses components that I already have laying around I'll start building a new rifle.

You may be waiting awhile. And maybe not in your lifetime. Lasers for hunting haven't been developed. Seriously, a 300BLK with 8" barrel is not flat shooting out to 400 yards. The bullet would probably hit the ground before 400 yards if shot level. And I doubt it would penetrate a cardboard box.

 

[Younggun]

You may be waiting awhile. And maybe not in your lifetime. Lasers for hunting haven't been developed. Seriously, a 300BLK with 8" barrel is not flat shooting out to 400 yards. The bullet would probably hit the ground before 400 yards if shot level. And I doubt it would penetrate a cardboard box.

That was the point of the post.

I didn't say the BO was flat shooting. In previous posts I pointed out bullet selection in order to reduce the arc.

The point I was making is that until the magic cartridge I described is produced we will all be making compromises in our selection.

Don't know anyone trying to push 300BO to 400 yards.

 

[easy rider]

That was the point of the post.

I didn't say the BO was flat shooting. In previous posts I pointed out bullet selection in order to reduce the arc.

The point I was making is that until the magic cartridge I described is produced we will all be making compromises in our selection.

Don't know anyone trying to push 300BO to 400 yards.

You tube is about the only place I've seen that. My best is 100 yards or less.

 

[ed308]

Exactly. Younggun had me worried. Thought he was drunk on that BLK Koolaide.