Best AR general purpose caliber?

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bamaranger

New member
If you were going to assemble a standard action AR 15 size carbine as a general purpose rifle, one you could hunt varmints and medium game, compete in a bit of 3 gun or practical rifle to say 300 yds or so, and also serve as a self defense weapon, ...one carbine....set up anyway you wanted........ in what cartridge would you chamber it?

No wrong answer, but explanation as to your choice is desired. I'm thinking 6.5 Grendel myself. Sufficient bullet weight for whitetail and hogs, mild shooting, flat trajectory and commercially available as well (not a requirement but desireable).
 
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stagpanther

New member
Still can't beat a general purpose 5.56/.223 Wylde IMO. I know you asked for explanation--it fits all your criteria plus is very reliable and manageable. I'm not going into the game-taking thing other than to say it can be done.
 
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jetinteriorguy

New member
bamaranger said:
If you were going to assemble a standard action AR 15 size carbine as a general purpose rifle, one you could hunt varmints and medium game, compete in a bit of 3 gun or practical rifle to say 300 yds or so, and also serve as a self defense weapon, ...one carbine....set up anyway you wanted........ in what cartridge would you chamber it?

No wrong answer, but explanation as to your choice is desired. I'm thinking 6.5 Grendel myself. Sufficient bullet weight for whitetail and hogs, mild shooting, flat trajectory and commercially available as well (not a requirement but desireable).
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I think you’ve already nailed it. But, of the calibers that I load for I’d grab my 7.62x39. For me it would work because even though people don’t think of it as a 300yd round with my loads I’ve been able to pop clays at about a 50% rate at 300 yds. When the Mini 30 first came out I bought one and hunted large northern deer with it for twelve years and shot deer out to 200+ yds and never had one run more than 50yds before dropping dead.
 
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Shadow9mm

New member
5.56/223 wylde is going to be as general purpose as your going to get. Unless you have some sort of limitations that does ot allow you to use 5.56/223 wylde for hunting. But with good bullet selection its plenty capable for deer/hogs out to 300. Also parts, ammunition, and or reloading components will be cheaper and more readily available for 5.56
 
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ocharry

New member
i too have a 6.5 grendel....and a 223 wyld and one chambered in 556..that being said

here in Missouri the 22's can be used for deer 223/556,22-250 and others i guess...i dont personally think it is a deer round but in the right hands it can get it done

223/556 is very common and coming down in price and in SHTF situations common is good...the grendel not so much..i relaod so that isnt a big deal for me personally....but components can be tricky...especially powder and sometimes brass..

anyway.. most times i pick up the grendel when i go out....i built it because i wanted more hammer at little longer range...and its a no brainer inside 200 for deer.....and coyotes...its lights out where they stand...

i think if i would have built the grendel first i prolly wouldnt have built the 223 wyld since i already had a 556...but hey the twins dont mind sitting next to each other

so i kinda agree with stag and mehavey...leaning heavy towards mehavey..lol

my .02

ocharry
 
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MarkCO

New member
Agree with the .223/5.56 in general for Southern South and East states with Whitetails.

If you are in the Western states, you generally need 6mm for Deer. In that case, a 6x45 would be my suggestion. Maybe the .350L or .400L after a few years of seeing how they fare.

The 6.5G and 6.8 don't use standard .223 bolts nor mags. Cost goes up, reliability goes down.
 
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stagpanther

New member
The 6.5G and 6.8 don't use standard .223 bolts nor mags. Cost goes up, reliability goes down.
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Agreed--of the two I'd take 6.8 spc--tougher brass and bolt head and more reliable in an AR. If longer range target shooting is of primary importance--then I'd consider putting 6.5 grendel at the head of the line. But then a bunch of 6mm BR-like cartridges become an option as well. I live in Maine. Our deer are pretty big.;)
 
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Steve in Allentown

New member
stagpanther said:
Agreed--of the two I'd take 6.8 spc . . .
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I agree with my fellow Maine-iac. The 6.8 has more oomph in a standard AR size receiver than a .223 and is optimized for short barrels. Commonly available bulk .223 ammo retains less than 1000 ft lbs of energy at 100 yards while 6.8 factory ammo is knocking on the door of 1000 ft lbs of retained energy at 300 yards and can easily/safely exceed it through hand loading your own ammo.

My 6.8 has an 18" barrel and is scary accurate. It'll put 10 rounds of cheap factory ammo into a half inch group at 100 yards all day long. I've got to get into working up some loads for it one of these days.

Here's a ballistics comparison between the Grendel and the 6.8. I've long since forgotten where it came from.

lEf9DJs.jpg

If I were still wearing the uniform or hunting anything smaller than an elk, the 6.8 would be my go-to rifle.

If I were living in an urban environment and concerned about the possibility of unrest, I'd go with the .223.

If I were looking to shoot small groups at extended ranges using a standard size AR receiver, I'd use one flavor or another of a .223 or 6mm projectile in a case with more capacity than the standard .223 case.
 
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MarkCO

New member
Our deer are pretty big.
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In my defense, I did say
Southern South and East states with Whitetails
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I'd be fine with the 6.8 for bigger Northern Deer.

I chose the 6.5 PCC (Patriot Combat Cartridge) as it lets me be legal for Deer and Pronghorn in the Western States, and I happen to really like the 95 to 107 grain 6.5 bullets. But it is strictly wildcat. While you can get a barrel and dies, you have to make your own brass.
 
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stagpanther

New member
I chose the 6.5 PCC (Patriot Combat Cartridge) as it lets me be legal for Deer and Pronghorn in the Western States, and I happen to really like the 95 to 107 grain 6.5 bullets. But it is strictly wildcat. While you can get a barrel and dies, you have to make your own brass.
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I had to look that up--never even heard of the 6.5 PCC (almost sounds like PPC). Pretty interesting, but just glancing at the numbers quickly I'd guess you have to be very aware of what you're shooting at and at what distance.
 
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603Country

New member
After having problems dropping big hogs with the 223, I went to the 6.5 Grendel. The hogs drop now. It was a tossup between the 6.8 and 6.5, but I had the bullets and powders for the 6.5 G. I might deer hunt with it this next season, but it has just been pig medicine so far.
 
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MarkCO

New member
stagpanther said:
I had to look that up--never even heard of the 6.5 PCC (almost sounds like PPC). Pretty interesting, but just glancing at the numbers quickly I'd guess you have to be very aware of what you're shooting at and at what distance.
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There might be 50 or so in the wild. I get 2700 fps with the 95g and 2500 with the 107 grain. It lags the 6.5G by about 100 fps or so with the lighter bullets. But 120g is about the limit, and 2400 fps.
 
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bamaranger

New member
chart

This would make a good thread with a "pick one" chart. Ho 'bout somebody with more tech savy than me starting same?
 
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Jim Watson

New member
The problem with "pick one" threads is the tremendous overlap in guns and ammo.
If it lasts long, you will find everything on the market recommended by somebody.

And with an AR, it is too easy and relatively cheap to just get another upper.
I don't like seeing fancy brass thrown in the weeds, so I would be - am - sure to have a .223/5.56 for home defense and moderate range targets.
Something in the broad range of 6mm to .30 for medium game.
 
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Shadow9mm

New member
Well, I initially commented on this post with just my pick, but I have been thinking over this for a bit now and I have revised my opinion and have some questions and thoughts that may help the conversation.

What criteria are we using, or how do we qualify a general purpose rifle? At what point are the criteria too broad or too compromised to consider it viable?

To me, the criteria that were laid out are these
platform ar15 carbine
hunting varmints
hunting medium game
defensive
competition 3gun and or practical rifle
distance, 300yds

From what I have seen 6.5 Grendel seems to be the favorite cartridge at this point. While I feel it is a good cartridge and an excellent choice based on most of the criteria, I feel that it, and many of the other niche cartridges, would be a huge drawback in the competition space. Ammo/components are uncommon and expensive, and as far as reloading, there is a high probability you wont get most, or any, of your brass back. And leaving a brass catcher on your gun 24/7 because your too afraid of losing your brass does not make for an enjoyable shooting experience and it bad training for defensive use, and would make shooting a competition laughable.

My recommendation is to build 1 nice lower and 2 uppers. Build a 16in defensive/competition upper in 223, and a hunting upper in 6.5 grendel.

I believe my solution, while a bit of a loophole, in fact is still only 1 rifle.
 
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