Best AR general purpose caliber?

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603Country

New member
Shadow9mm’s suggestion of one lower and two uppers (223 and 6.5G) was what I did for a while, and it worked great. It is easy to swap uppers, and I had no problems with buffer and spring with the two calibers. Finally though, I got another lower.
 
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jmr40

New member
Overall I'm still going with a 223/5.56 with a barrel twisted that will shoot 70-77 gr bullets.

A 223 wouldn't be my 1st choice as a deer cartridge, but it will do the job if bullets are chosen carefully. And not just small deer. A 75 gr 223 bullet will do anything an 85 gr 243 bullet will do. You will have to limit your shots to under 200 yards and may have to pass on shots from bad angles where a heavier bullet may work.

Lots of folks can't wrap their heads around a 22 caliber bullet killing anything bigger than a coyote. But the difference between a 223 and a 243 is less than 1/2 the thickness of a dime.

My reasoning is based on how often the rifle will be used for each activity. Yes, a larger caliber cartridge is a better deer cartridge. But that will be activity where it is least used. A guy could go through several thousand rounds a year shooting in the other activities and only fire 1-3 shots at deer.

To me it makes more sense to choose the cartridge that works best for the activities where it is used most. 223 is by far the better option for everything else. Especially if cost and availability are factored in.

Of course, the correct answer is 223/5.56 AND a separate upper in a larger cartridge for hunting. The money saved shooting 223/5.56 the majority of the time would quickly pay for the 2nd upper, or even a 2nd rifle.
 
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taylorce1

New member
I agree with the .223/5.56 comment being the best utility cartridge for the AR-15. I've killed deer with the .223 55gr TSX, 6X45 85gr SGK, and the 6X47 (6mm-.222 RM) 70gr NBT. Place a bullet where it needs to go and you're eating venison. I've got a buddy who likes the .277 Yeti and 80 gr Gold Dots for deer.

Hogs, I have very little experience with. I do know if your shoot them in the ear, cartridge matters very little. I doubt a hog will survive a well placed .224 diameter bullet of adequate construction.

I've not shot 3-Gun but my understanding is it's a timed competition. .223/5.56 is going to work better for that. Less recoil means you can transition targets faster and makes the rifle handle faster. Just look at PRS as an indicator, the cartridges used have gone smaller as well as the caliber for the reasons I stated above.
 
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Pistoler0

New member
mehavey said:
6.5 Grendel
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+1 on the 6.5 grendel.

I'd like to add:
- long range precision shooting
- cheap steel cased ammo available.
- In fact, CHEAPEST AR rifle ammo apart from 7.62x39 and .223/556:
Per ammoseek: cheapest 6.5G $0.74. cheapest 6.8SPC $1.10 as of 5/11/2023
- versatile and different factory loadings available for hunting.
- relatively easy to find.
- MOST IMPORTANT: legal for big game hunting in many states that do not allow 5.56/223 for big game (CO for instance).
Good for deer out to 400 yards (20" barrel) and even elk inside 125 yards or so.

Depending on barrel and load, a 6.5G can deliver as much energy at 500 yards as a .308 with a lower cost per round:
https://www.bearcreekarsenal.com/blog/65-grendel-vs-308-vs-556-and-223.html

But yes, you need a different bolt (although not a different bolt carrier) and mags. Reliability has not been an issue for me, even with cheap steel cased ammo.

If you are going to get two uppers, and you are sensitive to cost of ammo, my recommendation:
1 upper in 7.62x39. Cost of ammo is again down to $0.30/rd or so.
2nd upper in 6.5 Grendel for hunting and precision. Cost of ammo around $0.70 per rd
 
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stagpanther

New member
I'm done with being on the bleeding edge (aka public testers) with new cartridges. Too much garbage hype and too much incremental updates to reamer specs while trying to get it right. Let someone else kaboom themselves. I'm going to wait at least two years after it's introduced before trying anything new.
 
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Buckeye!

New member
6.5 Grendel is just a great round.. if u are a handloader … ammo just to expensive
Im a 7.62x39 .. has limitations.. as long as you know’em .. ur good to go
 
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rickyrick

New member
I also think the 5.56/.223 is as about general purpose as you can get out to 300. The cartridge is more capable than internet lore suggests.

Shorter or longer distances there may be other options.

What I’ve found is as you stray away from .223 you end up giving up something, be it:
Cost
Ammo capacity
Reliability
Ammo availability
Range
Etc
 
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Shadow9mm

New member
Having just build a 6mm arc gun and having just shot it yesterday my perspective is shifting a bit. The main issue I have with it so far is ammo availability, or brass availability as I reload. 223/5.56 still has it beat hands down as far as availability goes. However I really like the way 6mm arc shoots and the extra energy and range it brings.
 
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rickyrick

New member
Just out of curiosity, how much bullet drop does subsonic 300bo have at 300yrds?

The OP wants to take game at 300yards.
 
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MTT TL

New member
300 yards hunting medium game will likely be better served with a 6.5 or 6.8 than 5.56. Either will work well at 300 yards. If you want to shoot farther, get the 6.5G with a longer barrel. Factory ammo is cheaper for the 6.5 if that matters.

Of course if you wanted to go with an AR-10 style the .277 Fury blows both of the others away with performance. With the AR-10 being a full size rifle as opposed to the lighter carbine.
 
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tangolima

New member
rickyrick said:
Just out of curiosity, how much bullet drop does subsonic 300bo have at 300yrds?

The OP wants to take game at 300yards.
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About 15 feet. Flight time is about 1 sec.

The elevation on a m16 peep sight starts at 300yd and ends at 600yd. There must be some effectiveness even for the small .223, depending on your definition.

-TL

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
 
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stagpanther

New member
Having just build a 6mm arc gun and having just shot it yesterday my perspective is shifting a bit. The main issue I have with it so far is ammo availability, or brass availability as I reload. 223/5.56 still has it beat hands down as far as availability goes. However I really like the way 6mm arc shoots and the extra energy and range it brings.
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I made my ARC brass from grendel brass, pretty straight-forward with nothing special other than watching for neck length growth and trimming it. I didn't have to do any neck turning. I have noticed that grendel brass has gone up in price (like everything else) but you can still find it--you can order it direct from starline if you don't won't to pay big bucks.The arc works well in an AR as well as bolt. If I was going bolt-only there are a few better alternatives--but it works very well in the AR but you might be limited in COL by the magazine (unless you do a front cut-out).
 
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TXAZ

New member
If the OP is worried about an ethical / high probability kill at 300 yards, consider moving to a .308.
There are many quality components / complete rifles available that are 3/4 MOA or better with factory ammo.
 
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Shadow9mm

New member
TXAZ said:
If the OP is worried about an ethical / high probability kill at 300 yards, consider moving to a .308.
There are many quality components / complete rifles available that are 3/4 MOA or better with factory ammo.
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Based on the numbers i have run, 6mm arc is generally good to between 350-500 yds, at 1800fps or more, which is generally the minimum expansion velocity for most hunting bullets
 
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MarkCO

New member
MTT TL said:
Of course if you wanted to go with an AR-10 style the .277 Fury blows both of the others away with performance.
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We kind of don't know a lot of things about the .277 Fury. I know more now with a few fired cases on my desk. But for a hunting rifle, a .270Win does make A LOT more sense with a 24" barrel than 80Kpsi with a 16" barrel.

Oh, and the OP said AR15 pattern, so the 277Fury is not even eligible for consideration. :)
 
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MTT TL

New member
That is why I qualified that statement.

Not sure I would favor a 24" barrel AR for HD purposes. Just doesn't seem as handy.
 
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