Dude, I went on a Deer hunt with 3 other friends and neighbors. My neighbor took his AR-15. We all knew that was a stupid choice but, instead of arguing with him, we just let him learn the hard way.
The neighbor did shoot a young buck in the upper chest area. The impact of the shot destroyed both forequarters and tenderloins.
It was a mess to have to field dress, and transport home, and he left half of the carcass laying there for the buzzards, and only came home with half of the deer.
So don't be stupid!
You are the one who don't know much about AR-15's and why they are not recommended for hunting most animals.
The one game animal that I know the AR-15 is good for, and that is Hogs! Hunting Hogs can be dangerous as Boars will charge you, and so will the Sows if they have young ones running about. SO, if you had to defend yourself against a hog, I can see the need and desire for the AR-15. And since a lot of hogs are shot on the run, a rapid release of gunfire can better your odds!
I wouldn't (we can't use a semi rifle for deer here in PA) use my M1-A for hunting, even though it's a .308 (which I can reload with a good hunting bullet).
Most AR's shoot the .223 round, which considered by most of us big game hunters, isn't the best choice unless you can get a standing shot and can place it.
Myself, I only used my .220 Swift one time for deer. Shot a standing deer at 500+ yd. leaning against a pole as a rest. The bullet disintegrated half the heart
and liver, the entry hole was almost as big as my fist, and I used a soft lead tipped bullet, not the ballistic tips I use now (they cause much more havoc!).
I didn't lose much meat, but then I knew the Swift wasn't the best rifle to use and I didn't know quite where my .'06 hit at that distance. Haven't used
the Swift since, but then I've never been so close to my car that I could open the trunk and get the Swift out (I keep it in the car for a back-up).
I know much more about calibers, bullet configurations, bullet drop and wind drift than you ever will, what to use and why for a particular species,
so don't tell me I don't know much about the AR-15, what bullets they can use and why they aren't recommended for big game hunting.
I never hunted hogs (we don't have them here in PA), although I'd like to some day. I'd favor my M1-A over the more accurate Swift because it's a semi-auto.
The only reason I bought the M1-A is for target shooting (and I got a good deal on it). I'd sell it to the right person for the right price tomorrow because I
haven't shot it in quite some time and really have no other need for it. I have more than enough guns (although one never has
enough guns!).
I've been into shooting black powder of late (mostly my Uberti 1858 New Army .44 revolver) and load for my other rifles and
handguns during the winter months. I loaded a few boxes for the Swift and took it out on a nice calm morning the other day and shot 10 rounds at 200 yd.
bench rested. Every round was in the 9, 10 or X rings, not too bad for not shooting it since last summer (I only use it for groundhogs).
