AR-10: MY DEER RIFLE
I grew up in a dream world. My Dad and both of my grandfathers hunted and fished. I learned from the very best. I killed my first deer when I was 11 years old with a lever action Winchester Model 94 .30-.30. That was my deer rifle until my senior year of High School.
To show how much times have changed since then, my dad won a Remington .30-06 at halftime of my homecoming football game from the Booster Club. That night I inherited his .308 Remington pump. Since then, .308 has been my cartridge of choice for everything from whitetails to mule deer to elk.
Until recently my favorite .308 was a Winchester Model 70 SA bolt action. For a long list of reasons, a couple of years ago I assembled a Smith & Wesson AR-10, .308. This would be my new deer rifle.
I had grown tired of media lies labeling this style of gun as a man killer. They preached that AR stands for automatic rifle or assault rifle. The ArmaLite Rifle style is no more than that. A style of rifle.
My desire, both in print and on video, is to try to correctly educate those who are a bit less conservative than me. I want to enlighten everyone reading this to give you more clarity and knowledge about AR platform rifles.
The .308 cartridge is ballistically the same regardless of the rifle that shoots it. It is no more deadly coming out of a black, synthetic gun than from a wooden stock rifle. .308 is .308, plain and simple. The greatest danger is in the hands of the person holding it.
I topped my AR-10 with a VORTEX Crossfire 3-9 x 50 scope. This combination has turned into a tack driver for me. I love it. I shoot Hornady American Whitetail 150gr Interlock ammo.
So, to further prove my point, even though Missouri allows 10 round magazines for deer hunting, since my Winchester only holds 5 shells, I loaded my AR with 5 rounds to keep everything equal.
As I climbed into my TIDEWE VisMaster blind on that mid-November afternoon I had high hopes. This blind is an excellent choice since you can see though all four walls, but nothing can see into the blind from the outside. Its camo pattern is perfect and there is more than enough room for two people to hunt and to film. I highly recommend it; tidewe.com
I was excited to be in this spot again. My Grandson Connor took a great 8-point buck here back in Youth Season. I saw several deer here during a couple of bow hunts back in October. I was not going to be too picky. I had a point to drive home.
I had an antlerless only and an any deer permit, and I was ready to put some meat in the freezer. I had taken a nice doe with my bow during the first week of November, and one more sure would not hurt.
It was a bit warmer than I would have liked. This made it even more important to use my SCENT THIEF spray prior to every trip into the timber. This product eliminates the deer’s ability to smell anything, including you. scentthief.com. The afternoon mid 40’s would fall into the high 30’s after dark. I was hoping there would be late day movement.
At about 4:30 I saw deer coming right at me over the rise in the cut soybean field. Through my binoculars I saw a very mature doe being followed by a pair of yearlings. I immediately started both of my video cameras and turned on the red dot in my scope. The doe crossed the ditch in front of me and started up the slight slope, moving right to left.
I checked the timber to pick my shot. When she stepped into that spot, I sent ammo downrange. A solid, double-lung hit at 70-yards, and I saw her drop after a short 40-yard run.
At that moment my AR-10 officially became my new deer rifle. Regardless of popular…and less popular opinion, AR platform rifles are great for hunting.
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