Rifle performance - barrel length

[Wind Gypsy]

A couple lbs shouldn't hurt just walking a couple hundred yards to a tree stand. My perspective changed a bit after lugging a rifle around the mountains for a few years, now I'll carry a heavy rifle to a treestand or blind if that's what I want to be shooting.

 

[TreeDaddy]

This thread got me to thinking of SD's old avatar

The Tombstone character with the long colt 45

bill

 

[SD51555]

This thread got me to thinking of SD's old avatar

The Tombstone character with the long colt 45

bill

Yeah, them were simpler times.

 

[bigboreblr]

Keep working on her. Is this with irons or optics?

I shoot competitive blackpowder and 22lr, mostly offhand competitions.

master gunnery sargent jim owens has a great book on shooting called the big lie. Helped me a ton. Used to shoot local military rifle matches. Everyone had M1A's and AR's, I was using a tuned up SKS. Had a blast with it. League fizzled out though...... Worried blackpowder shoots are going to be disappearing, no new blood. Davie crocket on TV kids are thinning out..........

 

[b116757]

I have a 26” Krieger bull barrel AR-10 in 6.5 Creedmoor I use for 1000yd shooting a bit heavier even than what your looking at not a horrible stand gun but definitely not a walk around rifle. I have shot one buck with it a few years ago I finished a bit of 1000yd shooting with some buddies during rifle season and made a turn around the farm before heading to the house and a 8 point was wondering around down by creek. The temptation was to great for me wondering how AR-6.5 would preform so I went ahead and shot him.

 

[Foggy47]

Keep working on her. Is this with irons or optics?

I shoot competitive blackpowder and 22lr, mostly offhand competitions.

master gunnery sargent jim owens has a great book on shooting called the big lie. Helped me a ton. Used to shoot local military rifle matches. Everyone had M1A's and AR's, I was using a tuned up SKS. Had a blast with it. League fizzled out though...... Worried blackpowder shoots are going to be disappearing, no new blood. Davie crocket on TV kids are thinning out..........

I knew Jim Owens from back into the early 90's.....or maybe the 80's. He used to go to Camp Perry quite a bit and I'd see him there and at the NRA convention and the SHOT show.. I bought a Kowa spotting scope from him about 30 years back. Still use it as my MN Fish Finder from my home. I think I had read his book at one point too.....but don't remember much of it anymore. I think he was pre-AR.....but may have switched along the way.....as so many did. Small world.

 

[Foggy47]

AR-10's tend to be heavy and cumbersome to carry. With that said I'm all for them, but when it's time to grab a rifle I usually grab my little break-over .308 instead. I'm assuming you'll want this for stand hunting?

What bothers me about AR's for hunting is......bulky, complicated, charging noise, safety noise, excess firepower not needed, hard to carry....but mostly noise and too many buttons for me. I guess I am old fashioned....but I like bolt actions or single shot guns for most hunting. Simple, reliable, quiet, safe. Different strokes for different folks. :).

 

[b116757]

I don’t normally use my AR-6.5 for hunting that was a one off type deal. Now my 16” light profile carbon fiber AR-15 is a different deal pretty much all my boys have killed deer with it tuff to beat the collapsible stock to fit a kiddo while stand hunting. For walking around I’ll take one of my bolt guns every time. They simply carry well and are like old reliable friends.

 

[sandbur]

What bothers me about AR's for hunting is......bulky, complicated, charging noise, safety noise, excess firepower not needed, hard to carry....but mostly noise and too many buttons for me. I guess I am old fashioned....but I like bolt actions or single shot guns for most hunting. Simple, reliable, quiet, safe. Different strokes for different folks. :).

We are just old. I am satisfied with my bolt rifles. Others can hunt with whatever legal Gun they wish.


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[yoderjac]

We are just old. I am satisfied with my bolt rifles. Others can hunt with whatever legal Gun they wish.


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I'm old too, and primarily a stand hunter. Still, I use a TC Encore Pro. At the ranges I hunt, I'd never be fast enough with a bolt or pump for a 2nd shot. I like single shots for kids learning, but even myself, I still find that knowing you have only one shot, helps settle me down to make it count. I'm sorry to see these guns go out of production.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

It is a bummer about the encores/contenders being out of production. I bought one just in time for a muzzle loader.

 

[yoderjac]

It is a bummer about the encores/contenders being out of production. I bought one just in time for a muzzle loader.

Yes, I kind of got lucky. Last year I made a move to smokeless muzzleloading: https://habitat-talk.com/index.php?threads/journey-to-stop-smoking.13254/. I ended up buying one from Jeff Hankins based largely on recommendation on this forum. It came with everything but the action. I don't like swapping barrels frequently, so I ordered another frame from TC, but decided to take the action from my existing Encore muzzleloader to finish the smokeless and then replace it when the new frame came in.

Well... I got an email back saying "We are not taking orders at this time." I presumed it was a COVID thing, and just figured I'd wait. I figured I'd just use the smokeless for the season last year. When the season was over I sent them an email to see if they were taking orders yet and that is when I found out that TC was discontinued by S&W. Quite unfortunate.

I did check the after market for an action, but the prices are through the roof. Probably not worth it for a gun that will sit on the shelf until I need to lend it to a friend or go hunting in a state that won't allow smokeless or something like that.

 

[Native Hunter]

I’m a bolt action fan because of being an accuracy nut. With that said, there are some fairly impressive semi automatics out there that are plenty accurate enough for most shooting. Most rifles of a capable caliber these days are fine for 200 yard shots, but I won’t carry a gun that I would be afraid to take a 400 yard shot with if I decide to do it. And that goes for my muzzleloader too. I’m not saying everyone should be that way - just stating what I require personally for myself.

 

[Peeps]

I shoot an AR15 with a 10 inch barrel for work. Ungodly loud, doubled up hearing protection is needed for indoor range shooting. But with a suppressor on it it is no louder than a .22. Also a dream to shoot. Muzzle jump went away and I can shoot multi shot fast strings hitting same hole. I think you will enjoy the suppressor.

 

[sandbur]

I’m a bolt action fan because of being an accuracy nut. With that said, there are some fairly impressive semi automatics out there that are plenty accurate enough for most shooting. Most rifles of a capable caliber these days are fine for 200 yard shots, but I won’t carry a gun that I would be afraid to take a 400 yard shot with if I decide to do it. And that goes for my muzzleloader too. I’m not saying everyone should be that way - just stating what I require personally for myself.

My longest shot in the last twenty years has been about 120 yards. We all hunt in different ways and locations. I am in ag country with miles of open ground in some directions.

Agreed, on personal choice. Shooting on these open fields has declined over the years and I like it for safety’s sake.


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[Teeder]

What bothers me about AR's for hunting is......bulky, complicated, charging noise, safety noise, excess firepower not needed, hard to carry....but mostly noise and too many buttons for me. I guess I am old fashioned....but I like bolt actions or single shot guns for most hunting. Simple, reliable, quiet, safe. Different strokes for different folks. :).

Thats where I'm at. I guess I've been spoiled. I pick up my step-sons ar after all the do-dads have been added and then pick up my Kimber Montana and think, there's no way I'd ever carry that ar in the woods.
Besides, the last I checked, I can't hunt anything in pa with an AR. If I can't hunt with something, I have no interest in it.

 

[b116757]

Thats where I'm at. I guess I've been spoiled. I pick up my step-sons ar after all the do-dads have been added and then pick up my Kimber Montana and think, there's no way I'd ever carry that ar in the woods.
Besides, the last I checked, I can't hunt anything in pa with an AR. If I can't hunt with something, I have no interest in it.

Why can’t you hunt with an AR?

 

[Wind Gypsy]

Why can’t you hunt with an AR?

I don't believe PA allows semi auto rifles for deer hunting.

 

[b116757]

I don't believe PA allows semi auto rifles for deer hunting.

That’s a new hunting regulation I’ve never heard of before.

 

[yoderjac]

That’s a new hunting regulation I’ve never heard of before.

Not that uncommon. Good safety measure. With some it leads toward a tendency to take multiple shots at a running deer and target fixation becomes a real problem. I'm not sure I'd want to see semi-autos for deer in our state.