AR-15 For Bear Hunting?

I shot a blackbear with the 300 BLK round in my AR. Complete penetration at 30 yards with the copper 110 grain. First shot he ran second shot he dropped. I also shot one with a 450 Bushmaster but in a Ruger American. That bear dropped instantly.

I think if you need a AR 15 to hunt just may be you should learn how to shoot a hunting gun you know one shot kill not unloading a AR 15

BCA makes a 30-06 sized AR

What about the 7.62 x 39 on an AR platform?

In the Adirondacks, where the ranges are usually under 100 yards, an AR would be ideal only if it was chambered in something bigger than 5.56. I think I’d start at 6.8 mm Remington SPC. Definitely .300 Blackout, .350 Legend, .400 Legend, .450 SOCOM. The problem with any of those rounds is availability. Other than maybe .300 Blackout, where in the Adirondacks (or Green Mountains, or White Mountains) are you going to find those others? At least with the old .30 WCF (.30-30), one can find it in a lot of places. To a lesser extent, one can say the same about .44 Magnum.

My conclusion? I’m staying with my grandfather’s old Winchester 94 in .30 WCF (stamped on the barrel). Maybe I’ll use the Henry All-Weather that my brother-in-law sold me for a ridiculously low price in .44 Magnum. Who knows if I’ll see the new Henry .360 Buckhammer today?

Nothing is going to "stop" a bear, but if you can put rounds on target quickly you are creating a massive amount of total damage. The 5.56 is fast and penetrates well. Can shatter bones. I wouldn't use that, but it could work.

If my LR308 will shoot through 3/8th mild steel from 150 yards and I have 20 or even 25 rds at hand I'm fine. The 308 is nothing to scoff at, and is more than up to the task. They use 12 gauge slugs to kill polar bears and moose every week in Alaska, so A 308 should do just fine.

What about a 12 gauge pump with slugs or handgun BFR magnum research 45-70 for brown bear?

8.6 blackout is a beast. I believe they've taken cape Buffalo or something similar. It aint no slouch.

This is interesting, however for me, nothing less than 45/70 with a solid brass bullet and max load, I own AR PLATFORMS, but life is to short to be playing chicken with bears of any color.

I love to see this
It’s a great thing that you’re doing
GOD BLESS YOU ALL

I have still yet to see these armored bears they keep trying to convince us that are out there lol 😂

Just because it’s a larger diameter doesn’t always mean more power.
You just claimed 458 socom would be better than 450 bushmaster but the 450 bushmaster outperforms the 458 socom at every point including energy and speed at every distance so please explain how you came to your conclusion
Surely the slight advantage in diameter couldn’t make that difference up
Another thing, id never say 5.56 was a great grizzly round but we have many examples of it doing so against grizzly and polar bear and everyone always talks about 10mm and other larger caliber handguns being best for grizzly protection yet the 5.56/.223 has more than double the 10mm energy not to mention the damage from the high velocity from the 5.56 and the 5.56 outperforms 99% of all handgun cartridges as well yet you keep telling us not to use it but instead use handguns with far less lethality
You never bring up accuracy or rapid follow up shots either and we all know very few people can shoot large caliber handguns accuracy and follow up shots with them are very unlikely unlike an AR15 so could you please explain how you come to conclusions you’ve reached?
I’d take fast follow up shots out of even the 5.56/.223 over one lucky hit by a bigger caliber any day of the week.
It just doesn’t make any sense
I’d be comfortable with an AR15 chambered in 6.5 Grendel into grizzly country without a second thought because I can shoot it very accurately with very fast follow up shots and anyone that knows about ballistics it has a lot of things in its side and from my experience the 6.5 caliber projectile just seems to do better bringing down game than even other bigger more powerful cartridges
I’ve been hunting my whole life and It’s difficult to explain why that seems to be the case but it somehow just does in my opinion.
It’s funny for me to hear people talk about ballistics and that you need giant calibers to do so yet the Mountain Men from late 1700’s on up used a firearm comparable to a 9mm at 100yds and never thought twice about taking big game with it but here we are today questioning cartridges that are leaps and bounds superior in every way than what they trusted their lives with 😂
Make it make sense
I feel like you should use whatever cartridge you shoot best and practice with it often and know the distance it will perform as needed using the ammo you choose to use with it
Keep Shooting
Stay Safe
GOD BLESS YOU ALL

when it comes to cold I want this as my main but a bolt incase this doesn't cycle, I have had semis fail me in the cold but have not had a lever fail but I also aduse my guns they don't get cleaned often and I probably use too much lube.

This may be an unpopular opinion but what about those semi auto AR platform shotguns that have been flooding the market lately? I know the detachable mag would generally fit more shells than a normal tube, plus you run some heavy duty bear slugs like those Brennekes. Seems like a solid medium between power and punch

First time veiwer you have what you are carrying say you are small game hunting with an 5.56 or .223 ar and run across a large gizzly would an Ar work for Self defence if thats all you have ?

Ak47🎉

We need some long term reviews on the sfar.

I took my ar15 chambered in 6mm arc black bear hunting this spring, after my 7mm rm rattled apart on the quad. Didn't get the chance to try it out, never saw any bears

I once saw a video of a polar bear dropped in its tracks – straight DOWN – by a 5 or 6 shot full auto burst from an AR-15. I dont know where that burst hit it, but WoW! Jerry

Battle of the Bulge and the Korean conflict. Freezing temperatures

Look into a 45 Raptor

As far as the AR platform's performance in sub-zero temperatures with snow and ice, ask the Ukranians how their rifles are performing in the freezing trenches during the 2022 winter campaign.

Sue Aikens, killed an Alaskan grizzly with 2 shots with an .308 AR-10 very authoritatively.

She is regular in the LIfe Below Zero show who lives in the high Artctic, and was in fact attacked by a bear in the early 2000s.

Here is the video:
https://youtu.be/ZMRpPFCoAH8

The shot is 52 senconds into the video.

45-70 lever action is a bear gun.

I have taken some mule deer with an AR and 223 Hornady 77 grain but I was not very impressed with the wound channel or blood trail. Even at under 100 yards the damage wasn't great. I've opted out of using it anymore

I would definitely use an AR platform and some of the other than 5.56/223 Calibres for black bears. But Ill be go to heck in a hand basket you think ima do Kodiak with anything short of 458 bolt. I've been next to those bears and have no misconceptions about their ability to survive being shot.

PS – also a great platform for pest control on feral hogs

How do you safely make a AR-10 weigh as much as a AR-15 ?

AR can mean just so many things now, such a platform.

I enjoy seeing videos about other cartridges. To answer your question, I'd stick with my .30-06 and 220 grain softs. Works not only on bear, also bison, moose, and elk.

This question is rediculous and obvious.
The real question is if a standard AR15 (5.56) would work for bear hunting.
Anyone with any knowledge about the platform is aware that it can be chambered in numerous calibers.

You can chambered it in anything from 223, 300blk, 6 5 creedmore, to 30-06.
Thats common knowledge in the AR community.

Spent 18 months at USARAL (United States ARmy ALaska). We kept our Garands going by using graphite as a lubricant down to ninety below zero.

I have a ruger american ranch in .450bushmaster. Hunting weight comes in just under 7lbs. Using bear creek ballistics 240gr all copper HV load (bolt or break action only) my avg MV is 2425. That's over 3k ft lbs of ME. BC is around .265 and my MPBR is 240 yards or so but I'm comfortable out to 300 with the optic I'm using. Still have 1100ft lbs out to 300. The all copper machined bullets they use open well at lower velocities n I've yet to have one break apart. They stay together n drive DEEP. Thanks again Ron for awesome content!

The 8.6blk was used by the owner of Q to drop a cape buffalo. That round is really an anomaly Garand Thumb was shooting it into ballistic gel and couldn't get the subsonic rounds to stop.

Go Ak47, and you will never go wrong.

I chronograph 110gr from my 10.5" criterion 300blk at nearly 2300fps consistently. About 1300ftlb muzzle energy.

funny thing that they talked about is moving parts what about the levergun has more moving parts then the AR n the cold weather have you guys not watch grand thumb videos on freezing gun this is why yall are jus old fart blowing smoke out your ass

old guys talking shit on AR as hunting jus like in the 1900 when the bolt action came out n every hunter talked down n say you have to use a double rifle or lever guns to hunt with cry me a river bro AR are jus as good n if they hunted with them maybe they would know this but stick to your bolt actions n lever guns btw I hunt with a 270 bolt action it's not about the caliber or even the type of rifle using its all shot placement on the animal or creature n if you would of came out like that

crap crap crap REAL hunter know what to take n what not too take THAT HOW U KNOW RON IS JUS A TROPHY HUNTER THATS IT LOL