Just picked up a new AR-15 and am hoping to finish getting it outfitted for hunting during the new year winter season (will be my first hunt). I've only range fired in the past and with ammo prices going through the roof this year I'm looking to pick up a good dry fire practice kit to save my poor wallet. Any recommendations in the $100-$250 range?
Would also love to hear some hunting stories if anyone cares to share.
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Cool thread, want to get into hunting. I've only went once years ago and haven't been since.
Just out of curiosity, what are you going to be hunting?
Also, I believe this is what you are looking for. https://nextleveltraining.com/product/sirt-bolt/
Looking to go hog hunting, I love me some juicy pork and I've heard the wild stuff is the bomb. One of my friends just got a new Traeger smoker and I want to bring something to the table we'd all enjoy.
Also this looks awesome, thank you! Does it only work with their LASR software?
Ah alright, 5.56/223 is perfect for pig hunting. If you were shooting anything other than varmint (deer, etc) I would advise you to stick to something with a little more power like a 308. Wild pork is definitely great. I like to marinate it in apple cider vinegar overnight to knock out some of the wild flavor (I don't mind it but others aren't a huge fan). The gaminess depends on a lot of factors, but some of these South Texas hogs can get pretty nasty.
I'd imagine it would work with any laser dry firing software. http://shootoffapp.com/ This one looks like a decent free one but I've never used it.
a lighter in a zip loc
what you're planning on doing isn't real hunting.
This is you, some wannabe gatekeeper. If I've got a gun or a bow and am shooting an animal I plan to eat later, it's hunting. Get off your high horse.
bro you made that just for me? im flattered. nah what you're doing is a really fun exterminator job.
I’m not into hunting myself but I do have an affinity for firearms. What type of AR did you get? And did you build or buy?
I have an AKM (chambered in 7.62x39) but am planning on getting an AR. I’ve been eyeing Daniel Defense DDM4v7s but haven’t found any CA legal in stock anywhere. I’m also gonna get ZenitCo rails for my AK and slap an aimpoint on top.
Primary Arms is a good source for getting gun stuff, they have fantastic customer service as well.
You have my utmost sympathy as a gun enthusiast in CA, their regulations are grossly unconstitutional and part of why I will never live there fulltime. I've never shot an AKM but I've heard they're fun, what's your opinion on it and 7.62x39?
Mine's a 16" Carbine M4 Classic chambered in 5.56 I bought from PSA (gotta love them daily deals), just want to get a new handrail and sight for it. Big fan of Primary Arms, agreed they have great customer service. I picked up a couple Anderson stripped lowers from them to do some custom builds down the line and I'm honestly debating sinking another $300-$400 into more of them in case Biden does in fact get sworn in, god knows their value would only appreciate. His campaign's gun policy proposals are batshit. Banning the sale of all firearms & accessories online and thinks a 30 round mag is in some universe considered "high capacity."
Nice, PSA is some of the best bang for your buck. Although I disagree with some laws here in CA, it’s not as restrictive as people think. Full auto is a waste anyway, so I really don’t care for that. I’d take a muzzle break over a flash hider anyway so it’s a non issue with me personally. Fixed stock... I’d like adjustable but not the end of the world. The dumb hand grip thing is annoying, you can still be very effective with it but it’s just not as comfortable.
7.62x39 has its pros and cons. Effective range will never compare to a .223/5.56 round, but inside 300m it has a lot of stopping power and a lot of penetration (which can be good or bad). AKs are not nearly as inaccurate as people think they are, just like ARs are a lot more reliable than urban legend goes.
I am a bit of a firearm aficionado, but you're buying an AR-15 for hunting? Dude, what are you hunting, Elephants? One shot, one kill. An AR-15 is an assault rifle. I've had the privilege of shooting some crazy stuff, and have hunted with everything that's legal here. (rifle deer hunting is illegal here due to some yahoo in a gully taking a pot-shot at a deer on a ridgeline that missed and shattered a school chalkboard) Don't be stupid.
Yeah, an AR-15 isn't exactly great for hunting, but it'll do the job for hogs. Not sure what you mean when you say "what are you hunting, elephants". 5.56 is a relatively mild and unpowerful cartridge. It struggles at times to even take down a deer without good shot placement. Just because it is an "assault rifle" does not make it more powerful than a regular bolt action .223 rifle.
Ngl you sound a bit like a fudd with this comment, especially the one shot one kill part. Literally the goal of every hunt is one shot one kill, but with wild hogs unless you get them clean in the head or heart it's going to take multiple. They're tough little fuckers and the 5.56 doesn't pack much more power than a regular old .223. Shame to hear about the rifle deer hunting ban, sounds like that guy wasn't following rule #4.
An AR-15 is NOT an assault rifle. An assault rifle is a firearm with selective-fire capabilities which include both burst fire and full auto utilizing intermediate cartridges, IE a machine gun which would be regulated by the NFA. The AR-15 is a semi-automatic rifle built for civilian and law enforcement use, not a machine gun, which is why it's not regulated by the NFA. Maybe you're getting it confused with the M16 which to be fair was an offshoot of the original ArmaLite design before it was bought by Colt, but they are not the same thing and the distinction is an important one. An AR-15 isn't even effective for hunting deer so I'm not sure where you're pulling the elephant comparison from, it's regularly used for small game hunting across the country.
The elephant part may be a bit hyperbole, but I'll stand by the 'one shot one kill' bit. (more on that further down)
The AR-15 is basically just an M16 without the selector switch to choose between semi-auto, burst, and full auto fire.
The NATO 556 is actually a really nifty bullet. Despite being FMJ it'll normally tumble in a body cavity, basically making it more destructive than most hollowpoints. Armor piercing when you need it to be, destructive when you don't. Assuming you don't just graze that deer with NATO 556, he's going down. The issue is that he might just move two counties over first. That's not the case with a regular .223, he may just keep walking around with it in him.
As to the one shot statement: If you need a perfect shot to take something down, then you really need a bigger gun. Around here almost everybody uses 12 gauges with either 00 Buck or slugs for big game. While the reason for the rifle hunting ban was for a deer hunter, that's for bear too. The only reason for an AR15 is how Sean Connery would pronounce "The Pen is Mightier" on Celebrity Jeopardy.
As a disclaimer, I've never shot an AR-15, only a M16
Idk about any dry fire kits - I do real shooting. You should be able to pick up .223 ammo at under $0.40 a round. That's pretty inexpensive imo. I have a Daniel Defense DDM4V7 that's pretty sweet. I put a thermal on it for hog hunting at night. I also put in for a suppressor application - got fingerprinted and everything. It should take about a year+ to get it. I'm probably going to buy a diamondback DB15 to add to my collection. I'm sure the new administration will try to outlaw AR15's very soon.
I've done most types of hunting - bear, whitetail, mule deer, duck, dove, quail, elk, turkey, hog. Elk hunting is pretty cool. Your pretty much guaranteed beautiful scenery wherever you go to do it. Duck and dove are a lot of fun as well. I spend most of my days in the woods hunting whitetails though.
Every active combat service member I know regularly practices dry firing and recommends it to help reduce flinching in anticipation of recoil. Plus it's just more cost effective if I want to get in a quick 45 min or so of practice every day at home. Even at $0.40 a round (and prices near me are higher than that right now sadly) it'd quickly add up to >$1k a month if I'm emptying 2x30 rnd mags a session + range fees ($12-18), and I'd also have to factor in travel time to and from the range. I get what you're saying though, you're right that nothing beats live ammo practice, but given current financial planning needs it's sadly not the cards for me at the moment.
I want to go Elk hunting sooo badly. Photos of the scenery I've seen look damn near magical and I've heard they taste amazing. What're your preferred regions for whitetail hunting out of curiosity?
I see. I'm not a big target shooter kind of guy.
As far as whitetail hunting goes - I hunt mostly Georgia. But as far as recommendations go, if you're looking out West, South Dakota is really cool. I did a hunt out there and had a blast. They give you an either or whitetail/mule deer tag. Whichever you kill first. I put in for archery and drew. I had lots of opportunities, but wasn't able to get one. My buddy ended up successful the very first day on a very nice mule deer. If you are looking to do it cheap, I would look into the Western states such as Montana, Colorado, Wyoming. There are good whitetails in these states (not like Illinois and Kansas but still respectable) and most hunters are too busy applying for elk tags or other animals to care about whitetails. That's about as far as I can help you without knowing if you are looking for guided vs unguided and archery vs rifle.
If you don't think dry fire practice works, you need to check out T-Rex's video on airsoft skills translation into firearm skills. Liku (the guy in the video) has unreal weapon manipulation and his understanding of manual of arms is unreal. In other words, dry fire works and is a great way to practice.
To OP's original question, I wouldn't worry about buying a "kit" but get yourself some snap caps (Magpul has some cheap plastic ones) and a few magazines. You'll be able to do a ton carbine skills like mag changes, malfunction clearing, transitions, etc. If you are planning on more precision shooting, then simply using a snap cap to learn your trigger and where it breaks is important. Put a small dot on a piece of paper and tape it to the wall (even if only a few yards), lay prone, practice your trigger break and finding your natural point of aim (if you don't know what that is look it up), it is critical to long range shooting.
Wow that Japanese dude is a monster. Never would've thought that just airsoft would translate so perfectly. I'll definitely look into getting a set of caps & mags too in addition to the laser for target practice, appreciate the recs man.
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