PA10 for deer hunting

[mley1]

1 hour ago, unzman55 said:

1. The shot I took, was within my skill to take.  Made shots like that before, that day wasn't my day obviously.  It was in a safe direction, a follow up shot would have been too.  Want me to diagram it?
2. "Or let me miss it completely", was my point from before. 

"How am I full of crap if I'm glad that I didn't even get close and completely missed, rather than wounding a deer? You've never shot at game that was moving?"    you made my point once again.....           Wash

I don't know how much clearer I can make the point, it's in what you just posted.

You also said you have antlers on the wall bigger than what you could have taken at the game farm.  I don't.  In my approximate 20 years of deer hunting, I've only seen 4 bucks.  Three down out of four ain't bad.  Not a one of them over a seven pointer.  Two sixes, one seven, and mature.  The antlers aren't mounted because they're obviously nothing to brag about.  Wisconsin hunting ain't easy, there are no perfect conditions, I spend more time trying to prevent myself from becoming an icicle.  Try to make a shot out of a tree stand, in -10 degree wind chill with 8 layers of clothes, and a tree stand harness on.  It's not exactly shooting over wide open spaces with a shooting stick or bipod, one layer of clothing, and perfect weather conditions.

You usually only get one opportunity, two If your lucky.  And by "opportunity" I mean even seeing any deer.  There has been years I haven't seen anything but squirrels.

If I had 5 grand to spend on a hunting vacation, I sure as heck wouldn't be building a PA 10.  Nothing against PSA, they provide nice weapons for the average wallet.  There is better quality out there, not within my price range.  Nor is a hunting vacation.  I have to hunt where it's free.  Can't even afford to lease land, so I don't care what your game ranch thinks of me, I won't ever be going most likely (Powerball can you hear me?).

Anyone else have toddlers?  Like Elsa in "Frozen":  Let it go, let it go... (Sorry if it's stuck in your head now)

Can we just talk about PA 10's and gear now?  If I wanted a sermon, I'd just go to church.

What part of Wisconsin you hunting in? I have a lot of family that live, and hunt, in Wisconsin. Most of my family live in the South Western area of Wisconsin. Area's around Madison, Monroe, Darlington, Argyle, Livingston, and Montfort area's.

[unzman55]

Marathon county, near Wausau.  Otherwise I've hunted Outagamie, Washara, Brown, and Oconto counties. Anything north of those counties is buck only land.  I prefer to hunt the 'central farmland' zones so I get a doe tag too.  Better chance of meat in the freezer.

[dpete]

3 hours ago, unzman55 said:

Marathon county, near Wausau.  Otherwise I've hunted Outagamie, Washara, Brown, and Oconto counties. Anything north of those counties is buck only land.  I prefer to hunt the 'central farmland' zones so I get a doe tag too.  Better chance of meat in the freezer.

Hey unzman we're practically neighbors.  I grew up in Wausau and now in Woodruff.  How often do you get to the Wausau area?  A 308AR with optic is going to run in the 10lb+ range on average.  Mine is an 18" lightweight barrel and its about 10 on the head.  Its a chunk to carry but I don't go far to my tree stand.  One huge benefit to having a neighborhood street 200 yards from state land that I never see another soul hunting on unless its my son.  Here is last years buck and the rifle that took him.

 

 

[unzman55]

That's a nice rig there.  That's exactly what I am looking for.  I will have one similar.  Good luck hunting.

I didn't mean anything close to "spray and pray".  Nor does that mean I have "inadequate abilities".  I've knocked down deer on the run before, and I'll do it again.  I've gotten more than one shot off at deer with a bolt gun before too. That day wasn't my day.  Do I try to get the perfect broadside shot, of course.  Of course everyone wants a broadside sit-still shot, then hunting would be just like going to the range.   Do I wait if they don't see me or aren't spooked?  Of course I do.  It isn't always a reality.  You think I'm hip shooting like Rambo with his M60, or will I with a PA 10?No, I won't.

Again, the way YOU or ANYONE ELSE hunts is YOUR prerogative.  I've hunted for 20+ years, I didn't come here for or need hunting, aiming assistance, or a how-to on the workings of a rifle.  Been shooting since I was young.  I missed, I'm not afraid to admit it.  Plenty of others have too.  I bet you have too.

I will hunt the way I want to whether any of you agree with it or not.  Show me in the regulations where it's wrong or illegal.  It isn't.

[unzman55]

My last reply wasn't aimed at you dpete.  Just an FYI.

[shepp]

Unz idk how I missed your thread but another welcome from wisc feel free to tell us about yourself in the intro section

[mley1]

4 hours ago, unzman55 said:

That's a nice rig there.  That's exactly what I am looking for.  I will have one similar.  Good luck hunting.

I didn't mean anything close to "spray and pray".  Nor does that mean I have "inadequate abilities".  I've knocked down deer on the run before, and I'll do it again.  I've gotten more than one shot off at deer with a bolt gun before too. That day wasn't my day.  Do I try to get the perfect broadside shot, of course.  Of course everyone wants a broadside sit-still shot, then hunting would be just like going to the range.   Do I wait if they don't see me or aren't spooked?  Of course I do.  It isn't always a reality.  You think I'm hip shooting like Rambo with his M60, or will I with a PA 10?No, I won't.

Again, the way YOU or ANYONE ELSE hunts is YOUR prerogative.  I've hunted for 20+ years, I didn't come here for or need hunting, aiming assistance, or a how-to on the workings of a rifle.  Been shooting since I was young.  I missed, I'm not afraid to admit it.  Plenty of others have too.  I bet you have too.

I will hunt the way I want to whether any of you agree with it or not.  Show me in the regulations where it's wrong or illegal.  It isn't.

LOL, we all miss every now and then. My comments weren't meant to insult you. I'm sorry if they came across that way. Often times I see folks on forums inquiring about AR styled rifles, and sometimes guys have the impression they'll increase their chances at taking game due to increased rate of fire. And, most of the time that's just not the case. In my neck of the woods the AR styled rifles really come into their own using night vision and hog hunting at night. Those 20 and 30 round magazines can come in handy during hunts such as those, and help to take down several hogs out of a group. And, running shots are the norm after the first rounds are fired. Suppressors are also a popular thing down here for the same reason. They often allow for more shots at hogs which have no clue where the shots are coming from, nor where to run to. Agriculture fields can be large, and suffer lots of damage from hogs down here. So, it's more about controlling a pest than being sporting.  I've got some friends I go with every now and then. It's a ton of fun.

On a regular deer hunt though, the AR styled rifles probably won't be any better than any other type of rifle. A bolt gun will be just as effective on running game. At least that's been my experience. Don't get me wrong. I love my PA10. And, my plan is to harvest whitetails this coming week with it, hopefully.

I think everyone looks at hunting a bit differently based on their geographical location, and the traditions in their area, and how they were raised. Sometimes, especially on forums, folks may not take that into consideration and sometimes come off a bit pushy with their hunting style. Shucks, I've been guilty of it. Many of us have. I think if you're interested in a .308 AR for deer hunting the PA10 from PSA is a great one to get into. Mine is pretty accurate, and fun to shoot. I think you'll enjoy one for hunting. And, when you get it, TAKE PICTURES!! I love seeing pics of rifles and dead deer!!!

[unzman55]

10 hours ago, mley1 said:

LOL, we all miss every now and then. My comments weren't meant to insult you. I'm sorry if they came across that way. Often times I see folks on forums inquiring about AR styled rifles, and sometimes guys have the impression they'll increase their chances at taking game due to increased rate of fire. And, most of the time that's just not the case. In my neck of the woods the AR styled rifles really come into their own using night vision and hog hunting at night. Those 20 and 30 round magazines can come in handy during hunts such as those, and help to take down several hogs out of a group. And, running shots are the norm after the first rounds are fired. Suppressors are also a popular thing down here for the same reason. They often allow for more shots at hogs which have no clue where the shots are coming from, nor where to run to. Agriculture fields can be large, and suffer lots of damage from hogs down here. So, it's more about controlling a pest than being sporting.  I've got some friends I go with every now and then. It's a ton of fun.

On a regular deer hunt though, the AR styled rifles probably won't be any better than any other type of rifle. A bolt gun will be just as effective on running game. At least that's been my experience. Don't get me wrong. I love my PA10. And, my plan is to harvest whitetails this coming week with it, hopefully.

I think everyone looks at hunting a bit differently based on their geographical location, and the traditions in their area, and how they were raised. Sometimes, especially on forums, folks may not take that into consideration and sometimes come off a bit pushy with their hunting style. Shucks, I've been guilty of it. Many of us have. I think if you're interested in a .308 AR for deer hunting the PA10 from PSA is a great one to get into. Mine is pretty accurate, and fun to shoot. I think you'll enjoy one for hunting. And, when you get it, TAKE PICTURES!! I love seeing pics of rifles and dead deer!!!

I apologize too, I got a little jumpy after the previous conversation.  I don't mean to offend either.  I'm not the type that takes unconstructive criticism lightly and I will "return fire".  It's in my nature, again, I don't mean to offend anyone.  This forum and everything I've read here so far has been a HUGE help.  Awesome resource.  Thank you for your feedback.

I will take pictures and post range reports. 

I am currently working on a new reloading / gun build bench for my basement.  Sick of working on stuff in a cold garage.  After that, I hope to be building the PA 10 barring unforseen expenses.

[unzman55]

12 hours ago, shepp said:

Unz idk how I missed your thread but another welcome from wisc feel free to tell us about yourself in the intro section

I will do that shepp, thank you.

[mley1]

2 hours ago, unzman55 said:

 

I am currently working on a new reloading / gun build bench for my basement.  Sick of working on stuff in a cold garage.  After that, I hope to be building the PA 10 barring unforseen expenses.

I'm originally from Darlington, WI. It's been quite a few years since I've lived up there, or visited, but I sure remember the bitter cold during the winter. That's the main reason that once I landed in Texas I stayed. My dad was in the military, and we ended up at Ft Hood in 1977. I've lived here ever since.

Once you get your PA10, if you find that it's a bit over gassed, there's a few tweaks that I did to mine that you may be interested in. One was an adjustable gas block. Many here suggest SLR. I'm a cheap bastard, and love less expensive gear. So, I went with an Anderson Manufacturing AM-15 adjustable gas block. It was less expensive. The set screws matched up perfectly with the stock set screw dimples on the PA10's barrel, which was a pleasant surprise. An adjustable gas block was probably the single best improvement I made on mine. The stock buffer is an H buffer. It has one Tungsten weight, and two steel weights in it. I went on Ebay, and found a deal on a set of three Tungsten weights. So, I took out the two steel weights and added two tungsten weights to the buffer, making it an H3 buffer. That helped a lot with smoothing out recoil impulse, and allowed a bit more dwell time. The other thing I found that needed attention on mine was the bolt was putting marks on the receiver end, indicating it was slightly out of time. So, I put a quarter behind the recoil spring and that seemed to fix that issue for me. The last thing I did was add a M4-72 muzzle break clone. Again, being the cheap bastard that I am, I went to Ebay and found a knock off from Hong Kong for 28.00. It works great for taming recoil, but it is very loud to bystanders. With those mods on my PA10 it shoots great, and has shot everything I've put in it with no issues, even steel cased ammo. The recoil on the rifle is now about like shooting an anemic 5.56. A day at the range is very pleasant shooting this rifle now. I did find that my rifle likes running wet. Lube solves lots of problems. So, I run my AR's wet. 

Enjoy building your PA10. I don't think any other manufacturer can match the value for the money in the .308 AR platform.

[unforgiven]

That's alota of info for the PSA 10 guys right there. I was impressed with the troubleshooting skills of those that went w/ PSA10.

[unzman55]

You guys sure are making this easy for me.  I greatly appreciate it mley1.

[mley1]

4 hours ago, unzman55 said:

You guys sure are making this easy for me.  I greatly appreciate it mley1.

Check out this thread: bfoosh006's work . Bfoosh006 has done some amazing work with PA10's, and the new PA10 in 6.5CM. Check his threads. Because of his work I made some of the changes to my rifle. It's some really good info.

[ARTrooper]

On ‎12‎/‎2‎/‎2017 at 5:54 PM, unzman55 said:

1.  .308 or 6.5CM?  I would be at an advantage with 6.5CM in field, and at a disadvantage in the woods with brush I'm guessing.  Recoil would be an advantage with 6.5CM but I've never used a "Limbsaver", don't really care. I'm a reloader so .308 I have been doing for awhile, I have nothing in 6.5CM.  I'd have to buy dies and all the rest (aw shucks).

2.  If 308; 18" or 20" barrel, midlength vs. rifle length gas.  Is 18" enough for the 200-250 yard "minute of deer" long shot?  Am I splitting hairs worrying about it?

3.  Optic:  I'm thinking a Vortex 1x8 Strike Eagle.  BDC for the close up and 250 long shot. Illumination is nice for dawn/dusk.  Anyone else have experience with this optic?  Opinions?

I am a huge fan of 6.5mm rounds, but since you are a reloader, I would go with .260 rem over the creedmoor. That being said, because you are on such a tight budget, go with .308 since you already have the reloading stuff. 6.5 shoots a little flatter and a little less recoil, but for the ranges you are shooting, it doesn't make that much of a difference and put on a nice muzzle brake and it will help with the .308's recoil a lot. 

Like everyone else, I believe you only need a 16 in barrel, especially if you want it light as possible. Many people here even have them with rifle length gas systems that work just fine, although I would go with a midlength. 

Vortex is nice, I met one of the top guys from vortex and my brother actually went to their main factory and took a tour (jealous). But again if you are on a budget, there are other things out there that will work just fine. Burris has some decent scopes around $500 and Bushnell also. Primary arms is a favorite for cheap optics that function well also. Then if you really wanna go cheap while you save up for your dream glass http://www.fire-field.com/product-details.php?item=37  and it might surprise you, I have a heard a lot of good things. 

A .308 with a 16 in barrel and any scope from the companies I mentioned will get you deer at 200-250 yards with a steady hand.

[unforgiven]

Low budget I have 2 0f these from : https://www.redfield.com/riflescopes/ 

[unzman55]

 

On 12/7/2017 at 7:02 AM, ARTrooper said:

I am a huge fan of 6.5mm rounds, but since you are a reloader, I would go with .260 rem over the creedmoor. That being said, because you are on such a tight budget, go with .308 since you already have the reloading stuff. 6.5 shoots a little flatter and a little less recoil, but for the ranges you are shooting, it doesn't make that much of a difference and put on a nice muzzle brake and it will help with the .308's recoil a lot. 

Like everyone else, I believe you only need a 16 in barrel, especially if you want it light as possible. Many people here even have them with rifle length gas systems that work just fine, although I would go with a midlength. 

Vortex is nice, I met one of the top guys from vortex and my brother actually went to their main factory and took a tour (jealous). But again if you are on a budget, there are other things out there that will work just fine. Burris has some decent scopes around $500 and Bushnell also. Primary arms is a favorite for cheap optics that function well also. Then if you really wanna go cheap while you save up for your dream glass http://www.fire-field.com/product-details.php?item=37  and it might surprise you, I have a heard a lot of good things. 

A .308 with a 16 in barrel and any scope from the companies I mentioned will get you deer at 200-250 yards with a steady hand.

Excellent!  Thank you ARTrooper and unforgiven!

[Gopher]

This thread has helped out a lot guys, I am also new to these forums and the AR format, currently have a S&W M&P15 AR15.  I have also been wanting to put together an AR10 for hunting purpose and have had questions about it (been hunting here in Texas with my model 94 30-30 lever action rifle for years).

So here is what I have coming in the mail, PSA Gen2 PA10/AR15 10 year anniversary stripped lowers and have been looking for an PSA Gen2 AR10 upper assembly to complete my AR10 hunting rifle.  I have been under the impression that you would be better off with a 18-20" long barrel but you guys seem to think it is ok to go with a 16" which helps me out when looking at the PSA upper assembly kits.  Anyways, thanks for the info, and any advice on a good upper would help.

 

[GoodByNAair]

On 3/16/2018 at 2:05 PM, Gopher said:

This thread has helped out a lot guys, I am also new to these forums and the AR format, currently have a S&W M&P15 AR15.  I have also been wanting to put together an AR10 for hunting purpose and have had questions about it (been hunting here in Texas with my model 94 30-30 lever action rifle for years).

So here is what I have coming in the mail, PSA Gen2 PA10/AR15 10 year anniversary stripped lowers and have been looking for an PSA Gen2 AR10 upper assembly to complete my AR10 hunting rifle.  I have been under the impression that you would be better off with a 18-20" long barrel but you guys seem to think it is ok to go with a 16" which helps me out when looking at the PSA upper assembly kits.  Anyways, thanks for the info, and any advice on a good upper would help.

 

I got the same lowers as you did. I'm about to put together an 18'' SS Because I don't think  PSA sells a 16'' PA10 complete upper ?? I did not see any even in the sold out uppers, all 18" +. Maybe I missed something but you may have to go 18''.   

You could always start with an 18'' then just wait for a deal on a 16'' light weight barrel in the future.  I think that's the rout i'll take especially if this barrel does not group well. I'll just hunt for a deal. 

 Happy hunting!

 

 

Edited March 30, 2018 by GoodByNAair