Twenty years ago, I didn’t see many black guns or Modern Sporting Rifles (MSR) in the woods. However, I see an uptick in the MSRs carried afield for hunting today.
America’s Rifle Now Common in Hunting Camp
Back then, the choices in rifle calibers seemed fewer than today. A handful of cartridges, barely suitable for hunting purposes, were the only options. Fast forward to today; there’s a plethora of cartridges.
Ruger
The AR- 556 MPR features a free float tube compatible with Magpul M-LOK accessory slots. It includes a collapsible stock, Ruger Elite 452 AR-Trigger, which offers a smooth, crisp, 4.5-pound trigger pull, and a hammer-forged barrel chambered in 5.56, .223 Wylde, .350 Legend and the thumping .450 Bushmaster.
If the .300 Blackout is your caliber of choice, the more compact AR- 556 Free Float offers an 11-inch aluminum free floated handguard with Magpul M-LOK accessory slots, a single-stage trigger and an enlarged trigger guard for gloved hands in cold weather. The flattop upper receiver features a Picatinny rail, which allows for the optic of your choice whether it’s a scope, red dot or open sights.
The Ruger SFAR is chambered in .308 Winchester and 6.5 Creedmoor. The SFAR is a scaled down AR-10, which Ruger calls a true small-frame autoloading rifle. It comes equipped with either an adjustable Magpul MOE stock in the .308 or the Magpul PRS Lite stock for the 6.5 Creedmoor. The SFAR features the same Ruger Elite 452 AR-Trigger and shares many of the same features as its little brother, the AR-556.
CMMG
I am not sure if CMMG had hunters in mind when they introduced the Endeavor, but they could have. The Endeavor features a fixed position stock. Personally, I prefer a fixed stock on my rifles; there are no moving parts. However, an adjustable cheekpiece to get your eye on the same plane as the scope is nice, too. The free-float tube handguard compatible with MagPul M-LOK accessory slots keeps the barrel stress-free. The Endeavor features an 18-inch barrel on the 5.56 and the new .22 ARC, which I think are a bit light for deer. It is also offered with a 20-inch barrel chambered in .308 and 6.5 Creedmoor.
The aircraft-grade aluminum receiver is finished with a variety of Cerakote colors, and the entire rifle is backed by CMMG’s Lifetime Quality Guarantee.
Rock River Arms
Rock River’s Ascendant ATH LAR-15M may be as close to a perfect hunting MSR as any currently made. Chambered in 223/5.56, .350 Legend and the .450 Bushmaster, the Ascendant ATH features a Magpul PRS Lite stock. It has an adjustable cheekpiece for aligning the eye with the optic and is adjustable for length of pull. The Ascendant ATH LAR-15M features a Trigger Tech Diamond single-stage adjustable trigger, and the 16-inch barrel comes fit with a Rock River muzzle brake. Rock River’s accuracy specification for the Ascendant is 1 MOA at 100 yards.
The LAR-15M Coyote Carbine chambered in .300 AAC Blackout features forged upper and lower receiver, a two-stage match trigger and 12 ½-inch free-float tube that is Magpul M-LOK compatible.
The LAR-BT3 Predator HP is a rifle hunter’s dream rifle. It is chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor, featuring one of the finest hunting stocks for the MSR, the Magpul PRS Gen 3 stock, billet upper receiver matched to a billet lower receiver, 17-inch free float tube and a 20-inch fluted stainless steel, cryogenically treated barrel.
Bear Creek Arsenal
If variety is what you crave look no further than Bear Creek Arsenal. With offerings in calibers such as the 6mm ARC, 6.5 Grendel, 6.8 SPC, 7.63 x 39, .300 AAC Blackout, 350 Legend, 12.7×42, 450 Bushmaster, 458 SOCOM, and in the AR-10 chambered in the .22-250, 243 Winchester, 6.5 Creedmoor and the .308 Winchester. There’s no shortage of calibers from which to choose.
Bear Creek Arsenal offers a side charging handle or the traditional rear charging system and a left-hand model.
With a variety of barrel lengths, the Bear Creek Arsenal utilizes a BCA Talon 15-inc M-LOK Split rail, a billet upper receiver and mil-spec forged AR-15 lower receiver capable of accepting a variety of upper receivers.
For those desiring more traditional deer hunting calibers, Bear Creek Arsenal also offers the BC-8 Huntmaster. This ain’t your Daddy’s MSR, but a long action chambered in proven hunting rounds like the 30-06 Springfield, .270 Winchester and the .300 Winchester Magnum with all the features of a standard MSR. All Huntmasters feature the right-side charging system, a fixed stock ,15-inch M-LOK-compatible free-float tube, a 3-pound Velocity trigger complete with a five-round magazine.
There is a slew of good choices for MSRs for hunters. If you are in the market for a new rifle and would like to carry America’s favorite rifle, head down to your local gun shop and take a look. Next season, you might be hunting with one, too.
