I bought one of these originally as a beater gun. Something I wouldn’t worry about beating up or getting dropped in the creek. I liked it so much, that I bought five more in a for a total of four different calibers. They are reliable and practical for me. They will drop a deer or bear as good as any.
The side-charging upper is nifty compared to the standard center-pull-back style that most ARs have. I Purchased four of them.
They’re cheap, but are they accurate? Well, look at the targets below from my last range trip.
I bought this one in 450 Bushmaster, the most powerful AR caliber by a long shot. It kicks like a 30/06, or a bit more. It will devastate any beer, bear, or moose at a functional hunting distance. Common loads shoot a 250-grain, 45 caliber bullet at 2,200 or 2,300 fps. It’s a bruiser. If you get this one, You should also replace your buffer spring with a stronger one to handle the stouter recoil and heavier bullets.
I bought this one in 350 Legend, which is a thumper that Kills deer and bear at 250 yards. It’s also a great home-defense caliber. The 350 throws a 150 to 200 grain bullet at around 2300 fps. BCA’s rifles aren’t the sub-MOA, but they sure nail deer at 200 yards; and with low recoil. I know a guy who took an elk with one of these. It’s one of the most popular deer cartridges around here, and I know several hog hunters who use this in Texas.
I bought this one in 6.5 Grendel. Although it’s not a common caliber, it should be. This is the furthest-reaching AR-15 caliber on the market. It will functionally hit paper at 800 yards and kill deer at 450 yards. And, it’s got the recoil of a .223. The Grendel is popular with coyote hunters and with deer hunters, as well as taret shooters because it bucks the wind quite well.
I bought this one in 7.62×39 (30 caliber). This has become my favorite deer hunting setup. I fitted it with a Vortex Crossfire II scope and it’s deadly. Fast follow-up shots, low-recoil, and cheap target ammo. What’s not to love?
However, I did switch the original firing pin (of the old soviet specs) with the “improved firing pin” so It’d work reliably with both the old soviet spec ammo and modern SAAMI spec ammo. It cost me $13 and took 3 minutes to swap pins. I do recommend everyone do this and it’s still very much worth it.
Each of these comes with a few different hardware options for whatever suits your taste. The complete uppers can be bought and mailed right to your door, and shipping is free!
Also, remember to check out their bargains page, the Deals Den to see what’s being clearanced out. Here’s a link to it.
