The AR-15 style of rifle is the most popular
type of rifle in the US right now. While the rifles have been
popular for many years, the political climate in the nation has
increased sales of AR rifles dramatically over the past couple
of years. While many shooters think of the AR as a fighting
rifle only, an area in which the design excels, the AR platform
also makes for a superb hunting rifle. On
a prairie dog shoot last summer, I found that my Bushmaster
Varminter made for an ideal rifle for such shooting,
enabling me to get on target quickly, see the impact of the shot
through the scope, and to move to another target without
removing my cheek from the buttstock. An accurate AR is very
easy to shoot, and very easy to shoot well. The design is
exceedingly user-friendly, the rifle is comfortable to hold, and
the recoil is straight-back for quick and easy target
acquisition. In my opinion, for dogs out to 400 yards, I prefer
a good, accurate AR to anything else.
Another area of hunting in which the AR rifle
excels is in predator hunting. The AR design lends itself well
to the kind of hunting where a log range shot at a wary fox
might be needed, while being very capable at repeat shots on a
running coyote as well. For a quick follow-up shot, nothing is
quite as qualified for that job as a good, accurate AR style
I have used DPMS rifles for many years now,
and own several of them. They are, without exception, extremely
reliable, and capable of long range accuracy when properly
configured. I have a couple of DPMS rifles that are set up for
fighting, but I also have a couple that are exceptionally
accurate for long range shooting. My
308 DPMS Panther LRT-SASS is the most accurate rifle that I
have ever fired, of any caliber, clustering Buffalo Bore Sniper
ammo into one slightly ragged hole at 200 yards, and I have a
witness to that fact.
Here we are looking at two new DPMS rifles
that are identical, except for the pattern of the camouflage
finish. These new hunting rifles are called the Prairie Panther,
and are available finished in a durable water-dipped camouflage
in either the Mossy Oak Brush or King’s Desert Shadow pattern.
Both rifles are very good-looking, with their contrasting
matte-black controls, bolt carrier, barrel, magazines, and other
small parts. The Prairie Panther comes with two twenty-round
magazines, which are my preference for hunting. The thirty-round
magazines are too long for shooting from a bench or from prone,
without using a high rested position. The Prairie panther wears
a twenty-inch long blackened stainless fluted barrel which is
heavy, but not excessively so. The rifle is still portable
without a wheeled carriage, weighing in at six pounds, fourteen
ounces without magazine. Some “varmint rifles” are just too
heavy, wearing a barrel better suited for a benchrest
competition, but the Prairie Panther is built for comfortable
carry, while still wearing a rigid barrel. The barrel is
free-floated within the carbon-fiber smooth hand guard. The
Prairie panther has all the desired features of a good fighting
AR, such as a forward assist, dust cover, extended “tac-latch”
charging handle, and an empty case deflector. The upper receiver
is of the A3 flattop style, making for easy attachment of a
scope or other optical sight.
As should any hunting rifle, the Prairie
Panther is equipped with sling attachment loops, and a nylon
sling is also included with the rifle, as well as a cleaning
kit, the two magazines mentioned above, instructions, and a hard
For accuracy testing, I mounted my mule, the
Leupold Mark 4 8.5 to 25 power target scope using an ArmaLite
one-piece mount. Accuracy testing was done at 100 yards, with
the results shown in the chart below. Group sizes are the
average of three-shot groups at that distance. Group sizes are
listed in inches. Velocity testing was done with the chronograph
set twelve feet from the muzzle at an elevation of 541 feet
above sea level, approximately. Temperatures hovered around the
twenty-seven degree Fahrenheit mark during all velocity testing.
Velocity readings are the average of several shots fired, and
the results are listed in the chart below. Velocity readings are
listed in feet-per-second (fps). Bullet weights are listed in
grains. FMJ is a full metal jacket bullet. HP is hollowpoint.
SRT is a load using specialized bullets as loaded into ammo
produced by Extreme Shock Ammunition. TSX is a Barnes Triple
Shock homogenous copper hollowpoint bullet. The handload listed
uses the TSX bullet with 24.5 grains of Ramshot TAC powder, a
Remington small rifle primer, and Winchester commercial .223
|Hand Load TSX
|Winchester USA FMJ
|Buffalo Bore HP
|Extreme Shock SRT
|Black Hills HP
|Wolf Gold HP
As can be seen in the chart above, accuracy
was superb! I am continuously impressed with the Buffalo Bore
Sniper ammunition. Some folks state that it takes a one-in-seven
inch twist to stabilize the 77 grain Sierra bullet, but the
one-in-eight twist of the button-rifled barrel of this DPMS does
exceptionally well with that ammunition. I also have a
one-in-nine twist Bushmaster twenty-four inch rifle that does
very well with the Buffalo Bore 77 grain load.
Many styles of AR-15 rifles are available,
and most buyers end up with an M-4 style with sixteen inch
barrel, bayonet lug, railed hand guard, and a flash suppressor.
That is a very good choice for close-range fighting, but a rifle
such as the Prairie Panther is much better suited for an
all-around AR. The longer barrel gives more velocity, and the
flattop upper receiver makes mounting a scope very easy. If
needed, the hunting scope can be removed and a close-range
optical sight, such as a Trijicon
Reflex, can be attached in a few seconds. Railed hand guards
are okay, but I prefer the handling characteristics and comfort
of a smooth hand guard. I do not hang a lot of equipment onto my
rifles, and have never once yet needed a bayonet. Those features
are fine, if that is what you want, but I prefer the simplicity
and accuracy of an AR that is set up like the Prairie Panther. I
like the excellent trigger. A good trigger is important for
accurate shooting. I detest a seven or eight pound trigger on a
hunting rifle. The Prairie Panther trigger releases crisply, and
the pull weight measures just under four pounds on the rifles
shown here. I like the smooth, free-float carbon-fiber hand
guard. The buttstock is skeletonized for some reason. I don’t
know why, and prefer a solid buttstock myself, but I suppose
that it was done for some reason. It might save an ounce or two
of weight, but I would rather retain the storage capability of a
standard A2 style buttstock. The camouflage is very nicely done.
It looks great, and seems to be very durable. Both patterns are
well-executed and effective.
An AR rifle like the Prairie Panther can do
double duty as a fighting rifle better than an M-4 style can
double as an accurate hunting rifle. The Prairie Panther is
wonderfully accurate, easy to use, and light enough to carry
afield all day. It is as suitable for home
defense as it is for shooting prairie dogs at 400 yards.
There are many variations of the AR-15 rifle on the market
today, and they are fine weapons. I own several, but if I had to
pare down to just one AR-15, I would keep a good, accurate,
reliable hunting style AR, like one of these new Prairie Panther
rifles from DPMS.
Check out the new Prairie Panther rifles
online at www.dpmsinc.com.
To order DPMS rifles online, go to www.lowpriceguns.com.
To order the excellent Buffalo Bore Sniper
ammunition, go to www.buffalobore.com.
To order the specialized Extreme Shock
premium ammo, go to www.extremeshockusa.net.
NOTE: All load data posted on this
web site are for educational purposes only. Neither the author nor
GunBlast.com assume any responsibility for the use or misuse of this data.
The data indicated were arrived at using specialized equipment under
conditions not necessarily comparable to those encountered by the
potential user of this data. Always use data from respected loading
manuals and begin working up loads at least 10% below the loads indicated
in the source manual.