As and old deer hunter, I think AR's make good deer rifles. They are easy to carry and handle well, and mine is very accurate. I also hunt will a 7mm mag bolt action and 30-06 SA Remington. Due to shoulder injury I have started using guns like and ak type (Saiga) and an AR 15. For me the Ar is best because of the ease to carry use and light recoil. But then I don't see too many anti gun nuts in the woods, Where do you hunt? As far as the .308, my favorite is the 165 grain boattail, but 150 grain bullets are popular and do a good job. In my opinion the Ar-10 is a very good hunting weapon. I am not too worried about what a hunter shoots as most hunters are pretty safe as very few are shot by other hunters. BTW I used to be a gun safety instructor and am a qualified expert with the m16 and combat veteran. Enjoy your hunt but be careful try not to get too worked up or be a chicken poop too your fellow hunters.