Bowhntr6pt
Master
I'll second the nod towards the 6.8 SPC seeing as you want to hunt with it and you're not planning on stock piling a bunch of ammo. The 6.8 SPC is a proven killer of deer, hogs, and coyote.
With minimal tools building is as easy as watching a few YouTube videos on the topic... the AR is truly a Plug-and-Play platform, a BIG reason for the AR's success in my opinion.
Another chambering worthy of consideration is the 6.5 Grendel. It has grown in popularity, and like the 6.8 SPC, I've used it to stack pork and coyote bodies with zero issues.
With AR parts prices being low right now I see no reason why you can't assemble one for under your budget, especially if you pick up some used parts along the way such as the hand guard, trigger, upper, and other non-crucial parts. I'd lean on the new side for a barrel and bolt carrier group.
18" Barrel in 6.8 or 6.5; Free Float Rail (Yankee Hill/Budget; SLR/Higher End); Flat Top Upper, Velocity or Timney 3-lb. Trigger, MagPul UBR stock, Harris Bi-Pod, nice glass... makes for a nice hunting rig.
This is one of my builds in 6.5 Grendel (Ballistic Advantage barrel), I have a near-identical one but with a fluted SS barrel in 6.8 SPC from Bison Armory.
With minimal tools building is as easy as watching a few YouTube videos on the topic... the AR is truly a Plug-and-Play platform, a BIG reason for the AR's success in my opinion.
Another chambering worthy of consideration is the 6.5 Grendel. It has grown in popularity, and like the 6.8 SPC, I've used it to stack pork and coyote bodies with zero issues.
With AR parts prices being low right now I see no reason why you can't assemble one for under your budget, especially if you pick up some used parts along the way such as the hand guard, trigger, upper, and other non-crucial parts. I'd lean on the new side for a barrel and bolt carrier group.
18" Barrel in 6.8 or 6.5; Free Float Rail (Yankee Hill/Budget; SLR/Higher End); Flat Top Upper, Velocity or Timney 3-lb. Trigger, MagPul UBR stock, Harris Bi-Pod, nice glass... makes for a nice hunting rig.
This is one of my builds in 6.5 Grendel (Ballistic Advantage barrel), I have a near-identical one but with a fluted SS barrel in 6.8 SPC from Bison Armory.