Hehehe..... my co-worker hunting buddy one day toted his M1 Garand out hunting, using his 150 grain handloads.
He comes back later saying, "No wonder they went to the M-16! This thing is HEAVY!"
He never served in the military - his number was never called back in the closing days of the VN War....
Like Adam, I prefer the old bolties for hunting. My one .223 rifle is semiauto, but not an AR platform.