Do any of you use your M4 for hunting? If so, what ammo are you using and for what game?
I just picked up some Hornady 75gr BTHP yesterday. If things go as planned I’ll be putting a round or two through a boar this weekend. I’ll keep you posted as to the results.
I’ve killed five deer with five rounds of .223. All from 16" barrel. First 4 from a Bushmaster, fifth from Noveske N4 Recce. (All using ACOG TA01 red FWIW)
1 doe with a 68 grain OTM Black Hills at 20 yards. Doe bolted and ran 15 yds into a tree and was down. Both lungs completely scrambled rolled out like so much pink scrambled eggs. The heart was shredded into finger sized petals. Only small frag exited. On the range, it groups very well.
1 large buck with a 55 grain Trophy Bonded Bear Claw at 20 FEET - 1.5" hole bored through both lungs and recovered under opp side skin. Perfect textbook mushroom. Buck ran about 20 yards and was down. Oddly two broken ribs under the ENTRANCE wound. On the range, mediocre accuracy.
1 medium sized buck with a Win 64 grain PP to the neck at 100 yards. I wasn’t as impressed as the buck was. Slug exited out the same side of the neck just a couple inches from the entrance wound shedding it’s jacket at the exit. Didn’t even break the spine. Go figure. Still dropped in it’s tracks. On the range, mediocre accuracy.
1 small buck hit in throat from straight on with 60 grain Nosler Partition from Black Hills at about 30 yards. Buck fell backwards and was down. Penetration about 17" and tremendous 3-4" diameter wound channel the first oh 6-7 inches through front of throat. On the range, mediocre accuracy - maybe 2" 100 yard groups.
Recent Saturday late afternoon, a 6pt while still hunting along a north GA ridgeline in the Chattahoochie National Forest. One Black Hills 77 grain OTM into the front shoulder/neck junction at about 40 feet dropped him literally in his tracks. Bullet did not exit. Under the skin at entrance wound was a quarter sized hole into the chest cavity that broke shoulder bones. Chest cavity full of blood but I did not get a good look at lungs and heart. This has been an insanely accurate load from my Noveske N4 Recce upper, well under MOA.
It’s a start.
Joe
I have used 75 grain Black Hills on two hogs. If they were animals I was overly concerned with getting clean kills on this would not be my ammo of choice as it pretty clearly fragmented (as designed). I wanted to see how they performed in soft tissue, and I wanted to eat pork. 
If I was going to press an M4 into service on larger game like a deer or similar I’d want an expanding softpoint or other round that retained it’s weight and did not fragment.
75gr Hornady works quite well for under 250lb deer, that’s all I can say…