The AR-15 in Texas: laws, hunting and buying your first one

The AR-15 is the most common rifle in Texas for good reasons. It handles hogs at night, coyotes on the ranch, home defense and a Saturday at the range with the same lower receiver; it is legal statewide with no permit, no registration and no magazine limit; and parts and ammunition are everywhere. This guide covers Texas law on the AR-15, how Texans hunt with it, and what to look for when you buy your first one online.

Texas law on the AR-15

Texas has no assault-weapons law, no magazine-capacity limit and no registration. An AR-15 rifle is bought like any other long gun: you must be 18 or older under federal law, you complete Form 4473 at a licensed dealer and pass the NICS background check, and there is no waiting period. Standard 30-round magazines ship to Texas normally. Rifles with barrels under 16 inches, and suppressors, are regulated under the federal National Firearms Act and need ATF approval before transfer; those items are outside this store. AR pistols and braces are subject to federal rules that have changed several times; check the current ATF position before you buy or build one. Law as of September 2026; see our Texas gun laws page for the rest.

Hunting with an AR-15 in Texas

Texas Parks and Wildlife allows any centerfire rifle for white-tailed deer, so a 5.56 AR is legal, although many hunters prefer a heavier bullet. Feral hogs have no closed season and no bag limit, and on private land the landowner or their agent can take hogs without a hunting license. Hogs are hunted at night on private land, which is why thermal and night-vision optics on AR-15s are so common across the state. Popular hog chamberings are 5.56 with a bonded or copper 62- to 77-grain bullet, .300 Blackout, which is quiet with a suppressor and hits hard inside 150 yards, and 6.5 Grendel or 6.8 SPC for a bit more reach. For deer, 6.5 Grendel, 6.8 SPC and .300 Blackout with expanding bullets are common AR-15 choices; an AR-10 in .308 or 6.5 Creedmoor covers the long West Texas shots. Check the TPWD Outdoor Annual for the county you hunt, and read our deer and hog rifle guide for the 2026-27 dates.

Picking your first AR-15

Barrel: 16 inches is the standard for a rifle and keeps you clear of NFA rules. A mid-length gas system on a 16-inch barrel runs softer than carbine-length. Chrome-lined or nitrided barrels last longer; a 1:7 or 1:8 twist stabilizes the heavier hunting bullets.
Chamber: a 5.56 NATO or .223 Wylde chamber shoots both 5.56 and .223 safely. A .223 Remington chamber should only see .223.
Handguard: a free-float M-LOK handguard lets you mount a light and a bipod without touching the barrel. Slim is better for hunting.
Trigger: a standard mil-spec trigger works; a drop-in trigger in the 3- to 4-pound range makes hunting shots easier. Texas does not restrict trigger upgrades, but rate-of-fire devices are a separate matter and we do not sell them.
Weight: a hog rifle you carry all night should stay under seven pounds before the optic. Heavy-barrel bench guns are for the range.

Optics

For a do-everything Texas AR, a red dot for fast shots inside 100 yards or a 1-6x or 1-8x low-power variable scope that covers both brush and sendero shots. For hogs at night, a thermal scope or clip-on shows a black hog in a black field; entry-level thermals now cost less than many rifles. Mount the optic with a quality mount and torque it to spec; loose mounts cause more misses than bad rifles.

Ammunition

Range ammunition is the 55-grain and 62-grain full-metal-jacket loads sold by the case. Hunting ammunition should be an expanding bullet: bonded soft points, copper monolithics or heavy open-tip match bullets in the 62- to 77-grain range for 5.56, and 110- to 125-grain expanding bullets for .300 Blackout. Texas has no ammunition restrictions, and rifle ammunition ships to your door if you are 18 or older. Buy a case of range ammo and a couple of boxes of hunting ammo, then zero the rifle with the load you will hunt with.

Where to shoot in Texas

Texas has few state-run public ranges, so most AR owners shoot at county, city or private ranges, or on private land. Call ahead: many ranges limit rapid fire, require brass-cased ammunition or set a maximum caliber. Texas Parks and Wildlife funds public ranges through grants and lists them on its website. Our city pages point to the nearest options in 22 Texas cities.

Buying an AR-15 online

Ordering from Texas Gun Store works like this: pick the rifle, choose a licensed Texas dealer near you at checkout, and we ship the rifle to that dealer. You complete the paperwork and background check there and take the rifle home the same day the check clears. Magazines, optics, ammunition and parts ship to your door. Read how buying a gun online in Texas works for the full walkthrough, then browse AR-15 rifles, all rifles and ammunition.

General information, not legal advice. Current as of September 2026. Laws change; check the official source before you act.