Well, I've been taught by the man himself (SAGELA) so this isn't entirely an independent opinion, but I've found all of the same things to be true that SAGELA mentioned. I've been out there with both an AR and a Mossberg MVP-LR, and I much prefer the MVP. It's cleaner to shoot, it's easier to manage the brass, and I throw fewer bullets into the ground blasting away at a moving prairie dog. (Yeah, that last part is a shooter issue, I'll admit.)

Another factor for me is that I shoot suppressed. A suppressed bolt gun in .223 sounds just fine without hearing protection out there in the open field, whereas a suppressed AR has just that little higher noise that makes me a little uncomfortable. Also, a suppressed AR gets pretty filthy after hundreds of rounds!

This year I'll be taking my Ruger American Predator .223 as a backup gun to the MVP-LR. The MVP-LR is a nicer gun IMHO, but I think the Ruger will get the job done if needed.

My AR will be staying warm at home.