One of my main issues with an AR..... I'll spend more time looking for one stupid piece of brass than I do shooting the dang thing. And yes, I have a brass catcher but never do all the spent rounds end up there.
Easy solution to the brass problem is one of reb8600's brass catchers. Used one on both .223 and 243 WSSM AR's and I'd guess they caught at least 99% on both rifles. The ones that were not caught drop almost straight down.
They are very compact and no issues on a hunting rifle even in the brush. The small size limits the capacity so if your range style is spray and pray, might not be your cup of tea. I suspect that is not your style, so all ya gotta do is empty it after several shots according to case size. Never filled it up on .223, even @ range, can't remember doing so on the 243 either.
Coming from bolt guns my whole life, i have a feeling that I don't shoot AR's as well. Its hard to get used to the pistol grip.
Me, too. I was never attracted to the AR until they started to become popular in HP XTC competition and I started noticing the scores they were producing. They also felt awkward to me at first. Never switched for competition, however picked up a Bushmaster Predator and fell in love with it for predator hunting. It shot 1/2 moa out of the box w/handloads and fit my hunting style
much better than any bolt gun I had shot.
I set up the majority of the time looking down senderos or pipelines and the critters usually pop out of the thick brush, pause for a second or two, offering a very brief opportunity for a shot, then do what they have in mind, so being ready for rapid target acquisition is a must. I sit w/rifle on my shoulder, resting on sticks, line of sight is barely over the scope, so that all that is necessary to shoot is to get a good cheek weld and find the target. The pistol grip is a natural for this position, especially for extended times, sometimes up to 30 minutes.
When I was forced to use a bolt gun for coyotes, I altered the pistol grip on a savage scout to more vertical angle to replicate the feel of the AR as best I could. Not quite as good as an AR, but close.