Technology with Responsibility: Why Semi-Autos Make Sense for Hunters
- 15 hours ago
- 5 min read
For decades, Oberland Arms has been a fixed point of reference when it comes to precision-built AR-15 systems Made in Germany. Too often, however, the company is pigeonholed as a manufacturer for competition shooters and government agencies. Schuss & Stille spoke with founder Matthias Hainich about why modern semi-automatic rifles can offer real advantages in the field - and why, in his view, advanced technology and ethical hunting are not mutually exclusive.
Born in 1968, married to a Carinthian native and father of three, Hainich did not come up through marketing or branding. He comes from practice. His professional roots lie in the military, serving in a mountain signals battalion. From the very beginning, his relationship with firearms was purely functional: gear had to be reliable, ergonomic, and safe—no excuses.
His entry into the civilian firearms world came via the specialty retail trade at Kettner Germany, where he quickly learned “how things are done—and how they shouldn’t be done.” In 1998, he founded Oberland Arms in Bavaria as a classic gun shop. By that point, the now 58-year-old was already an active hunter, having earned his hunting license in the mid-1990s.
Early on, a clear specialization emerged at Oberland Arms: tuned pistols — especially Glock — and AR-15 platforms. A niche that would prove to be forward-looking.
From Importer to Manufaturer
The real breakthrough came in the early 2000s. When restrictive German regulations on semi-automatic rifles were eased, demand surged. While others hesitated, Oberland Arms was already positioned. “In the beginning, we imported assemblies from the U.S. and combined them with high-quality European components,” Hainich recalls.
From day one, the company relied on German-made precision barrels—supplied to this day by Lothar Walther. After the post-9/11 export stop on AR-15 parts from the U.S., there was only one path forward: in-house production.
Today, Oberland Arms rifles are built in close cooperation with specialized suppliers, while key components and final tuning remain firmly under the company’s own control. Hainich’s credo has not changed: uncompromising quality over maximum output.
Practical Hunting, Not Ideological Debate
Hainich is not just a manufacturer—he is an active hunter himself, and for the past two years has also held a valid Carinthian hunting license. This dual role defines his perspective. “If you take ethical hunting seriously, you use technical advantages,” he says plainly.
In predator control, the semi-auto shows its strengths: rapid follow-up shots, superior control, clean hits. Anyone who has taken multiple foxes in quick succession at a den or bait site knows that a self-loader offers clear advantages over a bolt-action.
From a safety standpoint, Hainich also sees the AR-15 ahead of the curve: a silent, easily operated safety, ergonomic controls, and high drop safety—features often underestimated in everyday hunting practice.
Finishing Shots and Modern Catridges
Nowhere does the value of modern systems become more evident than in the finishing shot. Hainich voices what many think but rarely say: delivering a humane finishing shot is one of the most demanding moments in hunting—high stress, poor light, and, in the case of vehicle collisions, often spectators.
Here, he sees the .300 AAC Blackout paired with a suppressor as an ideal solution: subsonic ammunition, sufficient terminal energy, controllable performance, and significantly reduced noise. It is no coincidence that state forestry operations in Germany officially deploy AR-15 systems from Oberland Arms.
The company offers its AR-15 platforms in multiple calibers, including .223 Remington, .300 Blackout, 9×19 mm, and .22 LR—the latter primarily as a training platform.
Technology, Applied with Restraint
Suppressor use has become a central topic in modern hunting. Semi-automatic rifles, however, place very different physical demands on suppressors than bolt-actions. Oberland Arms therefore developed gas-optimized suppressors that manage recoil impulse and minimize gas blowback to the shooter. Advanced manufacturing methods such as titanium 3D printing are standard here. “Technology has to support the shooter,” Hainich sums it up.
Flagship Store Klagenfurt
With its flagship store in Klagenfurt, Oberland Arms deliberately crossed borders. “Austria has always been an important market, and Carinthia offered the right setting,” says Hainich. The store is not conceived as a mere sales floor for in-house products, but as a curated boutique: firearms, accessories, knives, lights—selected by personal conviction, not catalog logic. Reactions have been mixed, but lively—and exactly that was the intention.
While many Austrian hunters own semi-automatics, few actually use them in the field. In Germany, by contrast, AR-15 platforms are increasingly common among hunters. Hainich sees the difference not in attitudes toward ethics, but in legal frameworks and practical tradition.
German hunters routinely employ semi-autos for hunting; Austrian hunters tend to be more traditional and more reserved toward “military-looking” technology—not out of rejection, but because law, habit, and training have evolved differently. For Hainich, the conclusion is clear: where modern technology is legal and sensible, it should be used. Especially when combined with night-vision or thermal optics, AR-15 systems offer significant advantages.
For Schuss & Stille, Oberland Arms represents a sober, practice-driven view of modern hunting and sporting firearms. To Hainich, the AR-15 is simply a tool—one that, when used responsibly, can enhance precision, safety, and ethical hunting.
TECH INSIDE
.300 AAC Blackout – Quiet Power at Close Range
The .300 AAC Blackout is not a cartridge for number-crunchers or long-range romantics. It was designed for short barrels, heavy bullets, and suppressed use. Hunters who choose it do so deliberately—and that is precisely its strength.
Pros: The .300 Blackout shines where other cartridges are already too much. Heavy .30-caliber bullets, moderate velocity, clean energy transfer at short distances. With a suppressor, it truly comes into its own: quiet report, mild recoil, excellent control. Out to roughly 120–150 meters, it delivers precise, predictable performance without excessive meat damage—ideal for woodland hunting, situations with backstop concerns, or noise-sensitive environments near populated areas, as well as for finishing shots.
Cons: Honesty matters: range is not its domain. Trajectory is noticeably steeper than traditional .30-caliber cartridges, and energy drops off quickly. Beyond 150 meters, .308 Win., 7×64, or .30-06 are clearly better choices. Ammunition selection—especially for hunting—is still limited and requires careful attention to bullet choice and load development..
The .300 AAC Blackout is based on a heavily shortened case. Compared to the .308 Winchester, it appears compact, almost stubby—and that is by design: heavy bullets, low velocity, short systems. Compared to the .223 Remington, it delivers significantly more mass on target while fitting into a similar platform envelope.
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