I currently have an M1A Scout Squad that I love, except for the long eye-relief scope and its finnicky reputation with ammo.  From what I've read, if you don't stick to certain bullet weight - powder combinations, you can damage the operating rod.  I've partially alleviated this by installing an adjustable gas port, but still am not comfortable using heavy hunting loads in it.

Since I really like my AR-15s, I'm thinking of replacing it with an AR-10, to get better scope mounting, and, hopefully, more tolerance for heavy bullets and slow-burning powders.  Does the AR platform digest a wider variety of bullet weights and loads?

What are some of the best options for a reasonably priced rifle with 18-20" medium or pencil barrel.  I'm looking for a reasonably accurate rifle for target shooting and some hunting on occasion.

Thanks!

All of the Armalites that I have/ had over the years have ran fine with a variety of ammo. My T has seen mostly match or handloads but it has seen some S.A. surplus. The other chrome lined AR10s have digested everything but I do have one that didn't like ZQI M80, I have never shot any steel cases stuff through 10s, not because I think steel is junk but I just never bought any to try.

I think a lot of it is going to depend on what brand you are talking about. There are a lot of brands that have come and gone that have not done any real R&D on their rifles, they just copied someone else's stuff or they let you be the R&D. Some companies just have shoddy QC and they are best to be avoided no matter how tempting their prices maybe. R&D costs but it pays in the long run, I have never been disappointed in my Armalites and one has been ran really  hard... I ran it dry suppressed with out cleaning about 500 rounds before it started to hiccup here and there.


ETA look at an Armalite DSR or Def10 for an affordable rifle that will work and they come with a lifetime warranty should you ever need it.

DI is pretty tolerant by design.  My Remington R25 has eaten everything I have fed it to include Superperformance loads from Hornady.  Because there are no rods to get bent you can shoot just about anything that fits in the magazine.  

I don't shoot steel case ammo through mine and pretty much everything I feed it are reloads.

My Aero M5E1 with 18" stainless steel barrel is a 1 MOA shooter with cheap MFS steel cased ammo and a $89 Nikon scope and the stock trigger.  It handles garbage tulammo and wolf fine, too.  I've ran a few different hunting loads through it, too, and never had one single hiccup.

I can't speak for other brands.  But those ballistic advantage barrels ain't no slouch.

My M&P-10 hasn't been picky, I've mainly run cheap stuff. I've run a lot of Winchester white box and PMC stuff through. I also ran some Hornady Stell case through it to see what happened. No real issues.

IIRC, There was one guy who had an issue with one a few months back. But that's about it.

Mine and the few I've personally owned have had no issues with quality ammo. Surplus is hit or miss with any caliber or firearm.

I buy strictly American and can't remember the last ammo related failure. All mine are mag related. I personally stock deep on American Eagle 150g. Has worked great in every 308 I've fed it to. Accurate and consistent enough, cleaner than surplus and alot of foreign ammo, reliable across the board on all calibers I've used.

So far I've only had 150 gr through mine. I haven't had any problems with Winchester, or Federal, including American Eagle.
It doesn't like Aguila 7.62 (yeah I know it's garbage). Seems like it's loaded too light to reliably cycle the action. FTF on 1 in 3 or 4 shots, and a blown primer in only 40 rounds. Won't be putting any more of that through mine.

Armalite AR10 Defensive Sporting Rifle paid 949.00

I built two AR10's using suggestions from people here and elsewhere. Both have Noveske barrels (16" and 21").

I'm using Slash's buffers in both. They have been surprisingly reliable right from the start.

I only shoot my reloads. I haven't purchased any .308 or 5.56mm ammo since the mid-1980s.

Using Lake City or IMI brass resized to SAAMI "go gage" (minimum chamber headspace) dimensions, 168 grain Sierra Match Kings seated @ 2.800" and CCI-#34 or Winchester large rifle primers I use the following loads:

40.7 grains of IMR-4064
40.0 grains of IMR-4895
40.0 grains of H4895
43.0 grains of WW-748
40.5 grains of AA-2460
41.0 grains of RE-15
41.0 grains of Varget
41.5 grains of VihtaVuori N150

All of these loads have been reliable and usefully accurate. The IMR-4064 and VihtaVuori N150 loads are my go to ammo.

These loads are at or within .5 grain of what I consider maximum when loading military surplus brass. Start lower, work up.

My factory built DPMS Oracle 308 with a non adjustable carbine length gas system has not been picky. Nor has my home built LR-308 pattern rifle with a non adjustable, mid length gas system. Both using standard factory DPMS 308 CAR springs and buffers. Both of my bolts have the DPMS G2 extractor rubber thingy upgrade. I changed the cheesy looking alum. railed gas block on the factory rifle to a clamp on YHM folding FSB/gas block combo, and built the second rifle using the same.

I have shot  A LOT of steel cased 308, all brands of brass cased M80 ball you can think of, and a ton of my handloads. Which range from very mild, reduced H4895 charge, short range plinking loads, to 168 long range accuracy loads.

They have all run fine and functioned 100%.

Mines not. Windham Weaponary 18"

Neither of mine are. 1 is a Bushmaster MOE 308 that I rebuilt and the other a Mega Maten. The failures I've had are all related to the ASC 308 mags I bought... and those have broken in nicely.

I have 2 Armalites, an AR-10B carbine and a AR-10B SASS.  Both have ran 100% on everything I have put through them.  Bullet weights from 145-180.  The SASS actually shoots Prvi M-80 ball just as accurately as FGMM at 300 yards.  Furthest I have printed it.

Funny, I have an Armalite that absolutely loves Prvi ball too...

Get a a FAL or STG-58 and be happy!

Neither my Bushmaster MOE .308 or my DPMS G2 MOE are. I've fed them everything from tons of different surplus ball to Wolf Military Classic and PMC Bronze. Both of them have seen at least 5000 rounds each.

My LMT MWSE shoots everything I feed it.

No more or less than any other semi. Lots of AR-15s have issues with PMC Bronze because of low gas pressure. Same thing with the .30s.