Finally got it all together and got to the range.

The rifle
DPMS RFLR-AP4 7.62x51
Magpul CTR stock
Magpul PMag 20
Houge grip
Leupold Mark AR 6x18 40 with custom BDC dial for 168 gr..308 Winchester supreme Ballistic silvertips. (AKA werewolf killers) my preferred hunting round.
Larue Lt-104 mount.
160 rounds of S.A. surplus (used for break in and for setting Iron sights).
60 rounds of Winchester supreme (used for sighting in scope).

Got to the range early and had it all to myself. Got all set up and ready to do some shooting.




I had decided to follow the recommended break in procedure from DPMS.

http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=2&f=30&t=187150

The cleaning station all set up



Target up at 50 yds. I wasn't to concerned with accuracy during the break in, but used it to get my Iron sights on paper.
Found out my sight tool would not fit between the front sight ears, had to improvise using a jewelers screwdriver and some hemostats.





Also during break in I found out that if you did an open bolt reload you can actually get a Pmag jammed if you smack it too hard to seat it.
It will lock the bolt open and jam the mag release button, a small amount of downward pressure on the mag thru the ejection port will free it up.
A few nervous moments at first until I figured out what had happened.

During the break in the wind started to pick up. I figure it was a steady 15 mph with 20-25 gusts.



I decided I better hurry if I wanted to get my new scope sighted in so I moved a target out to a 100 yds  and rechecked My Irons.

My best three shot group with my 47 yr old eyes and open sights.



Now to dial in the scope.

The farthest hit to the left on the center square was stock out of the box. Rather than do three shot groups I only did two and would adjust until I walked it in to center.

I moved to the bottom left and did three three shot groups moved to the bottom right and took the four remaining shots.

Moved top the top left took five shots and made a small adjustment to windage and moved to the top right. and took nine shots and called it a day.







By now the wind was a steady 20-25 mph with gusts over thirty. And I realized I will need to get out and start over on a calm day for a perfect zero but it was fun and except for the mag issue everything performed flawlessly. Can't wait till they get the 300yrd range back up and the 600 silhouette range finished .

Looks nice! If I hadn't just sold all my 308 ammo, I might be tempted to pick one up.

Looks great man. I just picked up an AP4 a few weeks ago and so far I love it. How was your trigger? I already had to have mine worked cause it was so bad.

 I didn't notice any of the problems that I had been expecting considering the opinion/reputation of DPMS triggers. I felt is was very smooth and quite light compared to my other rifles (M1A,Bushy m4 clone).
I can honestly say this will probably become my favorite rifle, I can't wait for a nice calm windless day to fine tune the scope and see what this rifle is truly capable of. This is destined to become my rifle of choice for all my hunting (Deer,Elk,Antelope) next investment is a good range finder........off to the optics forum

Is that a 16" or 18" barrel?

You get out on a calmer day and get all settled in, and you'll shoot some awesome groups!

Nice rifle, and great AAR.

It is a 16" barrel, And I just caught the weather report it is supposed to be a nice day Today/this morning .  Hopefully the wind will have died down if it has I am off to the range.

DPMS' stock triggers are about what you'd expect from a stock trigger - mass produced.  Sometimes they are better than others.  I typically recommend swapping them out with the following as dependent on price range:
Bill Springfield - $39 supply your own - to just under $75.  Nice trigger but depending on what you have in a stock trigger dictates the magic he can work.  Incidentally, his HK & AK triggers are wonders in their own right.

RRA or DPMS 2 stage - $125 range - great for the money.  They are both solid and crisp.  JP springs lighten the pull for another $15.  The DPMS seems to have a little less trigger reset but I have only compared 3 thus far.

JP - $150'ish - single stage adjustable.  Great trigger when adjusted but a pain to get there.  Some people just don't like single stage.  But if you want it to break with just the touch of a short and curly - it's almost a Geissele at half the price.

Drop-ins - I avoid.  While they are great initially, like any trigger, they wear and when they start to double you are forced to toss the entire housing rather than individual pieces.  

Hope that helps.

Where are the pictures of the rifle with the scope mounted? Or am I missing something?

Nice rifle and optic setup.

I just build an Armalite with an AP4 barrel that I re-profiled to pencil thin and went with a JP FF modular handguard and an Armalite 2 stage tactical trigger.

I haven't picked an optic sight yet, but when I do, I hope it shoots close to yours.

Nice shooting.

I love seeing these posts. Some of the "elite" put down any rifle that isn't what they consider to be "top tier" (whatever that means). I have a rifle I just built with a DPMS Mk12 barrel and I am dying to get it to the range. I am loading some rounds for it now, just got the Varget powder for them a few days back.

I hope it shoots as well as yours. You have a fine rifle there!

Sorry by the time I got the scope on it my main goal was getting it on paper.

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Looks like he sells a 3lb group for $99 and a 4lb group for $85.   Which do you recommend?

This makes me smile!! my AP4 is on the way to the FFL this very day.  Can't wait to try it out!!

so why do some dpms lowers have nice markings and some dont? i love the looks of ones that do, mine doesnt

It all depends on who has used a white crayon or white paint to highlight there roll marks.....al it is.

It looks like you added a small section of rail to the handguard.  Did you drill and tap the handguard to install it?

Bingo  I ordered the rail from Brownells. A trip to ace hardware for slightly longer screws the tap and bit and less than five minutes work.

Would you mind listing the parts and tools (sizes/description and such) that you used to do the install of the rail section?  I think you'd be surprised how many people would do this on their own if they knew the exact parts to get...

Thanks in advance!

Don't worry about the wind.........50 yards(150 feet) with a .223, which is going like 3400fps(2,318 mph), will hit the target in approximately 22ms if my math is right. In .022 seconds, the wind isn't going to impart enough energy on your projectile to make any noticable deviation from its trajectory. If you are shooting in a box range of 100yards, you should never even consider wind unless you are chasing groups at 100yd with a .22LR.


OK my mistake. You are shooting 7.62x51. Lets say Winchester Supreme, 168gr BTHP. 2,680fps(1,827 mph) to reach 150 feet takes 55ms or .055 seconds..IF my math is right. The wind isn't going to do anything to your bullet in .05 seconds is my point.

...and it looks like I can't read or do math today...so you were zeroing at 100yd, ok it may have some bearing on your zero but still––-time of flight. Not a whole lot of drift.

I am not a ballistics expert by far that makes my brain hurt

It doesn't really matter, you order the rail section look at the size of the screw  go one size up and a little longer and buy the tap/bit /screws to do the deed.

I've been waiting for a scope to shoot my ap4 also. I ended up going budget and bought a Millett 4X16 and it's really clear for the price. Put it in a Burris PEPR mount and took it to the range yesterday. Last week I shot a box of ammo through it, breaking the barrel in (running a patch after each round or two). I had 10 rounds of old Remington soft point of unknown weight. I used it and 2 rounds of Hornady A Tap 168g to get the scope zeroed and then shot for group. I wasn't very well prepared, as I didn't have a decent rest. I ended up shooting over my folded over soft case.
I shot one group of eight and then one of 10 with the 168 grain A Tap. My results were very similar to yours. I was truly amazed because I didn't expect this rifle to shoot this well. My rest wasn't close to good and I'm looking forward to shooting this over sandbags. My eight shot group you could almost cover with a quarter with 5 shots grouping inside 1/2 inch. My 10 shot group opened up a little with 2 called flyers but was still about 1 1/4 inch. To say I'm happy with the way this 16" carbine shoots would be a huge understatement.
I've only got 50 rounds through the riflebut there have been no malfunctions of any kind. Shot it with 2 DPMS mags and one C-mag.
The only modifications I've done to the rifle are the addition of a CTR stock, a Noveske pig flash suppressor (just to attenuate the muzzle blast and it works) and the addition of a RR 2 stage NM trigger.
Thanks DPMS for a really great gun. I can't wait to try it on TX pigs.

The only difference between the two is the 3lb uses JP springs and the 4lb uses the stock springs. I got the 3lb and it would not reliably ignite my surplus Port. I replaced the JP hammer spring with the stock spring and it is now 100%.

jonblack

Good review.  The CTR stock provided enough of a cheek rest for scoped use?

Works fine for me.

good report, this is the rifle I have narrowed it down to, still not sure of stock or if I want the rail, wanting to make it a pig rifle (hence the rail to put a light on)

Or you could do what I did and just attach the amount of rail that you want/need. Somebody correct me if I am wrong but I think the rail would add weight.

I just put a RRA NM trigger in one of these rifles, huge improvement.

read this whole thread first  http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=12&t=489256

Yesterday afternoon, we took my wife's AP4 to our local range for its initial sight-in/break-in.

Observations:

As previously noted, front sight couldn't be adjusted with any sight tools I had on hand. Also resorted to jeweler's screwdriver and needlenose pliers for setup.

She remarked that the trigger stinks, and I agree. A new setup will be forthcoming, but we're not sure which one. Maybe an RRA 2-stage. Or a JP.

One FTF. On the second round through the gun. After that it ran flawlessly. Ammo used was WWB, but I've got enough components on-hand that I can start working up a decent handload for the thing.

No problems holding a 1 1/2" or better group at 50yds. Probably will improve after the break-in is complete.

She's due an ACOG and that ought to help even more. Ditto with a decent 4x or better scope, but since she wanted the rig for plate shoots and similar competitions, an ACOG it is.

Overall, I'm pretty impressed. We'll pay attention re: magazines as others have noted.

Question about the scope set up.   Where did you get the custom .308 dial for the Leupold?     How much was it?    
thanks!

I had the Leupold custom shop make the dial specifically for the Winchester ammo that I shoot for hunting.

ETA Call 1-800-Leupold and ask for the custom shop ,they will want to know ALL the ballistic info on your ammo.

Thank you for the reply.   How much did they charge you to do that?   Seems like just what I've been looking for.

It was just under 60.00 shipped.