My goal is to provide a detailed review on the MK-3 to include a range report.  There isn't a lot of info out there about it and what there is, seems to be hard to find, answered across several posts.

CMMG is the manufacture but the MK-3 and it's 18" brother the SASS can only be purchased from CDNN Investments.  CDNN does not sell guns online but can be reached at 800-588-9500.  I've spoken with at least two employees and both were very helpful and courteous.  When I last spoke with them (week of 11/7/2011) black was the only color available despite their ad saying Olive Drab and Dark Earth were also available.  Ad, see page 30.  There was also no ETA on colors other than black.



Being that you can purchase any other CMMG made part from their website, http://www.cmmginc.com/, I'm not sure why the MK-3 and the SASS can't also be purchased directly.  Hopefully CMMG will give us some insight.

General Info:
A2 Birdcage flash hider
16" SST 1-10 twist lightweight contoured barrel
Mid-length gas system
WASP Coated
FF ~10" CMMG tube
3 - 2" rail pieces
T marked, M4 feed ramped "high" profile (3/16" top portion) upper
MOE MIL stock
MOE grip
1 Magpul 20rd magazine
CMMG 2-stage trigger
Ambidextrous sling plate
34 3/16" long (stock fully collapsed)
37 7/16" long (stock fully extended)
Price - $1099.99, otherwise known as $1100

Weights:
Complete rifle (no mag) - 7.616 lbs

Complete Upper - 5.370 lbs
CMMG FF tube - 11.2 oz
Upper no tube/BCG/CH - 3.0135 lbs
BCG - 1.172 lbs
CH - 1.3 oz
BCG/CH - 1.256 lbs

Compete Lower (no mag) - 2.246 lbs
Buffer - 3.7 oz
Buffer and spring - 5.25 oz

Barrel Info:  From muzzle to chamber
.0710 between muzzle and gas block
.075 (assuming) at gas block
.0840 behind the gas block
.0710 taper
1.184 chamber

The overall fit and finish is very good.  The upper and lower fit well together, with only a slight amount of play.  This is my first manufactured purchased rifle in quite a while and I was impressed with it.

Sorry, for the crappy P&S camera pics, it's the best I have right now.

As it came out of the box (minus or plus, depending on how you look at it, the bottom 2" rail section I installed).




Lower section - Seems to be your typical AR-15/variant lower.  The castle nut is not staked.  The MOE grip does not sit completely flat on the back of the lower, there is a slight gap between them.







The plastic disc of the end of the buffer spring was different....



Upper section - It took 4 screws (two different sized allen heads) to get the FF tube off.  It looks like it takes four more bolts to get the barrel nut.  The gas key is staked.  Only one of the gas block set screw locations were dimpled into the barrel.  This was a little disappointing that they couldn't take the extra 30 seconds to dimple the other location too.  If removing the rail, be careful, the dinky allen head screws they use are round out VERY easily.  The barrel nut is some weird pattern, I used the LR-308 side of this wrench to get the barrel nut off but the lugs were not fully engaged.




















If anyone has any question please let me know, I'm happy to try to help.

I hope to get to the range tomorrow for the range report portion.

Thanks



ETA:  More info about the barrel and rail.

Awesome start, keep going please!!

I have been looking for more info on this setup.

Thanks

ILB

Good info.  Assuming reliability and accuracy equivalent to DPMS LR-308 or AP4 it seems a solid alternative for the money (in an arguably more desirable set up).

Waiting to hear the range report.  

 

Looks very nice, I'm looking forward to the range report.

The barrel is wasp lined?

Yes, I stand corrected per EWP.  No, the barrel is stainless steel.

I found this today on CMMG's site.

http://www.cmmginc.com/pdfs/WASPTechSheet.pdf

I like it. Seems like a fair deal.

No it's not, the whole barrel would be treated not just the inside which would have turned it black like my 12.5" CMMG 6.8 barrel that has WASP stamped on the barrel.

Looks like a 308 AR in a package I can afford and won't have to do many mods to. I like.

I have the SASS 18"nd its available from local dealers and well as Gun Broker. Thet are a few of the 16" guns on Gun Broker so it can be purchased from others than CDNN.  The 18" SASS is fully WASP coated in and out. It functions flawlessly and is one of the most accurate ones I've found including many of my Armalite AR10's .  This week a firend from the san box came home for a few weeks and he shot mine. He was very impressed and said he wanted one. These rifles are amazing.

Ditto !!

Have you been to the range ??

Thanks

ILB

If I were looking for a .308 AR, the CMMG would be it. I've had great success with every CMMG rifle I have.
Dave N

Sorry I have not had a chance to hit the range yet, however tomorrow looks like the day.  I have several kinds of ammo to test.  I'm looking forward to it.

Range Report -

~initial results deleted, was doing more harm than good.  I will have a shooting rest soon to take my sorry ass out of the picture.~

I tried 7 different types of ammo ranging between 147-175 gr in FMJ, SP projectiles.  Every single brand fed and ejected without fail.  This MK-3 ate it all like a fat kid loves cake.

~initial results deleted, was doing more harm than good.  I will have a shooting rest soon to take my sorry ass out of the picture.~

I bought the CMMG 18" with the PRS stock and had very similar results @ 100yds.  I'm not a MOA shooter either.

Confused... Was this 100 yds or 40 yds?  Thanks for the reports.

40 yards.  I would expect a true MOA shooter to put them in basically the same hole at 40 yards.  I was just letting people know that I suck, not the gun.

40 yards?

and 2x too!

did it come with the CMMG 20 rds mag or the Pmag ?

PMAG

I did three groups right at 1MOA using Black Hills 168gr. It like the heavy 168-175gr bullets. The 1-10 twist barrel like many 308s is really tight with the heaveyer bulllets. If you use quality like Black Hills or reload your own it is almost always a one hole gun.

Mine shot slightly over moa with a strong breeze using S&B surplus. Using Federal it had 3 shots overlapping. I bought the 18" with the fluting. If I had a shooting rest or bipod and no wind I think it would have been 1 hole. Very impressed.

Tag for more range results.

I'd like to see the gun shoot out of a rest that takes out the shooter element. I've heard nothing but good about these guns but these results worry me.

Don't let them.  I truly suck at shooting a rifle for some reason now.

I think I will pass.  I have rifles that will group like that at 100 yards with iron sight (not semi but bolt)

I'll have better results soon.  I got a shooting rest to take me out of the picture.

Maybe out to 100 or 200 yds?

All I have access to is 100, but yes I will provide results for 100 yards.

Apples and Oranges.

There are a variety of reason why a semi auto is preferred by many and reasoning for so many offerings on the market. A semi will never be a bolt gun....and vise versa. They each have they strong points. Having said that this looks like a GREAT rifle and something I'd buy.

Exactly. I think either something like this or a para fal will be my next 308 buy.

I wish they made a version with thier Mk 8 lower...I have a metric buttload of G3 mags and it would be nice to be cross compatable with my HK91

Ok haha you should make a video of the rifle

I thought about this as well. After some research, it seems that the upper and BCG need to be modified

in order for the MK8 to work. I`m not a gunsmith, so I dont know what that entails. I doubt we`ll see a complete

CMMG G3 mag rifle in production for a long time. But if anyone knows more, feel free to correct me.





 

They said a while back that they would be building an upper compatible with their G3 lower, but that was a year or more ago and I haven't heard a word since.  I too would love to see that, but I'm not holding my breath.

Any time you have a rifle that takes Magpul P mags you are way ahead .

Unless you already have 200 G3 mags.

Have you ever used a P mag ? Untill you use P mags you can't understand just how good they are .  I thought I had a lot of Aluminum and steel G3 mags at 50 ,but you look like you cornerd the market . the P mags are in a class buy them self .

I really don't like how the gas block is attached, that seems pretty, well, flimsy to me. Essentially you have ONE little screw that is dimpled to the barrel holding the block on. I dunno that anyone has had a problem with it, obviously the gun is fairly new but I don't like the look of it. Otherwise it seems to be a hell of a rifle....

Moment of weakness when Tapco was selling them for less than a buck each with free shipping.  Funny part is that I bought them 7 or so years ago and just finally bought a gun to use them with last week.  Now I just need something that takes Sten and thompson mags and I will have guns for all my mags. Or possibly I'm just going about this whole thing backwards.

The .308/7.62 Pmag is a bit flexible around the feed lips for my tastes.  Not as stable as the 5.56 Pmag.  I'll spend the extra $5 a mag and buy ArmaLite.

Armalite mags don't work in CMMG .308 or Dpms .308 rifles

Range Report?

I'm still waiting on Optics Planet to ship my sled.  At this rate it will be 2012 before I get it.  

Tagola...  Thinking about getting one of these...

- AG

I just got my Rainier Arms barrel 1:11 twist for $185 shipped. Now I only have to wait for the KAC URX 3.1 Rail which is supposed to be released at SHOT. It will probably double the price of the rifle, but it will still be below many off the shelf rifles. It will also be in the exact configuration I had wanted.

Called CDNN today.  The MK3 with 16" barrel is now $1199.99.

I found this today, directly from CMMG.

http://cmmginc.secure-mall.com/category/Mk3-308-Firearms-219

Why is it $400 more at CMMG? It looks like the same rifle as the one from CDNN.

MSRP