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Posted: 12/23/2013 5:33:25 AM EDT
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After enjoying the accuracy of my Rock River LAR-15 varmiter I'm thinking I'd like a AR pattern rifle in .308. Sadly, I have little to no experience with such a beast. Does anyone have advice on what to look at? Here are my needs;
1. Cost betweeen $1000 - $1500 for just the rifle (i.e. not for optics, etc.). 2. 1 MOA accuracy (or better) with decent ammo. 3. Used for hunting / target shooting. This is not a tactical / battle rifle. 4. 20" - 22" barrel preferred. So far I'm looking at DPMS and Rock River but I'm not sure of the specifics of each (which has more proprietary parts, what magazines they take, etc.). I really don't know where else to look. |
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Picked her up Friday. DPMS Lite Hunter model. Weighs 10 pounds with the scope and the empty mag. Came with a 2 stage trigger, 4 round mag, sling & swivels and the carbon fiber free float tube. There was also a rebate promotion for 4 AR mags and a Cleaning kit. $1225 delivered and out the door. 
A lot of people are happy with the Rock River. But it takes FAL mags and has proprietary parts like barrel, free float design etc... If you go to their website there are warnings all over the place about it. I thought about it b/c I have a several FAL mags but it kind of turned me off. The DPMS and Aramalite patterns are much more standard and I think DPMS has slowly won the standardization battle. Even Armalite caved and started producing the A models that take the DPMS pattern magazines which are now being produced by several aftermarket companies. Also, DPMS seems to offer everything with a 1:10 barrel, Aramalite is 1:11.5" and I'm not sure about Rock River. That will probably make a difference in the range of bullets it likes to shoot. Anyway, as I said above, I like the rifle I received. With the scope, it starts out around 8 pounds. |
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Quoted:
Pretty! How does it shoot (accuracy-wise)? Quoted:
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Anyway, as I said above, I like the rifle I received. With the scope, it starts out around 8 pounds. Pretty! How does it shoot (accuracy-wise)? Havent shot it yet. I mean who can afford that these days? DPMS puts out the Sportical models too that run even less. No bolt hold open or forward assist. |
| I've got a DPMS LR308B with the 18" heavy barrel. I've been shooting factory ammo and reloads in it since I got it last Christmas and it's been a great rifle. I get 3/4" groups at 100 yds with Federal match ammo, and surprisingly enough, I get the same kind of groups with my reloads. The reloads consist of 147 gr. FMJBT bullets over 45.5 grs. of Varget in WCC military issue brass. I tried Reloader 15 but the groups opened up quite a bit. YMMV. |
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I have a Remington R-25 that has been 100% reliable feeding from magazine. I had some issues with ammo sticking in the tight chamber but since solved that by reloading properly. My brass is reloadable but is more marked up than what my 223 AR rifles do to the brass. Many people say the 1/10 rifling does best with 158+ grain bullets. With factory 150 grain i have 2" and larger groups but my handloaded barnes 150 grain will do 1".
I have maybe 300 rounds through it and the bolt looks like it is wearing faster my 223 rifles. With scope it weighs 9.7 lbs. kinda heavy and bulky compared to a 7-8 lb hunting bolt action. |
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Just a thought...
Depending on the type of hunting you do, a 20-22" barrel may be overkill. Yes, it'll be great for the range, but these AR-10 types are a bit hefty for carrying around. I've had a couple of them, longer barrel and a 16" lightweight, and I'd almost never bring the longer barreled rifle into the field. It was just too awkward to swing, and wound up spending more time on my back than in my hands, when I was walking about. Yes, you do give up some velocity and drop with a 16" barrel, but these beasts still shoot pretty damn good. In the long run, you may want two (one precision and one hunting) setups. Initially, however, you may want to decide which aspiration is more important, between hunting and target. Go to a LGS and handle a few of them. better yet, shoot a couple. With a hunting setup, it's not so much about speeds & feeds, but what feels right for the way you hunt. When those hogs or deer bust out of some brush it might be better to have an ergonomic and fast swinging rifle in your hands, versus a long & heavy piece of steel strapped to your back - even if that heavier beast has a half-inch less drop at 250yds. Just a thought.... As others have mentioned, DPMS os OK. yes, they're not as glamorous as many out there, but their 308 rifles are fairly reliable and shoot well. I've had two, and both were fine shooters & hunters. Just be sure to keep them fairly wet, if you're shooting lots of cheap ammo, and they'll do the job. For hunting, however, I now carry an AR-15, vs the AR-10, for the aforementioned ergonomics. I have a few 6.8 rifles, a 300aac that work great within 200yds (all my shooting is under 150). I've even had a couple 7.62x39 ARs that were fine close range hunters, though the bullet availability isn't great. Actually, I'd take a 250yd shot with my 6.8, though I never hunt that far. Having said all of that, my next build will likely be a 20" AR-10. But I won't use it for hunting. |
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armalite ar10a4b, out of the box (non-free float) shot better than 1moa with match ammo. after i free floated it it shoots better than me, mags are expensive but with gen2 never a feed problem (after research was why i went armalite b pattern).
had some scope problems, but rifle shoots like a dream 
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I have had hands on with two DPMS LR 308 and a R25. All three shoot better than I do. One 24 inch SS bull one 16 inch AP4 and a 20 inch on the R25. They had some magazine issues some time back but that has been fixed. hey do seem to have tight chambers but I believe that makes for good accuracy. My 16 inch shot everything from 110 vmax to 180 grn very well the 24 inch liked the 165s and up, the heavier the better. You will want to swap triggers. That is there weakest link I would say. Windham Weaponry has teamed with POF and will have an offering soon also.
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