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Posted: 8/6/2014 2:02:08 PM EDT
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The best part about taking a breather from Arfdom is that when you poke your head back in, you are like a kid in a candy store.
Last time I seriously looked at the .308 Platform you had DSA FALs, PTRs, & Springer Scouts as the "who's-who" of .308 platforms. Armalite was the go-to for AR patterened .308 platforms with Bushy, RRA, and DPMS sticking their toe in the water, with the problem of proprietary .308 mags or (perhaps) FAL-compliant mag wells. Today I took a look at the counter and I see how much the market has changed in a few short years. It seems like tons of companies have an AR platform in .308 AND the bulk of them accept the P-Mag 20s. My Cabelas had a SCAR-patterned FN, a Colt .308, a Sig, and a S&W (possibly more). The SCAR was unbelievably light for a .308, and I appreciate the reversible controls, but I am not a folding stock fan as a lefty, and I'd rather not stray from the "AR-style" manual of arms. The Colt was my favorite. It was mid-weight, had the Magpul SOPMOD(?) stock, and ambi controls. Its only down-side (as could be expected) was a $2,500 hang tag. The Sig was impressive as well. I liked the FN-style gas adjustment setup, and the piston setup caught my eye. I don't recall whether it was ambidextrous, but I am inclined to think it was not. Unfortunately, I found it heaviest of the bunch, and close (enough) in price to the Colt, I think it was $2,000. Last was the S&W. There was nothing impressive about this rifle other than the $1,200 price, which is indeed impressive. It reminded me of plain-Jane Bushmaster or one of its ILK and somehow likened it to all the stock-production ARs. It had the least "built" feel of all of them, but I like and trust S&W. Where do you all sit with these designs? I was thinking a 16" AR-style .308 may be the "go-to" platform, especially considering that 5.56 has priced itself out of competitiveness (last time I priced XM-193 anyway). Thoughts? |
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First post nailed it. If I was shopping for a .308 I don't think I'd even consider anything but the DPMS Gen II stuff for the time being. Of course a great deal might jump up and change your mind, but it'd have to be a pretty good deal.
For other calibers you open the can of worms back up. |
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First post nailed it. If I was shopping for a .308 I don't think I'd even consider anything but the DPMS Gen II stuff for the time being. Of course a great deal might jump up and change your mind, but it'd have to be a pretty good deal. For other calibers you open the can of worms back up. REALLY? Again, it's been a while since I have shopped seriously, but my general recollection of DPMS (.223) was that they were in the lower-middle area of the "garden-variety" herd... somewhere on par with/below Bushmaster and RRA. Did they shoot up in quality over the years or something? ETA: I just read on the Colt website their LE901 will accept any "mil-spec" 5.56 upper. Is this an industry standard with the others (Sig, DPMS, S&W, etc.)? |
| Plus 1 on the DPMS. There new Gen II looks like a really great set up. But it is new. I would give it a few years. Of the ones you mentioned. I would go with the S&W. It has been out a few years. And that's a far price. But if you think .223 is expensive Look at .308. About 4 times the cost. I reload and it is still not cheap. |
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Plus 1 on the DPMS. There new Gen II looks like a really great set up. But it is new. I would give it a few years. Of the ones you mentioned. I would go with the S&W. It has been out a few years. And that's a far price. But if you think .223 is expensive Look at .308. About 4 times the cost. I reload and it is still not cheap. I hear you. I bought .223 before it was steep and I stacked deep ($165/thousand) BAAAACK in the day. Last I looked at .223 it was @ $8.99 per 20. I got out of the .308 platform in the mid-2000s and I recall .308 around 40 cents a round, so ammo has definitely fallen, but the one thing I learned is that savings are absolutely negligible in shortages. The only time you save is when you shoot often and when ammo is (relatively) plentiful. |
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REALLY? Again, it's been a while since I have shopped seriously, but my general recollection of DPMS (.223) was that they were in the lower-middle area of the "garden-variety" herd... somewhere on par with/below Bushmaster and RRA. Did they shoot up in quality over the years or something? ETA: I just read on the Colt website their LE901 will accept any "mil-spec" 5.56 upper. Is this an industry standard with the others (Sig, DPMS, S&W, etc.)? Quoted:
Quoted:
First post nailed it. If I was shopping for a .308 I don't think I'd even consider anything but the DPMS Gen II stuff for the time being. Of course a great deal might jump up and change your mind, but it'd have to be a pretty good deal. For other calibers you open the can of worms back up. REALLY? Again, it's been a while since I have shopped seriously, but my general recollection of DPMS (.223) was that they were in the lower-middle area of the "garden-variety" herd... somewhere on par with/below Bushmaster and RRA. Did they shoot up in quality over the years or something? ETA: I just read on the Colt website their LE901 will accept any "mil-spec" 5.56 upper. Is this an industry standard with the others (Sig, DPMS, S&W, etc.)? You may not be up on the times, but Remington, Bushmaster and DPMS are all the same company these days. The Gen II is a completely new design, take a look here and other places and you will find some very complimentary reviews. As to interchangeability, the .308 stuff is a mess. Do your research and pick your parts carefully if you decide to build your own. It's a maze of close but not close enough parts. |
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I posted this in another thread because I am in the market as well for a 308 battle rifle. i was doing my homework and research when a local company here i trying to clear out their POF's for 1800 out te door G3of course not the new Gen 4's. So my choices are the DPMS G2, the POF G3, or a M1A Scout. The AR10 game is a maze of "variety" to say the least. I like what is coming down the pipe and I could afford the Colt but not sure if its the best choice i have plenty of AR's don't need another host. I just want the best rifle for my money leaning towards the POF still but the DPMS SASS G2 is tempting as it comes in at about the same price point but allot heavier.
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Yup, there are getting to be too many options for 308 ARs, it can be mind boggling trying to figure out which way to go with all the variety out there. I must have changed my mind a dozen times before I finally settled on one. I would have loved a SCAR 17, but I just can't talk myself into spending that much on one gun. If I was going to buy one off the shelf it would likely be the M&P 10, it's very accurate by all accounts and has ambi controls. While it is very plain looking, it's price leaves plenty of room to change the stock, hand guard and grip. Another big selling point of it is the melonited 18" barrel and light weight at 7.9 lbs. The Gen 2 DPMS are also pretty nice by most reports, accurate and very light weight with some models coming in at 7.25 lbs.
In the end I ended up building my own as I couldn't find one off the shelf that was exactly what I wanted. I used the new Rainier Arms billet receivers and put the exact parts I wanted on it. It ended up being a little heaver than I wanted at 8.8 lbs, but not as heavy as a lot of whats out there. It's very accurate, I've been getting 1/2" groups at 100 yards so far. I'm quite happy with the way it turned out, but I did end up spending a good chunk of money on it though. Don't kid yourself, you won't save money by building your own. |
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Nothing wrong with the DPMS pattern rifles but I certainly wouldn't rule out the Armalite models. I have two Armalite B models, got 'em way back when, but if I had to start over and money was no object I would probably go Colt. Maybe Sig. Probably Colt. Or Sig. Colt. |
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Nothing wrong with the DPMS pattern rifles but I certainly wouldn't rule out the Armalite models. I have two Armalite B models, got 'em way back when, but if I had to start over and money was no object I would probably go Colt. Maybe Sig. Probably Colt. Or Sig. Colt. That's what I am inclined to consider myself... more along the lines of Colt given the weight of the Sig. |
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REALLY? Again, it's been a while since I have shopped seriously, but my general recollection of DPMS (.223) was that they were in the lower-middle area of the "garden-variety" herd... somewhere on par with/below Bushmaster and RRA. Did they shoot up in quality over the years or something? ETA: I just read on the Colt website their LE901 will accept any "mil-spec" 5.56 upper. Is this an industry standard with the others (Sig, DPMS, S&W, etc.)? Quoted:
Quoted:
First post nailed it. If I was shopping for a .308 I don't think I'd even consider anything but the DPMS Gen II stuff for the time being. Of course a great deal might jump up and change your mind, but it'd have to be a pretty good deal. For other calibers you open the can of worms back up. REALLY? Again, it's been a while since I have shopped seriously, but my general recollection of DPMS (.223) was that they were in the lower-middle area of the "garden-variety" herd... somewhere on par with/below Bushmaster and RRA. Did they shoot up in quality over the years or something? ETA: I just read on the Colt website their LE901 will accept any "mil-spec" 5.56 upper. Is this an industry standard with the others (Sig, DPMS, S&W, etc.)? Nope - only the Colt will work with 5.56 uppers. The front push pin is offset downward and the rifle comes with a mag well adapter that allows installation of 5.56 uppers and 5.56 magazines. Another advantage is that the dimensions of the lower from the trigger rearward are also identical to 5.56 models, and thus the collapsible stock retracts to a shorter overall length than other .308 designs. |
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