AR-style in .308?

[TonyAngel]

Not to get off on a tangent or anything, but if this is going to be an emergency kit gun of sorts for a SHTF scenario, I don't know that a .308 would be the best choice. When Katrina hit and I had to go mobile with my family, space and weight became very big considerations. .308 ammo weighs more than twice as much as takes over twice as much space, as compared to 5.56.

 

[meanmrmustard]

Not to get off on a tangent or anything, but if this is going to be an emergency kit gun of sorts for a SHTF scenario, I don't know that a .308 would be the best choice. When Katrina hit and I had to go mobile with my family, space and weight became very big considerations. .308 ammo weighs more than twice as much as takes over twice as much space, as compared to 5.56.

I've never had to shoot anyone, but wouldn't you feel a bit safer having to only put one well placed round into an attacker than possibly several 556? This is a legitimate question, not me opining. Ive read, whatever that's worth, of Taliban fighters getting way with several wounds from M4 fire that were non life threatening. I use, quite frequently, 556 for deer, but I have bullet options. Operators may not. Would you not rather have a harder hitting round. Albeit harder recoiling, but a proven caliber methinks.

 

[mshootnit]

For the lightest weight 308 setup that I know of (we are talking limited knowledge here) You could do the Armalite standart 16" carbine with regular handguards and swap out the BCG for the JP low mass unit and spring. That to me would be aobut a light as it gets for AR10, mine is not real heavy running the free float tube and carrier, and at least the weight is between your hands. It would not be a bonus to have to carry it 8 miles while hunting but would serve very well for a short stalk. And it points and shoots better than about anything I have had period.

 

[TonyAngel]

I can't speak for every situation. I just know that in my situation, space and weight were at a premium. I'd rather have 500 rounds of 5.56, rather than 200 rounds of .308. I've also read the complaints of the performance of M193, but still, I'd have to imagine that a hit to a vital area with a 5.56 will do the trick. Besides, I don't stock pile ball ammo for such uses.

 

[MachIVshooter]

It would not be a bonus to have to carry it 8 miles while hunting but would serve very well for a short stalk

Your average remchester hunting rifle is 7-1/2 pounds naked, a whopping 1/4 pound lighter than the AR-10A4 carbine. The 20" rifle is close to 9 lbs, though.

I'm all about light(er) weight gear for hiking and hunting, but a good sling makes it hard to tell the diffference between a loaded and scoped bolt gun at 8.8 pounds and a loaded & scoped AR-10A4 rifle at 10.2 lbs.

I've carried my A2 Carbine afield plenty (and with the 25 round mag). I found the weight increase to be largely mitigated by it's more compact dimensions not requiring me to duck lower under trees & scrub, in terms of wear and tear on me.

I don't use the rifle for big game here in CO, since the semi-auto capability is of dubious benefit when you can only take one critter, and faster follow-up shots are a crappy trade for the relatively poor trajectory of .308 from a short barrel as compared to my hot .25-06 or 8mm Rem Mag loads. But pig hunting in TX? You bet it's nice to be able to fire in rapid succession, and those things are seldom more than 50 or 60 yards away, so the trajectory is of little concern.

 

[cpt-t]

AR-style in 308

g-one: My Son shoots a DPMS LR-308 and I shoot a ARMALITE AR-10 ( T ). both carry a 8-32x40 AO 4200 ELITE`S. We are very happy and impressed with both rifles, both will shoot 1 inch or less with just about any ammo we have tried. But both rifles will shoot 1/2 inch with good reloads. Both of these rifles should take care of your needs. GOOD LUCK TO YOU: ken

 

[madcratebuilder]

There are two main patterns of .308 AR-pattern rifles. The Armalite and DPMS/KAC.

The Armalite was marketed during the now lapsed assault weapons ban. Their strategy at the time was to make it compatible with widely available M-14 magazines, so you could have increased capacity even with the ban in place. They have a diagonal cut in the rear joint where the lower and upper meet, making them incompatible with the other pattern.

The DPMS/KAC pattern is more widely used, because the military adopted this pattern for its new DMR/sniping systems, and a lot of the accessory and mod market followed it. As stated above, the popularity of Pmags put enough pressure on DPMS to make them change to use them as well, and honestly I will be surprised if they don't also release a new version of their rifles that are compatible with the DPMS pattern.

Most of the lower parts, including the trigger, are the same as the AR-15. If you have a rifle chambered in .308, you can also use uppers in .338 Federal, 7mm08, 260 Rem, and .243. Same shell casing, magazine, and bolt face. (I wish someone would make one in 22-250, but apparently the casing taper is too extreme for reliable feeding.) The Armalites may well be great rifles, but right now, the market has followed the other pattern. You can buy a stripped lower for a few hundred dollars and build it out at your convenience.

The other downside I am finding, is that anything made for .308 rifles commands a much higher price, for no other reason I can discern than they can get it.

Not totally correct sir. There are at least four different patterns around, Magazines styles include M14, FAL, G3 and SR-25. The SR-25 was won the magazine war and is the defacto standard. ArmaLite AR-10A, LMT, CMMG, KAC and DPMS use SR-25 style mags, but that does not mean other parts well interchange, in fact very few well interchange.

RRA and the old Bushmaster are popular and use the FAL mags, the new Bushmaster is SR-25 I believe. Old Noveske is M14 and the new Noveske well be SR-25.

About the only LPK part that fits across all the platforms is the FCG and safety. Mag release and bolt catches tend to be proprietary, along with barrel nuts and uppers/lowers. Even if all the manufacturers get on the same page with magazines there is still going to be compatibility issues.

I'll play devil's advocate. Relative to AR-15s, their .308 brethren are big, bulky and heavy. I could get by with one for still hunting, but if I was going to be humping it, I might look for something else.

If you've never handled one, you should before you order one. It may be what you want and it may not. Really, you are trying to fill two roles. You want an AR and a backup hunting rifle. For the cost of an AR in .308, you could buy both a nice AR in 5.56 AND a bolt action hunting rifle.

Tony has a very good point. The Infantry profile AR-10 carbine is about the lightest and it is pushing 8lbs naked. With a 18-21" barrel, floated guard, PRS stock, bi-pod, optics and your looking at 12lbs plus.

No way I would want to hump mine through the woods, it's fine for stationary hunting varmints and doing long range fun.

There are so many good .308 rifles out there, I don't know why you would want to fire the .308 from the AR platform, unless you just just love the look of it.

Bolt gun accuracy with fire power

 

[henschman]

OK, if you want a 16-18" barreled rifle that is light enough to carry around in the field and has good barrel longevity, I would suggest looking at the Armalite carbines and the Bushmaster .308 carbines. Both are available with a lighter-weight barrel, which will make it light enough to carry around, and which is chrome-lined for longevity, corrosion resistance, and ease of cleaning.

Personally, I am waiting for Armalite to make the AR-10A with a 20" light profile chrome lined barrel, like they make their 10B's. So far they only make the A with either a 16" chrome lined, or a 18" stainless heavy barrel.

 

[checkmyswag]

MachIVshooter

how many rounds is that mag? Maker?

 

[MachIVshooter]

MachIVshooter

how many rounds is that mag? Maker?

The ones in the top picture (rifle only) are modified 30 round G3 Magazines. I removed the tack welded piece around the top and then used the M1A mag modification kits from Armalite.

The mag in the rifle in the hog photo is a factory Armalite Gen II 25 rounder, which is pretty much all I use now.

 

[checkmyswag]

Only certain models will take the pmags correct?

Watch your lane.

 

[Seasprite]

I went with the DPMS Oracle haven't had any problems with it and it shoots better than me.

The bottom pic is the first time I tried shooting at 200 yards, it took 3 times to get the hang of it. Had a called flier I didn't include in the group makes me wounder how good this thing would shoot with a professional driver.

[/IMG]

 

[Auto426]

Only certain models will take the pmags correct?

Currently Magpul makes SR-25 pattern Pmags. As long as the gun is designed to use the SR-25 spec mags, the Pmags should work.

Magpul will also be making Pmags for Colt's new LE901 .308 AR, which is supposedly has it's own magazine design that probably won't fit any other rifles.

 

[bob barker]

I love my DPMS LR-308b. I put a Magpul PRS stock on it and added a little weight. But an overall great rifle. I have found it to be more accurate than my Remington 700

 

[g_one]

You guys had managed to come pretty close to talking me back over to the .223... until I saw that Olympic Arms makes an AR in 7.62x39. I promise I'm not trying to start a caliber war but this is actually really tempting, except for the fact that I know absolutely nothing about the quality of Olympic Arms. Some people might say an AR in the AK round is a bastardization but I'm not going to be making many shots out past 100 yards and I won't be taking any past 150.

 

[MachIVshooter]

until I saw that Olympic Arms makes an AR in 7.62x39. I promise I'm not trying to start a caliber war but this is actually really tempting

Stay away from olympic unless you're after a 10mm or .45 ACP carbine, which only they offer.

There are a number of options for an AR in 7.62x39mm, if that's what you want. Armalite offers complete rifles http://www.armalite.com/ItemForm.as...Category=8e8e5de6-5022-483e-812b-822e58014822.

I don't feel like searching out the others, but they exist.

 

[Livnoutdoorsxd9]

If you're thinking more towards a lighter AR-15 platform, do some research on the 6.8spc. 80% the energy of a .308 with recoil closer to the 5.56. I've been using mine for Wisconsin whitetails and it sure puts a smackdown on them! It had much better ballistics than a 7.62x39.