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What 308 AR should I get

ArmyJerry

ArmyJerry

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Banned !
Nov 22, 2012
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I never thought I would say this but I have too many guns and want to optimize, I am set with my RRA 556, but I also have an M!A and a DPMS AP4 with an 18 inch barrel. I want to upgrade the 308 semi guns I have so am thinking about selling both and getting a higher end 308 AR, which one should I go for with the money I can get from selling the two guns above. It will be used for paper punching and any future zombie attack.
 
I agree with tnrednk74 those are my 4 favorites also . I went with the LMT MWS and couldn't be happier . I started to go with the LaRue and the Gap10 was on the phone with each and both are Stand up companies if i were going to buy one of the other 3 right this min it would be the Gap 10 since my LMT is so much like the Knight's and i don't care for the built in moa rail on the LaRue .
 
Cobracutter said:
Has anyone had hands on with Christensen Arms CA-10 Reaper Carbon wrap 308 for sale! - EuroOptic.com

Probally not worth the money vs a OBR/LMT/GAP but they do look purdy.
Click to expand...

I looked quite closely at one of these as there was one available for immediate purchase at a local gun shop. They are crazy light-weight and nicely designed. They were well over $1000 more than the JP LRP-07 I ultimately ordered; which have proven more accurate, and are almost as light (per specs).

If it wasn't obvious from that comment; I'd highly recommend a rifle from JP (LRP-07 specifically). I called them expecting a custom rifle, of that quality to be far more costly than what it was.
 
Went through the same deliberations a while back. The real issue is what you're using the .308 for. The OP mentioned paper punching and zombie control but didn't mention the range of either. I went with a FNH SCAR 17s. It's extremely light, highly accurate and relatively affordable. I use a Leupy VX6 1-6 for close combat simulations out to about 250 yards and a March 3-24 for longer range targets out to 800 yards. The only drawback has been the proprietary mags and their availability, but that has changed markedly since I purchased the 17s, and I now have about 20 and that should be enough. If the rifle is good enough for SOCOM, I'm certain it's good enough for me.
 
Avoid proprietary parts if possible. Certainly avoid proprietary or one-off magazines. Stick with something that uses SR25 mags.

Decide what your goal with the rifle is. Ultimate accuracy? Get a GAP. Modularity? Perhaps LMT. Combination of accuracy and reliability, maybe pick up a LaRue.
 
If you are just looking to buy a rifle, my vote would be with the LMT - they have proven to be plenty accurate and are very reliable. They are also not hard to find right now. The others mentioned will have a wait time from not too bad to terrible.

Another option is to build your own. Parts are becoming more available, and you can get it exactly how you want. Building your own will allow you to spend your money where you think it is most important on a rifle. This is the route I recently took and am very pleased with the outcome.
 
I've owned a bunch of these semi-auto .308's. My favorite by a large margin is the SR-25 EMC, it was stupid accurate and reasonably light. I also like the Larue PredatAR, while not as accurate as the EMC it's much lighter and felt very comfortable in my hands. I regretted selling my first PredatAR and bought a second, but it had some issues so I sold it. I have another PredatAR on order, hopefully it will be better than the second one I purchased.

I've also owned two SCAR 17s that I liked a lot. My problem with the SCAR was accuracy (~1.5 MOA with FGMM) and how top heavy it felt with magnified optics. I think the SCAR just begs to be run like a carbine with an Aimpoint T-1. I owned a GAP-10 as well, but had some serious issues with some of the POF parts (broke hard before I could get it sighted in), I fixed and sold it. I like GAP and have a pending bolt gun order but cannot recommend the GAP-10. I've had a few others (RRA, etc) but they are not worth mentioning.

My recommendation is as follows:

KAC SR-25 EMC/ECC for a stupid accurate, reliable, soft shooting .308.

Larue PredatAR for a reasonably accurate lightweight hunting rifle.

SCAR 17 for a .308 carbine w/ non magnified optics.

Good luck,
 
Cobracutter said:
Has anyone had hands on with Christensen Arms CA-10 Reaper Carbon wrap 308 for sale! - EuroOptic.com

Probally not worth the money vs a OBR/LMT/GAP but they do look purdy.
Click to expand...

I picked up(literally, not bought) one of the CA-10's in 18in a few days ago at the local shop. It is light as hell. The 7lbs is true. The carbon fiber forearm felt cheap to me. It didn't fell like it would be very durable. I may be wrong, but it would be perfect for a pig/deer hunter who plans on packing it around. The shop had them for $3999. There is no way in hell that gun could be worth that. It felt like a $1999-2500 gun.
 
There is a complete menu of above grade AR's in 308 on the market, like the ones mentioned in replies to your post. One I didn't see, is the LWRC REPR. I personaly own one with all the bells and whistles. Gas Piston drive, Giessel trigger, GG&G Bipod, & ACOG. Top Shelf in my book, and currently for sale, BNIB. Thining out the hoard.
 
A friend of mine works at LMT and told me Saturday that if I ordered a rifle right now, it would be a 3 year wait! They stopped all employee orders for now also.
I would like either a JP or Larue. I currently shoot a RRA LAR-8 Elite Operator and really like it. The mags suck due to you can only run theirs though! Make sure you get their polymer mags and you'll be good to go.
 
GAP-10 and order it the way you want it: Geissele trigger, PRS stock, switchblock, and the color you want. You won't go wrong, and they shoot lights out.
 
Bounce said:
Went through the same deliberations a while back. The real issue is what you're using the .308 for. The OP mentioned paper punching and zombie control but didn't mention the range of either. I went with a FNH SCAR 17s. It's extremely light, highly accurate and relatively affordable. I use a Leupy VX6 1-6 for close combat simulations out to about 250 yards and a March 3-24 for longer range targets out to 800 yards. The only drawback has been the proprietary mags and their availability, but that has changed markedly since I purchased the 17s, and I now have about 20 and that should be enough. If the rifle is good enough for SOCOM, I'm certain it's good enough for me.
Click to expand...
For the price of 20 SCAR-17 mags, you can just get a Handl Lower and run .308 PMAGs. I have a SCAR-17s as well. Its a fun rifle in its own respect, and has a novelty factor since it is sort of in its own niche. Honestly, if I could go back in time to when I walked in the BX after getting back off of a TDY and dropping the cash on my SCAR, I would've instead purchased an LMT or an OBR or a JP or a insert other high end .308 AR here. Between the rifle itself, the Handl Lower, MI rail extension and the Vltor Buttstock, I've got about $3200 wrapped up in that rifle... and luckily I had a spare NF 1-4x and a mount lying around for it. The bad part is I still plan on throwing a $300 Geissele Super SCAR in it to boot.. I could have gotten a sweet ass, much more precise rifle for that price. Its a cool rifle and I have fun shooting it, but I think there's better to be had out there for the money. Just my .02¢
 
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yeah, if you're dead set on getting a LMT you really can't order it direct.. you would either need to keep an eye out on particular websites like this (same place I got my LMT from & they actually have a 16" ss model in stock): LMT 308 Modular Weapon System 16 Stainless Steel Flat Matte LM308MWSF , or maybe even gunbroker. I think if it was me and I was dead set on getting a LMT, then I would set up an auto notification. If you're friend is right you might never see another LMT on the public market for some time unless they fulfill existing orders for place like Kentucky gun company.

Nuke Man said:
A friend of mine works at LMT and told me Saturday that if I ordered a rifle right now, it would be a 3 year wait! They stopped all employee orders for now also.
I would like either a JP or Larue. I currently shoot a RRA LAR-8 Elite Operator and really like it. The mags suck due to you can only run theirs though! Make sure you get their polymer mags and you'll be good to go.
Click to expand...
 
Mega arms takes my vote if price is not a problem. But if you are on a budget I like the bushmaster ORC
 
Look at the POF-USA P308. Awesome rifle mine consistently shoots sub MOA when I do my part. They love the Hornady TAP and Zombie Max 168's. Shooting the other day with some GMM 175 clone handloads and all my shots were touching.
 
There are typically four or five LMTs on Gunbroker right now. I picked up a 16" CL MWSE this afternoon that I won last week. I narrowed my choices down to the LMT, GAP, JP and Larue. I'm PCSing overseas next month for three years so availability became a huge factor for me and I pulled the trigger on the LMT; I just wasn't able to wait on the other three since I have no intention of coming back to CONUS until Aug 2016. So far, I really like the gun, we'll see how it shoots this weekend.
 
I expect my LM308MWSE 16" to come in sometime next week. Gunbroker has a couple of LaRue OBRs with the 18" barrel, but at a $600 premium over the LMT. Being a lefty, I would've had to pick up some ambi control add-ons as well for the OBR. No thanks. Instead I'll keep an eye out for a LMT 18" SS barrel and enjoy the 16"CL barrel in the meantime.

POF was in the right price range, but I already have a POF P415 and I wanted to try something different. The REPR was too expensive and not lefty-friendly. GAP-10s are too hard to find, and I didn't want to wait a year for either a GAP-10 or a LaRue.
 
I called GAP and JP numerous times over the last two weeks , got no answer, left messages no call back, I went ahead and picked up a DMPS SASS for $1800+. I was looking hard at the LMT in 20" but the price was just too high at the supplier that has them in stock vs listed prices. Hope I don't regret this one.
 
My DPMS SASS was accurate had a very tight chamber though. Took about 500 rounds to get it running really well but after that it ate everything and never grouped larger than 1.5 no matter what I fed it.
 
I'll copy and paste the following list from another forum compiled by someone close to KAC... gives kind of categorized options:

Dedicated Precision:
DPMS LR308
ArmaLite AR10 Target Rifle
Knight's SR-25 Match Rifle/ Lightweight Match Rifle
Knight's Mk11 Mod 0
GAP-10
Remington R-25
LaRue OBR

Battle Rifle:
M&P 10
ArmaLite AR10 A4
Knight's M110K2
LaRue PredatAR

Hybrid (in a sort of 3-point graph based on weight, robustness, and precision order, of which the extremes could be argued either way with conviction, so pretty much overall an irrelevant sequence):

Knight's M110K1/SR25 ECC
Colt LE/CM 901
LMT MWS Slick-Sided Chrome Lined Bore
LMT MWS SS BBL
LaRue PredatOBR
Knight's SR25 EC
Knight's M110A1/SR25 ECR
LaRue OBR
Knight's M110
LMT MWS 20" SS BBL
Knight's SR25 ER
 
If accuracy is the most important consideration I would say JP LRP-07 or GAP 10. I like the JP because it's a bit lighter with phenomenal fit finish....
 
I own an LMT MWS CL, SIG 716, Armalite AR10A4, H&K MR762, M1A Devine TX NM, and a DPMS SASS. The DPMS SASS is the most accurate and is my favorite with the LMT MWS CL a close 2nd. I had no problems with a tight chamber or anything else. You won't regret you choice imo.
 
Edit, nevermind.
 
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My favorite is
Larue obr
Lwrc repr
Lmt mws
In that order , these are not cheap but I have learned over the years you get what you pay for.
 
mildot326 said:
Doesn't appear to be any love for the SIG 716?
Click to expand...

I have read in multiple threads that the 716 is awesome. My brother in law has one and he loves it. It is very accurate for the price. We shoot it with his GAP and it is just as good out to 600 yards.

IMO, I would build a custom. Get at Kreiger barrel and a receiver set you like, then go from there. You can build a rifle that is just as accurate as the aforementioned. AND it will be EXACTLY how you want it. I posted te same question a few days ago an after shooting the GAP, sig and DPMS. I would just build
 
I was attracted to the price point on the SIG, also the ambi controls,magpul furniture,finish etc. I read the review in SWAT magazine and it wasn't negative. I've been following as much as I can on the web about it's performance with end users and so far so good.
 
While I like the dpms sass; I do not think the longevity of it, especially during hard use, will be close to that of the LMTMWS.
 
123Nick said:
I'll copy and paste the following list from another forum compiled by someone close to KAC... gives kind of categorized options:

Dedicated Precision:
DPMS LR308
ArmaLite AR10 Target Rifle
Knight's SR-25 Match Rifle/ Lightweight Match Rifle
Knight's Mk11 Mod 0
GAP-10
Remington R-25
LaRue OBR

Battle Rifle:
M&P 10
ArmaLite AR10 A4
Knight's M110K2
LaRue PredatAR

Hybrid (in a sort of 3-point graph based on weight, robustness, and precision order, of which the extremes could be argued either way with conviction, so pretty much overall an irrelevant sequence):

Knight's M110K1/SR25 ECC
Colt LE/CM 901
LMT MWS Slick-Sided Chrome Lined Bore
LMT MWS SS BBL
LaRue PredatOBR
Knight's SR25 EC
Knight's M110A1/SR25 ECR
LaRue OBR
Knight's M110
LMT MWS 20" SS BBL
Knight's SR25 ER
Click to expand...

That is such a bullshit list. Where is POF? Noveske? JP? LWRC?

Yeah, like I said...a bullshit list.
 
Given current availability...JP or LMT

Rainier arms currently has multiple configurations of the LMT in stock. When I ordered my JP last week they quoted 12-16 weeks. I have found multiple online references to JP owners getting guns under quoted wait times. If you email JP they will respond same day.
 
I vote POF P308. I love mine and couldn't be happier.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2
 
ptrlcop said:
Given current availability...JP or LMT

Rainier arms currently has multiple configurations of the LMT in stock. When I ordered my JP last week they quoted 12-16 weeks. I have found multiple online references to JP owners getting guns under quoted wait times. If you email JP they will respond same day.
Click to expand...

I've been getting mine in recently around the 12 week mark. Just really depends on models and availability of components from what i've noticed. Just recently received 2 LRP-07's and they are awesome! Thinking seriously about dumping my LMT for one.
 
I'm looking to build a large frame AR in 6.5cm. I was leaning toward a Mega maten since Seekins doesn't make one yet. You might come out in a similar price point and have all the features you want.
 
I narrowed my search down to, in this order;

H&K or Knights
Larue
LMT

ended up getting the LMT, for my use, the increase in price wasn't justified to step up to the other three.

If you are looking for the best bang for you buck, get the S&W MP-10... best value if you can deal with 18" barrel
 
I'm in the same boat as ArmyJerry. I've pretty much narrowed it down to the Armalite SASS or LMT MWS. I can't afford an OBR, SR-25, or GAP 10. I'm a lefty, and I will be shooting mostly suppressed. I don't need ambi controls, but the adjustable gas block on the SASS is a big plus. I've read where the MWS is overgassed when shooting suppressed. That's a no-go for a lefty like me. I'm in love with my LMT CQB 5.56, but it's a piston. Another plus for the Armalite SASS is the 20" SS barrel. I really have no use for another 16" barrel, especially in a .308. Lastly, I don't care about the trigger. I'll be dropping an SSA-E in no matter what rifle I get. Any thoughts on this?
 
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Armalite makes a good rifle and it will be very accurate. Alot of people hate on the mags but they are a reloaders best friend. The Armalite mags will allow you to load'em long and the suckers just plain work. You should be right at 1 MOA at worst case scenario but most will shoot under that if you and your ammo is capable.
 
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