Can any qualified smith re-barrel 308 POF Edge DI?

[Pusher591]

A buddy is not happy with the performance of his POF (shocking I know) but loves the fit/finish of the gun itself. It’s the newer model 308 Edge that’s direct impingement.

Is there any issues that are specific to POF that would keep a good company like GAP,MSTN,Craddock from re-barreling it with a Bartlein or Krieger?

 

[culater]

You need to define a little more why he is not happy with the barrels performance.

 

[Pusher591]

You need to define a little more why he is not happy with the barrels performance.

Not being able to achieve less then 1.2 moa accuracy at 100 yards with several different match loads.

He’s shot a good bit of F-class stuff, and this is his first run at a match grade AR. He handled a POF and loved the fit/finish so he bought it. We checked all the normal stuff (scope mount,scope,ammo) and had multiple shooters shoot it with similar results.

Reading up on them, it seems it’s a crap shoot whether you get one that’s shoots or don’t. Just curious to know if there’s anything special that would keep a smith from re-barreling with a custom barrel.

 

[deersniper]

That's a shame. The early pofs were hammers. Idk why company's cheapen up on components and think no one will notice.

 

[RTH1800]

Deer,
I don't know the POF line or keep up with them. I do not think one rifle shooting 1.2 MOA is proof they have cheapened up on components. It could be but hard to judge a company on one rifle.

 

[Fig]

Is he hand loading and tuning the ammunition to the rifle, or is he shooting factory ammo?

 

[deersniper]

Deer,
I don't know the POF line or keep up with them. I do not think one rifle shooting 1.2 MOA is proof they have cheapened up on components. It could be but hard to judge a company on one rifle.

This isn't an isolated incident. I hear of a lot more accuracy/reliability of the newer ones versus the older ones that came with Gisselle triggers and rock barrels.
As far as the older ones, Frank said his 14.5 or 16" 308 is one of the most accurate semis he has. I have a couple 556 uppers and a P308. Haven't shot it lately but a long time ago I put 4 into 2.6 and 5 into 4.1 at 550 with the 308, out the window of my truck and I'm hardly a great shooter. The 556s shoot great too. Hit a red wing blackbird sized target at 275 and a baby fox at 560 first round hits.
About to order a couple seekins. Hopefully they shoot as well

 

[Steelhead]

Has anyone else shot the rifle, just to rule out that it's not him? (I know you said he's shot F-Class, but sometimes good shooters have a hard time "driving" a semi-auto).

GAP can do it, and I would think that most any reputable smith could. My GAP-10 Gen. 1 is based off of the POF platform, and it's extremely accurate.

 

[flyer]

POF does a few things differently but I think that barrel is a standard DPMS LR308 style.

If it is, you have lots of off the shelf options and anyone making LR308 barrels should be able to make one for you.

If it isn't, a good gunsmith that regularly makes AR barrels should be able to copy what POF has done.

Before you go that far, you might want to go over the upper with a fine tooth comb to see if there are any accuracy issues you can address without a new barrel.

 

[Pusher591]

Is he hand loading and tuning the ammunition to the rifle, or is he shooting factory ammo?

No he’s not handloading. We’ve tried Hornady Match as well and 168 & 175 FGMM. The 1.2 MOA was the best it could do. I personally don’t think you should have to reload to only get 1 Moa or less from a company that states their barrel is “match grade”.

 

[Pusher591]

Has anyone else shot the rifle, just to rule out that it's not him? (I know you said he's shot F-Class, but sometimes good shooters have a hard time "driving" a semi-auto).

GAP can do it, and I would think that most any reputable smith could. My GAP-10 Gen. 1 is based off of the POF platform, and it's extremely accurate.

Yeah several have shot it.

 

[Pusher591]

Yeah several have shot it.

The only reason he wants to jump immediately to re-barrel is after googling about the issue there have been numerous reports of the same thing or issues with them. Other then the accuracy he loves the fit and finish of the rifle.

 

[Steelhead]

Send it to GAP, they will fix it up right. If he'd like to try a really sweet combination, have him get it barreled in 6mm Creedmoor! He will be shooting out past 1000 yards with ease.

 

[3rdfocal]

The P308 edge appears to be a slimmed down version and definitely marketed as more of a battle rifle / 3 gun style weapon as opposed to a long range tack driver. The review I just read had groups around 1-1.2 MOA. I seriously doubt that there is any "issue" with this gun based on what you posted, seems to be delivering as should be expected. Expectations may have been too high for this style rifle. If it were mine, I'd throw a 1-6 on it and shoot the hell out of it. If your buddy wants to put some work into it and make it more accurate there's certainly nothing wrong with that. If it were my money I'd start with swapping that minimalist style stock for something more suited for precision shooting and see where that gets him. The photos online appear to show the same fluted barrel they've been using for years. EDIT: Come to think of it, I'd be pretty satisfied with 1.2 MOA.

Side note: I've got around 6-7k rounds through my P415 and it's been absolutely flawless. Looked at all the higher end AR manufacturers, went with POF for a few reasons and to this day 0 regrets. I rarely shoot groups with it but it will typically hold just under MOA.