I'm thinking of going to a semi auto rig for my precision needs and am needing some feedback as to which platforms and calibers are good ones. I've been looking at DPMS, Larue, Armalite, and Sig. Also I'm trying to decide if I want .223 or .308. I live in Eastern NC and after having .308s in this area I have come to the conclusion that 500yds maybe even at the utmost 600 or 700yds is the most extreme range I'd ever shoot here. That being said not sure that .308 is as practical as .223 in this situation. Your thoughts?
Going from bolt guns to my first semi auto rig
- Thread starter tsmoyer13
- Start date
Re: Going from bolt guns to my first semi auto rig
What is your "situation," exactly?
is it competition?
is it hunting?
hunting large game or small game?
Budget? makes big difference
there are a lot of factors to take into account and we need more data before offering choices
personally I have 2. one is the FNAR in 308/7.62 and the other is Sig Sauer M400 in 223/5.56 (it is their AR15 basically)
What is your "situation," exactly?
is it competition?
is it hunting?
hunting large game or small game?
Budget? makes big difference
there are a lot of factors to take into account and we need more data before offering choices
personally I have 2. one is the FNAR in 308/7.62 and the other is Sig Sauer M400 in 223/5.56 (it is their AR15 basically)
Re: Going from bolt guns to my first semi auto rig
Goin with the above poster on this one. What's your intended use? I wanted an AR for hunting, so I went with the AP4 .308. I also have a couple of 5.56's (16" carbine & 24" rifle) and a .243 WSSM. I use all for hunting, but mainly just use the .308 for deer, the others for varmints.
If your just killing paper and steel, a 5.56 with a 1:8/1:7 twist would be hard to beat. Otherwise you could even look at the 6.5 Grendel/LBC.
Goin with the above poster on this one. What's your intended use? I wanted an AR for hunting, so I went with the AP4 .308. I also have a couple of 5.56's (16" carbine & 24" rifle) and a .243 WSSM. I use all for hunting, but mainly just use the .308 for deer, the others for varmints.
If your just killing paper and steel, a 5.56 with a 1:8/1:7 twist would be hard to beat. Otherwise you could even look at the 6.5 Grendel/LBC.
Re: Going from bolt guns to my first semi auto rig
It'll be a mixture of target shooting and hunting. Knockdown power isn't extremely important as I won't be hunting anything bigger than deer and hogs. I'd like to get into the rifle and scope for under $3k.
It'll be a mixture of target shooting and hunting. Knockdown power isn't extremely important as I won't be hunting anything bigger than deer and hogs. I'd like to get into the rifle and scope for under $3k.
Re: Going from bolt guns to my first semi auto rig
In my opinion, you shouldn't be unting deer with 223, simple because it has been know to sometimes leave too small a hole that doesn't provide adequate blood trail to follow. So that means 7.62/308 so you can get bargain quality ammo
as far under 3k, that eliminates a lot of the AR choices that are in the SASS sub-MOA category, provided you plan to put good glass on top.
I went with the FNAR and a IOR Valdada 3-18x42. retail, that would put you over your budget. But if you hunt around you can find the FNAR for between 900 to 1100. IOR may still have the scope I bought on sale, you would have to check on that. Mine was 1300; so at 2,400 leaves room for bipod and other little things that add up plus ammo.
I like 308 because most modern tactical scopes are made for it. The FNAR offer a reasonable size with great accuracy so it's not to big for hunting. I got the 20" heavy so I can compete and keep tight groups. Not that I would ever win, it's for fun in my case.
the only thing I don't like about FNAR is the proprietary mags that cost between 41 to 75 bucks each! And it only comes with one mag. Remington R-25 is comprable for bit more. I'd start with looking at those two and decide what you like or don't like about each. Oh, another thing is the FNAR is harder to clean than the AR family of guns.
if you want something threaded you may want to check other options. Threading will run additional 60 to 150 bucks. then there's a muzzle break for another 60 to 110. Trigger job another 60 to 100.
AT some point I will want a silencer as well; before I know it I will be up to 4k and that's entry level
In my opinion, you shouldn't be unting deer with 223, simple because it has been know to sometimes leave too small a hole that doesn't provide adequate blood trail to follow. So that means 7.62/308 so you can get bargain quality ammo
as far under 3k, that eliminates a lot of the AR choices that are in the SASS sub-MOA category, provided you plan to put good glass on top.
I went with the FNAR and a IOR Valdada 3-18x42. retail, that would put you over your budget. But if you hunt around you can find the FNAR for between 900 to 1100. IOR may still have the scope I bought on sale, you would have to check on that. Mine was 1300; so at 2,400 leaves room for bipod and other little things that add up plus ammo.
I like 308 because most modern tactical scopes are made for it. The FNAR offer a reasonable size with great accuracy so it's not to big for hunting. I got the 20" heavy so I can compete and keep tight groups. Not that I would ever win, it's for fun in my case.
the only thing I don't like about FNAR is the proprietary mags that cost between 41 to 75 bucks each! And it only comes with one mag. Remington R-25 is comprable for bit more. I'd start with looking at those two and decide what you like or don't like about each. Oh, another thing is the FNAR is harder to clean than the AR family of guns.
if you want something threaded you may want to check other options. Threading will run additional 60 to 150 bucks. then there's a muzzle break for another 60 to 110. Trigger job another 60 to 100.
AT some point I will want a silencer as well; before I know it I will be up to 4k and that's entry level
Re: Going from bolt guns to my first semi auto rig
The 6.8 is a great compromise b/t the .308 and the .223.
The only real downside is the lack of dirt cheap blasting ammo and dirt cheap brass. It's pretty similar to .308 though in that regard.
It has a lot more power than a .223 and has ballistics on par with the best .223 loads. They are VERY popular for hunting deer and pigs and work extremely well for that. The killing power is dramatically better in my experience. More powder and a bigger bullet, not surprising really.
...and it still fits in the smaller ligher weight AR-15 platform.
I shoot a 12.5" 6.8 with a can as my primary on the move pig gun, and it hammers them well with the right bullet and shot placement. I get 2435 FPS from the Hornady factory 120GR SST ammo from the 12.5" barrel. The 6.8 round is very efficient in short barrels and that is one of the bullets that does very well on game.
The 6.8 is a great compromise b/t the .308 and the .223.
The only real downside is the lack of dirt cheap blasting ammo and dirt cheap brass. It's pretty similar to .308 though in that regard.
It has a lot more power than a .223 and has ballistics on par with the best .223 loads. They are VERY popular for hunting deer and pigs and work extremely well for that. The killing power is dramatically better in my experience. More powder and a bigger bullet, not surprising really.
...and it still fits in the smaller ligher weight AR-15 platform.
I shoot a 12.5" 6.8 with a can as my primary on the move pig gun, and it hammers them well with the right bullet and shot placement. I get 2435 FPS from the Hornady factory 120GR SST ammo from the 12.5" barrel. The 6.8 round is very efficient in short barrels and that is one of the bullets that does very well on game.
Re: Going from bolt guns to my first semi auto rig
ar 15's(223/5.56) are hard to beat for the best all around value. its really the way to go for a first semi,IMO. flat top middie with a quality stock like a ergo. will also serve as a fabulous HD weapon too.
they are as handy as it gets and yet accurate as hell if you buy a decent brand. not to mention the modularity of the ar alone. you could always go with a different upper,if you want too.
you could buy it all decked out from a company like larue. or you could build it up.
the main things I would want...
-decent barrel for your needs ie.stainless or hammer forged chrome for longevity.
-mil spec or better BCG
-troy,larue,DD or JP vtac forearm
-decent trigger
-fixed stock or quality milspec tube stock, I like ergo's or LMT
-troy BUIS sight set
-larue spr qd scope mount(these are awesome) so now you can instantly switch from a CQB rifle to a scoped rig
-foregrip,tagodown stubby is my choice.
everyones different but thats me
ar 15's(223/5.56) are hard to beat for the best all around value. its really the way to go for a first semi,IMO. flat top middie with a quality stock like a ergo. will also serve as a fabulous HD weapon too.
they are as handy as it gets and yet accurate as hell if you buy a decent brand. not to mention the modularity of the ar alone. you could always go with a different upper,if you want too.
you could buy it all decked out from a company like larue. or you could build it up.
the main things I would want...
-decent barrel for your needs ie.stainless or hammer forged chrome for longevity.
-mil spec or better BCG
-troy,larue,DD or JP vtac forearm
-decent trigger
-fixed stock or quality milspec tube stock, I like ergo's or LMT
-troy BUIS sight set
-larue spr qd scope mount(these are awesome) so now you can instantly switch from a CQB rifle to a scoped rig
-foregrip,tagodown stubby is my choice.
everyones different but thats me
Re: Going from bolt guns to my first semi auto rig
If you get to shopping around for an AR platform .308, an Armalite AR-10(t) w swfa SS glass + rings + bipod would come in under $3K (especially if you find a lightly used rifle) & will perform out of the box.
If you get to shopping around for an AR platform .308, an Armalite AR-10(t) w swfa SS glass + rings + bipod would come in under $3K (especially if you find a lightly used rifle) & will perform out of the box.
Re: Going from bolt guns to my first semi auto rig
Thanks for the input guys. I will keep all of this information in mind moving forward.
Thanks for the input guys. I will keep all of this information in mind moving forward.
Re: Going from bolt guns to my first semi auto rig
I would go with the 6.5 Grendel, I have a DPMS .308 and I like it and it's very accurate but its heavy, I really like my 6.5 Grendel and it's the one I use the most now, it's very accurate for a factory upper/lower set up, it's no where near as heavy as the .308 and recoil is almost the same than a .223, I shoot metal targets and the Grendel punches right thru some soft steel just like the .308 where my .223 barely leaves a small dent, I haven't used it for hunting yet but I am sure it has a lot more energy than the .223, If you shoot metal targets at 600+ yds you will notice a huge difference over the .223 as far as knowing when you hit or miss ( target bouncing or dust flying ), mine is a 24" AA upper and it does 1/2"-3/4" @ 100 yds with factory 123 gr amax, hopefully better with hand loads.
I would go with the 6.5 Grendel, I have a DPMS .308 and I like it and it's very accurate but its heavy, I really like my 6.5 Grendel and it's the one I use the most now, it's very accurate for a factory upper/lower set up, it's no where near as heavy as the .308 and recoil is almost the same than a .223, I shoot metal targets and the Grendel punches right thru some soft steel just like the .308 where my .223 barely leaves a small dent, I haven't used it for hunting yet but I am sure it has a lot more energy than the .223, If you shoot metal targets at 600+ yds you will notice a huge difference over the .223 as far as knowing when you hit or miss ( target bouncing or dust flying ), mine is a 24" AA upper and it does 1/2"-3/4" @ 100 yds with factory 123 gr amax, hopefully better with hand loads.
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