Put more money into an LMT MWS or buy a KAC SR-25?

[TacosGigante]

I know this general topic has been covered before, and there may not be a "wrong" answer, but it is camping out in my head rent free and I want some guidance.

I have a LMT L129A1. It is a fine rifle, but beefy and I have always wanted a KAC SR-25 for idiosyncratic reasons. In terms of use case it will primarily be within 500 yards with a preference to the gun being lighter. I had also thought to get a 6.5 CM barrel/upper eventually. I went with the LMT because of the barrel change but I'm not enthralled with the system and the weight. I could buy an MLOK upper and light weight 308 barrel, but the barrels are not reliably available. That would also be an extra ~1500-1800 though I could sell the original upper and barrel to offset some of the cost.

In the alternative I could sell the LMT and buy a KAC SR-25 ACC or APC and sell a kidney to get a 6.5 CM upper eventually.

What should I do?

 

[nn8734]

SR25. I was in the same boat as you about three years ago and contemplated upgrading my MWS or selling it to buy my SR25.

Decided to sell the MWS buy an SR25 and have never looked back.

 

[TangoSierra916]

Personally, Id keep the LMT and maybe get two for the price of one SR25. The KAC is a very nice rifle no doubt and wins in the light weight category vs the LMT but I feel the design (more features in the BCG, monolithic upper, barrel swap design, barrel options, different uppers) and modularity of the MWS make it the winner.

With your current MWS which upper do you have and what do you feel is missing? If only the L129A1, Id recommend trying a different upper design, the MLOK shaves weight and size and is obviously much smoother than the quad rail.

Both are proven platforms and shoot very well, a lot of preference in the choice.

 

[TacosGigante]

Personally, Id keep the LMT and maybe get two for the price of one SR25. The KAC is a very nice rifle no doubt and wins in the light weight category vs the LMT but I feel the design (more advanced BCG, monolithic upper, barrel swap design, barrel options, different uppers) and modularity of the MWS make it the winner.

With your current MWS which upper do you have and what do you feel is missing? If only the L129A1, Id recommend trying a different upper design, the MLOK shaves weight and size and is obviously much smoother than the quad rail.

I just have the quad rail upper. Lighter and smoother would of course be better. The barrel is also quite beefy.

 

[charnicus]

May wanna check in with @LibertyArms

 

[nn8734]

APC vs ACC

.75-1.0 MOA 1.25-1.5 MOA
Use: DMR Use: Battle Rifle
Stainless 5R bbl Chrome lined 5R bbl

I believe the only difference between each rifle is the barrel itself. The above differences are all within the barrel. Though someone can certainly correct me if I’m wrong.

I had an ACC in addition to my Mk11 for a while and it performed great out to 600m which is as far as I took it. Used a leupold mk 6 1-6x24 with the CMR-W and with my 175 smk hand loads, the hold-over reticle was mostly spot on at the 100m increments.

 

[BCP]

If you have the money for a kac rifle and you want it then get it.

 

[sinister]

How about this:

Keep the LMT. Build a separate upper using either a Knight, Armalite, Larue, or Centurion upper and the barrel and rail of your choice. You will have a lighter rifle than the L129A1 with most of the features and common functionality of BOTH the KAC and LMT, retaining the original upper with cross-caliber ability (6.5 Creedmoor, .260 Remington, .243, 7-08, etc.).

A proper machinist-gunsmith can chamber your new barrel so your bolt and carrier swap between the two uppers, or, if you have to, sell the LMT upper receiver group but keep the bolt carrier group.

 

[N-C]

Get This

sr-25-e2-pr-m-lok

and

sr-25-upper-receiver-kit-cc-16-m-lok

 

[Lurp06x]

Keep the Lmt and just build a 6.5 upper for it.

as mentioned before Lmt as more pluses than minuses compared to kac.

 

[j-dubya]

APC vs ACC

.75-1.0 MOA 1.25-1.5 MOA
Use: DMR Use: Battle Rifle
Stainless 5R bbl Chrome lined 5R bbl

I believe the only difference between each rifle is the barrel itself. The above differences are all within the barrel. Though someone can certainly correct me if I’m wrong.

I had an ACC in addition to my Mk11 for a while and it performed great out to 600m which is as far as I took it. Used a leupold mk 6 1-6x24 with the CMR-W and with my 175 smk hand loads, the hold-over reticle was mostly spot on at the 100m increments.

 

[nn8734]

ACC on the left, APC on the right

 

[BCP]

I'm pretty sure the KAC uppers work on LMT lowers as well, if you don't want to spend the 5k dollars it will cost to get the KAC rifle.

 

[thehun]

Keep the LMT...

I mean unless you just want a KAC...than get one...but other than that...the LMT does everything the KAC does...with a better upper chassis...

When I had my LMT...my friend had a KAC...the KAC was tuned better on the gas department but outside of that...I saw no real advantage over the LMT...a simple adjustable gas key solved my "gas tuning"...

 

[N-C]

Once in the lifetime KAC APC

Some day I like to own one

 

[strikeeagle1]

@ J-dubya; don't forget to charge your laptop.

 

[Jsp556]

Keep the LMT.

 

[BCP]

I have a LMT L129A1. It is a fine rifle, but beefy and I have always wanted a KAC SR-25 for idiosyncratic reasons. In terms of use case it will primarily be within 500 yards with a preference to the gun being lighter.

I actually have a larue predatar 308 on the way for that specific reason. That new sig 308 is like a poormans SR25, it has a barrel profile very similar to the chrome lined one and it's rifle gas with a 14" mlok handguard that is skinny enough to get your hand around it.

 

[GUNNER10]

Have both and like both, Both have their areas where they do a little better, but it all depends on what you want to do with the rifle. The ACC will always be a little lighter than an MWS with LW barrel, with that being said, I am not sure that half a pound is worth an extra couple grand. If you are going to get the APC, there really is not going to be a profound difference.

If I had to chose one, I would keep the LMT, the weight is not really an issue if configure for what you are doing vs everything.

 

[RELOOP]

what he said

 

[GUNNER10]

Another option you could pursue is just getting a 14.5 ACC upper as a lighter weight blaster and keep the MWS upper for accuracy based stuff. Besides rollmark, there is ZERO difference between LMT and KAC lowers.

I think LMT's are a little better at accuracy type stuff, where as KAC would be a little better as a walkabout/Field Rifle.

 

[BCP]

That million dollar krylon paintjob rifle probably belonged to a snipers hide member.

 

[SFree]

Second unpainted rifle looks to be a 5.56 with forward assist…

 

[Downtown]

Mr. DerekTheWolf, is that really your opinion of a KAC SR-25? Do you even know what one is? The reason I ask is that you've responded to five posts in 30 minutes with some version of "nice rifle". I just wanted to warn you that we've identified a number of scammers doing that exact thing and you should expect us to be very suspicious when you respond to the WTB ad.

 

[Downtown]

Turns out to be just a common troll. His sixth post was a advertisement for "Alitools".

 

[theLBC]

sell the lmt is rarely the correct answer, unless you have too many of them.

 

[newmexicokid]

Can someone explain what the “upgrade” is? Maybe I should upgrade.

 

[MPD142]

The heart wants what the heart wants.


I own several of both of them. I started out with a 16" CL LMT MWS. I really wanted the ECC at the time but funds and availability of them were not in my favor. As you know the MWS is heavy, accurate and reliable. The KAC is accurate, lighter weight and reliable not to mention sexy.

I currently own a MWS with 16" CL, a 20" Kreiger .308 barrel and a 24" LMT 6.5 Creedmoor barrel. The rifle is a blast to shoot and pretty amazing with the 20" Krieger and 6.5 CM barrels.

I won't say exactly how many SR-25's I own for fear my wife may come across this post but I'll say I have a few. I love my ECC and that is one rifle I'll never get rid of. I also have a ACC and that rifle is amazing. It's light weight has great Ergonomics and is just as much of a blast to shoot. However it's not as accurate as the ECC or the MWS. I wish I had gotten a EPC instead but I know after about half a mag at rapid fire the groups will open up on the ACC due to the lighter weight barrel. I've shot it in a few local PRS club matches and had fun doing it. Did I expect to place top 10, nope but I had a blast running that little blaster.

If you are dead set on the SR-25 get it, I'm sure you will love it. Is it night and day better than the MWS? No, not really! Both are amazing platforms. Here is the other option for you. I'm not sure what MWS you have but the MARS-H lower with a SR-25 upper to create a MWSR-25 is an amazing platform as well!

 

[GUNNER10]

The heart wants what the heart wants.


I own several of both of them. I started out with a 16" CL LMT MWS. I really wanted the ECC at the time but funds and availability of them were not in my favor. As you know the MWS is heavy, accurate and reliable. The KAC is accurate, lighter weight and reliable not to mention sexy.

I currently own a MWS with 16" CL, a 20" Kreiger .308 barrel and a 24" LMT 6.5 Creedmoor barrel. The rifle is a blast to shoot and pretty amazing with the 20" Krieger and 6.5 CM barrels.

I won't say exactly how many SR-25's I own for fear my wife may come across this post but I'll say I have a few. I love my ECC and that is one rifle I'll never get rid of. I also have a ACC and that rifle is amazing. It's light weight has great Ergonomics and is just as much of a blast to shoot. However it's not as accurate as the ECC or the MWS. I wish I had gotten a EPC instead but I know after about half a mag at rapid fire the groups will open up on the ACC due to the lighter weight barrel. I've shot it in a few local PRS club matches and had fun doing it. Did I expect to place top 10, nope but I had a blast running that little blaster.

If you are dead set on the SR-25 get it, I'm sure you will love it. Is it night and day better than the MWS? No, not really! Both are amazing platforms. Here is the other option for you. I'm not sure what MWS you have but the MARS-H lower with a SR-25 upper to create a MWSR-25 is an amazing platform as well!

This is pretty close to where I am. Both are great rifles, and you really have to shoot them both to appreciate just how good they are in their own respects and which one is better really depends on how the rifle is going to be employed.

I really don't believe that there is one rifle to rule them all,

 

[TacosGigante]

Well, the people have spoken and I will keep the LMT, at least for now. I have ordered an MLOK upper and light weight barrel. That gets it to within .3 lbs of an ACC.

 

[TacosGigante]

Also, thank you to everyone on the thread who provided good insight, advice, and laughs. I really appreciate it!

 

[GUNNER10]

Well, the people have spoken and I will keep the LMT, at least for now. I have ordered an MLOK upper and light weight barrel. That gets it to within .3 lbs of an ACC.

Awesome, great choice, mount a simple RDS and let her rip

 

[TacosGigante]

Awesome, great choice, mount a simple RDS and let her rip

I was thinking a Minox 1-8 I have, but an RDS would be light af

 

[GUNNER10]

I was thinking a Minox 1-8 I have, but an RDS would be light af

1-8 weigh the same as a 3-18 class and completely undermines the concept of having nice handling weapon. If you need magnification and are not really shooting past 300, I would recommend checking out a TA33.

LPVO are awesome optics, but I think are really better suited on a 556 as they start out life around a pound lighter so are completely manageable. With large frame gas guns, I think one may be better served by having a dedicated LW optic for sub 300 yard stuff, and a 3-18 for bench stuff/LR

Prime example, with an RDS, I can run the MWS just as well as my noticeably lighter scar

 

[79steeler]

Get a Gap 10 in 6.5 homo, or get a 6.5 homo upper for the LMT! Gap 10 will outshoot all those other rifles!

 

[USACS]

You know the LMT MWS was co-developed with KAC right? If that gives you any desire to keep your LMT, then good. The LMT is a great rifle, and in my opinion it’s a superior rifle to the SR25. Modular design and monolithic upper. You can get whatever you want.