Panther LR-308

Epoxy7

Epoxy7

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
71   0   0
Well I guess I've just made the plunge to the dark side. I ordered a DPMS LR-308 otherwise known as an AR-10 (.308 calibre). Other than my excitement while I wait for the rifle to show up, I thought I'd post why a generally non black rifle person would be so interested in the ARs. It might help others.

A brief history. A year ago if you told me that a M-16 should be used for hunting I would have laughed at you. The general view of the M-16 or AR15 is that of an assault rifle. Fires lots of lead down range but not particularly accurate. It's considered a rifle designed for only one purpose, killing people. Unlike a bolt action rifle which is considered a precision firearm (depending on the rifle of course). Now those are the general views and one that I was for the most part guilty of.

However I've always had a fascination with anything that is effficent, well designed and practical. Must be the German in the background. The AR or M-16 is modular and does meet the above criteria. So the AR bug started slowly. Keep in mind though if it's not accurate I have absolutely no interest in it. 1MOA at 100 yards isn't acceptable in my books. I want better.

Skip ahead to modern day. The AR-10 (the Panter LR-308 will be referred to as an AR-10 from now on, for practical/typing reasons). I started looking into the ARs and found, the bugs of the old ones are fixed, there are tons of mods for them and there are ARs aimed at my interests (Target shooting/Varmint although it's restricted and can't be used for varmint shooting).

My current view on the AR or "evil black rifle". It's a natural progression in firearms design. Temperature changes won't affect it like wood or even laminate so POI should be relatively stable. A quality made AR with an accurate bull barrel, and match trigger gives you an accurate rifle. The AR seems to be the 10/22 of the centerfire rifle world. The bottom lin is the AR-10 that I ordered is not an "assault rifle". It's a 5 round capacity semi auto only target rifle. A far cry from the "assault rifle".
 
Last edited:
Your assignment now is to spread your newfound respect for the "evil black rifle" to all your like-minded hunting buddies and get them to see the light too.

Consider it giving something back to the 'black rifle community' for all those nasty thoughts you had about these firearms prior to crossing over to the dark side.

Congrats on the purchase btw, those LR-308s sure are fun to shoot.
 
Actually Cancer. In about a year and a half I plan on getting a Les Baer super varmint/target for .223. :) . That's a ways off.

The first change to the .308 will probably be to drop in a match trigger. I'll get the Armalite rings and put Leupold 6.5-20 with varmint scope on it for target work.

That will have to be slow Darko. I'll have to get these things shooing to make that point. When it's shooting really well, they'll see. Until then they'll have the same perception that I did. Most of my buddies only care about accuarcy. If the rifle is semi auto and can keep up with a good bolt gun the point will have been made.

So if Quester firearms is reading this you better send me a really accurate one :)
 
Last edited:
I was at the range today shooting my little .22 Ruger MKIII pistol. Another board member was there and had an Olympic arms 9mm AR. It used the 9mm glock magazines. Well I had a chance to look it over a bit and try it out. Frankly it was a lot of fun.

I'm expecting big things from the DPMS LR-308 when it gets here.
 
One thing I like to point out to shooters at my range. It really isn't the look or feel of the rifle. It's the attitude of the shooter. You can also accurize the #### out of your rifle but it may not shoot the same way for the guy who buys it.

I recently sighted in 2 rifles. A 10/22 and an AR15. I had both shooting .5 MOA (5 rounds) at 50 yds dead center. My wife shot .5 MOA at the 10 o'clock position with the 1022. My buddy shot .5 MOA again at the 10 o'clock with my AR. My eyes fit my scopes.

The AR 10 is a beautiful rifle, capable of sub MOA groups on a consistent basis.

Great purchase. Too bad it's restricted, otherwise you could tickle the tits on a ground hog out to 500:D
 
Fortunately I'm a righty, but I can definately see your point Deckard about the case deflector as a lefty. That being said it does look sharp without the dust cover and case deflector. You can actually order it with a case deflector. I know some of the other LR-308 models come with it. Of course we're limited here in Canada so you'd have to wait a while.

Turf, I agree about the restricted part. But... I figure I have other varmint rifles for that (XR-100 in .204, Ruger K10/22T, and Winchester M70 in 243WSSM). So if the opportunity arises for some PD shooting I'll still be ready :).

Another factor for the scopes could be sight picture. This makes a huge difference for my 10/22 since I have a fullfield II without parallex adjustment. If your sight picture isn't dead on you'll still group but it might not be dead centre.

"The AR 10 is a beautiful rifle, capable of sub MOA groups on a consistent basis.
Great purchase"

I'm very glad to hear this. I'm excited that I've placed the order, but... still there is always the fear of a bad purchase, especially sight unseen.
 
Last edited:
Well I was looking scope rings the other day. I saw a nice pair of Zeiss rings on a Swiss Arms rifle that will do the trick. They aren't as robust as the Burris ones I looked at. They look good, I'm just wondering if they are too light for the .308. The Burris ones looked huge and were about $80 per ring vesus $85 for both Zeiss rings (apparently marketed by Zeiss but made by Warn). The rings have the screws at the top and bottm rather than the traditional sides. They also have the small Zeiss wording on them. Since this isn't really a "tactical" rifle that doesn't bother me. The scope will be a Leupold VXIII 6.5-20X 50 mm.

Has anyone had any experience with these rings? Will they hold zero well with a .308 AR?

On a side note, I've mentioned my getting an AR to coworkers and friends at work. The ones that I know well and do go shooting generally say that type of rifle doesn't appeal to them. I know if it shoots well and is accurate they'll change their tune. But... there are a few that look at me like there is something wrong. I never realized just how bad the perception by some people was of the AR type rifles. Personally I've always really liked the looks but wasn't interested in them because I thought they weren't accurate.
. I expected a bad perception by the general public but not by my fellow co workers who all carry prohibited weapons while on duty. So the bottom line is I'll be carefull who I mention AR s to.
 
Mention it to as many people as you can... I love telling people that I have an AR15 "just like the military guys use". It opens the debate up and hopefully you can educate them that its just like any other semi-auto rifle on the market. You pull the trigger and it goes bang once... thats all.
 
I would love to use an AR-15 for varmint hunting. Plus practicing long shots with the AR-10 on PDogs would be fun. I'd be willing to make the trip to PDog lands for that.
It was suggested that I buy a Ruger mini14 because they aren't restricted.
But the AR had me hooked. A Ruger mini14 would have been a compromise. I don't like compromises.
 
Well it arrived today :)

It felt like Christmas morning.
I did the usual thing, read everything, learn the controls etc. Then of course I took it apart, cleaned the barrel and oiled it.

The package came with 1) LR-308 1) cleaning kit 2) 20 round metal mags pinned to 5 rounds and the usual owners manual/ other product panthlets.

The rifle is beautiful. It's big and heavy but the thick .308 bull barrel sure is purdy.

I have a tactical grip (PSG1 style) and a RRA 2 stage match trigger on the way. I also have Zeiss (made by Warne I believe) rings.

I have to clear off the credit card and start ordering up scopes (Leupold will go on this rifle).

I can't wait to shoot this rifle.
 
Unfortunately I always have to borrow a digital camera to take pictures. So it'll be a while.

The rifle is nice. It's big and heavy though. The barrel seems to make up most of the weight. I like it. I'll also be getting a smaller les Baer eventually in .223.

Does anyone know where to get a rubber butt plate for the stock? I don't care about the trap door. When I go to shoot this thing, I'd rather have a bit of rubber for recoil rather than the hard plastic. This is a .308 after all and not a .223.

Also are all of the uppers compatible with the LR-308 or only the heavier calibres that use the AR10 platform?
 
The LesBaer seems like an awful lot of money for a product that can be had elsewhere for cheaper. Nice buy on the Panther.
 
I actually think these rifles should be set up in foxholes along travel routes in A-Stan. Wait for the dingdongs to plant an IED and hammer their jihad.

308_sass.jpg


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0IFjjVYDpE
 
Deckard that would be a nice surprise for them :). It definately is better to give rather than receive.

A couple points about the LR-308 that I bought. For me it's perfect, I wanted a stainless Steel bull barrel and didn't need the shell deflector or dust cover. I can only use this firearm at a range since it's restricted.

For any type of combat use, it would be on the heavy side. That bull barrel is huge and weights a lot. The rifle still balances fairly nicely even though it is front heavy. I wouldn't want to be carrying it around all day though that's for sure. The LRT-SASS Deckard put a picture up of would definately be far better suited for any type of combat situation.

The Les Baer is expensive. But... lets do a comparison. $2500 in Canada for the .223 Super varmint model (the one I'm interested in). The RRA varmint models are roughly $1800. But the Les Baer guarantees 1/2 MOA or less on all of it's rifles. So $700 more although the trigger group in the Les Baer is a more expensive one than the RRA. You have to ask yourself is the 1/2 MOA guarantee or less worth it? To me it is. I like accuracy. The only place I can shoot these rifles are at a range. So accuracy is everything.

The DPMS has had very good reports of accuracy and the AR-10 models in most cases are a heck of a lot more expensive than what I paid for the DPMS LR-308. So I did well on this one. But may bite the bullet on the Les Baer in the future. That way I know I'll be getting what I want.

This of coure Like all gun nutz interest and preplanned purchases is subject to change :D
 
just wondering how does the dpms compare to the armalite? they both look very nice and ###y but how does the performance stand out?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom