Best AR in .308 for $2000?
- Thread starter RC Fan
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Some great info and discussion in this thread.
Good stuff Epoxy.
The price point of the higher-end (is there such a thing as a lower-end KAC anyways?!?) KAC SR-25 certainly isn't for everyone though!
Good stuff Epoxy.
The price point of the higher-end (is there such a thing as a lower-end KAC anyways?!?) KAC SR-25 certainly isn't for everyone though!
This one is really growing on me... JP.
let me know when you want to sell it...Cheers
If one can afford precision .308 ammunition ( either manufactured or hand loaded), they should be able to afford the rifle and scope to go along with it.
I would not purchase a DPMS AR in any caliber.
I'd wait out for a proper Armalite or look at KAC or LMT (or maybe Christenson Arms or import a Larue?)
I would not purchase a DPMS AR in any caliber.
I'd wait out for a proper Armalite or look at KAC or LMT (or maybe Christenson Arms or import a Larue?)
For what is available now and under the $2000 price you specified in the beginning I would say the Bushmaster is the way to go. If later you decide it isn't accurate enough you can always upgrade the barrel with whatever you like.
If you want to spend a little more I love PWS rifles. I have one in 223 and one in 300BLK and they are both really accurate and 100% reliable.
Good luck
If you want to spend a little more I love PWS rifles. I have one in 223 and one in 300BLK and they are both really accurate and 100% reliable.
Good luck
shuraparabellum
CGN Regular
- Location
- #### hole gta
SIG 716 Got one from IRUNGUNS. It's great
Hoping to only cry once, not twice?
The only DPMS I can recommend is the LR308 target. For a target rifle they do the job. But yes there are other better options out there. Think of DPMS as the Savage of the Semi auto rifles (That should get some Savage fans right ticked off!!!
). Couldn't resist. I wasn't that into the Christenson arms rifle. Same for the POF. But....others obviously like them. I can't say if they are good or not. I just didn't like the looks of them. I'm shallow that way.
The bushmaster isn't going to offer much accuracy wise if anything over the Sig 716 the OP already owns. Frankly I like that Sig a lot more. PWS makes nice stuff. But again piston AR rifle. It's go accurate or go home time on this thread!!
Piston rifles don't fit the bill. The only AR piston system that actually interests me with the AR rifles is the ADCOR one. It's a hybrid. It taps the gas off the barrel just like a DI Rifle. The piston system is attached to the free float handguard not the barrel. Seems piston reliability without the accuracy loss. The rest in my opinion are a throw back. They work and you can mitigate the accuracy loss, but one of the greatest strengths of the AR rifle was it's handyness, lightness and frankly accuracy ability. I don't want an ARK. But... obviously there is a huge market for it. For the most part though I'll stick with my DI AR rifles and the few ADCOR ones I have.
With regards to this thread, let me summarize. The three rifles I tend to favour have all served in "the sandbox". If I wanted a 16" very accurate, light, best ergonomics/handling AR308 rifle and cost wasn't an option then I would go for the SR25. For a very accurate 16" SS barreled rifle with the ability to change to a 20" DM/precision rifle with top quality build the LMT MWS. Finally for a military grade excellent quality but fairly plain, very accurate DM/Precision rifle the Armalite. Interestingly enough only the Armalite has sub $2000 options. For an accuracy rifle it offers the military grade build with the ability to shoot with other precision rifles.
As car analogies are too common, let's us a WWII aircraft analogy.
The Armalite is the BF109 (Messerschmidt). It's all business, functional and performs very well. It's good looking in a functional way.
The KAC is the Spitfire. Top performance, better ergos (BF109 cockpits were said to be a bit cramped) and like the Spitfire it instills pride of ownership. It's beautiful. It had tactical elliptical wings!!
The LMT MWS is the P51 Mustang!! Good performance, looks great and had a bubble canopy along with drop fuel tanks!!!
Or you can go with a DPMS the Russian Yak9 equivalent. Mass produced, excellent performance but under armed compared to the others.
Ultimately the difference will be up to the pilot!
There should be a bonus trader rating or something for a WWII aircraft analogy with AR10 rifles.
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mildcustom2
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Surrey, B.C.
I know of an amazing Armalite AR10 for sale that you'd be crazy not to buy.
And no its not mine.
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ADCOR is the ME262!!!! (See above WWII aircraft analogy). It's a new twist.
I just hope they offer a SS match version in 16". I'd get one right away if they did.
So which lower will you be getting?
Sorry couldn't resist. All in good fun. 
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ADCOR is the ME262!!!! (See above WWII aircraft analogy). It's a new twist.
I just hope they offer a SS match version in 16". I'd get one right away if they did.
So which lower will you be getting?
It won't be an ATRS as they don't make one in 7.51.
So
to you sir But seriously, I'll go for a KAC complete lower if one can be found by then.
Re barrel lenght - I'd be inclined to choose one with an 18" or longer barrel.
The bushmaster isn't going to offer much accuracy wise if anything over the Sig 716 the OP already owns. Frankly I like that Sig a lot more. PWS makes nice stuff. But again piston AR rifle. It's go accurate or go home time on this thread!!
The only AR piston system that actually interests me with the AR rifles is the ADCOR one. It's a hybrid. It taps the gas off the barrel just like a DI Rifle. The piston system is attached to the free float handguard not the barrel. Seems piston reliability without the accuracy loss. The rest in my opinion are a throw back. They work and you can mitigate the accuracy loss, but one of the greatest strengths of the AR rifle was it's handyness, lightness and frankly accuracy ability. I don't want an ARK. But... obviously there is a huge market for it. For the most part though I'll stick with my DI AR rifles and the few ADCOR ones I have.
There should be a bonus trader rating or something for a WWII aircraft analogy with AR10 rifles.
Like I said, if the accuracy isn't up to par for him he could always re-barrel down the road and with a quality barrel it would shoot as well as any other DI rifle with a quality barrel. The name on the side doesn't make them shoot any better. For the cost of a barrel and a trigger he would have a rifle that was just as reliable and just as accurate as any other AR and would still have money left over for ammo compared to the cost of a KAC or LMT. Being a range gun even if it is a tiny bit less reliable than a high end AR it doesn't really matter since it isn't being used on the two way range.
And where did this turn into a "go accurate or go home" thread? A few posters have swung this into a p!ssing contest of which is the best but never once did the OP ever say anything about that other than it was for target shooting which is what all AR's are for here in Canada. That doesn't mean it has to shoot 1/2moa just that it is for use at the range punching holes in paper.
He wants a rifle under $2000 and the Bushmaster is in my opinion the best option other than a hard to find Armalite but since he also wants one that can take pmags that rules out the Armalite.
Nice analogy but you just need to buy and sell more if you want to have a higher trader rating. It's pretty easy actually, just buy something, add 25% to the price and put it on the EE and say that it has less than 100 rounds through it. Lots of guys are putting their kids through college this way.
Like I said, if the accuracy isn't up to par for him he could always re-barrel down the road and with a quality barrel it would shoot as well as any other DI rifle with a quality barrel. The name on the side doesn't make them shoot any better. For the cost of a barrel and a trigger he would have a rifle that was just as reliable and just as accurate as any other AR and would still have money left over for ammo compared to the cost of a KAC or LMT. Being a range gun even if it is a tiny bit less reliable than a high end AR it doesn't really matter since it isn't being used on the two way range.
And where did this turn into a "go accurate or go home" thread? A few posters have swung this into a p!ssing contest of which is the best but never once did the OP ever say anything about that other than it was for target shooting which is what all AR's are for here in Canada. That doesn't mean it has to shoot 1/2moa just that it is for use at the range punching holes in paper.
He wants a rifle under $2000 and the Bushmaster is in my opinion the best option other than a hard to find Armalite but since he also wants one that can take pmags that rules out the Armalite.
Nice analogy but you just need to buy and sell more if you want to have a higher trader rating. It's pretty easy actually, just buy something, add 25% to the price and put it on the EE and say that it has less than 100 rounds through it. Lots of guys are putting their kids through college this way.
Yes it would shoot just as well. After a rebarrel and a new trigger. Pretty much the same with any AR rifle. Heck I've shot a Norc AR15 that would hold it's own against high end stuff in terms of accuracy. The rest, not so much.
From the pictures I've seen, the Bushmaster is just a DPMS rebranded rifle. That upper looks exactly like the one on my LR308 minus the raised rail which isn't present on the regular DPMS 308 rifles. For some reasons I remembered them being 6061 but checking out the specs it's Extruded 7029 T6 for the upper. The lower if the same DPMS one would be Billet 7029 T6. The one thing I forgot to mention about the DPMS that again goes to it's "commercial" grade is that the bolt release is recessed so you have to use your thumb. You can't use your palm very effectively. Not really a big deal for a target rifle but would be annoying as hell in a carbine rifle. Plus I like to use the same manipulations as with my AR15 rifles. That bushmaster has that just like the DPMS. Again I very strongly suspect it is a DPMS rifle.
Also of note with the Bushmaster were reports that the trigger was crap. Just like my DPMS. Considering DPMS, Remington and Bushmaster are all the same company (Remington R15 for instance is a bushmaster while the R25 is DPMS) this shouldn't be a surprise. So.. you'll have to change out the trigger, and the stock sucks that it comes with. If going that route and thinking you'll be changing the barrel I'd just go with the DPMS. Unless the Bushmaster has the features you want out of the box and or you really have to have that rattle snake on the side. Either or, same thing just different out of the box configurations.
Prices I'm seeing in the States for the Bushmaster are in the $1200-1300 for the ORC model. Which is your basic AR10 carbine. More for the hunter model which is closer to a DM/precision rifle but still has a CL barrel. Oh and make sure you do not buy an old Bushmaster 308 from the States. RRA sold them the rights to their 308 AR design with FAL mags. Bushmaster couldn't get it to work right and RRA took over the design. There were serious reliability issues with the old Bushmaster 308 AR. There are some out there before they stopped making/selling them.
It turned into an accurate or go home thread when the OP said for target work and stated he/she already had a Sig 716. So not looking for a patrol carbine class rifle as they already have one. Which puts the thread into DM or precision.
I didn't notice this thread turning into a pissing contest. Are we reading the same thread? The 308 AR rifles aren't as well known as the AR15. There are different advantages depending on the company. But you have to be a bit more carefull than with the AR15 as they aren't necessarily compatible with each other, and may use different mags etc. Plus there aren't any actual set standards. It's far more open to differences than the AR15. The good news is they also tend to be built nicer and heavier as the 308 versions are often the company's flag ship models. The 7.62x51/308 round means they have to be made tougher.
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Guess I worded it wrong, maybe not a pissing match but the OP asked for a $2000 rifle and there is a lot of talk about KAC and similar high end rifles.
I'm not sure which brand I will buy when I get one but I know I want one. I've handled the Bushmaster and the POF, Both were impressive in their own way. The Bushmaster seemed like a good rifle for the money and the POF was just awesome.
I almost bought a DPMS SASS last year but just couldn't bring myself to pay that much for a DPMS.
I think I would up the budget though if I was the OP and shopping for a new rifle. $2000 seems to be on the low end of the market and if he already owns one then the next should be a noticeable step up and not just another similar rifle.
I've wanted an AR-10 for a long time but so far have only owned a few AR-15's (owned 6 and still have 3). I love both my PWS and would buy another without a second though if I had the cash sitting around doing nothing. They are surprisingly accurate for a piston rifle.
I would love an AR in 338 Lapua but I can hardly keep up with my bolt action on the reloading bench.
I'm not sure which brand I will buy when I get one but I know I want one. I've handled the Bushmaster and the POF, Both were impressive in their own way. The Bushmaster seemed like a good rifle for the money and the POF was just awesome.
I almost bought a DPMS SASS last year but just couldn't bring myself to pay that much for a DPMS.
I think I would up the budget though if I was the OP and shopping for a new rifle. $2000 seems to be on the low end of the market and if he already owns one then the next should be a noticeable step up and not just another similar rifle.
I've wanted an AR-10 for a long time but so far have only owned a few AR-15's (owned 6 and still have 3). I love both my PWS and would buy another without a second though if I had the cash sitting around doing nothing. They are surprisingly accurate for a piston rifle.
I would love an AR in 338 Lapua but I can hardly keep up with my bolt action on the reloading bench.
