308 ar options and opinions

[42769vette]

so im pretty sure my next project will be a 308 dpms pattern ar. it will be a long range plinker that i can set out a torso target at longish range and a hit is a bullseye. i shot like this about a month ago and it was great not analizing why my bullet hit 2 inches from bull @ 600yds. just go out and bang steel.

the rifle will probably wear a acog.

basically im seeing 3 options

1. buy a gun like i want

2 build from scratch

3 buy a cheap gun and upgrade barrel, trigger, stock. im thinking i can get the rifle cheaper doing it this way. this gun
DPMS Panther Sportical 7.62 NATO $856.00 SHIPS FREE

is 850. i think with the price of lowers, uppers, BOLT CARRIER GROUPS and everything else for the 308 this may be the cheapest option. i was floored by some of the parts prices. this gun does not have to be sub moa.

give me some thoughts

obviously i missed the cabelas mixup. what is the cheapest a complete 308 ar can be built. i mean bottom of the barrel parts. im not planning on doing one like that im just trying to firgure if 856 is a good price for that group of parts

 

[fireball168]

Not a bad price, although I don't care for the DPMS lowers, at all.

Bud's raised the price $50 since you've posted that link, now it is $901.


I'm satisfied with the CMMG that I've got(good pricing from AIM Surplus at the time), although the fit leaves something to be desired to my DPMS AP4 upper.

Look at upper prices here, and check Midway(I've seen some crazy prices for 308 uppers from time to time there).

RGUNS - AR-15 Upper Receivers - .308

 

[westfork]

from my limited experience with these (just finished putting mine together), i will say that i found the best way for me to get what i wanted was to build the lower myself and buy a complete dpms brand upper in the configuration i want. i bought a complete dpms upper half from rguns and have no complaints. buying a complete rifle may be the way to go price-wise if you can find one configured how you want it. i was being picky about a couple details on mine and still came out ahead by a couple hundred bucks by building the lower on my own.

you might find good deals on lowers on gunbroker or similar sites but always factor in the shipping and transfer fees before you rule out driving/calling locally to track down a stripped lower. i bought mine at the 1500 for a very reasonable price.

if you happen to have a spare ar-15 lower parts group laying around, you can shed off some more bucks by only buying the parts that aren't direct swaps for ar-15 parts.

i had a hard time justifying piecing together the upper after adding up the price of the upper, bcg, barrel, handguard, etc. it seemed hard to find complete bcg's in stock anywhere and it is easy to have problems with gas blocks, handguards, etc when you are get too wild with your barrel selection.

if you know what you want then don't compromise - you will only regret it later. if it is near or within reach then be patient and put it together exactly how you want it. these rifles are a little bit more obscure than your run of the mill ar-15, so it does inherently take a little more homework to get one lined out how you want it.

hope this helps? worked for me.

 

[william]

I know it's not what you are thinking of exactly...but I shot a LWRC Reaper (sp?) last weekend. I have to say that it was the nicest AR pattern rifle I have ever shot. Super cool looking and extremely well built. I ran 2 mags through it and hit a 12" steel with it every time at about 500yards. I'm sure it is more $$$ than a DPMS too...just food for thought.


I also agree with westfork. Get the parts you want and build it yourself so you end up with exactly what you want.

 

[ghitch75]

got this off a guy on another site for 750.00 used shipped w/o sight package....look around there out there....

 

[E'villeGunner]

got this off a guy on another site for 750.00 used shipped w/o sight package....look around there out there....

Is that toenail polish??

 

[ghitch75]

Is that toenail polish??

not my toe's

 

[ihateiraq]

Is that toenail polish??

if not those things are really foul.

 

[42769vette]

i dont mind spending what ever i need to to get a rifle that will do what i want the first time. my issue is im asking 2moa out of the rifle with handloads. so its not like im asking much at all. if i want to do precision work ill grab a diffrent rifle.

im thinking the parts for 850 (now 900) that i would use are a good buy and whatever i sell the unused parts for are a bonus.

to be honest i need this like i need a hole in the head but i man has to have projects and my last project will be done whenever the weather clears enough for me to get to the machinests

 

[Yeah]

I don't see you not getting a 2MOA capable rifle without much cost or effort.

When I lived in Reno a shooting buddy was big into gas guns and had a dozenish. Just like with bolts, diminishing returns was in full swing. His sub $1k off the shelf rifles could handle 2MOA fairly well but to get to 1 or less we'd have to break out a GAP or something similar. As an aside, a GAP built gas gun in 243 kinda trips my trigger and just reading this thread makes me want to check lead times.

If I got the bug I'd buy used and upgrade as needed to get the ergos right. I doubt the barrel will hold you back until you get more demanding. Which for me is inevitable.

 

[42769vette]

I don't see you not getting a 2MOA capable rifle without much cost or effort.

When I lived in Reno a shooting buddy was big into gas guns and had a dozenish. Just like with bolts, diminishing returns was in full swing. His sub $1k off the shelf rifles could handle 2MOA fairly well but to get to 1 or less we'd have to break out a GAP or something similar. As an aside, a GAP built gas gun in 243 kinda trips my trigger and just reading this thread makes me want to check lead times.

If I got the bug I'd buy used and upgrade as needed to get the ergos right. I doubt the barrel will hold you back until you get more demanding. Which for me is inevitable.

i went shooting a week or so ago with a ar and acog setup. we were shooting 600ish at a full size torso target and i had a blast. anywhere on the target was a bullseye. had a blast.

i thought about going with a 260 since thats what my precision setups are but i want the option of loading up 1000ish rds at a time and i dont want to pay for 1000 260 brass

 

[ZbornacSVT]

If you decide to build, I've got a .308 Claw and a AR-10 DD rail wrench. Grab Matt on your way over and we can build 'em all!

 

[42769vette]

If you decide to build, I've got a .308 Claw and a AR-10 DD rail wrench. Grab Matt on your way over and we can build 'em all!

thanks for the offer. if i build one it will be some time. i need to rebuild the gun account after doing this model 70