Cabinetman

Pretty much owned and shot every single semi-auto military rifle and most of the civi stuff on the lists. However! I've only shot a few MGs and had the opportunity to burn 650 rounds of my precious 7. 62 x 51 surplus on an H&K 21 belt fed. I couldn't wipe the grin off of my face for about 4 hours. A buddy graciously invited me to one of the local ranges and we had a blast, no kidding. I also shot a suppressed .9mm full auto but I'm embarrassed to say I forgot the nomenclature. Suppressed, however, no muffs were needed as the sound was amazingly quiet! It's been while since I've really enjoyed a few hours at a range. Thanks, Rob, if you read this. Rome

I'm going to highly recommend the Leatherwood. I've got one on my LR308b with an 18" bull barrel and shoot standard surplus 308 from it all day long. I've got this scope because it's tailored to the round you shoot and automatically calculates the elevation for you. You apply the windage. All you do is dial a knob for the distance you're shooting. I've tried it at 200 and 300 yards and found it to be really awesome to shoot over. I can't wait to try it at a 600 yard range this summer. It's even on sale! Rome http://www.opticsplanet.com/leatherwood-hilux-camputer-art-m1000-2-5-10x44-riflescope-art2510x44.html?gclid=CLqel-2lk7gCFRHhQgodNEcAtQ&ph=&adlens_source=google&ef_id=UXfOVAAABG70aA1r:20130703121147:s

I cut my collecting teeth on the 7.62 x 51 round and ended up owning one example of every MBR made that shot it (Along with a lot of other calibers). Outside of my Garand and 03A3 in 30.06, the .308 rifles were just extraordinary. It's no stretch of the imagination as to why the M14 became so revered as a long-range shooter to the snipers in their day. So, after cutting my teeth building 9 ARs, I ended up keeping one, selling the others, and buying a DPMS LR308b with an 18" bull barrel. I've since improved it with a Geissele trigger and I've got a Magpul PRS stock on it, too. The optics I've got on it are the modern version of the Leatherwood Camputer scope. Once set for the ammo I shoot, you simply dial up the distance (250 yds to 1000 yds) and it automatically adjusts for elevation all you do is figure windage. It is just an awesome rig. I recently had it out to 300 yards and it wasn't even being challenged scoring direct hits, cold. Add to that the fact that I own a lot of the better surplus ammo having bought my share of it when it was cheap. The way I figure it, this is a dead nuts shooter for well past 500 yards which will keep the zombies way out of the perimeter never allowing them to get in close. And, it would be an excellent large game gathering rifle, too. I've loved each and every .308 rifle I've owned including the "M1a race rifle " I had all set up for competition. It was a true tack driver but the DPMS is just a modern and ergonomically better designed rifle imho. Rome

No more Connecticut members? Of course, with the ban in place now, there won't be any new owners here, will there! Rome, Enfield

My son lives in Laguna Beach and we built an AR for him with that stupid bullet button. The government there is the one who decided that's what they'd need to keep the civilians 'safe' and also inflicted a 10 round max magazine limit. The fact is that most of the guys there have learned to live with it and can do quick mag changes just as easily as us. The 'bullet button' is recessed to a sleeve. You need a projectile (tool) to stick into the sleeve to release the mag. So, some guys wear 'rings' that have the tip of a bullet mounted on it. Voila! A quick flick of your finger and the mad drops free. So, since that's been discovered, Yee just wants those EBRs to be confiscated. Good luck with that! Rome

Guests are welcome in Somers. We've got a 100 yard bermed rifle range and are preparing to expand to a 1000 meter range for high-power comps. We own 90 acres now. PM me and I'll swap contact info with you so one of these nice days we can shoot up here if you'd like. Rome

It's been a while since anyone else has posted but I'll start again. I'm in Enfield, too! Classacked, pm me if you're still around. I've got a fantastic DPMS LR308B that is just so sweet. I belong to SSA in Somers, too. Rome aka Cabinetman

Visited your home state. Almost had to sedate me to get me back home to CT. My wife and I went on a 8 day guided fly-fishing fly-in a few years back. We were in the far-western part of Alaska on the Good News and other rivers, not from from the shore. We stay in a couple of out camps and then in a lodge for a few nights. The outcamps were just spectacular. Once at night a herd of Caribou ran through late. I though it was thunder! We had bears all the time for companions, too. We were there in September fishing for the end of the Silver run. It was so perfect that we would just stop fishing and stand together admiring the vastness and elegent raw beauty of Alaska as it played out before us. Our pilot, too, showed us some just awe-inspiring mountains. We would clear the tops of some of extinct volcanos by what looked like 20 feet only to have them fall away on the other side. We are planning on a return trip but absolutely avoid any 'tourist' stuff. People to say they've been to Alaska but spend their time on a cruise ship don't know squat. So, we're going to do the small motorhome around the horn from Anchorage to Fairbanks on the western route up;poke around that area; then head back down on the Eastern route, taking our time to explore. We will be fishing, too. I admire you all for enduring that long dark winter. That's the one thing that would bother me. We lose a lot of light here on our latitude in CT, too, but nothing like Alaska. Can't wait to get back before I'm too old to enjoy it! Rome

Building an AR-15 will be like taking a stroll in the park compared to your .308 build. Totally different animal since virtually every part you buy will fit in to any lower/upper you select. Rome

Yes.......and at 700+ yards, too. Rome

I'd like to add that my barrel is marked .308WIN, not 7.62 x 51. When I bought the rifle, I was not asked what flavor of .308 I wanted. I just got the "luck of the draw". This was back when the large caliber platform rifles were on a 6 month backlog. I didn't have to wait. When I discovered the mark, I was a bit confusted but, as another poster above states, there's no dimensional difference you have to be concerned about. More importantly, however, when I was reading through the literature that DPMS put in with my rifle, they clearly say that I'm going to void my warrantee if I shoot ANYTHING except commercial .308 in it that that includes handloads. Well, I'm not a gambler but I do have a lot of experience with 7.62 x 51 ammo having shot it in just about everything that is cut for that caliber including the MAS 49/56. I didn't care about the warrantee knowing that the 7.62 x 51 would be just fine in that chamber. The first five or ten rounds were tight but after that it shot 100% just fine and I've got about 1000 rounds through it over the past few years. For me the barrel mark is a distinction without a difference except when it comes to DPMS's warrantee on their product. At the current prices of commercial .308, however, having a rifle that could ONLY handle commercial .308 would be like having a sports car that only handles 93 octane fuel. You'd end up only driving it on weekends and holidays. Me? I want my beauty to go to the range with me every trip I take so surplus it is! Rome

I've got the CompM2 and CompML2 and love them both. Talk about rugged and easy to use. I can't imagine how much better the PPR can be! Rome

This thread got me to examine my 308b bolt. I've owned this rifle since Oct of 09 and have easily shot 1000 rounds through it, all surplus from different countries; Germany, Port, SA, etc. Nothing commercial or any handloads. I just pulled the bolt and the face and lugs look perfect. The finish on the bolt remains on the exterior surfaces. Most of the sides of the lugs are polished to a mirror where they lock upon the receiver. I've got none of what looks like excessive wear that a few of you fellas have described. There are no bits of metal that I have to attend to at all. The only lube I use in all my rifles be it a C&R like the Garand or my latest AR15 is Militec 1. I followed the instructions precisely and keep after it after cleanings. The rifle has never ftf, fte, or any other hiccup. It's a lot less messy than grease or conventional oils. There is a lot written about even swabbing the bore with it. Check it out. It’s pretty neat stuff and works perfectly in my rifles and handguns. I, too, am interested in reading more about this potential issue. Stoner’s first “platform rifle” was the AR-10 for the 762 x 51 caliber. He "scaled down" the technology for the .223. Only about 10,000 AR10s were ever produced so there's not a ton of history available about the wear and tear on their bolts. There are literally millions of AR15s out there, however. With the re-emergence of the "AR-10" style platform and all these different companies making the parts, I wonder if there are wear issues that will begin to surface as we see many more thousands of these large-caliber rifles in the hands of so many shooters. It's probably just a tempest in a teapot but it does bear looking at and forums like this are a good place to discuss and examine them as continue to age. Rome

Just an fyi, my 308b with 18" barrel has no shell deflector or dust cover. About 1/2" behind the open port there is evidence that the shells are actually bouncing off the side of the upper receiver but does eject just as the chart shows it should: between 3:00 & 4:30, without the deflector. My rifle as an A2 stock and standard buffer and spring. Rome

Why? In my case it was a matter of ammo availability. I've stocked up on 7.62 x 51 for years and would prefer not to have to pay for retail .308 at the prices they are demanding today. That's my reason. Rome

Sir! How did your headspacing go? Have you had a chance to check everything? Inquiring minds need to know! LOL Rome

In all the years that I've been collecting and dealing with other shooters/collectors, I've never ever been shorted or taken advantage of. We are a close-knit community and we all end up with a reputation. I have absolutely no issues sharing out gear like this. It's not something that most people would buy but it does guarantee safety. So, they sit in my tool box until someone needs 'em and forums like this are welcome to them. I estimate that they've been loaned out to about 40 different guys in almost all 50 states including Alaska. No Hawaii, however. Rome

Well now, fancy bumping into you here! They did see most of the country but we almost lost 'em somewhere in Ohio, I think. But, they did resurface and are home again safe and sound. If they are needed by anyone here, just drop me an email and I'll send 'em on their way. Nice seeing you here, too, and in a moderator's seat, too! Nice promotion! Rome

I have a complete set of NATO headspace gauges: Go, no go, field reject. IF you'd like to borrow them I'd be happy to send them along. I've lent them out to shooters/builder from all over the USA from Maine to Alaska. Just shoot me an email and I'll send them to you if you'd like to check your headspace with the proper gauges. Rome

What will happen? It's already happening. Toyota has closed a plant here in the US laying off 25000 workers and is slowing down another plant in the UK. They are actually closing early and staying closed after the Easter holiday. The real problem, however, will come in June/July when the earnings reports are issued by the auto industry (primarily Japan's products) and also the electronics industries including all the big names; Mitsubishi, Sanyo, Panasonic, etc. They have been interrupted because there are no replacement parts to be found due to the tsunami. Europe could take up some of the slack but they're in such dire straits financially themselves that they can't respond quickly enough. So, early Summer could be quite a wet blanket on our economy. The markets still don't understand (or refuse to understand) the breadth and depth of the damage to Japan. They will when all those markets have red all over their earnings reports. That tsunomi is the trigger that will make any recovery impossible for quite a while. Rome

I have owned and shot all of the military versions of the 7.62 x 51 semi-auto battle rifles available. I fell in love this the caliber but I got tired of maintaining the old beasts and wanted something in that caliber that was modern, accurate, and realible. During the past three years, I've sold off the collectibles and put some of the money into my DPMS which I'm thrilled with. The muscle memory is pretty close to the FAL and I love the rail system for quick change sights and accessories if I want them. Just seems like a natural progression to me. I have no desire to return to an M1a, FAL, or CETME anymore. Rome

Tell me.....if you had a .308 round that didn't allow the bolt to close properly, would you use the FA to slam it home and then continue shooting? Not me.....not by a long shot. To much at stake. In the field back when the M16 discovered to foul so badly, the FA was introduced so soldiers could slam home rounds into a fouled rifle and hopefully continue shooting in a dire situation. The alternative was to fix a bayonets. With us, however, if we have a round that doesn't chamber the last thing we are going to do is rely on a FA. Rather, I'd hope that we investigate why it happened or at least clear that round rather than trying to hammer it into the chamber. So, my DPMS LR308b does NOT have an FA and I agree that it's a lot slicker look and less complicated. I have a couple of ARs too, one with an FA and one is a slab-side. I've never used the FA and never will. Rome

What if that bad guy had begun shooting at the patrons? Is it still the job of the security guard to hide and call 911? Situations like that esclate pretty quickly and for all they knew, the first customer to encounter that bad guy would be dead, bleeding on the ground. Rome

Don't believe the bashing of DPMS or any other maker, actually. From early on, guys with legitimate but anecdotal problem rifles get on the 'net and complain making it sound every one from that maker is defective. DPMS is no stranger to having some quality control issues but they were ironed out way back when. Still, a rough or undercut chamber might pop up but any manufactuer will have errant products from time to time. DPMS will stand behind their hardware, however, and will work to resolve the issues. No, I'm not a DPMS investor or owner or employee. I do own an LR308b and love it to death. QC was supurb and accuracy is.....and one other poster said.....scary. So don't be concerned about DPMS on that reguard. The problem this fella had had to be a dimension one due to matching holes in the front of the upper and lower. I've had it happen on an AR 15 and this problem was identical. Rome