freetheeagle

Most of my LGS's are small and don't have much in the way of inventory. In fact the only one I have touched is the Sig 716 I mentioned. So I have not actually put my eyes and hands on one of the Armalite's I am interested in. According to my Armalite dealer he has some more coming in so I hope I can soon. As for the others most of them are happy to order anything you want but don't stock .308s in an AR platform because so many buyer want to custom order them anyway. They are also very scarce on the local used market. I am making a trip next month and hopefully my travel schedule will allow me to attend a major gun show while there. Hope to get a chance to see some more then. Anyone have opinions they would like to share about the different barrel manufacturing techniques, i.e. SS vs. cold hammer forged, vs. 4140/4150 chrome lined, and there impact on accuracy and long term reliability?

Been doing more research and spent time today visiting various shops. I like what I have seen about Armalites and the reviews for the S&W MP10 I have read have all been good. I like the fact that you order RRA's built the way you want but have seen mixed reviews. While their chrome moly barrels are cryogenically treated I haven't seen any confirmation about chrome lining. Does any know? They use FAL mags and I have read quite a bit - conflicting as is frequently the case - about them vs. Pmags. Any opinions? Lots of mixed reviews about DPMS so I am a bit Leary. I also understand the R25 is a DPMS marketed with Remington's label. Saw a Sig 716 today at a LGS priced within my range. Nice gun but heavy. My LGS says it is manufactured in the US but once again haven't found anything to confirm yet. The reviews I have seen score it average on accuracy with mostly negative comments about the trigger. Several recommend replacing it with a Giessele or similar but that will push it above what I was hoping to spend. Anyone have personal experience with one?

Thanks for the feedback on Armalite. I had read so many posts in recent weeks on various sites about Armalites not being manufactured in the US that I didn't do the research I should have done. Stupid of me to take it at face value. Won't do that again. Good to have another choice in the basket. Thanks to all of you for setting me straight. Since I am relatively new to AR's I plan to keep whatever I decide on factory until I learn more about them. As I get more exposure I will learn my gun and my preferences and I will probably start to modify it to meet those then. In the short term my only plans include installing sights/optics and have also started researching that also. In the meantime I will dig deeper into the information available both on this site and other places on the net and will also look at some of the other manufacturers that all of you have listed. Again, thanks for the help.

I am relatively new to AR's and currently own a Colt LE6920. I am considering buying an AR chambered for one of the popular short action loads. I am pretty well set on a .308 but would consider one of the other rounds using the 308 as a parent case. Due to availability and cost of ammo I have just about eliminated the other calibers such as the 300AAC, 6.8SPC, etc. My entire working career has been spent supporting US industries so I have narrowed my search to rifles made in America so Armalite and most of the FAL's are out. I don't intend to drop a load since the primary purpose is target shooting and home defense (preferably <$2K). With that price point KA, LMT, Larue, and Baer fall out of the equation. That leaves Colt, CMMG, RRA, S&W, DPMS, and Remington as well as a few small manufacturers I haven't listed. Can anyone provide me with feedback you have had from direct experience with any of these that would be helpful in making a decision?