Fletch

You should be fine to shoot both .308 & 7.62 from your DPMS LR-308. I had a DPMS SASS and it was the same thing...308 on the receiver and 7.62 on the barrel...I confirmed with someone from DPMS back then that both were fine. Although after hearing your story about getting two different answers from two different employees of DPMS I can't help but wonder if the person I spoke with then was giving out bad info as well...LOL. For what it's worth I always shot .308 through my DPMS and never had an issue. I have an Armalite AR-10 which is chambered for 7.62 (and of course marked 7.62 on the barrel)...the Armalite owner's manual states that the gun will fire all standardized US Military spec 7.62 as well as any factory loaded .308 Win. That is not to say that what Armalite does necessarily holds true for DPMS of course, but clearly there are exceptions to only being able to shoot what your barrel is marked for with these .308/7.62's.

The ones that cost 5x are actually packages that include a scope...the mount itself is around $90-ish. That being said I would consider looking at a Larue mount or an ADM mount, or even a Mark 6 mount from Leupold...I like the QD mounts so I can take them off easily for whatever reason (usually putting it on another gun temporarily). http://www.larue.com/larue-tactical-spr-m4-scope-mount-qd-lt-104 https://www.americandefensemanufacturing.com/view/product/5/ http://www.opticsplanet.com/leupold-mark-6-34mm-integral-mounting-system-matte-black.html There are certainly others out there as well. Just my 2 cents but I wouldn't even bother with the Burris PEPR mount if your going to get that Leupold 3-18 scope.

Sorry...never answered your other question about sighting-in distance... If my optic is a lower powered optic (anything with a max. magnification of say 8x) I generally sight in at 50 yards, which will also give me another zero at around 200-ish yards. That way I don't have to adjust the scope as often and will usually use holdovers vs. turning the turrets for anything outside 50 -250 yards. I generally only do that on guns intended for shorter to mid-range shooting ("battle rifle" type of set-ups, etc). If my optic has a higher magnification range (say anything with a max. magnification of 10x or higher) I sight-in at 100 yards...but I only use the higher powered scopes on guns that are easily capable of both effective power and accuracy beyond 400 yards.

Congrats on the DD5...I've never shot one but it looks like an excellent rifle, please give us a report and/or some feedback once you get to shooting it. This following is just my opinion so take it for what it's worth..... While each of those scopes you list are very nice I think there are better options for you. The rifle should have no problem reaching 800 yards accurately (assuming proper ammo and decent shooting skills). I have never shot the DD5 but have a few 16" 308 AR's and they can get to 800 (accurately) without much effort. I think the VCOG will have some limitations if you really want to shoot beyond 500-600 yards (accurately)...the VX3 you have (while a very nice scope) just doesn't seem to match well with the DD5 (just my opinion)...mostly I think the 6.5x low magnification range is too high for the gun, and it will look a bit "out of place" on the DD5. You may consider giving the Leupold Mark 6 3-18x44 a look...I think it would be a perfect scope for that rifle. https://www.leupold.com/tactical/scopes/mark-6-riflescopes/

I ended up purchasing the rifle...Grab A Gun had a great price ($1,592) and I just couldn't seem to talk myself out of it. I have bought a few guns in the past from Grab A Gun and have always received perfect service, fast shipping, and their prices are usually among the lowest out there. I try to go out of my way to support the local shops, but for certain purchases I just can't justify it. Even if anyone had this gun for sale in my area it would have been $1,700-ish (if not more) plus 10% Illinois sales tax. I could probably justify the higher price to the local shop...but I have a very, VERY hard time giving any more money than absolutely necessary to the state of Illinois. As promised I will write a review of the gun. Initially it will be simple and brief, kind of 'first impression' stuff as my free time is very limited between now and mid-June. Once I have the time and can really shoot it and get it dialed-in I will provide a more detailed review of the gun and it's performance.

By any chance was the recoil system problem you mention related to the bolt carrier impacting the lower receiver when cycling? I had an issue with an M5 build...seemed like the pad on the standard 308 carbine buffer was collapsing too much allowing the bottom rails of the bolt carrier to hit the lower receiver right where it is mated with the buffer tube. Even with the gas adjusted lower the carrier still would hit the lower so after trying a few things I ended up going with one of Slash's CAR-10 heavy buffers and that completely solved my issue. I can't say for sure of course, but after troubleshooting the thing and trying to eliminate all variables one by one the buffer pad kept popping up as the "weak link".

I have very little experience with Armalite, although from what I understand their quality is excellent. In the past I have generally avoided them, but that was mostly because what I was looking for (at the time) they didn't seem to offer.

Agreed on the $2K being a little stiff, but that's their "retail" price, fortunately they can be bought for around $1,600, which I think is very good IMO considering the options. I'm not going for my own build this time...and this is one of the very few 308AR's that come completely built that I actually really like the set-up of.

LOL...yes, if I do end up getting the rifle I will do a little review of it.

Does anyone have any own or have any experience with this rifle? https://armalite.com/shop/ar-10-tactical-16/ I've been toying with picking one up but would certainly appreciate some feedback beforehand. Thanks!

Yes, a bit west of the river.

LOL..it's not too bad but I share your friend's sentiment as well most days. I'm originally from the Chicago area (which totally blows IMO) so I'm very glad to be here as opposed to there. One of these days I'll be free from Illinois all together but for now I must make do. Pretty much. Thankfully I live in one of the hilly, wooded areas here. Lucky also to have a lot of good neighbors and other decent folks out in my area as well. Thanks to all for the warm welcomes...glad to be here!

Hello all, New guy here from Central Illinois (Peoria area). I mostly shoot for recreation and enjoyment, but certainly am always trying to improve my skills and get better. I've never been a fan of the .223/5.56 round but have always been a fan of the AR platform. I shoot a lot of 6.8 SPC (fantastic round IMO) but my favorite all around gun is my 308AR. It's nice to see the increasing variety of parts, etc. available for 308AR's now than what I remember even just a few years back. I finally learned to build my own AR's a few years ago thanks in no small part to the forums like this one...so I would like to say thanks for all the info/advice that you guys have put out there. I still hope to learn more of course and also to share any of my experiences if they seem relevant and helpful. Thanks again! Glad to be here!