Armalite AR-10 16" Tactical Rifle - Review

[Fletch]

The rifle arrived late last week and as promised I will do a review of it. For now the review will be first-impression kind of stuff (and a few pics) as I have yet to have the time to get out and shoot it and dial it in to my liking. Once I do shoot it and get some rounds through it I will report further on it's performance.

Before purchasing this rifle I looked at several others from various manufacturers. My criteria during that search was not terribly stringent but there were a few things that I was particular about. I wanted a complete factory-built 308AR/AR-10 rifle. I have built several AR15's without issue, but the sole 308AR I built was a pain in my ass...between returning parts (2 "match grade" barrels and 1 bolt, all of which ended up being out of spec), wasting way too much ammo troubleshooting the build, and wasting a whole lot of time, I simply do not have the time or desire to do that again at this point...as such I wanted something fully factory-built to my liking (or close to it) that required minimal (if any) tinkering with. NOTE: For those of you thinking of building your own please do not be swayed by my experience...after finally getting that original build together with in-spec parts it is easily my favorite rifle and I am very glad I built it. It is accurate as heck, runs flawlessly, and fills the role for which I built it perfectly. This rifle will be much different, and will essentially be a "battle rifle" (so to speak) for short to mid-range shooting. I also wanted a 16" barrel...as short as legally possible in my state (without going the pinned muzzle route). I would be very happy if the rifle shoots MOA or better (with good match ammo of course) but in this case it was not a strict requirement of mine as most of the shooting with this rifle will be within 400 yards and mostly at steel...as long as it shoots no worse than 2 MOA I will be pleased. I wasn't looking for the cheapest rifle by any means, but I also wasn't looking for a LaRue, Knights Armament, etc. either. I wanted something solid, reliable, and built by a manufacturer with a long-established reputation for good quality products and excellent customer service. 

I felt (before purchasing this rifle) that it was ideally suited for what I was looking for. For the price it seemed to offer exceptional value also. It's retail price is about $2,000, but I managed to pick it up online for about $1,600 (brand new). In addition to Armalite quality/service/guarantee it had pretty much everything I would put on this type of build if I did it myself...adjustable gas block, muzzle brake, free-floated handguard, Magpul grip & STR stock, back-up sights, and an upgraded trigger. I was not able to find a (similarly built) complete rifle from another manufacturer that matched up with the Armalite when factoring for price, options, quality, etc. See the following link for the exact specs of the rifle if you're interested: https://armalite.com/shop/ar-10-tactical-16/

Upon bringing the gun home from my local FFL dealer I inspected it a bit further and found that I was even more impressed, and more pleased with the gun than I expected I would be. It feels and looks very durable, yet without seeming overly bulky (especially for a 308AR). The fit of the receivers is near flawless, and everything that moves (BCG, trigger, takedown/pivot pins, mag release, bolt catch, etc.) seems to do so very well and smoothly. The finish on the gun (receivers, barrel, handguard, etc.) is more matte than it is shiny, which in this case and for this rifle is ideal. For my preferences, and for the purposes for which this gun will be used, this rifle is damn near exactly what I had in mind.

The one thing I did change was the muzzle device that came with the rifle (OSS Bannar Bravo 4)...at first I planned to just keep it on and see how well it performed, but after seeing how large/bulky it was (almost 3.2 inches long and almost 1 inch in diameter) I decided I wanted to change it. The new device I installed is a POF Triple-Port Muzzle Brake.

I should be able to get out and start shooting it within the next week or so (although hopefully sooner if my schedule somehow lightens up a bit). I will update this with more info (hopefully all good) when that time comes.

[shepp]

Fletch great looking rifle can't wait for a range report. 

 

Also, way to follow thru on the rule!!

Edited May 22, 2016 by shepp

[jtallen83]

Great looking rifle! I have no doubt it will shoot great, it's an ArmaLite!

[GRA]

Congrats on a badass looking rifle.  I love these Armalite AR10(s)     

[unforgiven]

Nice rifle brother ,should give you alot of good service.

[MikedaddyH]

That is one nice looking rifle !!!! Enjoy it !

[Rsquared]

Damn good looking rifle there my man.

[Sisco]

Handsome weapon

[Fletch]

Initial Range Report....

I ended up with a little free time so I was able to get the rifle out and put some rounds through it. My intentions on this first trip were to 1) adjust the gas system, 2) confirm the functioning/reliability of the rifle, and 3) zero the scope that will ultimately reside on the rifle and confirm bullet-drop at various distances.

The scope on the rifle is a Vortex Viper PST 1-4x24 (MRAD). My preferred zero for this type of "battle rifle" set-up is the 50/200 zero...however, since I mostly use the heavier bullets (168 grain) and this barrel is 16" I expected around 2450-2475 fps velocity...which would leave me a bit low at 200 yards. I wasn't able to chrono the rounds but based on my shooting that day and the adjustments needed at various ranges I would say I was getting no slower than 2450 fps and no faster than 2500 fps using Federal GMM 168's. Anyhow...once I got dialed in at 200 (which leaves me 1/2" high at 50 and 2" high at 100) my holdover for yardages out to 400 becomes simple...1/2 mil for 250, 1 mil for 300, 1.5 mil for 350, and 2 mil for 400 (which is about as far as I will regularly shoot this rifle). I also shot some American Eagle 7.62 168 grain OTM and Hornady .308 168 grain A-Max. The rifle functioned flawlessly without one single failure to feed/fire/eject. Adjusting the gas system was simple...I followed the instructions (for once...LOL) and with the gas about 1/2 open it cycles smoothly and ejects around 4:00-4:30. Overall I shot 100 rounds...60 Federal GMM and 20 each of the American Eagle & Hornady.

I wasn't shooting for groups or to really see what kind of accuracy the gun is actually capable of, partly because I didn't have a lot of time (and felt a little rushed) and also because I prefer to use a higher power scope for such shooting. I did try a few groups for kicks though (and to see which ammo the gun seemed to shoot best) and was getting about 1.5" at 100 yards with the Federal GMM 168's. (Of the three types of ammo I had that day the Federal seemed to perform the best, the American Eagle second best, and the Hornady A-Max came in last). Next time to the range I will mount a higher magnification scope on the rifle to give it a more thorough accuracy test. As I stated before as long as the gun is capable of no worse than 2 MOA accuracy I'd be pleased...and considering I was able to get 1.5" with the lower power scope I am indeed quite pleased. I would certainly expect 1" (or better) groups next time out with the higher mag. scope. And even though I'll mostly be shooting steel I still want to know what this gun is (or isn't) actually capable of as far as accuracy goes.

The range set-up was paper targets at 50/100/200 and 9" steel gongs at 200/300/400. Once dialed-in I was 100% on the 200 & 300 steel, but only about 50% at 400 yards. At first I was a bit baffled and thought perhaps my drop was off a bit but after some dicking around (and ruling out scope cant or rifle cant as a potential cause) I realized the wind was my problem...where I was shooting from the wind was still but as I walked out to check the targets the wind was much more evident as I got downrange. Fortunately the steel targets were freshly painted so I could see where all my shots were hitting and at the 400-yard target the shots that did hit were all on the left edge of the target...and the 300's were also a bit left of center. Unfortunately I didn't have the time to go back and try again so that too will have to wait until next trip, but if nothing else I re-learned a good lesson about wind (and making assumptions...LOL).

I will report back after my next trip in which my intentions will be to 1) give it a more appropriate accuracy test with a higher power scope, 2) reconfirm the 1-4 scope at all distances (especially 400 yards), and 3) practice some off-hand/unsupported shooting. I'll also grab some pics of the groupings as well and post them too.

Thanks for all the compliments on the rifle. Armalite has really put out a nice rifle with their new Tactical series, I'm still very impressed and really glad I decided to purchase this gun. I definitely recommend giving it a look for anyone who is in the market for this type of set-up.

[slugger43]

Sounds like you're going to have a shooter as well as a looker.  Congrats.  Hope you have a lot of  great experiences with that Armalite!

[GRA]

Thank you for all the detailed information.  Glad you had an enjoyable day at the range.  Please keep us informed of future developments, especially at long range.

[Sisco]

Just caught up with your report Fletch. Excellent job. Thank you. Wind is always the big variable. You can plan for just about everything else, and shifting winds like that will still throw a wrench in things. That could be a good thread on it's own to hear how people adjust for those conditions. I have a Simmons scope on my AR10T that has windage dots for holding off depending on wind speed and caliber, but I really haven't messed with them like I should. Where I normally shoot is at the top of a 400 foot ridge, so winds can often be a problem. I need to do more practice compensating.

[Fletch]

Thanks! Glad you liked it. Unfortunately, I have not been able to get out again (yet) with this rifle. I will of course report back again once I do.

Yes, the winds can be tricky where I shoot also...it's in a valley that is narrow (and surrounded by trees) near the firing line...then widens out through about 250 yards then tapers back in around 400-450 yards, and some of the area is wide-open and others are blocked by lines of trees. I guess from a practice perspective it's nice and challenging, but every so often I'm left with too many unknown variables that I feel like I'm playing whack-a-mole with the windage turret. My favorite target there is the 4" steel at 400 yards, but there's not a lot of margin for error with that one.