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piston vs di in the ar308


Sr1911

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It's all personal preference. There isn't a "more reliable" model. There's only a "do you need this feature or not".

I own a custom DI. A really good friend of mine has a PWS with a piston system. I've shot both and both function without a hitch. Both shoot super accurate. Some people like the piston because they think you don't have to clean it as much. I haven't cleaned my DI since I built it. It shoots fine all dirty.

There are no easy parts swaps on the piston guns. If something wears or breaks (while this isn't likely to happen in the life of most shooters) then you are forced to use the manufacturer to get back into the game. DI parts can be found on 1,000 different websites, and can be installed with the simplest mechanical skills.

There's a sense of satisfaction knowing you built a rifle. There's also the sense of dependability when you buy from a manufacturer.

I guess what I'm getting at is, this is all personal preference. You just gotta do what feels right to you. Don't get sucked into the "Chevy vs Ford" debate.

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I can get the sig in that range . Are they any good? I figured the di was the way to go since its been around so long and with piston ar15 there's not much compatibility w parts . What's the reliability like on 308 piston models compared to di ?

 

Go check out Sigtalk.com and you'll notice the Sig 516/517s have issues with the piston system pretty often. You're better off getting a DI and then swapping out to a piston system later if that's what you wish. What I'm getting at is cheaping out on a piston rifle is not cost effective in the long run.

 

Note that the DI design (i.e. the original AR10) even precedes the AR15 and has worked properly for all these years, and the main reason the piston systems are the becoming new thing these days is that people get lazy about cleaning their DI guns.

 

It's all about discipline. Keep it clean and it'll work nicely.

Edited by shibiwan
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With the added length of movement with the Piston system, doesn't that affect accuracy at longer ranges?

Nope.

 

So, then what is it about lets say, an AK compared to and AR that is less accurate in the same caliber if not the piston/DI difference?  Is it the Barrel rigidity?  Rifling? Twist? 

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So, then what is it about lets say, an AK compared to and AR that is less accurate in the same caliber if not the piston/DI difference?  Is it the Barrel rigidity?  Rifling? Twist? 

 

 

None of those.  You're not comparing Apples to Oranges here.  It's more like comparing Apples to Hammers.

 

Two completely, completely different designs.  Just because an AK is piston operated doesn't mean that everything piston operated has the same accuracy.

 

The common AR, FN/FAL, G3, M110, AK, etc, are not equally accurate just because they can all fire a .30 caliber bullet.  They're different designs. 

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So building one may have reliability issues? I tinkered with the idea but that was my main concern . Dont want to have to problem solve if it is not 100% .

 

That all depends on the compatibility of the parts selected.  A large amount of us here build/built our own, and the run flawlessly. 

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@DRD,

The AK, when shooting quality ammo, is actually pretty damned accurate. The function of the weapon does nothing to hinder it's accuracy. The weapon gets a bad wrap from people who only shoot 60 year old mil surplus ammo, or base their opinion on a hand-me-down rifle they saw carried by a poor Skinny in some third world country. The AK is responsible for WAY too many deaths to be considered inaccurate.

The rifle was not designed to handle the shape of a NATO casing, so there can be hiccups there, but when fed the tapered casings from the 7.62x39 or the 5.45x39, that rifle is a death machine.

With the release of the new Kalishnikov expect to see a lot more interest in the near future. That's supposed to be able to feed NATO and communist ammo alike.

Drew better reserve www.308AK.com before it gets taken. Lol

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Pof looks nice but its mostly the rails . Seems a tad over priced . I definately want to use pmags so maybe ill check in building one and compare the price to a complete one since upper/lower compatibilty worries me

Just to clarify, the P308 SBR is going to be one of only 2 of the SR25/M110/DPMS patterned rifles that I have. The rest of mine are Armalite's (shocker by my tag line). I've been kinda going through a short-barrel fixation over the last 2 or so years. But this one will be the only factory built one that I have for the AR platform (thus the pricetag). I've built my other ones. As far as POF. I did a lot of studying before I took the plunge for their version of a SBR 308 AR rifle. It's not just the rails that you're paying for. BIllet upper and lower, NP3 coated bolt carrier w/roller bearing cam pin, short stroke chromed piston system, KNS pins, combat fire control group, 12.5" heavy fluted barrel (you always seem to pay more for less) and other details. All of these things add up even if you try to build a rifle from the ground up.

 

Nothing is really "cheap" in the 308 AR platform. But there is noticeable differences in quality machining and workmanship from different manufactures. Where some may have issues that pop up from different users....others never get a whiff of a complaint by any of their users.

 

As with anything in the world of weapons. Personal preference always has a little bit to do with it also.

 

Not getting defensive. Just pointing out why POF might seem pretty steep in their prices. But, for that matter, other manufactures have their high-end rifles.

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