BangPewBang Posted May 25, 2014 Report Share Posted May 25, 2014 Hey guys. I'm new to the site but figured it was a good place to join to start asking all my unanswered questions. Anyways, I am getting ready to purchase my first "Ar" platform rifle (besides my .22lr). I have reviewed, read, and researched a lot of rifles and I have made my mind up almost all the way. I know I want a 308/7.62 rifle. I like the range and power and I am 99.9% sure I want a DPMS. However the exact model I have not yet decided on. I am trying to find a rifle that sits in the sweet spot for me. Something that I can reach out a ways with to give myself a challenge. I started reloading so I can develop a load for whatever rifle I purchase. however I would like to save weight so I can run and gun a little better. I have been leaning towards the LR 308B. the 18 inch bull barrel seems to be a good choice for long range but short enough to give me mobility. The weight is the biggest issue for me. At 9.75 pounds is this rifle going to be to much to really be somewhat effective at shorter ranges and making quick shots? I have looked at some of the other models with shorter, longer, and lighter barrels but have not found much information on their long range capabilities. Anybody had any experience with long range shooting with the other models? Oh, and lastly, I'm trying to keep the price down. the less money I spend on the rifle the more I can spend on glass…. And beer. Thanks Guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Microgunner Posted May 26, 2014 Report Share Posted May 26, 2014 Welcome from Florida. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robocop1051 Posted May 26, 2014 Report Share Posted May 26, 2014 DPMS GenII Recon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnatshooter Posted May 26, 2014 Report Share Posted May 26, 2014 Welcome from Iowa, BangPewBang. Being a DPMS owner, I am naturally accused of being partial to the brand. But originally, I was attracted by the price and general reputation. And the power. I was pretty much a .22lr guy (and occasional Mossberg 590 12-ga.) who wanted something more. What I've discovered since then is that owning a rifle like this from DPMS opens major windows of opportunity for customizing and improving the factory version. I enjoy shooting my DPMS, incidentally, an LR-308T, but a good part of that enjoyment is getting aftermarket parts that improve the rifle, and my shooting experience. There are days when I think I should have waited on my DPMS purchase until the Gen II rifles came out. I see you're concerned about weight, and so am I. You'll want to take a hard look at the Gen II units, as they come in at about a couple pounds lighter. Thing is, Gen II hasn't been out very long, and a lot of people are waiting for more reviews. And, while the Gen II lets you use AR-15 handguards, vastly increasing things you can buy for the weapon, I'm not sure about other parts, such as bolt carriers, bolts, and who knows what else. Your aftermarket options might actually be fewer with a Gen II. I've had a lot of fun with my DPMS Gen I, with the people here helping out on various aspects has been great, and I think eventually you'll grow to appreciate the mystique that comes from shooting this platform and the many variations that are available. And you'll wind up spending more money that you originally planned on. Which you will enjoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BangPewBang Posted May 26, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 26, 2014 Thanks for the replies guys! I will definitely give the Gen II stuff a good hard look. Gnatshooter, your 308T is right about the same weight as the 308B I've been looking at. Has the weight been a huge factor in the close range or "nimbleness" of the rifle? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.308LiteHunter Posted May 26, 2014 Report Share Posted May 26, 2014 (edited) I bought a DPMS Lite hunter in .308 and I take it every where, miles and miles after elk and antelope. The only mods I have made... Changed out A2 stock for a Magpul MOE A2 rifle stock. It might even be heavier but I like the cheek weld. I put a Harris bipod on it. Just put a Geissele DMR in, yet to shoot, but the two stage that came with shot great. Mine has an 18" barrel and a Mikulec brake. Some of the newer ones have a 20" barrel and no brake. Edited May 26, 2014 by .308LiteHunter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaRKle! Posted May 26, 2014 Report Share Posted May 26, 2014 DPMS GenII Recon.Seconded! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
planeflyer21 Posted May 26, 2014 Report Share Posted May 26, 2014 Welcome BangPewBang! All good suggestions. But around here, as you'll soon learn, your thread should be titled "What Rifle To Buy FIRST". Check your income at the door. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnatshooter Posted May 26, 2014 Report Share Posted May 26, 2014 Thanks for the replies guys! I will definitely give the Gen II stuff a good hard look. Gnatshooter, your 308T is right about the same weight as the 308B I've been looking at. Has the weight been a huge factor in the close range or "nimbleness" of the rifle? The weight of my DPMS lr-308T is a big factor in 'nimbleness', and it would be hard to find anyone who disagrees. Or, on the other hand, try to find someone who claims a heavier rifle is more 'nimble'. There is however a trade-off. There will be more recoil from a lighter rifle. A heavier rifle will absorb recoil better. The lower the recoil, the more likely it will be that your follow-up shot is on target. Luckily, the platform you've chosen offers a compromise. You can put a heavier buffer in your buffer tube, and greatly reduce the recoil without greatly increasing the total weight of the weapon. Someone here might know if a heavy buffer is available for Gen II or not. All I can say is, I haven't seen it. So you may be stuck with massive recoil from a Gen II and nothing to do about it. Or nearly nothing to do about it. There's also muzzle brakes. The brakes that reduce recoil the best are also vicious on concussion, for the shooter and people nearby. So, that's yet another tradeoff. I personally have settled on a combination of a heavy buffer from Slash, which cuts recoil, and a 'linear compensator', which sends the noise away from you and everyone you're not trying to kill. But that's me, you'll want to try different things. Wait for other people in the forum here to chime in, but I'd say, you have more options with the Gen I than the Gen II. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unforgiven Posted May 26, 2014 Report Share Posted May 26, 2014 Welcome from Indiana brother. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaRKle! Posted May 26, 2014 Report Share Posted May 26, 2014 I'm pretty sure the G2 uses the same buffer and action spring as the G1. I'll confirm when Bmoney picks his up this week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
392heminut Posted May 27, 2014 Report Share Posted May 27, 2014 I have a DPMS LR308B and I like the rifle but damn that thing was heavy! I took the barrel off and had a friend turn it down from the gas block forward to .750 dia. and thread the muzzle for a muzzle device. I then re-parkerized it and reassembled it with a Goodiron muzzle break. Just as easy as before on the recoil and not so muzzle heavy. I like it much better now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shibiwan Posted May 27, 2014 Report Share Posted May 27, 2014 (edited) i'd avoid the GII/G2 for now. Too many proprietary components that takes it quite far off the original DPMS LR-308 pattern.......and it's also relatively new and untested. Edited May 28, 2014 by shibiwan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D.R.D. Posted May 27, 2014 Report Share Posted May 27, 2014 Why not build you own? You don't need to lay out all the cash at once (getting parts when they are on sale helps a lot). You can customize it the way you like. You'll have a better appreciation for the platform. There's a bit of fun in the research, crafting your build, shopping, etc. My $.02 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BangPewBang Posted June 1, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2014 Sorry for the inactivity guys. Something was up with the inter-web. Thanks for the response. I went and checked out a few rifles this weekend. Nothing I was really interested in but got some ideas. I honestly didn't feel like any of the rifles (ranging from 7.75 to 10lbs) felt all that heavy. That may change after optics and ammo is added haha. The real difference in weight and for lack of a better word, nimbleness was the muzzle weight. I picked up a Remington R25 (the only 20inch they had) and damn was that sucker barrel heavy. More of a hunting rifle but still. Im still kinda leaning towards the DPMS 308 B and then possibly getting a smaller barrel down the road. That ways I have a precision barrel and a light weight barrel I could switch between if necessary. I do like the idea of having the stock bull barrel turned down, but would it be better to just go with a Hbar from the get go? I did some research on building a rifle, but after some of the things I read it seemed more expensive to build. Any thoughts on building, where to start, and whats a good budget to start out with? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BangPewBang Posted June 1, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2014 Also anyone have any input/feedback on the Oracle? Seems like a good place to start as well. How's the long range accuracy with a 16 inch heavy barrel? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shibiwan Posted June 1, 2014 Report Share Posted June 1, 2014 Get a CMMG MK3 , Armalite AR-10A or M&P-10 Don't get into the barrel length issue... we'll end up with a long drawn out battle about barrel harmonics, accuracy, bullet velocities etc.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BangPewBang Posted June 2, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 2, 2014 Thanks for the advice. And sorry if i just kicked the bees nest on barrel length haha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BangPewBang Posted June 5, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2014 So I'm whittling the list down on what rifle to buy. However, length of the barrel id something I am kind of interested in. Its between a 16 inch barrel and an 18 inch barrel. After A LOT of research the ballistics really are no that different on the two and in many cases the shorter barrel was more accurate. Anyways, big thing I am wondering about is the blast. Is a 16 inch barrel that much louder? I understand you can get a pretty good fireball coming out the end but I will be putting on a flash suppressor. So simply, how much louder is a 16 inch barrel over an 18 inch barrel? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rsquared Posted June 5, 2014 Report Share Posted June 5, 2014 You'll never notice the sound difference between the two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnatshooter Posted June 5, 2014 Report Share Posted June 5, 2014 (edited) Anyways, big thing I am wondering about is the blast. Is a 16 inch barrel that much louder? If you're worried about muzzle blast, you should consider a Kaw Valley Linear Compensator. It works by sending the blast downrange, away from shooters and bystanders -- I've found their claims to be true. I don't know what this does for flash suppression. I don't notice flash during the daytime, whereas I have seen daylight flash with a muzzle brake. I haven't shot my .308 at night. I should probably do that thing, for SHTF planning purposes. P.S. I have a 16" barrel on a DPMS LR-308T. Edited June 5, 2014 by gnatshooter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D.R.D. Posted June 6, 2014 Report Share Posted June 6, 2014 Does the Kaw Valley Linear Compensator increase felt recoil if the blast is directed forwards? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnatshooter Posted June 6, 2014 Report Share Posted June 6, 2014 Does the Kaw Valley Linear Compensator increase felt recoil if the blast is directed forwards? That's a valid concern, and I went into the process of buying and shooting it with the expectation that it would increase recoil. In the world of physics, and action/reaction, nothing is free. Even so, I didn't notice any increase in recoil with the Kaw Valley unit. In fact, it worked so well that I sold my because the Kaw Valley unit worked so well. The reason for that is that I want to use the rifle for hunting with naked ears. If my whole point was to kill recoil, the JP brake would be my go-to muzzle accessory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D.R.D. Posted June 6, 2014 Report Share Posted June 6, 2014 I take it (given this forum) you are talking about a rifle in .308. So, how does the recoil with the Kaw Valley compare to: -No brake at all -JP Brake -other brakes you've tried Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edgecrusher Posted June 6, 2014 Report Share Posted June 6, 2014 You can also try out a few brakes. I've used fsc30 brakes, Surefire brakes, battlecomps, and AAC stuff. They all work really well, some do small things better, but all work well. There is no device, even the"Kaw Valley lineal comp" that is the answer for what you may be looking for. One thing though... anything works better than nothing. Going without increases felt recoil and increases muzzle climb. Period. I would try a few out, and if you decided you liked one over the rest get it and use it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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