mistred Posted February 7, 2010 Report Share Posted February 7, 2010 I'm looking to buy my first AR, I Think I've decided to buy an Armalite ar10a4B.I'm buying this one based on advice given from a local dealer. I will be hunting and playing with this rifle (mostly hunting). My questions are: is there any real advantage for a hunter to get a 20" barrel over the 16", What do you guys think of Armalite, what scope would you get and what ammo do you like.I really don't see my shots being over 400 yards but wouldn't mind being able to shoot further.Thanks, Ed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imschur Posted February 7, 2010 Report Share Posted February 7, 2010 Well Im not a hunter but I can give a little input. Accuracy will be the same regardless of the barrel length at the range your shooting. The extra inches of barrel length will give you some more fps down range for a little more energy against your target. The down side is the weight. FWIW I think the Remington R-25 has a 20" barrel.Optics, I think a 3x9 or 4x10 should suffice especially with the emphasis on hunting. Brands will depend on your budget. I see many guys opting for Nikon Monarchs and Leupolds on their .308's.Ammo for hunting I havent a clue but Ill bet Hornady and Federal would be safe bets. For target Federal Gold Medal Match is usually king with a nod to PRVI Partizan on the less expensive side.Hopefully others will chime in here too.Welcome to the forum! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TANGO2072 Posted February 7, 2010 Report Share Posted February 7, 2010 in talking with the wife-unit on WHY DID I PURCHASE a MILITARY TYPE RifleI told her to save her ass from the ZOMBIES, she needless to say frawnd at me.So I've decided to take up COYOTE HUNTING out here in Mid-Northern IL (west of Chicago ).I havent fired anything but at Paper w/ my AR10. I've used Winchester 147 / 150gs. And some Hornady TAPT 168. I dig on the 168g. I too am cutting down my 20" to 18" and it'll be easy to reach out to 800yrds w/ her.NOW if only I can get to a Range with distance to test her out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imschur Posted February 7, 2010 Report Share Posted February 7, 2010 Tell her its not a military rifle, its evolution. Through out history civilian products have been born from military applications and government scientific programs. Why boil water for a cup of tea when you can nuke it. ;D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistred Posted February 7, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2010 Thanks for the info:For ammo I read that the Hornady TAPS 168 gr is the best for hunting, when I looked at Hornadys web site they sell it as personal protection. That made me wonder if it was the best for hunting.I've been considering a Trijicon TA648 scope, what do you guys think of them? Looks very cool and should reach out as far as I need, but maybe a traditional scope will suit my needs better.So what do you think of Armalite, I see a lot of people building AR's and they seem to be using DPMS parts. My local guy swears that DPMS is junk and that 1 out of 10 he sells comes back. I was sold on DPMS until I talked to him.Would you build one or buy one? Would modify a pre-built?Thanks, guys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imschur Posted February 7, 2010 Report Share Posted February 7, 2010 Armalite parts are not as readily available as DPMS for the purposes of building your own. Its getting better though. As for quality DPMS had a bad run of magazines. The factory will swap them out no questions asked. Additionally these rifles are pretty tight when new and therefore need a lot of lubrication during break in. Failure to use enough lubrication can cause problems. DPMS customer service is also very good should you have a problem. Lastly if you feed them junk thats the performance that will be achieved. As noted elsewhere DPMS specifies by name not to use some brands of ammo. Too often guys who buy the .308's regardless of manufacturer dont have the stomach for the cost of decent ammoI suspect the dealer is exaggerating a bit or has perhaps some other motive (profit). Im also a show me kind of guy.As far as building you own vs buying there is a topic on that already but here's the bottom line. In most cases its much cheaper to buy a completed weapon and customize it then to build it from scratch.Armalite, most of the criticism of these rifles stems from the magazines. They are modified M14 mags additionally they can be pretty pricey.I feel you cant go wrong with any of .308's on the market today from the big boys in the business. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistred Posted February 7, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2010 That is awesome info, one more thing the dealer spoke about was bolts vs. pins?He said armalite uses bolts where DPMS uses pins, what if any are the benefits of bolts to pins.I'm excited to hear that DPMS isn't as bad as my dealer made them out to be. Maybe I can spend less on the gun and more on sights and good ammo :). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imschur Posted February 7, 2010 Report Share Posted February 7, 2010 You got me on the bolts vs pins thing. Ill attach the Armalite manual, maybe you'll notice something I'm missing.161_.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imschur Posted February 7, 2010 Report Share Posted February 7, 2010 How much is an A4B? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistred Posted February 7, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2010 My dealer wants $1249.00 for any stock Armalite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imschur Posted February 7, 2010 Report Share Posted February 7, 2010 Thats a pretty good price. What a difference a year makes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistred Posted February 7, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2010 The dealer pointed out the front rail and said that Armalite uses bolts/ screws where DPMS uses pins. he didn't have a DPMS to compare to.I will look up a DMPS manual and compare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistred Posted February 7, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2010 OK, I made a quick pass on both manuals, looks like they both use pins.If you were going to buy an AR in .308 which one would you buy?I'm to the point where I have over thought this and need to just make a decision. I'm driving myself crazy.DMPS or Armalite? this is making me nuts!16 or 20 inch barrel? 16 for looks 20 for rangeSmooth look or forward assist? like the looks of forward assist..... not sure about functionblack or green? leaning towards Blackadjustable stock or fixed? Magpul prs......traditional optics or Trijicon? no idea yet....AHHHHHHHHHHHH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imschur Posted February 7, 2010 Report Share Posted February 7, 2010 bwah ha ha. How about a Fulton Armory side charger :) How about 18" bull barrel? I dont think youll save any cash buying a rifle with a PRS installed.Smooth side only if your right handed and shoot that way.I chose DPMS for parts and magazine availability. Now Magpul has $20 PMAGS in .308 that function flawlessly in DPMS/KAC rifles.Make no mistake though I will also own an Armalite but it wont be green.As I tell other folks, get whats available now that's closest to what you want at the lowest cost and build from there. Even if you arent happy with your barrel choice now its easy enough to change later and no too expensive.Cant go wrong with either IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistred Posted February 7, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2010 OKI'm pulling the trigger..... ;)I'm buying the Armalite ar-10 carbine in black, I like the initial looks way betterIt comes with a 20 and 10 round clip, can I use DPMS clips for better reliability? I'm going to need a 4 round clip for hunting.Still need to decide in scope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imschur Posted February 7, 2010 Report Share Posted February 7, 2010 negative on the dpms magazines Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PantherPlayer Posted February 18, 2010 Report Share Posted February 18, 2010 As far as the ammunition for hunting goes, I used 168gr Winchester extreme ballistic silvertips. I had to have a 4 rounder to hunt too but I was able to find a pretty good deal on one at the gun show when I bought my rifle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWshooter Posted February 19, 2010 Report Share Posted February 19, 2010 One thing to consider in a hunting rifle is muzzle blast, unless your planning to wear some kind of ear protection while hunting. I would much rather have 20" barrel just for the blast reduction. I have a 24" barrel on my LR-308, I haven't done any hunting with it yet, but it's not too unhandy at the range. I figure it's a lot easier to shorten a barrel than lengthen one. Most people with 16" barrels put some kind of muzzle brake on it and end up with close to 18" anyway. Don't get any kind of bull barrel if your planning on carrying it any distance at all. Find out what the weight is before you buy it, the AR-10 style rifle is considerably heavier than an AR-15 with the same profile barrel. My DPMS so far has been flawless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistred Posted February 24, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2010 I just got my Armalite AR-10, got the 20 " barrel. Now I need to add accessories....... any suggestions on where to buy a forend rail and a magpul stock? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
babo Posted February 25, 2010 Report Share Posted February 25, 2010 A longer barrel will yield higher velocity which will result in more accuracy if you do your part. At further distances the wind plays a greater part in accuracy. Hight velocity = faster to target = less drift due to wind. If it is going to be a hunting rifle go with a basic scope for starters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
98Z5V Posted February 25, 2010 Report Share Posted February 25, 2010 I just got my Armalite AR-10, got the 20 " barrel. Now I need to add accessories....... any suggestions on where to buy a forend rail and a magpul stock?This was down at the bottom, in the "Sales and Coupons" section - Magpul PRS for $161:http://308forum.com/index.php?topic=121.0For the rail on my DPMS build, I decided to use the Troy MRF-308 rail for a couple reasons. First was price for me, since this is a complete ground-up build. I didn't want to wait around forever, trying to justify a $400 rail to myself on a gun that's not gonna get beat like a combat gun. There are deals out there if you qualify for a .mil or LEO discount, but the expensive rails are still expensive. Second was the complete build condition. I didn't want to buy parts twice if I didn't need to, and that Troy rail comes with a DPMS-specific barrel nut. Good,since I didn't need to buy either a stock nut, or some other specific nut for another rail. This particular rail will work with your stock Armalite barrel nut, so you won't be out anything. At most retailers, it even comes with a .750" diameter low profile gas block to install. Cheapest place I found the complete rail assembly was Trading Post Supply, for $231.07. Here's the link:http://www.tradingpostsupply.com/try308c3bt00.htmlIt says they've got 16 in stock, right now. Last night, they had 18 in stock... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistred Posted February 25, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 25, 2010 Thanks, that's great info...... I've never seen a magpul PRS that cheap WOW! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imschur Posted February 25, 2010 Report Share Posted February 25, 2010 trading post supply, Im always curious about these types of stores. If you order something I would love to know the ship from address on the box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
98Z5V Posted February 25, 2010 Report Share Posted February 25, 2010 trading post supply, Im always curious about these types of stores. If you order something I would love to know the ship from address on the box.I almost pulled the trigger on that sale - and a local guy is getting the rail for me for $235. For local, and a guy I've met, I forfeited the extra $3-something. ;DFrom my take on the Trading Post Supply guys - they sell more hunting gear than anything else, so they're making money elsewhere - Not confirmed, so I don't know why on the low price. I thought about the economics of it, myself needing a .936 gas block. If I bought the rail from them, with .750 lo-pro gas block included, I could trade away that gas block to someone else for something else I needed... Aaaand I went local. ;DNote of warning, if anyone is considering the Troy MRF-308 rail - SEARCH! Seriously. I saw that thing listed for almost $500 from some vendor, somewhere. The price variance is BS.... Look around, and buy low.EDIT - examples of bad prices for that rail - buy now on GunBroker was $335:http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=152743761Almost $335 from another place:http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/Troy-138-MRF-308-Battle-Rail.aspx?a=561711&kwtid=308526$220.40 from an un-verified place, might be worth a shot:http://www.opentip.com/Sporting-Goods/Troy-Mrf-Battle-Rail-Blk-p-1108994.htmlPrice varience is unreal on this rail system. Look around, good peoples... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imschur Posted February 25, 2010 Report Share Posted February 25, 2010 How much is it from Troy direct? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.