Building 308 AR15, questions and input

[DannyP]

I've been thinking about trying to build a AR15 in 308. Not sure what brand parts to go with and how much it would all cost. Anyone have any ideas, CMMG has the 308 lowers/uppers and accessories, not sure though. DPMS also but i would like milspec parts.

Give me some input, i saw that SIG online already and it looked great, i was thinkin i could build a comparable rifle and save some cash for ammo.

Danny

[krunchnik]

I have 2 CMMG uppers,one in 22lr and one in 300 Blackout in Stainless.They both seem to be good quality and at reasonable prices.I also have a DPMS Panther Sportical that shoots pretty darn good for the money.Of coarse there are always more expensive and bigger brand names in the game.As for the 308 I have no personal experience.I do know it would be a AR10,bigger lower receiver and all,different specs than the AR15 to house the longer cartridge.

[DannyP]

Yeah the CMMG has a complete 308 ar MK3, about $1350, not a bad price. Just wondering on the quality

Danny

[jcoosi]

I thought 308s were ar10s

But you cant go wrong with your considred options you mentioned

[gjohnsoniv]

Not to be that guy, but I do believe that the .308 AR is the AR 10, but we all get what you are saying. Personally I would say build your own. That way you can put what YOU want in and on it.

[DannyP]

Maybe they are considered AR10's, i thought the armalites were the AR10's. Not sure, but whatever, yeah not sure what i'm going to do yet, don't have the $$$ to go all in right now, just researching

Danny

[gjohnsoniv]

Even more reason to build it yourself.

[jcoosi]

Im just yanking his chain. Parts are not cheap for them and seem hard to find used or I could just not be looking in the right forums.

[wcsc12]

I've read this much. Apparently the AR10 lower is going to way more expensive than the an AR15 lower. They are like $200 for a blemished stripped lower. Apparently, you can use the LPK from an AR-15 on an AR10 to save money and apparently you can use the same mil spec stock kits from an AR15 on an AR10 but the stock just won't collapse all the way which is fine for some and not for others. So essentially, the lower can be built for the AR-15 price but you must pay for the AR-10 lower.

At least that's what I've read when I was researching AR-10's for a friend awhile back.

[Guest nysos]

I seem to remember something about the ar10s between brands are a little different for manual of arms. I would make sure you looked into that - I believe the armalite is a little odd compared to others, and not nearly as popular. Something to do with the mag release or bolt catch, etc.The 2 most popular seem to be the DPMS or SIG rifles. If it were me, I would buy a base model and then accesorize it.

[Major Kong]

I found a DPMS LR-308 Sportical at Wal-Mart for $897 today. Seems like a pretty fair price but I would end up replacing half of the stuff on it.

[jtmaze]

I am starting my first AR build just because I don't have $6-700 to drop on a rifle. By building your own you can gradually buy your parts and it doesn't hurt as bad. Ar10 parts are more expensive.

JTM

Sent from my iPhone

[trevorst]

DPMS/Bushmaster/Remington/CMMG Knight's and most everyone other than Armalite and Rock River use the same magazine. Magpul makes a magazine for the Knight's pattern. The DPMS is actually a very nice rifle to start building off of, I have one that is chambered for 260REM, it being a cheapo DPMS still turned in a slightly less than .3" 100yard 5 shot group this weekend (better than all of my bolt guns consistently....). DPMS may have had hiccups with their AR15's but the LR308's that I have ran across have all tended to be very good shooters.

The Armalite is the alternative, they use their own magazines, some parts between the two are interchangeable but its not like you can take an upper from an Armalite and stick it on a DPMS. I had one in .308 it shot lights out, expensive mags and expensive kids forced me to sell it....

The Rock River is the version of a failed Bushmaster (pre Freedom Group) design that they improved upon and supposedly corrected, it uses a FAL magazine and as a bonus has the RR 2 stage trigger and an ambidextrous mag release. It has proprietary parts and would be my last choice personally...

[Johnny Rotten]

You might want to check out Colts LE901, I'm currently on a waiting list for one, retails for $2099 shipped, that's the best price I've found so far...

[Jon_L]

For awhile I was researching this (still, am, but it's on the back-burner until I win the lotto and can afford to shoot as much as I want )

It's going to be more expensive, you're going to need to make sure certain parts are compatible with others (I.E.; if you buy a DPMS upper, will it mesh well with your Armalite lower? Or if you buy a DPMS LPK, there's a good chance it won't fit your CMMG stripped lower), and finding individual parts is going to be a b*tch, pardon my French,

Every company is doing their own spin on the AR10 (and yes, it's a universal term for the 7.62/.308 AR-patterned rifle), and that makes each one different from the last. They aren't built to the same tolerances as regular 5.56/.223 AR-15s, where every 15 is the same as the last (well, unless the company cuts some corners).

Another thing to consider is magazines. DPMS and a few others allow the use of PMAGs (cheaper), whereas Knight's Armament and a few others do not (more expensive mags). I looked this up a year ago so this may be outdated info about the magazines.

Good luck and I'd love to hear about it if you decide to tackle the build.

[DannyP]

Yeah most likely if i did build one, i would just do everything the same manufacturer, minus upgrade parts and what not. Been looking at the DMPS MLR in 308, looks like a great value for about $1350. It has a 16' barrel, so its pretty compact, i was looking for at least an 18inch barrel, but i might settle; haven't decided yet lol. Anyways i'll let you know and thanks for the info

Danny

[mk19]

I went with the Mega-Ten lower and upper sets awhile back. Have not had the chance to work on it yet, but it is compatible with both DPMS and Armalite parts, and it take the magpul mags. There is a website that couls be of help, I think it is called AR10parts.com or something like that. I have not been researching lately, work and all, but a quick seach would give you much ideas.

[trevorst]

Yeah most likely if i did build one, i would just do everything the same manufacturer, minus upgrade parts and what not. Been looking at the DMPS MLR in 308, looks like a great value for about $1350. It has a 16' barrel, so its pretty compact, i was looking for at least an 18inch barrel, but i might settle; haven't decided yet lol. Anyways i'll let you know and thanks for the info

Danny

DPMS makes a lr308 with a 24" stainless barrel, it weighs a ton but shoots like a demon. I have seen them online at times for $1100 ish.

[1gewehr]

Well, you've opened the can of worms now!

Here's the short version:

In 1990, Mark Westrom bought the rights to the name 'Armalite', as well as 'AR10', and a few others from the defunct company that designed and built rifles in the 1950's and 1960's. Notice that he bought the NAMES, not the designs!

Mark's new Armalite company started building a new .308 rifle based on scaled up AR-15 parts with as much parts commonality as possible for cost savings. At the time, M-14 magazines were the least expensive and most plentiful .308 magazines available. So he designed his new rifle to use modified M-14 magazines. He called his new rifle the 'AR-10' after the 1960's rifle of the same name even though there are no parts in common, even the magazine is different.

A fellow named Reed Knight started making very high precision .308 rifles to get military contracts. He got Eugene Stoner to help design it. (Eugene Stoner designed the original AR-10 and AR-15) That rifle was designed to use the original AR-10 magazines and new copies made of steel. Reed Knight managed to buy up a large stock of those magazines. The Knight's rifles is called the SR-25 and has seen some use by Spec-Ops.

Enter DPMS and a host of others! Most use the same type magazine and receivers as the SR-25, since that magazine is a better design for that platform. And while they may share parts between models, you need to be careful. DPMS has sold a LOT of rifles since they have managed to produce excellent quality at a lower price.

Nowadays, most folks will state they are using a DPMS-style rifle or Armalite-style rifle as those are the base types of receivers you start with. The term 'AR-10' is still an Armalite trademark for their rifles, but many folks use it describe any .308 AR-style rifle.

None of these rifles is technically 'MilSpec'. While the military has bought small numbers of various types of .308 AR-style rifles, none has gone so far as to become a normal-issue weapon, even for snipers.

If it were me, I'd just buy a DPMS rifle in whatever configuration you like. You will spend a lot more money building one up to match it, and DPMS stands behind their products. The excellent Magpul magazines fit that style as well. There are other manufacturers making that type of mags for as little as $15 each.

[Jon_L]

Yeah most likely if i did build one, i would just do everything the same manufacturer, minus upgrade parts and what not. Been looking at the DMPS MLR in 308, looks like a great value for about $1350. It has a 16' barrel, so its pretty compact, i was looking for at least an 18inch barrel, but i might settle; haven't decided yet lol. Anyways i'll let you know and thanks for the info

Danny

People will say the DPMS stands for "Didn't Pass Mil-Spec" and sometimes it's true in their 15-pattern rifles. They make good stuff with a few bad eggs in the mix. With their 10-pattern rifles it seems they are the best in the $800-1600 range. Honestly. I'm a mil-spec parts whore, and I was going to do exactly what you plan on. DPMS and reconfigure it for my own. Nothing wrong with that, amigo.... In fact, you have me logging onto Gunbroker right now

Also, I know some of you have issues with the whole "DPMS is crap" bit, but keep in mind I didn't say that. If you have anything to say, send a message to keep this informative thread on track.

Edited September 21, 2012 by Jon_L

[trevorst]

That's a four shot group (didn't have enough rounds for five...that's a .136" group) from my less than mil spec DPMS 260 rem . It also gave a coyote another earhole this past week from a shade over 375 yards lol.

260 Rem (Winchester 243 brass)

140gr AmaX hornady

39gr IMR 4831

2.78" oal

Buy the dpms don't look back.

[Jon_L]

^ That's an awesome grouping.

[DaveTN]

I have a DPMS LR-308AP4 that I have been happy with. I don’t think you can build one for the price of buying one new. 308 parts and accessories are high. I assume because they aren’t really mainstream.

The only suggestion I would make is that if you buy new; get what you want on it when you buy it. I want a quad rail for mine, but I will probably just sell the rifle and buy the build I want, prices are crazy and then I would need to buy special tools for 308.

Funny story: I was at the range shooting next to a couple, we were both shooting AR-15’s, and he was teaching her to shoot. The next round I broke out the Panther. I fired about 10 rounds and when I stopped, she was standing to the side and said “What is that!†I told her it was a .308 Winchester. She looked back at her husband and said “I want one of thoseâ€. I wondered if he knew how lucky he was.

[trevorst]

We need to get all of the TN dpms 308 owners to go in and get a statewide community wrench to ship around when needed lol

[mikegideon]

I have a DPMS LR-308AP4 that I have been happy with. I don’t think you can build one for the price of buying one new. 308 parts and accessories are high. I assume because they aren’t really mainstream.

The only suggestion I would make is that if you buy new; get what you want on it when you buy it. I want a quad rail for mine, but I will probably just sell the rifle and buy the build I want, prices are crazy and then I would need to buy special tools for 308.

Funny story: I was at the range shooting next to a couple, we were both shooting AR-15’s, and he was teaching her to shoot. The next round I broke out the Panther. I fired about 10 rounds and when I stopped, she was standing to the side and said “What is that!†I told her it was a .308 Winchester. She looked back at her husband and said “I want one of thoseâ€. I wondered if he knew how lucky he was.

I helped a friend put a free float tube on an LR308. He had to buy an upper receiver block, a wrench for the new barrel nut, and a gas block (had to cut the pins on the old one to get them out). Lots of truth to your statement if cost is your biggest concern.