Are they useful for anything but hunting? Why are DPMS AR10s so relatively inexpensive? Do they reliably cycle like the AR15 or are they finicky? I want one, but don't know if I should. TIA

I had a wonderfully accurate AR-10t built by JP Enterprises. This was years ago, when the Gen 1 mags and conversions were what you got. Ban era.

Now that they've got gen 2, and some platforms use FAL mags, or stoner mags, the weak point in the AR-10 is solved.

Mine was great, but basically a straight pull single shot because of the gen 1 mags.

What are your goals for the rifle? They are useful for a variety of things, but one meant for precision long range shooting isn't necessarily good for other things.

What is your budget?

That's the question, isn't it? What are my goals? I don't know really. I like long distance shooting but not sure of the utility of a DMR. Maybe a more versatile iteration would be better. Budget would be somewhere up to 2000.00 before optics.

Theyre useful for anything an ar15 is useful for, with more authority.

Not sure id spend 2k on one if you dont know what its use will be.

With todaysprices its proabbaly a safe bet to buy one and find out while you can do so ont he cheap. I dont see them getting any cheaper than they are today. Palmetto runs deals that put them under 600.00

quote:

Originally posted by WARPIG602:
Theyre useful for anything an ar15 is useful for, with more authority.

Not sure id spend 2k on one if you dont know what its use will be.

With todaysprices its proabbaly a safe bet to buy one and find out while you can do so ont he cheap. I dont see them getting any cheaper than they are today. Palmetto runs deals that put them under 600.00

I guess that's my question. At 600.00, is that a reliable gun or a hiccup gun?

quote:

Originally posted by darthfuster:

quote:

Originally posted by WARPIG602:
Theyre useful for anything an ar15 is useful for, with more authority.

Not sure id spend 2k on one if you dont know what its use will be.

With todaysprices its proabbaly a safe bet to buy one and find out while you can do so ont he cheap. I dont see them getting any cheaper than they are today. Palmetto runs deals that put them under 600.00

I guess that's my question. At 600.00, is that a reliable gun or a hiccup gun?

Im sure its more prone to having issues than say a Larue or similar class gun but for the money its a cheap way to get your feet wet. Id bet there are more people that are happy with theirs than are not. In 3 years you can probably bet it will double in price.

If you really want to do it right, up your budget a smidge and get a SCAR 17. Probably isnt a more reliable,lightweight, accurate and proven 308 semi out there.

Please don't advertise outside of the classifieds. If one person does it, everyone will.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: arcwelder,

^^^^^ thats a good deal. Only sold my DMR to buy the SCAR and the DMR was easily more accurate. Theyre hefty but if accuracy is your game you wont find a more accurate 308 than the DMR at that price.

Guys, if you want to contact a member about your ad in the classifieds or theirs, do it via email.

quote:

Originally posted by darthfuster:
That's the question, isn't it? What are my goals? I don't know really. I like long distance shooting but not sure of the utility of a DMR. Maybe a more versatile iteration would be better. Budget would be somewhere up to 2000.00 before optics.

$2000 before optics will get you a very nice rifle, and you might look at JP Enterprises, though they are more expensive.

The Armalite branded rifles still deserve a look, and really, if you're not sure of a purpose, you can go more middle of road. The spendy ones reach out farther. As in, SR-25 and variants, but they also have their picadillos.

AR-10s are definitely useful for things other than hunting. Quality models are quite accurate, and thus can be used for precision shooting at distance. There are competitions specifically geared to AR-10s. An AR-10 works for self defense, although it wouldn't be my first choice, primarily due to recoil.

Quality AR-10s cycle very reliably. But I've never had a cycling malfunction with my AR-10 or any of my AR-15s in many thousands of rounds.

An AR-10 requires substantially better marksmanship skills over an AR-15 to shoot accurately. There's roughly 3-5 times more recoil energy to control with an AR-10. The AR-10 BCG weighs a lot more than that of an AR-15, and disrupts the gun's cycling action more. All this energy is dampened by heavy rifles, but most people don't want to deal with a heavy AR-10.

There are many differences among AR-10s that cost $600 and $2000. And the really premium ones of $3000 to $4000. The rifles in each price range will be designed towards given performance parameters. Your shooting performance requirements should be nailed down first.

A precision AR-10 will be expensive, just as a precision AR-15 costs a pretty penny. IMO value-priced AR-10s should be put in the same boat as inexpensive AR-15s -- generally made for lower round counts, cheaper ammo, and lower accuracy expectations. But they can still be good, reliable rifles.

An AR-10 doesn't equate with a 308 chambering anymore. There are a number of bore size options -- 6mm, 6.5mm, 7mm, 338, and others. Magnum chambers, too, such as 300 Win Mag. I steer people away from 308, regardless of the application. And yes, I understand 308 very well, as I have about 5,000 rounds down the pipe of my 308 bolt action rifle.

IMO you first need to truly decide what your primary use will be for an AR-10. From there you can narrow the options, so you can choose a rifle that will do more than collect dust in your safe. Of course, if all you want to do is own an AR-10 so you can say to others "I own an AR-10", then get out a Ouija board, a blind fold, and choose away.

There's no requirement to buying a completed AR-10 from a given manufacturer. I built mine from various components, but one must understand that not all components are compatible with each other.

quote:

Originally posted by darthfuster:
That's the question, isn't it? What are my goals? I don't know really. I like long distance shooting but not sure of the utility of a DMR. Maybe a more versatile iteration would be better. Budget would be somewhere up to 2000.00 before optics.

With this budget and liking shooting longer distances, look at the 6mm and 6.5 Creedmoor.

JP rifles are like clicking the easy button for performance and accuracy. They cost but they perform. The question is if you need that level of performance.

fritz,

That's a great post. I will be reading that again.

I want an AR10 as well but I was thinking PSA at $700 plus optic. But I have the same question: do I want one.

And I can't answer Arc's question of what the goal for the rifle would be. For me, I think I'd want it just to get an AR in something that's not .223/5.56.

Evaluate how much you want to shoot it / how much you can afford to shoot a AR-10 caliber semi.

Ammo factory loads of equivalent quality are about twice the price.

Just don't let it surprise you. Obvious to some, I know but you'd be surprised how often that is overlooked.

If you like shooting AR-15's you will love shooting the AR-10. It is almost as much fun as swimming nekkid... I've built 2 since I bought my M&P 10. One I built as a pistol to eventually SBR and one I built for accuracy. All 3 sport JP low mass bolts and adjustable gas systems. Very soft shooting and very reliable.

As far as I'm concerned if you are going to reach out and touch something you might as well let them know you really care by send 175 gr of love their way.

The only 2 I've ever shot were both DPMS in .223 and .308. The .223 was a 24" fluted stainless barrel and the .308, a 20". I took notice of the 30 against my boney shoulder. All in all, the DPMS was reliable and accurate. That is the extent of my AR experience. For me, the cool factor in a AR10 is a Rhino.

On a free evening come take a look at my AR10. When it warms up a smidge we can go shoot it. I dont have a scope on it like the one we shot out in Tooele, but i love mine!! Ive only taken it out 3x but i Love it so far.

I personally don't find an AR-10 very useful for hunting.

Unless you're trying to do something specialized, like trying to kill as many of a group of feral hogs as possible, a semiautomatic rifle has no real benefit over a bolt gun, and the downside is that the AR-10 is huge and HEAVY.

If you are looking specifically at the DPMS, go with the Gen2. 7.62 gives you a better reach over the 5.56. The DPMS Gen2 and Savage are built on an intermediate sized receiver and are a little lighter if weight is a concern. I would also add an adjustable gas block to reduce recoil as many are over gassed.

You can always build one too. I have an Armalite A4 and an Aero Precision carbine that I built.

Thank you all for your perspectives. Food for thought. I can see I need to determine the goal first. And Porter, that's a nice rifle! Would love to see how it smokes