DPMS LR-308 or LR-308B?

[shadowalker]

I am facing a bit of a dilemma, I will be purchasing a LR-308 in the very near future and have been going back and forth a bit on barrel length and my wife suggested I post a poll at THR .

I am considering the LR-308 with 24 inch stainless barrel (11.20 lb) and the LR-308B with 18 inch chrome-moly barrel (9.65 lb).

It will primarily be used for target shooting, at 200-300 yards and occasionally 500 yards or so. I am not overly concerned about weight but I'd also like to use it as one of my SHTF rifles.

I am leaning pretty heavily towards the LR-308B with 18 inch barrel. My wife likes the LR-308 AP4 the most but I want a bull barrel and can't bring myself to do a 16 inch barrel in .308.

 

[JWarren]

I have the 24" Stainless Steel fluted one. Frankly, it weights a ton.

While I have no doubt it would do fine as a SHTF rifle, I decided to build a AR-15 M4-gery to serve as my primary SHTF rifle.

If you are building for target/accuracy-- like I did for the LR-308, I would go with the 24" barrel.

I wouldn't mind using mine as a SHTF rifle, but I realize that there are better choices in that role than a 12 pound rifle (when all is said and done mine is going to be post-12 pounds).

Incidently, I DO plan to use mine as a hunting rifle out of my field deer stands. However, in those I basically climb up, prop up and shoot. There's not a lot of need for maneuverability. My field stands are the hunting equivalent of benchrest shooting. Now my portable is a different story for a different rifle.


-- John

 

[shadowalker]

Thanks for your insight. I do want a high amount of accuracy and had my eye on the 24 inch initially.

I'm planning on purchasing an AR-15 in the next 9 months or so as well but face the reality that it may end up in the hands of my wife in a SHTF scenario. I guess that'll help me make the argument I *NEED* more than one .

 

[JWarren]

I guess that'll help me make the argument I *NEED* more than one

Let me know how that goes. I've been slowly working the same arguement with my wife.

She's seen the light on a SBR project I want to do simply because I explained to her that Obama and Hillary don't want us to have them. For her, that was good enough.


Yep, I got a good one.


-- John

 

[tkcomer]

I went back and forth on this decision also. I ordered the LR-308B because I once had an AR-15 with a 24" barrel. It was way too nose heavy for me. Pretty much a bench rest gun. And it didn't shoot any better than my AR-15 with a 16" varmint upper at 100 yards. The way I understand it, and I may be wrong, unless you're shooting over 500 yards, you don't need those extra few inches. Over 500 yards, the extra velocity helps.

 

[shadowalker]

tkcomer: do you know what kind of velocities you are getting with the 18 inch barrel?

 

[velocette]

I too agonized over the 18" vs 24" barrel question. I chose the 18 barrel. My rifle with my reloads will consistently shoot under 1 moa, generally about 3/4" @ 100 yds. I chrono'd my load once & got about a 2500 fps average. For the type of shooting I do, the 18" barrel is just fine. Had I access to a 1000 yd range & needed the extra 100 + /- fps from the longer tube, I might have chosen the heavier & ungainly longer tube.
Just as an incidental suggestion, I strongly advise getting your rifle with an upgraded trigger, JP or some other. The stock trigger is horrible.

Roger