panther arms

[obxflea]

Anyone have one of these, shot one, know someone that has one?? I am not very familiar with AR-15's, I have shot a M-16 and really liked it. The only thing that kept me from getting something like that is the .223 caliber. I need to have a rifle i can hunt with. I happened to see an ad for panther arms in a magazine made me curious. I really had no idea that there was such a thing as a 19 round .243 or 260. Sounds like alot of fun. If anyone has experience with these rifles please give me the good, bad, ugly. Thank you very much for your help, Lee.



http://www.dpmsinc.com/store/products/?prod=2003

This is the one I am looking at. It has given me the itch bad..... Gotta have one.

 

[Freedomv]

I too, have been looking at this type of rifle. The local firearms store has several in a display case and I have noticed that they did not have a forward assist assemble/capability.

Remington has the AR-25 that does have the forward assist and I am leaning towards that rifle. However I have not handle either one so can not help you with anything other than this observation. Oh yes, the Remington is camo'ed. except for the dust shield and magazine.

Hope this helps a little.

Vern

 

[bj426]

They're just up the road from me...

Recently built one using almost exclusively their parts. Talked with several of their tech guys and they really seem to know what they are talking about. Build went well. Its DAMN smooth and has ~500rd (with zero malfunctions) through it and hasn't been cleaned since barrel break-in. I'm curious to see if it will jam and how many rounds it will take. This was my first AR build. Fit, finish on all of the DPMS parts I've gotten have been spectacular; and it's certainly more accurate than I am, but I'm getting better every mag...

the forward assist on the upper is optional, some have it some don't. Some ppl prefer to save weight and get the upper without the FA and dust cover. most ppl will never need em

www.dpmsinc.com

 

[Magnuumpwr]

Can't help you as far as the 243 or 260, but I do own an DPMS LR 308. It has the forward assist and the dust cover, true most people will never need the dust cover. As for the forward assist, I am glad that I opted for it. Being brand new it has trouble completely closing on the initial charging with a full mag. Below is a pic of my gun.

 

[obxflea]

I have one more stupid question... What the heck is a forward assist?? I have hunted bolt actions my whole life. The whole AR thing is completely new to me. Thanks again for you help, you guys are great.. Lee.

 

[XD45]

The forward assist it the button looking thing on the right side of an AR directly behind the ejection port cover. The purpose of the forward assist is to allow the user to force the bolt to close. In some situations the BCG (bolt carrier group) will not fully close when loading a round. This can be due to excessive dirt dragging on the bolt, "riding" the bolt home when loading, or doing a brass check verify the chamber is loaded. The FA allows the user to essentially ram the bolt closed on the loaded chamber. I have yet to need to use it 'for real' on my M16 in the Corps, but it is nice to know that it is there.

 

[hoosier8]

Forward Assist: The little button or plunger just behind the ejection port. Push it forward to fully seat the round. Some claim that it can also jam a round that is not sized right.

 

[obxflea]

so its the bolt so you can rack the slide?? Like if a cartridge didnt eject, you can clear it and keep firing?

 

[XD45]

No, that's not what the FA is/does. That's more the function of the charging handle, which is a T-shaped handle behind the carry handle. That is what you use to "rack the slide" of an AR, or pull it open if the round fails to eject properly. The FA simply allows you to ensure that the bolt is fully closed. In the attached picture, #1 is the forward assist, #2 is the charging handle.

 

[Aka Zero]

Second for, what is forward assist.

Does it just help the bolt close?

 

[MAKster]

The forward assist allows you to manually force the bolt closed. The original idea was that in combat after a lot of firing the rifle might be fouled and the bolt might not close fully. Now some people say it is a bad idea to forcefully jam a cartridge into the chamber if it doesn't go in easily. While the forward assist allows you to fire one more shot, it also increases the likelihood that you gun will be totally jammed after that.

 

[Aka Zero]

So useless for people that have time to clean there guns....

Or people that have AKs....

My AR will be for accuracy, The AK I will get will be for reliability.

 

[gvnwst]

i have heard nothing but good about the DPMS line, although i don't have one. remember, the .243 or .260 is going to be a bit bigger than the standaed AR. see if you can locate a friend who has one and try it out.

 

[Magnuumpwr]

The 243 will be built utilizing the same lower as the 308, same upper receiver, bolt, and carrier group. Just will have a different barrel. To make my rifle a 243, I could order a new upper or just the barrel and wal-la, done.

 

[Beagle-zebub]

Magnuumpwr, how much does that thing weigh? I would trust the DPMS website, but the number they give seems inordinately high, both for a battle rifle and in the context of the other models they offer in that chambering.

 

[Magnuumpwr]

I don't have a scale on hand to weigh it, but what I can tell you is that you wouldn't want to pack this around on a long hunt. The weight of the gun does make this a nice setup to bench shooting though! Nevermind, found my scale, weighs 14#'s as shown in pic with full mag and less bayonet.

 

[MikeWSC]

Obxflea,

Panther makes very good AR's, mine is a National Match upper, 1" - 7 twist 20" SS Bull Barrel for the heavier 75gr. Hornady BTHP. Carry handle with match sights. I use it for Hi-Power Match shooting out to 600 yards.

 

[obxflea]

Thank you for your help everyone. Now all I have to do is try to find the money for it.