Is the Ar10 worth it?

[MRH]

LMT'S, 308 AR, is a very good toy.

Excellent weapons! Shot one of these a few weeks ago and was very impressed. A little heavy, but manageable and soooo sweet shooting. The gun belongs to a friend of mine and he hunts with it very successfully. I want one. I need one in my life.

The only thing that has stopped me from snagging up a .308 AR is the ammo costs. Not something I could shoot regularly, and not something I could stockpile. That's the only reason I don't have one and probably never will, but if I do decide to get one, I will take a hard look at the LMT's. What ever happened to the good old days of military surplus .308? Anyone remember how we could grab up 1K rounds for $100? Man those were the days. Maybe I'm getting old.

 

[GAgunLAWbooklet]

I like the idea of a .308 rifle that is easily fitted with a scope and can serve as a hunting rifle for big game (a lot bigger game than a .223 can handle) while still offering rapid-fire semi-auto operation with 20+ round magazines, so it can fill a role in defense or combat too.

30 years ago when nobody was selling .30 AR-type rifles to civilians, I made my choice by getting a Springfield M1A.
Today, I would probably consider an AR pattern rifle in 308 (also capable of handling 7.62 NATO military ammo as well as any commercial .308 Win hunting ammo) to be the best choice, with something like the M1A a second choice.

I've fired CETMEs and G3s before, but they're awfully expensive or difficult to put a scope on, aren't they?
Even a decent scope base from the M1A costs $200- $300.
The AR-10 family of flat-top receiver rifles makes more sense. Especially if you want one with a threaded muzzle ready to take a .308 rated suppressor.
(the adapter I would need for my M1A's threaded barrel would be $200 itself, and I'd lose my front sight. )

 

[user 71]

The G3/CETME family of rifles is usually hard to scope without spending a bit of money (special mount and a high end stock to get a good cheek weld). PTR sells G3 clones with a top Picatinny rail already welded on, but you'll need the stock or a cheek insert to get a consistent face-to-stock position. Also, the manual of arms is very weird/different for someone accustomed to ARs.

Those surplus mags sure are cheap, though! You can get some very good conditions for about $5 apiece.