308 AR Armalite or Rock River

P

Polinese

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I've been trying to decide which to pick up and have basically come down to the two factors of reliability, and fit and finish between these two. I don't mind the proprietary parts of Rock River. I"m more curious if one or the other is more reliable/better put together.

as far as specific models for the Rock River I'm looking at the 20 inch varmint
and for the Armalite the AR-10T
 
Im not sure but ppl tend to like both pretty well. I considered this type of rifle and got consistent armalite and RRA recommendations.
 
I'm leaning more towards the Armalite but figured if there isn't much difference with the cheaper RRA then it's just more money for optics and such.
 
This is just my opinion but I would go with the Armalite. They designed it and have spent over 50 years working out all the bugs.
 
Out of those two i would also pick Armalite

If your budget isn't a concern...

LMT MWS
LWRC REPR
GAP-10
SR-25
Larue OBR
Noveske N6
 
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I've no interest in DPMS honestly. Originally a LMT MWS was on the docket but some other expenses arose and drastically reduced the budget. I think I'm going to end up with a Armalite
 
Holy hell i just realized that i somehow misread... idk where i got DPMS from.

I'd still pick Armalite. Don't like the aesthetics of the LAR.
 
I can attest to the RR build quality and have been considering getting their 308 to add to my RR AR that I currently have.
 
Own a RRA 16 incher, and very pleased with it's accuracy/reliabilty. However the short barrel and 1 in 10 in twist does not like bullets less than 165 grains. Am considering this a disadvantage, and a friend described similiar results in DPMS long barreled target rifle with same twist. It uses FAL mags, which i have plenty of.

You can order kinda semi custom features through RRA, but may involve a longer wait.
 
I do not have an opinion on the Armalite.

I do own an RRA in 5.56 and the same general category (accurate stainless steel barrel). I would recommend it highly.

The fit and finish are very good, the two stage trigger is truly a match grade trigger (it was good enough my brother bought one for his AR, I think he had a Geiselie trigger). They make a very good gun at a reasonable price using top grade components.

They do guarantee accuracy at 1 MOA which means you are likely to be .75 at minimum.

As for proprietary, I may be wrong but I think all 308 ARs are non standard as they never went into production like the M16 and there is no mil spec.
Even if Armalite is the basis of design, you would still have to buy all your parts from them.

I could be wrong, but other than magazines I assume bolts etc all vary between Armalite, DPMS, LMT etc.
 
The Armalite AR 10b (their "current" offering") uses the M1A mags that are modified. They are working on a second generation mag that is supposed to be "better." Either way, these mags are expensive.

However, Armalite just announced this week that they will be making the AR10A which uses the AR10 magazines, like pmags, DPMS, Knights Armament, etc.

The Armalite faithful are divided on this considering they're stuck in proprietary Armalite mags that are expensive.

I'm holding out for a Colt LE901 that shoots 308, but with an upper swap can go to .223/5.56.

Not that I'll ever need to, but it would be nice to be able to. I'm not sure at this point. I'll have to wait to see what the street price is. I *should* have one or the other by the end of the year. Either the Armalite AR10a or the Colt LE901.
 
I would go with the Armalite. They designed it and have spent over 50 years working out all the bugs
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You sure? I think the Armalite of today is just a new company with an old name. They have no connection to the Armalite that originaly designed the AR10/AR15's.
(like how Springfield arms isn't the same as the old us armory company)
 
The Armalite AR 10b (their "current" offering") uses the M1A mags that are modified. They are working on a second generation mag that is supposed to be "better." Either way, these mags are expensive.
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The AR-10 I looked at last spring does not use modified M14 magazines. The evolution beyond the modified M14 mags is apparent but that's about where it ends. They probobly still carry that older style.

5 magazines for 150 direct, is not all that bad in the scheme of things.
 
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Choice of ar-10`s

My SON shoots a DPMS LR-308 and loves it. I shoot a ARMALITE AR-10 (T) and think I have been blessed by the gods We disagree about which is the best. Realy just depends on the day and the shooter. But you didn`t asked about the DPMS, you might want to rethink that decison. My ARMALITE will shoot an inch or less at a 100yrds with any thing I have tried, but she will shoot 1/2 inch or less with the loads she likes. I have shot some coyotes with her and a lot of PD`S. The DPMS will do the same mabey better but my choice is the ARMALITE. We use 8-32x40 AO`S 4200 ELITES on both of them, we really like thoes scopes. Good luck on your choice. Thanks for letting me join your site.
ken
 
The Armalite AR 10b (their "current" offering") uses the M1A mags that are modified. They are working on a second generation mag that is supposed to be "better." Either way, these mags are expensive.

However, Armalite just announced this week that they will be making the AR10A which uses the AR10 magazines, like pmags, DPMS, Knights Armament, etc.
Click to expand...

The AR-10B uses Gen II mags, these are based on the M14 mag. Back when the current ArmaLite started producing the AR-10 the weapons ban was in effect. In order to offer a high capacity mag they need to use a pre ban style. They choose to use the M14 mag, modified, these are the Gen I mags.

Current ArmaLite GenII mags cost $5-8 more than the SR-25 style Pmags, and much less than the KAC ot LMT mags.



The Armalite faithful are divided on this considering they're stuck in proprietary Armalite mags that are expensive.
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Hardly proprietary considering the number of manufacturers that offer rifles that use this magazine.



I'm holding out for a Colt LE901 that shoots 308, but with an upper swap can go to .223/5.56.

Not that I'll ever need to, but it would be nice to be able to. I'm not sure at this point. I'll have to wait to see what the street price is. I *should* have one or the other by the end of the year. Either the Armalite AR10a or the Colt LE901.
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I've watch several vids on the 901, one a friend sent from a demo at SHOT just yesterday. It well be interesting to see if this is a success. Lot of parts need to be changed to swap between .308 and .223.

I like the idea, but I question the weight when in the .223 configuration. Time well tell.
 
I would go with one of the DPMS/SR25 patterned guns instead of the Armalite as there are a ton of manufacturers supporting that design package. While the Armalites are nice why limit yourself to their proprietary design? Also, beware of CMMGs offering as they have a lot of dimensional fit issues that arent in spec with the standard pattern. There are several reviews on You Tube that detail the problems.

I picked up a Bushmaster MOE mid length carbine and have been pretty happy with it. I have about 450 rounds through it without any issues. I'm in the process of building another 308 AR using MEGA receivers and a Noveske barrel.

Here is a pic of the Bushy topped with a Vortexx 4x. I've since replaced the crappy MAGUL MBUIS with a LWRC site. Considering how inexpensive the Bushy was, I feel it was a lot of gun for the money.

1398658b.jpg
 
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Considering the cost of one or the other, I would hold off for a couple of weeks more till the results (new products) from the SHOOT SHOW are out on the market.

When in doubt, do nothing.

Jim
 
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