LAR 8 decision making

D

DownShift

Inactive
Hello everyone I am new to the forum and fairly new to rifles other than your basic handguns and deer rifles, I've been wanting a semi auto AR style rifle or a while and a friend turned me on to RRA and I'm trying to decide between the LAR 8 .308 Varmint A4 (26" bull barrel") and the LAR 8 standard A4 (20" barrel w/muzzle break)..... I would like to hear yalls opinions of the pros and cons for both. I want the AR style with the range and knock down power of the .308. Where I live I'll probably never get a chance to fire beyond 400+ yards so would the standard A4 20" be adaquate uP to 400 yards or would I need the longer barreled version?
 
If you're going to use it for varmint hunting, I'd go with the bull barrel. If you're planning on a lot of off hand shooting, then id go with the standard profile.

Bull barrel will hold better groups for repeated shots better than a standard profile because it wont heat up and expand the bore as fast. Also, barrel vibration Isn't as big of a factor with a bull barrel as they tend to absorb the energy better. Also, the weight the bull barrel adds will help steady your aim when shooting beyond 200 yards.
 
DownShift said:
Where I live I'll probably never get a chance to fire beyond 400+ yards so would the standard A4 20" be adaquate uP to 400 yards or would I need the longer barreled version?
Click to expand...

The 20" well be more than adequate for 400yds. A 16" well shoot 400yds as well with a slightly lower velocity. Barrel length effects velocity not accuracy.

The .308 AR platform is a heavy rifle. If you plan to hunt with it then a 16" is the better choice. As a bench or stationary position only then a 20 or 21" well get out past 800yds.

IMO there are better choices than the LAR.
 
I held up a 26 inch varmint the other day and IT IS HEAVY!

I'd hate to have to carry that thing hunting in any way. If it were for the bench I'd still have to think about it.
 
How heavy are we talking? I have a 12 pound Rem 700 VLS, that I wouldn't think twice about varmint hunting with. I guess some people need a 6 or 7 lb rifle.
 
I'm not varmint hunting with a .308 ... I want this rifle for long range big kills... I figured I wanna just go BIG with my .308 and just buy .233 for a smaller light weight rifle for varmint hunting and plinking... Not to mention the smaller lighter .223 will be better for home defense in my opinion..... I FINALY just made up my mind to go with 2 guns instead of trying to get 2 guns in 1...
 
madcratebuilder said:
IMO there are better choices than the LAR.
Click to expand...

Can you site some examples? Instead of just saying it be helpful and suggest things for the guy.

IMHO, the LAR-8 is a great rifle. My brother ordered one not too long ago, standard A4 type. I never fired it but the finish and fit was perfect, or very close anyways. It felt solid. He ordered his with a free float tube (which effects accuracy) and muzzle brake.
I was very impressed with it. Unfortunately, he ended out getting rid of it before I was able to fire it. I dont think you can go wrong with this weapon. The A4 style was not overly heavy, and felt very balanced.
 
Hopefully you mean medium size game like Whitetail and Mulies, bc the .308 round is not exactly a heavy hitter. Kills insurgents yes... but may not be as effective on Moose or Elk.
 
Sorry guys I'll clarify.... Where I live the "big" I was referring to is white tail... We have some wild hog and cougars..... There isn't anything I would need say a .458 SOCOM for or anything like that...... I wanna get better at long range shooting and also be able to drop any deer that i can get in my scope.... Also i found out today I will be ordering my rifle Monday!!!! Gonna suck waiting 4 months for it to get here... =(
 
I Actually want more weight as we mostly use stands/blinds/shoot houses when hunting around here and the extra weight eats up recoil
 
Ah thanks for pointing that out, Coyote. I must have skimmed that part. So yeah, for a 'big' kill (moose, elk) the 308 isn't the right cartridge.

Otherwise, the 308 is probably one of my favorite rounds, accurate, lots of bullet selection, good knockdown power, good mv & pretty good energy retention.
 
CookieMonster said:
Quote:
Originally Posted by madcratebuilder
IMO there are better choices than the LAR.
Click to expand...

Can you site some examples? Instead of just saying it be helpful and suggest things for the guy.

IMHO, the LAR-8 is a great rifle. My brother ordered one not too long ago, standard A4 type. I never fired it but the finish and fit was perfect, or very close anyways. It felt solid. He ordered his with a free float tube (which effects accuracy) and muzzle brake.
I was very impressed with it. Unfortunately, he ended out getting rid of it before I was able to fire it. I dont think you can go wrong with this weapon. The A4 style was not overly heavy, and felt very balanced.
Click to expand...

My remark was in no way intended to disparage the LAR-8. The one example I have shot was a nice fit and finish, very accurate. This was a 16" A4 style and felt a little heavier than the ArmaLite 16" carbine I had with me.

The owner did mention a problem with some of the inch pattern FAL mags not fitting the mag well and not dropping free with the mag release.

The .308 AR's are basically offered in three different magazine choices. FAL mags, M14 mags and SR-25 mags. The SR-25 design has won the magazine war and is the defacto standard IMHO. The new ArmaLite AR-10A that uses the SR-25 mag was convinced me.

I have no plans on parting with my M14 mag based Noveske N6 or ArmaLite AR-10, but if I buy another .308 AR it well be a SR-25 style.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top