Build 2: .308 AR Long Range Target – Varmint Rifle
DPMS LR-308 Precision Rifle
Introduction
Below is a list of the hardware I selected for this build. When possible I will explain the reasons for my decisions as they apply to this project. Every attempt will be made to include images of the actual parts as well as how much I paid and links to where I obtained the parts from.
Build 2 : This project will be based on the DPMS LR-308 platform. Originally destined to be a future build this .308 AR begins life out of the difficulty in obtaining parts for build 1. I now have parts on order for two 308 AR rifles and the guns will be completed based on which parts arrive first. Its really going to come down to which barrel arrives first.
This .308 AR is going to utilize a 24″ heavy stainless barrel. I will look to precision rifles such as JP Rifles for inspiration. A gun like this will be heavy and awkward and geared towards long range sub MOA accuracy. By long range I’m talking several hundred yards. If your looking to shoot at 200 yards and under an 18″ barrel will be just as accurate at those distances and the difference in bullet velocity will be insignificant. You will notice many guys who build these 24″ guns end up getting the barrels shortened over time.
Cost to date: $3667.26 not including magazines,Troy BUIS and anything in the small parts category below. Safe to say it was $4000 not including tools and items I bought and decided not to use.
Update: January 12, 2011 – After having this for a while I am still quite happy with the result. The only major change was the bipod. The Tango Down had to go. I found it awkward and difficult to manipulate. Hated it is putting it mildly. I replaced it with a GG&G Heavy Duty XDS Bipod. Additionally Magpul has since released the 308 PMAG 20LR. That is now the go to magazine for DPMS/SR25 weapons.
DPMS Stripped Lower Receiver
DPMS Stripper AR 308 Lower Receiver 308-LR-05 $349.99 + $40 Transfer to my local FFL $389.99
DPMS Stripped Upper Receiver A3 Flattop Matte
DPMS AR 308 Stripped Upper Receiver 3308-FTT-EA1 $179.99
This was a pretty easy choice. I’m left handed and didn’t want to risk a smooth sided upper from Fulton Armory or JP Rifles for fear of cases flying into my face. The DPMS A3 is a typical flattop similar to that of an AR15 and because of this it includes a shell deflector in its design.
DPMS AR 308 Upper Receiver LR-308 A3 Flattop
Fulton Armory -FAR-308 Lower Receiver Parts Kit
Fulton Armory -FAR-308 Lower Receiver Parts KitFACS-308 LRPK-LTG 59.95
Fulton had it in stock without the trigger group. That was exactly what I wanted. Delivery was in about 3 days!!!
American Trigger Corp SR Gold Trigger System
$279.95
The American Trigger Corp SR Gold Trigger System is a brand new product from American Trigger Corp. ATC’s Gold Trigger for AR15 rifles has been receiving great reviews so I decided in the spirit of this site to get one of these in our hands for this build. The ATC SR is priced exactly with the Geiselle at $279.95 and at the price my expectations are high. The Geiselle is currently the reigning champion of AR TRIGGERS .
ATC AR Gold, SR Gold Trigger System
American Trigger Corp SR Gold Trigger System
DPMS 24″ Heavy Barrel
308-BL-24 $299
Not many options here at this time. DPMS barrels get pretty high marks for accuracy and the price isn’t too bad either $299. Down the road as funds and supply become available I will get a Krieger on order for when this barrel is burned out.
Barrel length: 24″-26″ is typical on .308 AR’s built for long range precision
Ordered June 23,2009.
Fulton Armory – Bolt Carrier
FA-TN-300-105 $309.95
Not many choices here. DPMS is predicting incredible wait times. JP is expecting to manufacture some stripped carriers in the fall. Armalite’s are nowhere to be seen. This leaves Fulton Armory. I do suspect that the Fulton Armory bolt carrier is in fact DPMS. Ordered 06-23-2009.
Update: As of 7-15-2009 the carrier has not been received. In an effort to move this project along I am assembling a bolt carrier from parts. The Fulton Armory Carrier will remain on order.
Update: The carrier has shipped and will arrive on 07-27-09
- DPMS Stripped Bolt Carrier 308-BT-12
- DPMS Complete Bolt Assembly 308-BTASSY
- DPMS .308 Bolt Component Pack 308-BP-01 – Visit this page for details of the kits contents
- Fulton Armory Gas Key – DPMS AR15’s and .308 utilize the same gas key.
- Tacticalsprings.com heavy duty extractor spring. (See our article here)
Troy Battle Sights (BUIS)
Rear SSIG-FBS-R0BT-00 $149 Front-SSIG-FBS-FMBT-00 $129
This was an easy decision. The Troy Battle Sights are the best sights available for the AR15,M16,M4 rifle period. They are precisely machined of aluminum and stainless steel. All adjustment screws are recessed and cant accidentally be altered. They apertures are machined correctly to retain zero regardless of which aperture is being utilized (small aperture is correctly offset). The sights are on the correct plane to be co-witnessed with most optics. These sights are most likely the most expensive units available. If your life might depend on them one day they will be priceless.
Troy Front Folding Battle Sight
Troy Rear Folding Battle Sight
Magpul .308 PRS Precision Rifle Stock – DPMS LR-308 SR25 AR10
PRS AR10/SR25 (7.62 NATO) $233
I selected the Magpul PRS Stock for its quality, adjustability and it’s being well suited for shooting prone or from the bench. Additionally I will utilize an Accu-Shot BT05 Precision Rail Monopod at the bottom rail of the PRS
Small Parts
Below is the little stuff you don’t want to forget about
- Gas Tube
- Gas Tube Roll Pin
- Butt Stock Extension Tube
- Buffer – DPMS 308-BS-11
- David Tubb Superior Shooting AR-10 CS Buffer Spring
- Barrel Nut – note: Some free float handguard’s require a proprietary barrel nut that is either provided with the handguard or needs to be ordered at the same time. In our case the JP/VTAC is supplied with a special barrel nut. View the instructions here for more information. Note: the JP/VTAC has been eliminated from this project.
- Tacticalsprings.com heavy duty extractor spring. (See our article here)
Fulton Armory Titan .308 Free Float Handguard
FA-TN-HG $204
There’s is no need for a quad rail system on this particular rifle. To purchase such a handguard would be overkill and a waste of cash. The only accessory that will be added to this rifles handguard is a bipod. So with that in mind my research lead me to the JP/VTAC Modular Hand Guard System JPHG-1D but much to my disappointment the JP/VTAC like other key components seems impossible to obtain. So I set out again looking at the remaining free float tube options. I decided that I would take a leap of faith and order the Fulton Armory Titan handguard without ever seeing or touching one in person. The Titan FFHG seems to be rather uncommon as an aftermarket .308 AR handguard and I like that idea. Maybe it will appear a little different then the rest of the pack.
When ordering the Titan handguard I also ordered a 4″ picatinny for the bottom of the tube for the purpose of mounting a bipod.
Visit our TITAN HANDGUARD image page.
ERGO AR-LF Tactical Deluxe Grip with Palm Shelf, SUREGRIP – with Spacer – Pistol Grip
4066LF $66.00
PRI Low Profile Gas Block
I ended up sticking with the factory block to expedite the completion of this rifle.
Muzzle Brake/Flash Hider/Compensator
Unfortunately with the State of Connecticut’s “Assault Weapon” ban I will not be able to utilize anything threaded to the barrel. Here’s a few for the readers of this page.
Leupold Mark 4 8.5-25x50mm LR/T M1 Illuminated Reticle Long Range Tactical Rifle Scope
Sku 56090 $1350
Leupold Mark 4 8.5-25x50mm LR/T M1 Check it out here for now. Check out some images here
Leupold Alumina Lens Covers
$90.48
Leupold’s Alumina flip-back lens covers provide protection against water, snow, dust, and dirt; yet allow your scope to be ready at a moment’s notice. These thread-on covers feature powerful rare earth magnets to hold the lens covers securely closed. Objective and eyepiece covers feature triple O-ring seals to keep the lens clean and dry. These covers feature rugged aluminum construction. They flip back to a low-profile position where they are out of the way and out of your line of sight. Leupold Alumina flip-back lens covers are available for most Leupold scope objectives and eyepieces. More info here.
The lens covers are quite simply the best flip back, flip up lens covers period. They are expensive but worth every cent. These lens covers should come standard rather then the Leupold branded Butler Creek Blizzard Scope Covers.
The covers used with the Leupold Mark 4 are the EP 59055 Standard Eyepiece and the 59050 for the 50mm objective lens.
Leupold Alumina Lens Covers
LaRue Tactical SPR / M4 Scope Mount QD LT-158
$204.95
I wanted a QD mount with integral rings for this rifle for a couple of reasons.The first being the ability to remove the scope without tools to facilitate testing different optics. Secondly I liked the precision that an integral unit offers. Theoretically the rings should be aligned a little better and need less lapping. Lastly the Lt mount has nice lines and radiused edges. It looks and feels nice. Larue Tactical mounts have a reputation for being precise, rugged and reliable. The cost for those three characteristics is about $200. If your just going to put on a scope and leave it mounted you can save yourself some cash by going with the Armalite mount at about $80. Its battle proven. Brownells had a few QD mount offerings that I will try on later projects. Especially interesting where the GG&G Accucam and JP Rifles models. Lastly Brownells has American Defense that looks robust and very promising. I had not seen them before.
Selection: I thought I needed the LT-104 as it was mentioned on the Larue Tactical site as being ideal for AR-15 rifles. Just to double check I sent LT an email from their product page and within 12 hours I had a reply from Brian at Larue Tactical. Here is Brian’s response to using the LT-104 “if you plan on shooting 500-600m plus regularly, the LT158 has 10 MOA extra elevation built in, it will work as well” .
LaRue Tactical SPR / M4 Scope Mount QD LT-158
DPMS LR-308 C-Products .308 AR Magazines
I opted for two different brands of magazines, the official DPMS MA-3082 19 round and C Products 20 round model 510. The DPMS cost $45 regularly but with the current shortage of gun parts they are being sold online and at gun shows for $70. C Products cost $22 direct from the manufacturer. The magazines arrived in about two months after placing the order.
update -just buy the Magpul 308 P MAGS
Magpul PMAG 308 20LR
Magpul PMAG 308 Magazines
GG&G Heavy Duty XDS Bipod
$202
Originally I had wanted a Bobro Engineering bipod for this build but they aren’t currently available. I tried a Tango Down (see note at top of page) that did not work for me. In the end I settled on the GG&G Heavy Duty XDS Bipod. This unit is a bit pricey and heavy. The only other option would have been the Harris Bipod which is an outstanding value.
Source Links
Below is a list of the manufacturers and sources I used or mentioned for this build.
- Magpul
- DPMS
- Fulton Armory
- Troy Industries
- JP Rifles
- C Products LLC
- Ergo
- GG&G
- American Trigger Corp
- PRI