knownalien
Ultimate Member
DPMS LR-308T
When I first purchased this rifle new, I was really impressed with how it looked. Though it is a 16" barrel, it is still heavy. The barrel under the FF rail is THICK. I had purchased all of the required tools to take it apart. And I took off the barrel and really examined it. It takes a strap wrench to take off the FF rail. I was rather amazed and maybe a little shocked at just how little torque appeared to be applied to the barrel nut. I have a torque wrench. It is rather difficult to torque this barrel nut as it only wants to line up to ONE hole. But that doesn't worry me. There's practically nor tortional forces acting on the nut as it is.
At the range, there were problems. I mean major problems. The thread referencing that issue is probably in here somewhere. FTEs and FTLs. All in all it took two visits to DPMS to fix it. On the first visit, they replaced the upper, but the problem persisted. On the 2nd visit they really worked on the feed ramps of the upper and possibly polished the chamber. The bottom line here is, it is very reliable as a result. I shot no steel nor reloads. The other bottom line here is that DPMS's customer service has always been good to me.
There is one minor annoyance. The clamp screwed into the FF rail for the strap seems to be loose more than not. I suppose I could add a washer to it and torque it in better, maybe loctite it.
What I have on it. This version has an elevated Upper rail. Ostensibly this is done to make using a scope easier on the cheek weld. I can live with or without it. It does make for some confusion when looking for upgrades and matching heights and the fact that DPMS quietly adjusted the specs for that rail. My intention was to keep it stock anyway unless one could really lighten the rifle. But, that's only possible in 2 ways. One option saves like half an ounce and involves using the carbon fiber version of the FF rails. The other option is to use what they call a "lighter" upper. I don't know how much lighter it is, but it is likely done at the expense of thinning the upper. With the mass of the bolt, I wouldn't risk it. It's going to be a heavy gun no matter what. I hold it every day to get used to it, and the AR15's then feel so much lighter! The front gas block is such that you must buy any sight designed NOT for a rail. All of them should work. I run this one:
MCTAR-FFG (the one on the left)
Any rear sight will due too. I run this one.
I had a scope on this gun, but two reasons made me rethink that setup. 1) with a 16", you are not going to get the sniper range of a 20" barrel or even an 18" barrel. 2) it makes a heavy rifle even heavier!
So I opted to use a lite red dot sight. I chose this little gem:
Vortex SPARC
It is sighted in at 50 yards like all of my rifles. Lastly, I made one other major change. I had a professional gunsmith pin the gas block to the barrel.
adcofirearms
My reasoning was that the two little set screws were at risk of coming loose. This platform is, well, over gassed. Let's be serious. .308. 16" barrel. I use a HIGH temp red loctite on the set screws as it is (600 deg f/h). But I wanted to shoot with confidence. So I have the extra protection of the pinned gas block. DMPS had slightly dimpled the barrel for the set screws, but ADCO free of charge made the dimples better!! And they are quick!
Lastly, I run the KNS anti-walk system.
KNS
How accurate is it? Well, I shot American Eagle 7.62X51. The gun is capable of shooting better than me. I am used to the AR15. The kick of the .308 is significant. I am right handed. I found I had to take my left hand and do the wrap-around hold on the stock. Really, in this carbine format, the recoil is jarring. At 50 yards, 1 inch groups were easily attainable and laughable by better shooters than myself. And rest assured, this rifle (and most modern rifles) that are chambered for 7.62X51 can in fact shoot .308.
What is the role of this rifle in my philosophy of use? Well, really, just to have a .308 semi-automatic. My number 2 choice would probably be a Savage bolt action. The LR-308T rifle is much more tactical. In a WROL situation, I trust this rifle. But I don't trust it for long range shots. You know, to be perfectly honest, this is really why I did it: penis envy. Or something like it. I had AR15's, but I kept going to the store and wondering which rifle in a bigger caliber bullet could I afford? Could I justify in my arsenal? Well, this one was just really pretty! Especially for an AR15 fancier like myself. The ballistics are similar to the 5.56, and as such, they would likely be used in similar circumstances except that the .308 has better barrier penetration power.
I had no issues with the DPMS factory steel mags, but they hold only 19 rnds, and I went ahead and got Magpul's version which holds 20 rnds.
I know many of you do not like nutnfancy, but as an LR-308T owner, this is the best video on the rifle:
youtube
edit: I use a 2-stage trigger by Bushmaster. The stock trigger is gritty as hell!! Great for an AR15 combat weapon. NOT good for and kind of precision work.
Bushmaster Two Stage Competition Trigger
