For those of you that have looked or handled a new Armalite DEF10, hows the fit and finish look to you? Armalite used to be a great rifle but after they were sold I wonder if they are still a good choice for the guy with a $1500 limit.
You can find these for 1k or less usually and they are probably one of the better, if not best values for the cheaper ar10s.
Been trying to decide between a Windham SCR, a Savage Hunter , APF and a Armalite DEF 10, Just trying to get the best value I can for my money. The biggest problem is most of these guns don’t have a long track record and honest info is hard to get when you minus out the fan boy responses.
Yea it can be tough choosing. I would say the Def10 would be the best out of those options. Alex pro I wouldn’t even consider. Not enough history or feedback on the company. Haven’t heard much on the Savage but it would probably be ok. Some say the M&P 10 is solid for the price.
I would also look into Aero Precision and PSA. I have heard good things about the Aero ar10 and if you buy the upper and lower separate you should be around 1k. They have good fit/finish generally and use Ballistic advantage barrels which are gtg and accurate.
PSA would be a value choice and some on here are not high on them but I have seen some threads on the PSA industry forum on TOS that is making me consider one. Even if you replace the barrel you are still under 1k. PSA customer service and QA/QC had really improved recently. I wouldn’t consider them for serious use but for hunting and the range I would. The stainless barrels in the PSA10 platform have been shown to be more accurate than the nitride.
What is the purpose of the rifle? That may help guide you as well
Hunting, Target and TSHTF duty, The big problem is MONEY (What’s new!) looking for a solid working gun that does what it is supposed to do and that’s work. Read a thread that Armalite fit on uppers and lowers was a little sloppy and quality wasn’t what it was a few years back.
For doesn’t affect function unless it is extremely sloppy. It is nice to have a tight fit but not necessary for function or accuracy.
Given your needs the DEF 10 is probably the best choice in your price range. If you have any stores that stock them nearby you can check for fit and finish and pick the best one. If not it is a little more of a game to just order one, but like I said if it has a few scratches or is not super tight the gun should still function perfectly fine if no other issues. That is what matters anyways
I called Armalite this afternoon and talked to a very nice gal, was left less then impressed trying to get answers so just gave up and went back to the internet. Been drifting back and forth between Windham and Armalite and so far I have more questions then answers.
Out of the box DEF-10 has one of the best receiver sets, arguably the best (308) bolt carrier group, and a decent barrel. There are many upgrade paths from mild to wild. Swap a few parts and you’ll have a solid rifle. Understand what parts are proprietary and upgradable or not upgradeable before investing in a large frame platform.
About the only upgrade that I would like is a 20 inch barrel, don’t need or want the blast of shorter tubes.
I would second the opinion on Aero. Although I didn’t buy a completed rifle, I bought their receiver set, 416R SS Ballistic Advantage barrel and BCG. It was a very accurate build, .4 MOA @ 250. For me I thought the DPMS pattern gave me a more options and was less manufacturer proprietary than Armalite.
Price wise I had $472 in the upper and lower receiver. Used the E&E to fill the gap on trigger, stock, and bipod. I’ve built a lot of AR’s using Aero receivers, and not one single time have I had to consider a return due to specs or finish. I realize the OP isn’t interested in building, but the parts are the same (-) trigger, stock, and rail. LPK came from Aero as well. I haven’t gone the PSA route, mainly, because I always feel I’m getting value for my $$ with Aero. Their QC/CS was questionable at one time, but sounds like they’ve taken steps to improve in that A.O.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
My DEF10 is what it’s supposed to be. A fairly light, good handling .308 AR.
You mentioned “hunting, shtf, and target”. Your probably not going to get that from one gun. What makes the DEF10 a nice-handling rifle is the light-profile barrel. It’s not a premium target barrel, but it will perform your other tasks just fine.
Of course, you can always get a different barrel.
Mine is a 1.75-2.0 moa rifle with factory quality ammo when cold. ( 5 shots) It’s more like 2.5-3.0 after the first magazine. Add another moa for m80-type machine gun ammo. Note that I’m no great rifle-man and my barrel isn’t free-floated. I just rest it on a sand bag and shoot from a bench when I want to see what it can do. (I hate bench shooting…so boring)
I got mine thinking sort of like you. I like the rifle but think of the DEF10 (or other light-barreled .308 AR) as a 16 inch M4 mid-length gas carbine clone in .308. Expect similar accuracy.
The different length magpul magazines give this rifle extra utility. If it’s on guard-duty you may as well have a 25 rnd magazine in it. But for target practice get a couple ten round magazines for it. They really keep the rifle lighter and handier vs the big 25 rounder. They also make a 5 rnd mag for hunting.
I only have two rifles these days. The Ar10 / DEF10 and a Beretta ARX100. If I could just choose which I like more I’d sell one and buy another of the other so I could just have two of the same thing. But I find it hard to part with either.
I have a older Armalite, I have forgotten the model designation, but it takes the older metal mags. Mine has a 16" SS Barrel, flattop, A2 buttstock. I like it better than my Aero build, which I am also fond of. The Armalite was my first and I bought it as at the time…2009 M1A SOCOMs were scarce and I wanted something easier to get out of the Ranger I had then. Mine of course was made in Genesco facility in gun loving Illinois. I do have a dozen 20 round, two 25 round, two 10 round and one five round metal magazines.
I also have a double lapped AR-15 upper from Armalite and it is still my go to rifle even with the round plastic furniture. I have nothing but good to say about Armalite.
So far my Armalite Def 10 has been a blast to play with, 3 shot groups with decent ammo run from 1.5 to 2 inches at 100yds. Cheap crap ammo runs 4 to 5 inches and so far the D&H 20 rd mags are the ones I like best.
Are you guys posting pics of your DEF10’s in the beyond 5.56 thread? I wouldn’t mind send some of these rifles.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I have an older Armalite AR10 which takes their proprietary magazines. I really like it. Saturday I saw a post on gun.deals showing that you could buy a PSA PA10 18" mid length upper half for $300 delivered (rear sight not included) and a PSA PA10 lower half for $180. I search around on their website and actually found one that has green magpul furniture for the same $180. When all is said and done, I’ll have a PSA PA10 for $480+$28(tax)+$25(transfer)=$533, though I still need to purchase a Magpul rear sight. The upper half showed up today and it looks great. Hopefully, it will shoot good as well. At $533 for an AR10 type rifle, it won’t have to be perfect to still be a good deal. We’ll see…