I am in the market for a .308 rifle and while my budget is on the low end, about $1k for the rifle itself, I am considering a .308 AR build. At the moment I don’t know anything at all about building a AR style rifle in .308. Judging from everything I have read and heard a .308 AR is not very reliable, but that’s that. Theoretically if you use quality components is an AR in .308 just as reliable as one in 5.56? Say along the lines of a BCM?
Due to my budget the only options I have been considering was a PTR91 or a DSA SA58 Voyager, But seeing as how PSA has released their PA10 I am considering an AR10 so to speak. I can however increase my budget to about $1400 for the rifle itself. I happen to like more modern designs so that also has an influence on my decisions. I am considering a build with either PSA’s upper and lower or Aero Precision’s new M5 series. my only real intention for this .308 are just to have one and also the intended ranges I plan on shooting at are 100-200 yards.
Right now if you were to piece one together at Aero Precision the total would be right around $1163. That’s if you buy the 16 inch completed upper currently on sale for $495, a completed lower at $425, BCG $205, and charging handle at $38.
That seems to fall well within your price range. They have also alluded to Cyber Monday sale but not sure what that will encompass.
Edited to add that I am in no way affiliated with Aero Precision. I have just been impressed with the items I have purchased from them these last couple weeks. I also really like the Mega Maten but that’s a bit more coin.
I did Mega MATEN MKM build a couple years ago. I used an 18" BHW barrel. It has been one of my favorite guns right from the start. Super easy to do as they are compatible with a lot of parts. This gun is just under MOA for 5 shots with 168 or 175 FGMM. I have used this rifle for a couple precision classes out to 1000 yards and it hasn’t missed a beat. I say do it. Do it now! You wouldn’t be disappointed. I have been eyeing doing another .308 build on the Aero upper/lower combo with a 14.5" barrel.
You should be able to find a S&W M&P10 standard model (18" lightweight barrel and telestock) for under $1400. For that you get a modern, fully engineered rifle with a factory warranty, a major manufacturer to stand behind it, a quality barrel, and really nice modernized receivers with ambi controls. You can also find several of the DPMS gen-2 models for around $1000, which are also modern and seem to be well engineered (I don’t have one of those). Either way you are getting a rifle that works out of the box and has a warranty. I’ve built a number of AR15s (both lowers and uppers) and find that is basically a LEGO process, but after reading the other thread on .308 builds I’m sticking with factory complete .308 rifles for the time being.
Save or work on the side for the next 6 months or so to get enough money to buy from a high end 308 manufacturer such as LMT would be my answer. Cobbling 308 parts together is probably left to someone more experienced, especially if it does not run right when it’s put together.
^The last two post are good suggestions IMHO. I wouldn’t build one right now I’d buy complete for the warrantee and such. There is also the Piston Driven Ruger SR762 that is nice and light weight too, but you have to save a little more for that.
I have been very tempted to get the Ruger as well (black rifle disease, .308 flavor) but what I’ve read is that Ruger won’t sell any internal parts to an owner, you have to ship the whole rifle to them if any little part breaks. It takes seconds to change out internal parts if you have a spare, and it takes a month round-trip to ship a rifle to the factory. I don’t expect anything to break but I’d rather be able to fix it myself if it does.