I’ve had a PreadtAR since last September but haven’t really ran it hard and seen what it will do. I’ve got an old Nightforce 2.5-10X24 with mil recticle and 1/4 MOA turrets, SSA and a Surefire muzzle brake.
During the last week I have been teaching a law enforcement long range (sniper) class. During meal breaks I stayed on some days and was able to pretty much get this rifle zeroed and get a pretty good idea of it’s capabilities. I’ve found in the past that at 100 yards it will stay sub MOA for about 10 rounds and then opens up to about 1.5 MOA till cooled down. The cold bore is generally within a 1/2 MOA of the following groups. It also seems to do a bit better with 168’s over 175’s which surprised me. I haven’t chronographed it but with a 16" barrel maybe that’s a factor at longer ranges. As a first it also shoots Remington Match tighter than Black Hills, which also surprised me as that’s not been the case with 3 previous Remingtons that I’ve had.
After the students pass the Phase I and II and the written exam we take them on the last day to a steel range to shoot out to about 600 yards. During this phase I was able to shoot at roughly 300, 400, 500, and about 550 today. Our target are steel and 20X20 and 20X40. I found that with the small scope and standard SSA I was consistently able to head shoot out to 500 yards as long as I stayed off the trigger and didn’t shoot too fast for too many rounds for a string. At 550 on a better day where we could see trace I think I could have still made head shots but today wasn’t it or it wasn’t my day. I ran out of Remington 168’s after 500 so also had to switch to the Black Hills which I hadn’t doped out yet for longer ranges.
It was a blast with a semi auto at 400 and 500 yards to dump a 5 shot string and listen to the pinging with a semi auto if you’ve never done it. I bought this rifle as a general purpose rifle but was surprised with its ability as a precision rifle. If I was going to use it as such I would install a SSA-E and use a bipod instead of a ruck and probably put an optic on it that had a larger objective than 24mm. All in all I was very impressed as were the students and other instructor with this rifle. I’m considering ordering a PredatAR/OBR or even an OBR but am not sure that they wouldn’t end up sitting in the safe as the PredatAR is such a lightweight, quick handling package. I still have a custom Remington but realized that a a LEO the PredatAR can accomplish anything I would ever require of a rifle that a 5.56 can’t.
Yup.
At this point I see no reason for a barrel longer than 16", nor do I need a bolt gun for what I do. The form-factor and capability of modern 7.62 guns is excellent.
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Concur. The current crop of 16" semi-auto .308’s obviates bolt guns in that caliber for LE use. Save the bolt guns for .300 Win Mag or better yet .338 Lap Mag long range shots.
Seb5, thank you for the write-up. I found it quite reassuring as I have a 16" PredatAr on order. I am trying to figure out which way to go on optics. Do you think 1-8x is enough to do the gun justice out to 500 yards? The other options are a -10x or -12x. It will be primarily used for punching paper and ringing steel.
I had an LMT with CL 16 inch barrel. I felt exactly about that gun as you do your Larue. These high end modern AR10’s are the ultimate battle guns. They shoot MOA and function great. My LMT never malf’ed and shot shit ammo and match ammo, rapid fire , slow fire.
The other thing that amazes me is how they are making CL barrels that shoot lights out. Like my FN SPR bolt gun. Making for extreme barrel life. Which is another extremely fantastic feature of a modern battle rifles.
Last year a student from somewhere around Little Rock AR. showed up with an FN bolt gun and I wondered if he could maintain the accuracy standards for the Phase I qualifcation. He did, without issue. I was really surprised that the chrome lined barrel really gave up nothing to the Remingtons with factory barrels as well as a Shilen and a Rock.
I’ve even thought about ordering a PredatAR OBR since I’ll be gone for a year long deployment the timing would be about right but am not sure for out to 500 yards, the majority of my long range shooting, if if it would be any better other than for long strings or long range days. The ammo it getting more and more of an issue as we go on.
Has anyone reading this had any time on a PredatAR/OBR with a 16" or 14.5"? If so any comments would be welcome. For 5.56 even my S.S. barreled Noveske is 14.5 and at 500 it’s still very impressive. The majority of my ammo in 7.62 is 175 and has been for several years. I’ll try to get some more data with the 175’s before I leave but am thinking the 168 may be preferred in the 16" barrels due to velocity. I would be surprised if I was much over 2500 FPS with the 175’s.
It will be. If I was limited to 2 centerfire rifles the PredatAR would be one and a M4 type the other. Combine that with a .22 and a shotgun and I’d have the long guns covered. I’m currently trying to talk myself out of a PredatAR/OBR right now. The other big problem with 7.62’s is the cost of ammo, all the guns in the world will do my no good without sufficient ammo.
Respective weights are listed @ 7.75 lbs PredatAR vs. 9.25 lbs. OBR. Even though LaRue’s website info says “roughly 2 lbs” do the math.
While I can’t see or believe shaving off the rails has any viable effect on accuracy & only weight obviously (e.g. LMT LM8 / KAC ECC etc.) Barrel profile/Contour does.
IF, you think you will need to use @ <500 / 600yd+ I would opt for OBR.
We’ve all read it, haven’t we? With the net we can’t see it. I’ve had this discussion many times at ranges, shops or classes. I usually end it with “bring your pea shooter out and at 100 if you can do what you say I’ll give you $100.00, if you can’t you owe me $20.00”. Funny no ones taken me up on it, ever.
I think your rifle was in the hands of the overall winners of the Sniper Competition at Ft. Benning last year… That should say something for the quality and durability of the platform…!
