dmd6x Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 I'm considering getting a new AR in .308. Currently, I have a Noveske in 5.56 that I have been very happy with. I'd like to have the .308 for shooting He-Man 3gun, and for the occasional chance I might have to hunt for deer or similar. I've looked at the JP and LaRue rifles. I know DPMS and Knight's make one as well. What do you guys like? What brand should I go with for a high-end, .308 AR? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
co-exprs Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 There are few good options, but for "high end", JP is the way to go. Excellent build quality which you can get in a reasonable lead time. Larue will have you on the wait list forever. I've been on the Larue backorder list now for 14 months, with no projected delivery date, and I'm not holdimg my breath for this year either. JP will actually take your order and finish it in 2-3 months, and it will be an excellent tack driving gat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EaZeNuTZ33 Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 You can definitely get a JP sooner. I still love my LaRue OBR, and loved it even more shooting it at Fallen Brethren last year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmd6x Posted July 12, 2013 Author Share Posted July 12, 2013 Any reason why you liked it so much at Fallen Brethren? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EaZeNuTZ33 Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 Fallen Brethren was my favorite match last year. Lots of long range, rules that allowed a single hit on paper with .308, and changing terrain that allowed shooting acrossed a field in one stage and from a cliff onto a distant hillside on another. The OBR really helped it's amateur shooter on the long range rifle stage, a pistol/rifle stage that ran from 60-400ish yards shooting from either the trunk of a car or prone on the ground behind the car, and a stage shooting from VTAC type barriers. The handguard fits your hand perfectly, is rock solid when handling and when resting on rocks and barricades to shoot out to distance. The accuracy of the gun is unreal, and a nobody like me was capable of beating some great shooters on the long range stage. I use the CTR stock with LaRue RISR and it was comfortable and fast to get on target with my scope (Bushnell 1-6.5 FFP). I run an AAC muzzle brake silencer mount and the recoil was reduced nicely. Reloads were quick and easy. The gun is solid enough that I had no reservations tossing it into abandonment barrels. While the gun is a bit heavy, the weight helped with recoil when pushing 168gr SMK's, but wasn't enough to slow transitions on targets in close. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Sierpina Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 Another opinion here. I purchased a Mass Compliant DPMS last December 18th. It was a version of the Oracle. 16 inch, non floated barrel, pinned and welded Miculek brake, Ace skeleton stock. I promptly bought a 20 inch, rifle gas, Rainier Arms Select barrel and JP handguard to replace the short, carbine gassed barrel. I sold off the stock parts, unfired. The rifle served me well at the He Man Nationals 2 weeks ago. The difference in cost between the DPMS and JP paid for the Vortex 1-6 Razor. The gun has been totally reliable to date. I did use my own muzzle brake, and pulled a 2 stage Armalite trigger from an AR that I used for Highpower. This did keep the cost down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidwiz Posted July 13, 2013 Share Posted July 13, 2013 I have a JP built DPMS 308LR. Besides the guy on the phone lying to me about bbl length (told me it was impossible to make a .308 AR with a 18" bbl work, despite the fact that JP started selling their own .308 ARs with that bbl lenght less than 3 months later, despite the fact that many top 3-Gun HM shooters were using 18" bbls at that point), I have been very happy with it. Reasonable price and very reliable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbrowndog Posted July 13, 2013 Share Posted July 13, 2013 JP has 2 lrp07's currently in inventory, ready for immediate sale. Hows that for available!!!! Trapr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmd6x Posted July 13, 2013 Author Share Posted July 13, 2013 I really want the JP...just wish I could find a way to fund / afford it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mic2377 Posted July 13, 2013 Share Posted July 13, 2013 If you want to save $$$, you could build one. Just expect to have to tinker with it a bit. 308 AR's aren't as standardized as AR-15, and that fact that there are two different platforms (LR-308/SR-25 vs AR-10) is indicative of this. I built one for ~$1500 with goodies like a Criterion barrel and JP bolt, and it runs 100% and is quite accurate. For this game an 18" mid-weight barrel would be perfect... just like a 223. I have owned neither a JP or an OBR, so I cannot provide any input to this discussion. I would suggest however to stay with a LR308 pattern rifle (which JP and OBR both are) - you get to use 308 PMAGS, which rectifies one of the big problems for the 308 AR platform, bad mags. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mturnbull333 Posted July 13, 2013 Share Posted July 13, 2013 LWRC,REPR is the best AR 10 platform out there, in my humble opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EaZeNuTZ33 Posted July 13, 2013 Share Posted July 13, 2013 I've owned a factory CMMG .308 and built my own .308 with a CMMG lower and parts from Rainier Arms. I spent around $1400-1600 on the build, it was 100% reliable, and it would have definitely done everything needed for 3-gun! I've shot an LWRC REPR and went back and forth between a REPR and LaRue OBR. I own both a 5.56 OBR and LWRC M6A3, and love both brands. If shooting 3-gun, I prefer the OBR with its DI gas system. The piston system recoil is noticeable to me. Even with that tho, I'm considering shooting my M6A3 SBR (12.7") at a match that I expect distances to be in under 250yds......bc it sounds fun. You can't lose with an OBR, REPR, JP, or building your own. Just weigh all the pros and cons of the rifle for what you intend to use it for. I bought my OBR to shoot out to, and beyond, 1000yds, and can make it work for 3-gun. I'd want a PredatAR or PredatOBR for 3-Gun personally. With ammo costs and availability, and the fact I do not load .308 yet, my OBR has high magnification FFP glass sitting on it in the safe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EaZeNuTZ33 Posted July 13, 2013 Share Posted July 13, 2013 As for mags......can't go wrong with PMags! My Larue mags are nice an allow a longer COAL load for long range, but I'm not dumping $80 mags in a match like I would a $20 PMag. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaxshooter Posted July 14, 2013 Share Posted July 14, 2013 GAP Custom Rifles build a very nice extremely accurate .308 AR. They do not support us like JP does. That is the draw back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbrowndog Posted July 14, 2013 Share Posted July 14, 2013 I have shot for both JP and LaRue, or I should say have shot for LaRue. I own both guns OBR/LRP07 they are first rate 3 gun rifles as well as long range guns. the customer support and service from JP is by far better in my experience with both companies. I like my OBR, and its accurate, but my JP astounds me at the accuracy it provides, it gave me sticker shock when I bought it, but that went away immediately after I shot it. It gave me sub-moa groups at 400 with iron sights, the trigger is much better than the Giessellie that came in the OBR, which now has a JP trigger in it, the lighter BCG in the LRP made a big difference in recoil recovery, my OBR now has had the stock heavy BCG replaced as well. Both guns were easy to find accurate loads for, they both shoot the same load very well, the JP just shoots more accurately, way more accurately than I need for 3 gun, The OBR has been used in a long range match and did very well, however it only gives me moa groups, very consistent moa groups out to 800, but nothing better than moa, the JP does better consistently. Currently the OBR is on loan to a local shooter because his built 308, is giving him headaches, go with a quality manufacturer cry once about the price, and never regret it afterwards. trapr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgtsvi Posted July 18, 2013 Share Posted July 18, 2013 I bought an OBR for shooting HM in 3 gun and ended up selling it to buy my JP LRP07. The Larue was an awesome rifle but was very heavy compared to the JP. I like a lighter rifle and the JP only weighs a bit more than my .223 JP SCR-11 so it was a no brainer for me. I wish I could have kept the OBR as well for some long range shooting but I couldn't tie up that much money in a rifle that I wasn't using very much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
co-exprs Posted July 18, 2013 Share Posted July 18, 2013 I've not seen a straight up accuracy comparison between the JP and the Larue. Maybe if I ever get the PredatOBR i've had on backnorder for 15 months now, I will get the chance to perform such a test myself. I've read lots of people suggesting the Larue for long range applications, but John Paul himself competes in long range matches with his own LRP-07, and does very well on a national level. I have buddies with OBRs who claim well under MOA capability and I have buddies with JP's who make the same claims. My personal LRP-07 regularly throws .75" groups at 100yds and I have no trouble hitting steel at 600. I can make that claim with my 155gr SMK load, Hor 150gr load, SMK 135gr load, Hor 130gr sp load, Speer 125gr TNT load and with my ubber cheapo Rem 125gr sp load, Aussie surplus 150gr Nato (blister pack) and with Wolf 150gr copper jacket nato. Almost everything I've tried in my JP 308 has been MOA or better. I've put down a couple of .5" groups, but to be honest I'm not a benchrest shooter. I do just enough work on my load developments to get them sub MOA and for my target velocity. All of my loads are sub MOA and match my scope or iron sight BDC. Winner winner chicken dinner. Both companies make top shelf rifles to be sure. Both have outstanding accuracy potential and both are roughly the same cost. JP is lighter and better balanced, with a short lead time and excellent customer service. Larue comes with a flip switch gas block, very long wait and questionable customer service. I'm still looking forward to seeing my PredatOBR some day, but every time I shoot a match I thank my lucky stars for JP and their obviously better business structure which got a rifle into my hands when I needed one. In addition, while the insanity of 2013 was in full swing JP not only kept up pretty well with their back log, they actually expanded their entire operation, decreasing lead time through the elimination of lean waste and did it without raising prices. Larue managed to get further behind on backorders and raised their prices on rifles they couldn't build. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bagdrag Posted July 18, 2013 Share Posted July 18, 2013 .... In addition, while the insanity of 2013 was in full swing JP not only kept up pretty well with their back log, they actually expanded their entire operation, decreasing lead time through the elimination of lean waste and did it without raising prices. Larue managed to get further behind on backorders and raised their prices on rifles they couldn't build. Not that JP needs more kudos, but I can't applaud them enough for what they did and still are doing during the 2013 craze. Fantastic business model with superior products. High-end .308 AR? The first and only name that comes to mind is the JP. Everything else seems second-tier or at best skimming just below the top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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