AR10 or Rem 700 ?

[Generation X]

im just signing up here - great site, looks like we Pennsylvanians got a good chance of survival.

got HK 45 Tactical - Mossburg 590 - AR15 so im covered in those areas but lacking a long range tool.

ive been going back & forth between the AR10 & Remington 700.

wanting to run a Trijicon Accupoint X20 scope but can't decide on the weapon or caliber ?

this would be for general SHTF situations & im thinking the bigger the better ?

budget will be around the $2K mark.

obviously the AR is semi & the 700 is a much slower bolt action.

accuracy or rapid - that is the question ?

Thanks guys - Ill work on some pics of my stuff.

* This will prob be a parts kit type build with either gun.

[bigandy1966]

I used to have a STOCK Rem700 ADL in 7mm Mag, with a Leupold VXIII 4-12 x50MM objective. It was crazy accurate out past 400 yds which is what I sighted it in for. I took an antelope and Mule deer with it out in Wyoming. This gun needed nothing added, but later I added a ultimate sniper stock by choate.I liked the Choate stockfor bench shooting. Unfortunately I had a terrible accident and all of my guns fell into the deepest part of the swamp, never to be seen again, and now all i have is a cheap BB gun and no bbs






opsec

[arrrrgh15]

Are you a proficient long range shooter? If not, its really not going to matter much and the AR10 or 700 would be completely unecessary/useless. I'd probably just spend the time and money on getting really good with the AR15.

I think for your purposes it's really a toss up.

But based on your post I'm leaning towards AR10. Realize of course that you can't hunt with the AR10 in PA, so until the "shtf" it will serve no real purpose other than to shoot targets.

Both can be plenty accurate at long range. Just because a weapon is semi auto does not make it less accurate than a bolt gun. If you don't have a lot of long range shooting experience, I'd lean towards capacity in a "shtf" scenario to get rapid follow up shots. Semi also makes engaging moving targets at long range easier/faster. And in a "shtf" scenario, your target probably isn't going to be standing still for you.

Are you a machinist? If not, you're not going to "parts kit" build a 700. Another reason I'd lean to the AR10 if I were you.

My personal preference has always been a bolt gun beyond 600 yards. As for speed, I can work a bolt gun very quickly. A good shooter with a bolt gun could out shoot a mediocre shooter with a semi. Happens all the time. I'll take one well placed shot over a mag dump any day of the week.

Caliber....well, since we're talking long range you'll want match ammo. Used to be the only readily available match ammo was .308. and with all the data floating around, it is generally the easiest to learn with. But more match grade ammo is becoming available in other calibers with better long range balistics than the .308. 6.5CM, 260 rem, 300WM (long action, not compatible with AR10), etc.

As for optics, I'd ditch the trijicon for something better.

[kiltedguard]

There is also another issue you may want to consider and that is reliability. You are still using the classic AR direct gas system in the AR10. There is also the tendancy for the weapon to throw out a burst every now and again. My M110 did, we had to send them ALL back to Knights.

Another question is what do you consider "long range?" If you are calling it 600-800m then grab a NM m1a, some decent glass and you are golden. It'll also be alot more tolerant of dirt and require less TLC in your "SHTF" scenario.

[Generation X]

thanks for the information & your time, lost your gun in a swamp, damn thats some shit luck..

I did deeply concider using the money to do up my pistol, shotgun, AR15, ammo, etc.

Part of that getting an extra backup upper with a long barrel (20in).

Got a 16in heavy barrel on the AR & to be honest I think the HB was a mistake for my plan, extra useless weight it seems ?

Would the longer barrel do much to increase my range / accuracy vs. my current barrel ?

Im not a long range shooter or machinist unfortunately but have 4 years active duty infantryman training

If any experts could fill me in on aprox how much distance my AR15 .223 will do vs. the AR10 / 700 in say .308 ?

[Jared89]

I have a dpms lr308 and a rem 700 IMO go with ar10 platform they are alot more fun to shoot then the 700.

[Rainier42]

There is also another issue you may want to consider and that is reliability. You are still using the classic AR direct gas system in the AR10. There is also the tendancy for the weapon to throw out a burst every now and again. My M110 did, we had to send them ALL back to Knights.

Another question is what do you consider "long range?" If you are calling it 600-800m then grab a NM m1a, some decent glass and you are golden. It'll also be alot more tolerant of dirt and require less TLC in your "SHTF" scenario.

Agreed. If this is for SHTF situations then I would go with the 700. A bolt gun will be far more reliable in the long run.

[new_shooter]

Really, here on the East Coast, the most likely SHTF scenarios call for something like what you already have. Pistol, shotgun, AR15. In all likely hood those get you through, or bad luck gets you instead. Having a real need to take a shot beyond a couple hundred yards is just plain unlikely.

But lets go with it.

AR10 has the advantage of rate of fire, and large magazine capacity. If you envision SHTF as some wide open battle zone deal, this is the way to go. Start hitting the gym, though. Carrying all that .308 is a bear.

The 700 is minimally more accurate, and will be better for a long term survivalist type scenario. It's simpler, so it's less likely to break. And if it does break you are far more likely to be able to obtain replacement parts.

In the meantime, why do you shoot? Do you like to make noise? Get the AR10. Do you prefer to estimate variables over many hundreds of yards and hear a perceptible time lag between shot and impact? Go 700.

That's my .02.

[Big Chuck]

Caliber....well, since we're talking long range you'll want match ammo. Used to be the only readily available match ammo was .308. and with all the data floating around, it is generally the easiest to learn with. But more match grade ammo is becoming available in other calibers with better long range balistics than the .308. 6.5CM, 260 rem, 300WM (long action, not compatible with AR10), etc.

For a SHTF scenario, the most commonly used caliber would be a wiser choice over a slight improvement in accuracy. The argument being it would be easier for you to acquire more if needed, and it would be a more valuable bartering item. There will be a higher supply and a higher demand. Stick with the .308

[bigandy1966]

Hes a prepper, what ever he buys he'll get a pallet of ammo to bury out near his BOL and have enough on hand to get him there.

Just dont go through a swamp without tying the weapon off.

lol