accurizing an lr308

[cal_jrp]

i have a lr 308 that is shooting 2 moa at 200 yards, even with match ammo. i want to know what your suggestions are on trying to accurize this rifle. it has a 18 in bbl. and i am sure it can shoot better that that. i was able to get a 700 sps to shoot 5/8" 3 shot groups at 100yds with a little bit of fluff and buffing. but on a semi where do you start? i have also heard about the 5 min trigger job for an ar-15 could anybody elaborate on what this entails and how to do it in detail thanks.

[Rundownfid]

I will be watching this thread as well as my new LR 308 isn't any better. However, I think that is probably "fixabble" with hand-loads, I'll be happy to get anywhere from 1 moa to 1.5 Moa (2" -3" at 200).

[ReconLdr]

Try this:

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct...tnumber=698479

I have never used them but have seen them on the range, and the guy was shooting pretty good groups.

[Lycanthrope]

First off, an autoloader is a totally different beast than a good bolt gun. 1 moa is good for the AR10. (I've never seen the AR10 shoot quite as tight as the AR15 for some reason).

An Accuwedge will stop upper to lower rattle, but won't tighten groups. Almost all accuracy on those rifles is in the upper. Specifically, getting a good barrel and free floating it.

1moa is pretty good for that platform when you aren't handloading. Very few do better if you aren't rolling your own. You're going to want to load long with a GOOD bullet and then work up loads until you find the sweet spots.

You could get the crown recut with a decent 11 degree face, but there are no guarantees this will make it better (but it probably won't hurt it).

The 15 min trigger job entails bending the trigger spring legs a about 15 degrees so the reset isn't as stiff and by cutting one of the hammer spring legs. This is usually worth the cost of a spare hammer spring on some guns, but when shooting milsurp ammo with hard primers you may have misfires. I've never done that on an AR10, though.

Lycangoodluckthrope

[fourfifths1911]

i just got one of these . has any body blackend the stainless barrel on theirs ? and the prevous owner had a vortex flashhider installed and it works great at night/low light

[Rundownfid]

My LR 308 has a black 18" barrel, however I have seen them painted black on Snipers Hide, so it is certainly doable.

My best load so far is 168 Sie MK HPBTs over 44.9 Gr of Varget. This is a solid < 3/4 MOA in my Savage Bolt gun, but not any better than 1 moa in the DPMS. What is so frustrating is that it will often put 3, or even 4, of 5 in one tight group but usually with one well out of the group to ruin it.

One interesting anomaly is that the neck sized Savage .308 ammo won't work in the DPMS. However in the .223 my AR 15 shoots the 69 gr HPBTs neck sized for the Savage bolt gun like a champ. Feeding is fine and the accuracy is ;the best I can get with that gun. I can only assume that the DPMS has a tighter chamber than the AR15. Oh well I will just have to be careful not to pick up precision ammo when I'm using the AR10.

My thinking now is that i should get a longer barreled upper in .260, then I'd have a carbine in .308 for inside 600 yds and still be able to step out with the .260.

[aubie515]

I've owned three of these rifles and they were all sub MOA shooters. My first rifle was the best of the three shooting in the low .5s with factory ammo. I never loaded for it because I never had the need to since I felt that low .5s was very good for a gas gun.

Shooting a gas gun isn't the same as shooting a bolt action...perhaps you just need some time on the platform to get used to how it shoots.

[Konsukah_19]

These platforms can, and HAVE been made to shoot just as accurately, or more so then a bolt action. I have fired tweaked 308 AR's and they are something to be reckoned with...I assure you....

I would advise, if you have standard hand guards,to remove them and free float the whole system. A free floated barrel can, does, and ALWAYS will shoot better then a barrel with a standard handguard, especially if you slap on a bi pod, vertical grip, etc. Want as little influence and torque on your barrel as possible. So free float your barrel. Customized bolt actions are also free floated.

Get yourself a good trigger. You do not need a jewel trigger for one of these weapons, but get something that breaks at 4lbs or less if you are reaching out at a distance. 3lbs is about what you would want and it can be done for about a benjamin.

Upgrade that standard shitty buffer spring for a flat wire. Will increase the reliability of the weapon quite a bit. Plus it will give you more consistency...and consistency is the name of the game if you are shooting for tight groups in a rifle.

Hand load your ammo. Period. Factory GMM from Federal will get you in the ballpark, but handloaded ammo is where this weapon shines. Get yourself a good set of redding type S dies, and a good forester competition seater die along with a good press and call it a day. You need to get a LITTLE picky with the ammo you feed in these things. Get a good reloading manual and look around. Varget I have found is the best powder for the 308, next to RE-15. This is also what I have come to realize...but gas guns are more picky when it comes to pressure issues, so avoid neck sized loads when possible. Full length size.

[Konsukah_19]

One interesting anomaly is that the neck sized Savage .308 ammo won't work in the DPMS. However in the .223 my AR 15 shoots the 69 gr HPBTs neck sized for the Savage bolt gun like a champ. Feeding is fine and the accuracy is ;the best I can get with that gun. I can only assume that the DPMS has a tighter chamber than the AR15. Oh well I will just have to be careful not to pick up precision ammo when I'm using the AR10.

You are dealing with two VERY different calibers. You can make match ammo in a DPMS 308, but you can't always fire neck sized ammo, as the bolt action has more tolerance for that type of pressure. I have seen someone almost loose an eye with neck sized ammo in his AR-15 as well. Upon inspecting the brass there was WAY too much pressure going on with the ammo.

[animalmother85]

My LR 308 has a black 18" barrel, however I have seen them painted black on Snipers Hide, so it is certainly doable.

My best load so far is 168 Sie MK HPBTs over 44.9 Gr of Varget. This is a solid < 3/4 MOA in my Savage Bolt gun, but not any better than 1 moa in the DPMS. What is so frustrating is that it will often put 3, or even 4, of 5 in one tight group but usually with one well out of the group to ruin it.

One interesting anomaly is that the neck sized Savage .308 ammo won't work in the DPMS. However in the .223 my AR 15 shoots the 69 gr HPBTs neck sized for the Savage bolt gun like a champ. Feeding is fine and the accuracy is ;the best I can get with that gun. I can only assume that the DPMS has a tighter chamber than the AR15. Oh well I will just have to be careful not to pick up precision ammo when I'm using the AR10.

My thinking now is that i should get a longer barreled upper in .260, then I'd have a carbine in .308 for inside 600 yds and still be able to step out with the .260.

You can use black hills match grade in your rifle.

You can cerakote a barrel and with good effect.

Is your DPMS chambered in 308 Win (as opposed to 7.62x51 Nato)? What is your AR-15 chambered in, 5.56x45 Nato? That would answer your quandary.

For most auto-loading rifles, you need to full length size the case with a small base die. This specific die reduces the case to the minimal SAAMI specification. This will increase your reliability and ease the feeding of the rifle. Now, but crushing this brass down to the minimal size, you negate the process of having that fire formed brass for your chamber. This can affect ad an extra variable to the process and make the groups open up. Now, I'm not saying that you can't shoot ammo that has not been sized to the minimal specification, it just helps. For instance; my Noveske barreled rifle will fire full length sized ammunition (through my dillon carbide dies) but every once in a while it will fail to go all the way into battery and will require a little elbow grease to remove the stuck round, noting catastrophic. Once sized with a small base die, I have had no such issues. Same went for my LWRC and my BCM. I now run all autoloaded rounds through small base dies, 223, 308, and 30-06 (for M1 Garands).

For a while, GA Precision were building their GAP-10 rifles off of DPMS platforms(they are now using POF). They were(and I think still are) using Bartlien barrels. I only have one rifle that has a Bartlien barrel, it's my 260AI. It shoots everything under one minute (so far) and most loads well under a half. GA Precision claimed that the barrels had something to the effect of <.0001 runout. That is pretty serious, so to sum it up, allot can be said about a good barrel and it's affect on accuracy. Some barrels like everything, some only like particular combinations (case, primer, bullet, powder, weight of powder, case overall length).

As stated prior, a good trigger is very important. It's usually the first thing I change or modify on a rifle. I recommend Geisele Automatics.

260 Remington and 260 AI are my new favorite rounds. Here is why; The 260 Remington with the 20 degree shoulder angle really feeds well. It also offers bullets with higher BCs and you can get a few FPS more then a 308. Also, redding makes a small base die for it so it's easy to use in auto-loaders. Lapua announced a few months back that they are making 260 brass. That's a big selling point too.

260AI with the 40 degree shoulders adds about 7% case capacity. You can really make some bullets sail along, 140gr bullets can cook to about 2980 fps with great accuracy. The downside is, it's a 40 degree neck. People have ran into feeding problems with it in their bolt actions (I have not yet, but I am using AI magazines). Also, no small base die so I wouldn't consider it a viable option for an auto-loader. Plus, you have to fire form it to get the 40 degree shoulders.

My recommendation for the OP is a Magpul PRS Stock, a comfortable grip and a Geisele trigger of choice (assuming that the barrel is already free floating), a solid bipod and a big sock full of poly pellets to put under that stock. With a good length of pull and cheek weld, lock that bad Johnson in tight and send those rounds home.