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308 AR platform vs bolt action guns

9K views 72 replies 15 participants last post by  SS 
#1 ·
Anyone have a AR style large caliber gun...if so how do they compare for accuracy vs Bolt action 308s?
 
#12 ·
This is why I would not get a .308 ar. It is big bucks to get a sub moa gun. My savage 308 with the barrel cut down to 18" and a muzzle brake shoots 1/2" 5 shot groups at 100 yards all day. I don't own a bolt action that I can't shoot sub moa. If it isn't accurate enough to do that I sell it.

Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk 2
 
#3 · (Edited)
My Bushmaster ORC .308 shoots sub MOA out to 200 yards. It can't hit a deer at 41 yards but that's a different story. I can't vouch for it past 200 yards because I have not shot it farther than that. All I have done to it is put a CAA cheek rest on it, a Hogue pistol grip on it and a JP Enterprise free float tube on it. I have no idea how it stacks up against a bolt gun because I don't shoot bolts.
 
#5 ·
It is actually a rebranded DPMS. I think Bushmaster made its own barrel for it. I don't know if they made any of the other parts for it. It has a chrome lined barrel and a 2 stage trigger from the factory. I don't know if the quality has changed since the Wyndham Maine plant was closed. I hear on the interwebs that Bushmaster isn't what it used to be since Freedom Arms Group bought them out. Could be true, could be a lot of fan boys hating. All I know is I love mine. I never tested accuracy before the JP free float tube but I love that tube.
 
#43 ·
Probably not, but there's a whole hell of a lot more to it than looks.

They have a bad reputation for a reason, much like Taurus. If you have one that runs, great.
What problems have you seen from Taurus in the last few years?

I have yet to come across anyone who has, first hand, had any problems with Taurus firearms since they were bought out years ago and all of their production was moved to Brazil.

Their 1911s are one of the best values on the market. You get the same performance and features out of one of their $650 1911s that you would get out of a comparable $1600 pistol because they do ALL of their design and production in house for every piece of their pistols now. That's why they're able to sell it for less.
 
#45 ·
What problems have you seen from Taurus in the last few years?

I have yet to come across anyone who has, first hand, had any problems with Taurus firearms since they were bought out years ago and all of their production was moved to Brazil.

Their 1911s are one of the best values on the market. You get the same performance and features out of one of their $650 1911s that you would get out of a comparable $1600 pistol because they do ALL of their design and production in house for every piece of their pistols now. That's why they're able to sell it for less.
About a year ago, Taurus 738, the recoil spring was jumping off the barrel, gouging into the frame. Sent it to Taurus, they sent it back in a new box labeled "news gun". It was the same gun. It went back again, after some time it was finally replaced, and sold directly after.

Taurus J-frame copy, the internal lock activated while firing, created a locked, loaded firearm that was quite unsafe. It was replaced without issue.

Last one was a Taurus .22 revo that had chambers that were so marred with tool marks the casings had to be knocked out with a dowel. Taurus customer service was god awful in this instance.

These are all pistols that I've personally fired, and was there when the malfunction happened/was noticed.
 
#9 ·
The AR market has absolutely gone berserk. I'm sure there are several good manufacturers out there. I have no idea how someone can truly know the difference between truth and hype. Everyone says they make the best. LoL. I may be wrong about this but I would definitely go with something that takes DPMS type mags. That seems to be the way the aftermarket company's are leaning. I'm not sure what company's use the same mag as DOMS. AR's in the .308 platform are still very proprietary.
 
#13 ·
I have a CMMG Mark III in 7.62 NATO. It has a stainless 18" bull barrel. Its set up for LR (by MI standards) shooting.

So far, I've only tested with it Gold Metal Match 168s. I have about 550 rounds through it. With that load I can reach out to a little past 800y with excellent accuracy and reliability. I'm going subsonic after about 850y and tumbling all over the place. I don't reload, but have someone who is going to develop some loads for me to get past 1000y.

To answer your question, they CAN be every bit as accurate as a bolt gun. Applying the fundamentals of marksmanship are the key to being accurate with either one though. I wouldn't necessarily say that as a group, gas guns are as accurate as bolt guns though. There is too much variation between brands. IMO, just about every mid or lower range gas gun needs a new trigger right off the bat. Many of the bolt guns have a satisfactory adjustable triggers. On the flip side, most gas guns (I think) are running free float tubes out of the box, where lots of bolt guns are not (hogue overmold stocks on remingtons). When you are looking at a precision rifle for the distances past several hundred yards, these are both significant features.
 
#16 ·
I have a CMMG Mark III in 7.62 NATO. It has a stainless 18" bull barrel. Its set up for LR (by MI standards) shooting.

So far, I've only tested with it Gold Metal Match 168s. I have about 550 rounds through it. With that load I can reach out to a little past 800y with excellent accuracy and reliability. I'm going subsonic after about 850y and tumbling all over the place. I don't reload, but have someone who is going to develop some loads for me to get past 1000y.

To answer your question, they CAN be every bit as accurate as a bolt gun. Applying the fundamentals of marksmanship are the key to being accurate with either one though. I wouldn't necessarily say that as a group, gas guns are as accurate as bolt guns though. There is too much variation between brands. IMO, just about every mid or lower range gas gun needqs a new trigger right off the bat. Many of the bolt guns have a satisfactory adjustable triggers. On the flip side, most gas guns (I think) are running free float tubes out of the box, where lots of bolt guns are not (hogue overmold stocks on remingtons). When you are looking at a precision rifle for the distances past several hundred yards, these are both significant features.
Shooting gas gun is a whole lot different then a bolt gun. I think guys are lured into the semi auto thing and it works against them for accuracy . Going from a bolt to semi it still takes me a while to settle in and shoot worth a damn.

You may need to do some reloading work to get that short barrel gun to a thousand. I have a 24" barreled bolt 308 and I'm two grains over book max powder charge to get there. I haven't pushed my AR10 that hard yet and not sure if I'll try it.
 
#18 ·
I took my new Tikka T3 .300 Win Mag out yesterday and the first three shots were all touching teach other. Right out of the box.

Granted, they weren't where the scope crosshairs said they should've been, but they were still all three touching.

This with non-remarkable, off-the-shelf Winchester ammo.

For hunting purposes, the .308 ARs all have a pretty substantial weight penalty compared to a bolt action - especially a lightened model.
 
#41 ·
I really wish I could take the bolt assembly out of my two bushmaster AR's and post it up on this page.

I have a cheap BM, and the bolt assembly is clearly low class, any fool can see it.
I have a high dollar BM, and the bolt assembly is much better visually, this one I have thousands of rounds through with out a single jam or fail.

I have now owned three differant BM's all have run flawlessly.
There are low and high quality bushmasters just like any other.

My sig AR is my first choice, their is just something about it that makes my panties all wet, the others get jealous.
 
#55 ·
I've only shot/owned one bushmaster. Its a Varminter. First shot it broke. It was a minor thing, but it broke nonetheless. It was likely broken before the first shot, but not noticed until then.

The roll pin that retains the forward assist sheared clean off. It then dropped a piece of metal inside the action.

Take it home, swap in a new pin in approximately 14 seconds, and its been fine since. I don't exactly run it hard though.

The trigger still sucked for a "match grade" though. ;)
 
#56 ·
I've only shot/owned one bushmaster. Its a Varminter. The trigger still sucked for a "match grade" though. ;)
Does that have the 2 stage trigger in it? I had a Predator that had a 2 stage trigger in it. I loved that gun but it was just a bit heavier and longer than I wanted. So I basically took 2 Bushmaster ORC's which have 16" barrels and turned them into mini Predator's with collapsable stocks. I love Bushmasters 2 stage trigger.
 
#65 ·
I've said it before and I'll say it again...

If you have a question about anything firearms related jump over to http://www.snipershide.com/forum and use the search function on the right side of the page. You don't need to make an account to access the INCREDIBLE amount of knowledge from professionals, gunsmiths, vendors and competitive shooters available there. You'll also find some incredible deals in the For Sale section on that site but don't plan on selling anything until you hit the 100 post limit. They also need to be 100 QUALITY posts contributing to the knowledge base on the site.
 
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