AR style vs bolt action

[jericho]

Morning all. Just what are the the pros and cons of an AR rifle(thinking of DPMS LR.338 eg) vs a bolt action in the same calibre for bigger game hunting over distance? How reliable are AR type rifles in sat extreme cold etc. Dont mean to start a debate between the different factions. Just interested. Thanks and have a good day.

 

[jericho]

And how much longer do you think AR type rifles will be legal?

 

[armageddon144]

And how much longer do you think AR type rifles will be legal?

Exactly! So get em' while you can!

Personally, I would save a big caliber like that for a bolt-gun and top out the maximum caliber in a semi-auto to a .308 Win. But if you keep your AR in good condition, it can do just as well, if not better than some bolt rifles out there in tough conditions. Just take it from this guy: gun)

 

[James Jones]

I had an AR-10T for a while and it was a fun gun to play with but the accuracy was certainly not worth the money and i would call it alot of things but reliable would not be one. It would run pretty well but as it got a little dirty it would start to hang up.

The biggest round I would suggest out of a AR-10 platform would be a 308 cased caliber but I know that their are a few companies making the short mags with them , I just don't feel that comfortable with their desgine to handel that big of a round.

I have several AR-15's that ahve been built to be ultra reliable but the cost was pretty high due to their gas piston desgine and other mods ,I have had the chance to play with the HK 417 and its a realy nice and seemed to be pretty reliable when shot dirty but those things cost ALOT

 

[A/C Guy]

deleted

 

[crypto666]

Here is my 2 cents. I have a DPMS .300 SAUM and love it, which is why it has about 1500-2000 rnds through it. It is my primary hunting rifle. Here is why:

I am sure the .308 models can do it too, but not with a 208 grain bullet.

Some days are good, some are not. Today the wind was near zero, very pleasent and rare.
Cold bore five shot group, 100 yards, MV ~2600 (Aaron, I need my chrono back), Hornady 208 A-Max, 57 grains of 4350, CCI Benchrest Primer. Through the spotting scope and with light shining through the holes, it looked like the 5 side of a die (as in dice) with a very even dispersion. I was very happy. This is what I look for; holes that don't walk.
After firing this string I turned to the 1000 yard gong, calculated 8.7 mil of hold-over and drilled it on the first shot. Fired a second and another hit. Amazing considering I was guessing on the velocity.

The last cartridge I had to hang on to because this was a batch of reloads I put together in a hurry for plinking a couple weeks ago and didn't bother to record what they were.

BTW, I have found that Berger VLDs fly like bricks when compared to the A-Max, besides the fact that the A-Max also seem to handle the jump into riflings much better.

BTW, those are 1" squares on the target, and I was using them upside down.

 

[500grains]

I love the AR platform and I have gotten some really good groups with ARs. But I have never been able to put 5 shots touching out of an AR. Perhaps it is me or my equipment, because some guys can (see nice target above!). But I have bolt guns that will put 5 shots touching. For the most extreme ranges it seems logical for me to use a bolt gun. Just one guy's 2 cents.

 

[crypto666]

Groups like I posted are rare for me becuase the wind is usually howling here in southern Utah and I am always playing around with loads. I continually form these "what if" questions; i.e. a slightly faster powder or a if I increase my velocity another 100 fps, etc.
I agree that bolt guns are better for long range and are more consistant. ANd in fact, the thing I I dislike about my gas gun is the fact that it shoots best on the slow side using faster powders. And it seems to show pressure signs sooner than I would expect from a bolt gun, with primers extruding into the firing pin hole, and gouging the case head from the rotating bolt.

Bolt guns are more reloadable, reliable and accurate, but when firing at a 1000 yards I can pretty much send a follow up shot before the first one arrives on target.

The thing I love the most is when I run into people while hunting and they see my rifle. They always have a comment like 'Do you hunt with that?" or "Is that legal?" Often they think it is a .223 and they think I am psycho for hunting elk with it, but then I pull out a cartridge with a big ol' 200-210 grain bullet sticking out of it, they say "oh, wow."

 

[Tremors]

Semi-autos must be good if the Military snipers are using the AR-10's.

 

[britz]

DPMS stopped making the SAUM AR 10's. I think that says something. They are sticking to the 308 case now chambering in 243 260 308 6.5creadmore and 338 fed. I was at the range when one of their guys was testing a 7-08 and it was absolutely horrible. He was lucky to get 4" groups. He said they were working out some bugs... I'd say! I've heard that they are also having trouble with some of their 260's.

The Military does use some AR 10's but I believe their primary sniper rifles are still the rem 700 action based units and they also use a lot of m14's yet.

Seems the 14 is a much more sturdy platform for a good long range rifle.

 

[James Jones]

just because the military is using it doesn't meen it is a good idea , their are to many people making decisions for our troops with consulting with them first and it has cost some of our guys their lives !!

The M110 SASS , thats the Army's newest sniper platform and its a decient weapon , not as accurate as the M24 bolt gun is but in the current theater the higher rate of fireis greatly taken over the long range precision accuracy of a bolt gun as most enguagments are under 500yds..

An AR can be made very accurate but its not cheap and the majority of the accuracy is the barrel and shooter