As I stated in another thread, I came to the .308 AR as a replacement for a finnicky M1A Scout. I decided to go with Armalite because it's value for price topped all the others. I could pay more for another brand, but I wasn't going to get more. With Armalite I got a well-made, accurate, dependable rifle with top-notch CS standing behind it.
I decided that I liked the portability of the Scout, so I went with an AR10A4 carbine. Initially I was a little leery of the 16 inch barrel for accuracy, range and powder burn out. A little research dispelled my worries. Upon inspecting the rifle at the gun shop (Kudos to the counter guy that let me completely strip the rifle prior to buying) I realized that I had a high quality piece of machinery in front of me. The anodization of the exterior was very well executed - no thin spots or clumps. The fitment of BCG parts was tight to say the least and the carrier key was properly staked. The railed forend was nice and tight and I liked the way Armalite added screws to it to increase it's solidity. The NM trigger was good, a little grit in the take-up but it broke clean with very little over travel. Sold!
Here's a pic of it shortly after I bought it, with a 4x ACOG I had laying around:
The accuracy of the rifle was surprising, considering the chrome lined barrel. With the ACOG and M118LR ammo, I was consistantly getting 1.0-1.5 MOA 5 shot groups out to 600 yds. I thought the rifle could do better...
So I bought a 3-10 Weaver Tactial Grand Slam from Midway USA. I generally prefer scopes with a FFP reticle, but this one had a mil/mil set up and I could live with the 2d focal plane reticle. The glass was very clear, turret clicks were firm an the scope tracked well. To mount it, I went with an ADM Recon-X one piece mount with adjustable QD levers. A VERY well made mount and I can recommend ADM without qualification.
Then I decided to free float the barrel. I used the Armalite railed free float tube for this. Armalite gave me a screaming deal on it and I would have been foolish not to take it. The rifle was somewhat unbalanced because of the lightweight M4 buttstock. I replaced it with Magpul's excellent ACS unit. I put a baggie of lead shot in the side storage compartment for additional (and adjustable) ballast.
The result?
200 yds, 168gr Hornady BTHP, 43.5 gr IMR 4895, COL 2.8 inches. The shot off to the left was a called flyer when my shooting bench shifted.
I'm very happy with my Armalite. So far, no hiccups or failures to report. The only thing I might replace is the A2 pistol grip.
