DPMS 308 Tactical Sniper Rifle 18" | Build 308 AR Online

DPMS 308 Tactical Sniper Rifle 18″ 308 AR Semi-Auto

Tactical Sniper Rifle Note: The images above are the SI DEFENSE UPPER RECEIVER mounted to a DPMS LR-308 LOWER RECEIVER and do not feature the FALKOR DEFENSE SI DEFENSE LOWER RECEIVER that will close out this rifle build project.

DPMS 308 Tactical Sniper Rifle (308 AR) Introduction

DPMS 308 Tactical Sniper Rifle (it’s just a name) – Below is a list of the hardware I selected for this build. When possible I will explain the reasons for my decisions as they apply to this project. Every attempt will be made to include images of the actual parts as well as how much I paid and links to where I obtained the parts from. Build 1: The project will be based on the DPMS LR-308/KAC SR25 platform utilizing SI Defense Upper and Lower Receivers. SI Defense has a great reputation for quality weapons and parts.

I have been wanting to do a project based on SI DEFENSE hardware for quite some time. I wish my budget allowed me to use the Fail Zero hardware as well as an SI Defense 308 Bolt Carrier group. Maybe next time. If I didn’t already have a DPMS barrel I would have purchased that from SI DEFENSE as well. I want this gun to have a manageable size and weight so that it can be fired comfortably from the shoulder as well as with a bipod or from the bench. The 18″ barrel should provide for minute of angle accuracy out to 200 yards and farther.

Update: January 2, 2011 – I’m waiting for the JP Handguard to arrive from the factory. There’s a possibility that I will use a MA-TEN upper and lower instead of DPMS. I don’t know maybe Ill use the MA-TEN for build #3. Update: January 12, 2011 – My JP Handguard has shipped! The MA-TEN is going to Precision Target 308 AR 18″. Note: I get a lot of emails about the DPMS SASS Gas Block and whether it will under the VTAC. As soon as I have the parts in hand I will publish my findings.

FALKOR DEFENSE/SI DEFENSE DPMS 308 AR BILLET LOWER RECEIVER

FALKOR DEFENSE (SI Defense) makes some great stuff and I thought it was time to utilize them in a project.

FALKOR DEFENSE/SI DEFENSE DPMS 308 AR GENERATION II UPPER RECEIVER

I had originally selected a DPMS 308 stripped upper for the DPMS 308 Tactical Sniper Rifle project but DPMS has been playing around with Picatinny rail heights and I don’t want to support their behavior. So after a bit of thinking I decided on a rather unique upper receiver from SI Defense. Now some guys are going to cringe at the idea of a lack of forward assist but here’s the thing. These 308 rifles do not require a forward assist due to the amount of energy created by the .308 Winchester/7.62×51 cartridge. If your bolt doesn’t lock closed something is wrong with the weapon or ammunition pure and simple. In fact, the forward assist can get you in trouble by forcing the bolt to lock.

Here’s SI Defenses info on the .308/7.62 Generation II Upper Receiver: SI Defense .308/7.62 Generation II Upper Receiver Re-distribute your light, laser, and optic on your AR to the receiver for a better, balanced set-up on your rifle or pistol. If you do not want to use the rail, simply remove it and save the weight for a more streamlined look. You can purchase your upper with or without a Picatinny rail. The cost is only $10 more with rail. The upper rail and mounting screws can be purchased separately for $18.

The DPMS 308 Tactical Sniper Rifle 308 AR upper receiver is CNC machined from 7075 solid billet and anodized per Mil-A-8625. Upper features shell deflector and a removable Picatinny side rail mount. There is no forward assist. The removable rail is machined from billet 7075 aluminum and has three 8-32 screws to mount it securely into place with a 3/32 Allen wrench. Both the upper Picatinny and the removable Picatinny rail are built to MIL-STD-1913 specifications. The threaded holes in the upper receiver do not penetrate into the upper receiver bore, so you do not have to worry about any wear from protruding screws. The length of the Picatinny rail is 5.025″ The Picatinny rail is compatible with the HKG3 upper and the .223 upper. Upper is compatible with ©DPMS hardware and lower receivers. Upper is not compatible with ©Armalite lower receiver or parts or with the SI Defense HKG3 lower receiver.

Fulton Armory FAR-308 Lower Receiver Parts Kit

FULTON ARMORY FAR-308 308AR LOWER PARTS KIT FACS-308 LRPK-LTG $59.95 Fulton had it in stock without the trigger group. That was exactly what I wanted. Delivery was in about 3 days!!!

JP Enterprises Tactical 4 lb. Fire Control Package 308 AR

$182.99 The JP Enterprises Tactical 4 lb. Fire Control Package comes in at nearly $100 cheaper then the ATC SR Gold we used in build 2. That’s the first reason for going with this trigger. The second reason is to be able to compare the various triggers for the content of this site as well as to see if the lower-cost units perform nearly as well or equal to the top of the line Jard, Geissele, or ATC. JP has been making triggers for competition .308 AR’s for years. I have no reservations about this being an outstanding trigger for this .308AR build.

DPMS LR-308 DPMS 308 AR SASS 308 Winchester Bull Barrel 1 in 10″ Twist 18″ Fluted Stainless Steel Black Teflon

DPMS LR-308 308AR SASS 308 Winchester Bull Barrel 1 in 10″ Twist 18″ Fluted Stainless Steel Black Teflon 308-BL-SASS Not many options here at this time. DPMS 308 barrels get pretty decent marks for accuracy and the price isn’t too bad either $229. Barrel length: I struggled with this aspect of the build for a while. I had originally wanted a 24″-26″ for the extra few hundred fps in bullet velocity, however, after a little research I noticed many guys getting their long barrels shortened to 18″-20″. Upon investigation, the weight and added length really make the gun strictly a bench rifle. That’s not what I want. There should not be any measurable accuracy differences between this 18″ heavy barrel and its longer siblings at the range of 100-400 yards that I will be shooting.

To comply with local laws I decided it was more practical to remove the threads from the barrel then to have a flash hider pinned, welded and the barrel refinished. To that end, I brought the barrel to my day job and removed the threads in the lathe. Once the threads were removed I cut an 11-degree target crown. Check out the results below.

DPMS 308 Bolt Carrier Group 308-BCA Phosphate

308-BCA $210 I had originally planned on getting another Fulton Armory Bolt Carrier Group until I stumbled across the DPMS 308-BCA BCG for $210. That’s $100 less than the Fulton Armory. Can’t ignore those economics. With the money, I saved I’m going to purchase the JP enterprises 308 ENHANCEDBOLT bolt.

As an update to this page today there are so many DPMS 308 style bolt carriers available that some caution should be exercised. Do not let price be your guide. Buy 308 bolt carriers from known sources who stand behind what they sell. Obviously, we recommend Brownells, Palmetto State Armory, Primary Arms and, Aero Precision.

The complete bolt assembly is precision machined from an ultra-strong steel alloy to last up to 10 times longer than a standard carbon steel bolt, minimizing the risk of bolt failure during a critical engagement. SAE 9310 steel has a tough, ductile inner core highly resistant to stress fracturing, with a hard outer surface that resists galling and wear, to ensure a service life of up to 60,000 rounds. This is the same steel used in the transmission gears of Formula 1 race cars, so it’s ideal for high-impact, high-heat applications like sustained full-auto fire. Meticulously machined radiuses on all 90-degree corners on the locking lugs help distribute impact force evenly and further reduce the risk of premature wear and cracking. Fully supported extractor face and precise extractor engagement further ensure smooth, reliable cycling.

MECHARMOR TacOps-1 Generation 3 AMBIDEXTROUS CHARGING HANDLE

The MECHARMOR TacOps-1 Generation 3 AMBIDEXTROUS CHARGING HANDLE is no longer a valid product. Today I would buy a Radian Weapons Raptor.

Troy Battle Sights (BUIS)

This was an easy decision. The Troy Battle Sights (Rear SSIG-FBS-R0BT-00, Front-SSIG-FBS-FMBT-00) are the best sights available for the AR15, M16, M4 rifle period. They are precisely machined of aluminum and stainless steel. All adjustment screws are recessed and cant accidentally be altered. The apertures are machined correctly to retain zero regardless of which aperture is being utilized (the small aperture is correctly offset). The sights are on the correct plane to be co-witnessed with most optics. These sights are most likely the most expensive units available. If your life might depend on them one day they will be priceless.

Magpul UBR Rifle Stock – DPMS LR-308 SR25 AR10

Magpul UBR Stock
MAG330 Magpul UBR Rifle Stock
At the time I did this page the UBR was unobtainable so the images reflect a MAGPUL PRS.
From Magpul “The UBR includes the necessary Entry-Length Receiver Extension tube and all mounting hardware. An M4 carbine buffer and spring are required for use with the UBR and are not included. 308ARs may require the use of a custom short buffer and spring.” This will require a Heavy Buffers custom Buffer and a modified Armalite AR-10 buffer spring. Fortunately, Slash sells them both through Brownells.
I wish Magpul would manufacture a fixed buttstock based on the form of the UBR in it’s extended position. I think it could replace A2 stocks worldwide. I’m passionate enough about this that I suggested it to Magpul. Update: My suggestion looks pretty similar to their MOE stocks.

Small Parts

Below is the little stuff you don’t want to forget about

- Gas Tube
- Gas Tube Roll Pin
- Aero Precision Threaded Bolt Catch Screw (Threaded Roll Pin SKU APRH100300C)
- Heavy Buffers custom Buffer and a modified Armalite AR-10 buffer spring
- Barrel Nut – note: Some free-float handguards require a proprietary barrel nut that is either provided with the handguard or needs to be ordered at the same time. In our case, the Daniel Defense Lite Rail is supplied with a special barrel nut.

Aero Precision Stainless Steel Bolt Catch Screws

SI Defense Stainless Steel Bolt Catch Screws

JP VTAC Modular Hand Guard System JPHG-6D

Visitors may recall I had originally specified a Daniel Defense “Lite Rail” for this project. I have since changed my mind and decided while as nice as that would be it is simply not the right setup for this rifle’s intended use. It would be having quad rails for the sake of quad rails. I will save the Lite Rail for the 3rd build. Since originally starting this project there has been a new free-float handguard to hit the market. That new handguard is a 15.5″ version JP Enterprises Handguard JPHG-6D of their rifle length free float handguard JPHG-1D.

Note: If you follow the link to brownells read the specs to select the correct one and don’t rely on the JP part numbers here. The “D” part numbers specify DPMS LR-308. The “A” part numbers specify Armalite.

I have a 12″ JP VTAC on an AR-15 and I like it very much. You can see that here at AR15TACTICAL.COM. or the original page here.

Falcon Industries ERGO AR-LF Tactical Deluxe Grip, SUREGRIP – with Spacer – Pistol Grip

Falcon Industries ERGO AR-LF Tactical Deluxe Grip, SUREGRIP 4060LF Im a big fan of the Falcon ERGO GRIPS. They fit my hand perfectly and have the perfect texture to mate up with your hand.

Gas Block

DPMS SASS Gas Block 308 Micro 936 Gas Block. DPMS reports that the SASS barrel requires a “Special Gas Block”. Naturally, they are the only ones to produce it. Well I can’t confirm what they say at the moment but I will get to the bottom of this. A quick check of my SASS barrel didn’t find any unusual dimensions but I will investigate thoroughly when I get a non-dpms gas block.

Update: I have confirmed that the DPMS SASS barrels do in fact require a special gas block. The issue is the diameter of the barrel is between the receiver and the step down to .936 is greater than that of a typical barrel. This results in the hole in the gas block for the gas tube being obstructed in a manner preventing the gas tube from being installed. The DPMS gas block raises the gas tube position to compensate. Note the wall thickness in the image above.

Primary Weapons FS30 Muzzle Brake/Flash Hider/Compensator

To comply with local laws I can not have a threaded muzzle. This leaves me with two options. The first would be to send the barrel out of state and have a muzzle device pinned and welded to make the attachment permanent. The second option is to have the muzzle threads removed and replaced with a sharp 11-degree crown. For a few reasons, I’m opting to remove the threads and go with the 11-degree crown. The biggest issue for me is the total cost of getting the muzzle device attached. First, there is the cost of shipping the barrel two ways. Second is the cost of the muzzle device itself. Third cost of the installation (Pin & weld). Lastly, the heat from the process of the silver soldering the muzzle device to the barrel would damage the Teflon finish of the barrel. This would require the barrel to be refinished. All this would easily double the cost of the barrel. Now if I was to buy a muzzle device for this weapon It would be the Primary Weapons FS30 Flash Hider Muzzle Brake.

Vortex Viper PST 4-16×50 FFP Riflescope with EBR-1 MOA PST-416F1-A

Initially never settled on a permanent optic. This Leupold has spent a lot of time mounted though. Now I’m hooked on the Vortex crack and will purchase another Vortex Viper PST 4-16×50 FFP Rifle scope with EBR-1 MOA PST-416F1-A. Yep that will do nicely

308 AR Magazines

I opted for two different brands of magazines, the official DPMS MA-3082 19 round, and MagPul Pmag 20LR 308 AR Magazines. The Magpul has become a real game-changer in these big rifles. Perfect function and reliability.