The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - PTR-91 vs Armalite AR-10

DARIVS ARCHITECTVS · January 31, 2008, 04:31 PM

Having had both an AR-10 and a PTR-91 both using iron sights, I can say that the experience of shooting comfortably definitely goes to the AR-10. The recoil of the PTR-91 is significantly higher. The AR-10, while having the disadvantage of the AR gas system, has low felt recoil and the sights are design to maximize accuracy at longer ranges. The bolt of the AR-10 is less than half the weight of the PTR-91 bolt, and that counts for a lot comfort-wise. That and the fact that the AR design was created with accuracy in mind with regard to having the bolt motion in line with your shoulder, seem to give me a better group consistently than the PTR-91, and this was with a PTR-91 that I consider was one of better quality ones that were made. If you stick with ammo that is in spec, you can avoid the jamming problems that the AR system has suffered in the past. Unless you have a preference for German weapons, the AR-10 will probably serve you better. The AR-10 edged out my brothers FAL by a noticeable margin in accuracy mostly because the rear sight apperture on his FAL was larger than the AR-10's. When you compare military guns, you also have to compare production costs to be fair. The AR-10 is more expensive than PTR-91 which has lots of stamped parts. For the recreational shooter, cost of production is only a factor when it translates to cost in buying price. But, you should consider that when making comparisons, since it avoids unknowingly comparing apples to oranges and drawing skewed conclusions.

January 31, 2008, 04:31 PM	#6
DARIVS ARCHITECTVS Member Join Date: November 29, 2004 Location: Minnesota, USA Posts: 43	Having had both an AR-10 and a PTR-91 both using iron sights, I can say that the experience of shooting comfortably definitely goes to the AR-10. The recoil of the PTR-91 is significantly higher. The AR-10, while having the disadvantage of the AR gas system, has low felt recoil and the sights are design to maximize accuracy at longer ranges. The bolt of the AR-10 is less than half the weight of the PTR-91 bolt, and that counts for a lot comfort-wise. That and the fact that the AR design was created with accuracy in mind with regard to having the bolt motion in line with your shoulder, seem to give me a better group consistently than the PTR-91, and this was with a PTR-91 that I consider was one of better quality ones that were made. If you stick with ammo that is in spec, you can avoid the jamming problems that the AR system has suffered in the past. Unless you have a preference for German weapons, the AR-10 will probably serve you better. The AR-10 edged out my brothers FAL by a noticeable margin in accuracy mostly because the rear sight apperture on his FAL was larger than the AR-10's. When you compare military guns, you also have to compare production costs to be fair. The AR-10 is more expensive than PTR-91 which has lots of stamped parts. For the recreational shooter, cost of production is only a factor when it translates to cost in buying price. But, you should consider that when making comparisons, since it avoids unknowingly comparing apples to oranges and drawing skewed conclusions.