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JimDandy · December 21, 2012, 03:29 PM

The .223 and/or 5.56 NATO round (they're different, and compatability goes ONE way, 5.56 MAY fire .223, but .223 may NOT fire 5.56 until you get into alternate chamberings such as .223 WYLDE etc) will feel pretty similar to your 22LR. MUCH different than your .308.

.223 is acceptable for deer legally in some, but not all states.

For defense I would point to the thousands defending our country using one right now, and for the half century or so.

The .223 ammo will (usually) be extremely wallet friendly.

the .308 won't be as bad as the upped chamberings a 5.56 lower can use for hunting i.e. 6.8, or 300 Blackout etc. In other words, a 5.56 sized lower will accept uppers chambered in other rounds, the most "common" alternate sizes being the 6.8 and 300 Blackout. My understanding is the magwel for an AR-10 is different than an AR-15.

Additionally the AR-10 platform is not nearly as standardized as the AR-15. Parts from one AR-10 may not fit on another. Parts from one AR-15 will- assuming you match commercial to commercial and mil-spec to mil-spec. Mil-spec does not mean military only, it just means that a few of the parts are sized to the mil-spec plans, comemrcial parts for these FEW parts are also a standardized size, but different than mil-spec. These parts are pimarily in the stock area, i.e the buffer tubes, and stocks that fit over them, as well as other parts used to secure and mount these pieces, for example, a sling plate that goes between the castle nut that holds the buffer tube mounted in the lower and prevents it from backing out.

There are optics pre-designed for the .233 and .308 AR's. They are much more plentiful for the AR-15. Most optics are not caliber specific.

The ability to mount things to your rifle is more dependant on the "furniture" than the rifle itself. Furniture is a term used in other firearms to denote the stock and fore end, I assume because of the gorgeous wood grains on my shotgun. A round basic plastic foreend will not allow you to mount tons of things. A free floated quad-rail will let you make Batman jealous. Adding that much crap to the front of your rifle will cause me to smirk at you, but also concede to each their own. At max I'd stick a flashlight, and a bipod on the thing.

An addtional benefit of the freefloated quad rail is a longer optics mounting base. The basic flat top reciever will allow you to mount generally one short tube to be co-witnessed. (your iron sights line up through the optic to be useable at the same time.) I have two small tube optics, and i cannot fit the flip up rear sight on my upper right now. I plan on getting a Daniel Defense Omega VII or whatever it's called so I can shift both tubes forward enough to mount the flip up rear sight.

Barrel/action length can also affect your optics. A carbine length gas system with the big front sight tower will prevent the basic mounting system for larger optics i.e. the 6-24x40 or 50 varmint scopes. You can still get them mounted but it's a non-standard method involving a removable carry handle, and an insert for the carry handle that results in a non-standard cheek weld.

Even a basic 3-9x40 will run into issues... it will be over your charging handle making the angle to grasp and operate the charging handle twitcy.

I bought the Colt LE6920 MP-B for about 1K to 1100. I don't think you'll find a better bang for your buck.

The accesories I suggest to add to that are a Magpull ASAP Sling Plate, and single point sling if you want a better sling than the two-point system that comes with the rifle. I have it, though I rarely ever use it. Just wanted to have it if I ever needed it. It hangs off the end all day long.

the Omega VII (requires no chopping of the front sight tower, it's a two piece free float),

the Magpul BAD (Battery Assist Device. Stupid literal me thought this was actually for operating battery operated accesories, instead it helps control the "slide lock" functions of the magazine with your right hand, leaving your left free to operate the charging handle)

A BCM "Gun Fighter" charging handle, Look and see which Mod (meaning Size) works for you, I went large.

You could get an ACOG for 1K+ or you could get a Vortex Strikefire and a VMX3 swing out magnifier for 500 or less. There are other options in inbetween price ranges. The Strikefire and VMX3 was what I settled on. It was good enough, and better wasn't worth the price to me. Your value judgements may vary, and truth be told a smaller dot on my red dot wouldn't hurt my feelings.

December 21, 2012, 03:29 PM	#8
JimDandy Senior Member Join Date: August 8, 2012 Posts: 2,556	The .223 and/or 5.56 NATO round (they're different, and compatability goes ONE way, 5.56 MAY fire .223, but .223 may NOT fire 5.56 until you get into alternate chamberings such as .223 WYLDE etc) will feel pretty similar to your 22LR. MUCH different than your .308. .223 is acceptable for deer legally in some, but not all states. For defense I would point to the thousands defending our country using one right now, and for the half century or so. The .223 ammo will (usually) be extremely wallet friendly. the .308 won't be as bad as the upped chamberings a 5.56 lower can use for hunting i.e. 6.8, or 300 Blackout etc. In other words, a 5.56 sized lower will accept uppers chambered in other rounds, the most "common" alternate sizes being the 6.8 and 300 Blackout. My understanding is the magwel for an AR-10 is different than an AR-15. Additionally the AR-10 platform is not nearly as standardized as the AR-15. Parts from one AR-10 may not fit on another. Parts from one AR-15 will- assuming you match commercial to commercial and mil-spec to mil-spec. Mil-spec does not mean military only, it just means that a few of the parts are sized to the mil-spec plans, comemrcial parts for these FEW parts are also a standardized size, but different than mil-spec. These parts are pimarily in the stock area, i.e the buffer tubes, and stocks that fit over them, as well as other parts used to secure and mount these pieces, for example, a sling plate that goes between the castle nut that holds the buffer tube mounted in the lower and prevents it from backing out. There are optics pre-designed for the .233 and .308 AR's. They are much more plentiful for the AR-15. Most optics are not caliber specific. The ability to mount things to your rifle is more dependant on the "furniture" than the rifle itself. Furniture is a term used in other firearms to denote the stock and fore end, I assume because of the gorgeous wood grains on my shotgun. A round basic plastic foreend will not allow you to mount tons of things. A free floated quad-rail will let you make Batman jealous. Adding that much crap to the front of your rifle will cause me to smirk at you, but also concede to each their own. At max I'd stick a flashlight, and a bipod on the thing. An addtional benefit of the freefloated quad rail is a longer optics mounting base. The basic flat top reciever will allow you to mount generally one short tube to be co-witnessed. (your iron sights line up through the optic to be useable at the same time.) I have two small tube optics, and i cannot fit the flip up rear sight on my upper right now. I plan on getting a Daniel Defense Omega VII or whatever it's called so I can shift both tubes forward enough to mount the flip up rear sight. Barrel/action length can also affect your optics. A carbine length gas system with the big front sight tower will prevent the basic mounting system for larger optics i.e. the 6-24x40 or 50 varmint scopes. You can still get them mounted but it's a non-standard method involving a removable carry handle, and an insert for the carry handle that results in a non-standard cheek weld. Even a basic 3-9x40 will run into issues... it will be over your charging handle making the angle to grasp and operate the charging handle twitcy. I bought the Colt LE6920 MP-B for about 1K to 1100. I don't think you'll find a better bang for your buck. The accesories I suggest to add to that are a Magpull ASAP Sling Plate, and single point sling if you want a better sling than the two-point system that comes with the rifle. I have it, though I rarely ever use it. Just wanted to have it if I ever needed it. It hangs off the end all day long. the Omega VII (requires no chopping of the front sight tower, it's a two piece free float), the Magpul BAD (Battery Assist Device. Stupid literal me thought this was actually for operating battery operated accesories, instead it helps control the "slide lock" functions of the magazine with your right hand, leaving your left free to operate the charging handle) A BCM "Gun Fighter" charging handle, Look and see which Mod (meaning Size) works for you, I went large. You could get an ACOG for 1K+ or you could get a Vortex Strikefire and a VMX3 swing out magnifier for 500 or less. There are other options in inbetween price ranges. The Strikefire and VMX3 was what I settled on. It was good enough, and better wasn't worth the price to me. Your value judgements may vary, and truth be told a smaller dot on my red dot wouldn't hurt my feelings.