Why aren't 308 "AR-15's" very popular?

[checkmyswag]

I know 223 is cheaper and that the M16/M4 is 223, but for civilians why aren't there many more 308's out there?

You can't hunt in many places with 223 but the 308 in the AR15/AR10 platform is a viable hunting rifle.

I know there are some out there, but for instance, out of the probably 80 or so AR15's I saw a the gun show this weekend, only 5 or 6 were 308 cal.

[5RWill]

They are IMO, there is a 28+ page thread on the hide about the LMT MWS. Plenty of people love the MWS, OBR, REPR, M110, SR-25, GAP-10. Are they as plentiful as bolt guns.. no but they're harder to shoot accurately than a bolt gun as well.

Generally speaking the reason you'll see more .223 is parts/availability. Also the 7.62 ARs all have different mags. RRA uses their own, armalite i think uses their own. Some use the KAC mags.

To add the expense of a decent (my preference anyhow) 7.62 AR is well above 1000, where as my AR was maybe 1500 after i added rails, stock, grip etc. The lower and upper could've been had for under 1000$.

[Slamfire]

When I have looked at them, you are stuck using proprietary parts which are hideously expensive.

It has been a while, but magazine cost was ridiculous and magazine don’t interchange, and that was just the start of the thing. Bushmaster was making a rifle that took FN mags, a great idea, but they took it off the market.

I have seen very accurate AR10’s, but I am sticking with my M1a for the time being.

[Gunplummer]

They weigh more.

[5RWill]

Slamfire nailed what i was getting at. Just small production, and they're expensive. I will have one eventually. I really want a M110 which is outrageously priced but i suppose i could call george @ GA and see if he could build a GAP-10 around the M110. The GAP-10 is scary accurate for a semi. I mean like 3/8 MOA accurate.

[Shotgun693]

If they'd build one to use G3 or M14 mags then sales would really increase, I doubt it'll ever happen.

[ak2323]

Short answer: because no-one really wants one. The market would adjust if there was a real desire for an AR-15 .308 platform.

[kd7sgm]

For hunting they are heavy, I for one do not care for the AR ergonomics, pistol grip is something else to catch on brush. From the bottom of the magazine to the top of the scope they are wide, like shooting a 4x12 board that rattles.

[Magog]

Small 20 round magazines.

[tobnpr]

They're (AR-10) are not necessarily much more expensive that an AR-15.

The DPMS Panthers in .308 and .260 are about a grand, and they're absolute tackdrivers. Me wants...

For guys that like to punch paper at short to mid range, the 5.56 round is much less expensive to shoot...

For longer range, or hunting applications, the .308/.260, etc. rules.

[whippoorwill]

From the bottom of the magazine to the top of the scope they are wide, like shooting a 4x12 board that rattles.

What kind of groups you gettin with that 4X12 board?

[mrawesome22]

I'd say 90% of ar's are sold to people that have no clue about ballistics or why they want what they want. They just want a "cool looking assault rifle" that they can feed super cheap steel cased ammo.

The 223Rem fills this market nicely.

[DiscoRacing]

i like mine

[MLeake]

Funny... Most of the AR owners I know are current or former military. Seems most of the guys I know who just want a cool looking rifle that shoots cheap ammo go with AK or SKS variants...

[Evil Monkey]

the cheapest steel cased ammo is over 40 cents a round. Brass runs about 60+cents a round on average.

I don't think 308 rifles altogether are popular these days. I rarely, if ever, see them at the shooting range any more.

[DiscoRacing]

former military

LoL... Busted

[Marquezj16]

It's because of proprietary parts!
If you pick one up, you're at the mercy of that manufacturer for parts support.

If the manufacturers start to make them to same spec (like the AR15) I think it would go up in popularity.

It's on my want list (looking at Armalite).

[JHansenAK47]

hunting applications, the .308/.260, etc. rules.

It depends on the hunting being done. The big AR hunting application is of course the varmint rifle. 556/223 has more than adequete terminal performance for that use as well as having a lot less recoil to make aimed follow up shots easier.
On big game hunting I try to hit them on the first shot. I don't want to eat deer that ran 500 yds so the meat has lots of lactic acid and adrenaline in it. Semi auto isn't necessary for me when I go big game hunting. A second shot for me would typically be to finish off an animal that lived through the first shot.
I don't think it is unreasonable to take an AR10 hunting. You should hunt with guns that you can shoot well. My point is it isn't necessary which could explain why you don't see more semiauto hunting rifles in general not necessarily just AR10s specifically.

[Cascade1911]

Practical before tactical.

You said it. Even with the scenario of SHTF. I'm thinking gorilla, sniper, game getting and limited availability of ammo. Also limited access to gunsmiths. To my mind, in everything......KISS!

[Jo6pak]

Too powerful and heavy for the tactical maneuvers of the average mall-ninja

[ak2323]

Only mall-ninjas need tacti-cool semi 308s to hunt game...

.223 semis are fun for varmints but still, unnecessary.

[MLeake]

For those of us who have done most of our rifle shooting with an AR platform, using an AR for hunting might be more about familiarity than about mall-ninja-ness. My two most shot rifles are my AR and my M1 Garand. The Garand is a wee bit heavy. If I ever acquire a 6.8 upper, I could see using an AR to hunt.

[5RWill]

Only mall-ninjas need tacti-cool semi 308s to hunt game...

BS you ever hunted hogs at night? Wouldn't be the same without semi .308s.

[USMCGrunt]

Only mall-ninjas need tacti-cool semi 308s to hunt game...

Spoken like a true FUDD!!!

[sailskidrive]

>>I don't think 308 rifles altogether are popular these days. I rarely, if ever, see them at the shooting range any more

Surprisingly, I was at the range yesterday and 7 of the 8 benches were shooting .308; which totally out of the norm. I have a Bushmaster LR308 MOE w/ mid length gas system; it's a great shooter. I've been shooting it a lot more than my other ARs. It uses the same mags as the DMPS, Knight's Arm, Fulton Armory...


Here is a pic of it with an EOTech 512 that I had on it for a little while. It has a 4x Vortex on it now. As you can see the EOTech didn't clear the delta ring, I would have preferred for it to be mounted a little more forward.