Don't know a lot about them, but the Remington R25s seem nice. Bass pro had a Colt AR in 308 that looked and felt awesome. Think it was $2100 maybe?
And here come the DPMS haters. Having said that, you guys probably put many more rounds through your ARs than I do. I'm just not a total AR freak and have many other types of firearms that I enjoy. So hate on, that's fine. My 5.56 AR is a Colt if that helps anyone sleep any easier.
To the OP, I too wanted a .308 AR without spending a fortune on one and knew that I wouldn't be running hundreds of rounds through it each day at classes or trying to save the world as an Operator during the Mall Ninja Zombie Apocalypse. What I learned in my research was that building a .308 AR was not cheap and they are not standardized like 5.56 ARs. A lot of guys said to stick with the DPMS pattern and the parts would be easier to source. This doesn't mean that the parts HAVE to be DPMS but that they are just on the same pattern as DPMS.
The factory mags have improved but Magpul does make reliable mags for .308. My stock mags have worked fine. There are also aftermarket bolts, triggers, barrels, etc. for the .308 so all that can be switched out. That way, if you wake up in the middle of night in a cold sweat because you have a DPMS in your safe and have the strong urge to go kill kittens, you can swap the parts out and maybe get a job as an New Operator in this theater. Hmm, what do to do with the old, crappy factory DPMS parts? Sell 'em on Gunbroker! They are hot property since people would like to put together an inexpensive .308 AR and might not be concerned with super high-end parts.
Mine's a lot of fun and I have no regrets getting it. Also got it delivered NIB for under $1k. That makes it even more fun!
To the OP, I too wanted a .308 AR without spending a fortune on one and knew that I wouldn't be running hundreds of rounds through it each day at classes or trying to save the world as an Operator during the Mall Ninja Zombie Apocalypse. What I learned in my research was that building a .308 AR was not cheap and they are not standardized like 5.56 ARs. A lot of guys said to stick with the DPMS pattern and the parts would be easier to source. This doesn't mean that the parts HAVE to be DPMS but that they are just on the same pattern as DPMS.
The factory mags have improved but Magpul does make reliable mags for .308. My stock mags have worked fine. There are also aftermarket bolts, triggers, barrels, etc. for the .308 so all that can be switched out. That way, if you wake up in the middle of night in a cold sweat because you have a DPMS in your safe and have the strong urge to go kill kittens, you can swap the parts out and maybe get a job as an New Operator in this theater. Hmm, what do to do with the old, crappy factory DPMS parts? Sell 'em on Gunbroker! They are hot property since people would like to put together an inexpensive .308 AR and might not be concerned with super high-end parts.
Mine's a lot of fun and I have no regrets getting it. Also got it delivered NIB for under $1k. That makes it even more fun!
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I am not sure why the disdain for DPMS 308 rifles. Both of mine have ran flawless. Loose keys create a lot problems for these types of rifles. I would guess that having a loose gas key was a large source of the malfunctions the OP was facing.
I sell a lot of 308 rifles. I am a dealer for several different brands, Armalite, Daniel Defense, Black Rain, Rock River, Noveske, DPMS and others that I do not recall at this moment. As a couple of people have said already, if you are looking for a AR10 that is low cost, that you can go out and have fun with and money is a factor the DPMS Oracle is the way to go. I sell more of those than any other brand.
Now if you are a guy that money is not a factor, by all means go with Armalite, LWRC, Noveske, Daniel Defense, etc. I would be more than happy to order you one. From my experience of having those in my shop in the past, they collect dust because many people want them, and talk the talk, very few people have the money to purchase them. That is why now if you want one, I order it instead of keeping it in stock. I do order the expensive brands for my customers, where money is no object.
Now if you are a guy that money is not a factor, by all means go with Armalite, LWRC, Noveske, Daniel Defense, etc. I would be more than happy to order you one. From my experience of having those in my shop in the past, they collect dust because many people want them, and talk the talk, very few people have the money to purchase them. That is why now if you want one, I order it instead of keeping it in stock. I do order the expensive brands for my customers, where money is no object.
I have had two DPMS 308 and both ran fine never a FTF or FTE out of either. I recently traded for a Rock River 308 and love it. Fal mags are fairly inexpensive and easy to come by. Excellent rifle. Armalite uses proprietary mags and there fairly expensive or at least they did when I checked. I had heard they were coming out with a model that would use pmags, but never saw one.
For under $2500 you might also take a look at the Bushmaster 308s. They use all DPMS parts except for the barrels, which are chrome lined.
Personally for my upcoming .308 AR build, I am planning on getting a DPMS pattern carbine, whichever one I can find the best deal on, and putting a Criterion light profile chrome lined 18.5" barrel on it.
Wal Mart has the DPMS LR-308 Sportical for $879 (a really great deal), but I don't want the extra high profile receiver rail that it has.
Personally for my upcoming .308 AR build, I am planning on getting a DPMS pattern carbine, whichever one I can find the best deal on, and putting a Criterion light profile chrome lined 18.5" barrel on it.
Wal Mart has the DPMS LR-308 Sportical for $879 (a really great deal), but I don't want the extra high profile receiver rail that it has.
Tactical Machining makes DPMS compatible uppers and lowers(stripped). Their upper is $200, but it looks like they are currently out of stock.
http://www.tacticalmachining.com/
http://www.tacticalmachining.com/
PSA has .308 LPK's right now that are on sale as part of the "X days of Christmas" for anyone looking to build one.
I'd like to do the same thing with mine; install an 18" barrel. But that's down the road a ways. Having too much fun with it now, as is. I considered the Sportical but wanted the forward assist so the Oracle fit the bill.
I have a LR308 AP4 and it runs perfectly and breaks down with no problems. The only problem I've ever had was a FTFire but that was due to a dud round and not my rifle. It's accurate when using American Eagle NATO round. It sucks you've had issues because mine so far has been perfect. I love it.
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