A brand new AR10 + mounted scope for $1K?

[chef_josh]

I thought I’d share this rifle I finally pieced together with deals off the PSA website. I ended up spending right at 1K dollars with the optic included.

Awhile back, I came across a good deal on a blem complete lower, so I impulse bought it. From there, I kinda just became obsessed with seeing how “budget” I could keep this project, without using Chinese junk parts of course.

To be clear, I built this solely for hunting, and mainly for hogs in the 100-300 yard range. This is not a battle rifle. I repeat, this is not a battle rifle.

I snagged the blem lower for $169, and ended up at $200 even after tax and shipping. I watched uppers on the PSA site for awhile, and I really wanted the lightweight 16” because I’ll be hiking a lot. Ultimately, the best deal was always on the 18”, and I had a hard time justifying paying 80 dollars more for 2 inches less of barrel, so I got the 18, complete with charging handle and BCG for $449, which was $500 after tax and shipping.

Lastly, the optic… I couldn’t decide on which route to go with. I considered an LPVO, but ultimately wanted a little more magnification for the option of longer shots. Since I’m primarily using it for hunting inside of 400 yards, I definitely knew a second focal plane scope would be my preference, which obviously works well for the budget side too.

PSA sells this strike eagle 3-18x44 for $299 and the vortex cantilever mount for $99, but I got them in a daily deal bundle together for only $269, which was $300 after tax and shipping.

All total, 1K for an AR10 with optic.

I’ll experiment with ammo next week and post an update to whichever it does or doesn’t like.

 

[Jason]

Yeah, been watching the AR10's at PSA fer a while and almost pulled the trigger since 308 is a caliber I don't have.....I ended up finding another Steyr fer the collection in 308 and topped her with a Trijicon Accupoint to get my fix!!!! Prob end up wit an AR10 eventually though!

 

[Nuum]

Good looking rifle and can't beat the price. Let us know how it shoot.

 

[Bamaboy19]

A couple of weeks ago Diamondback had a complete DB-10 kit for less than $600.
It was hard to pass on, but since I already have 2 and another upper in 6.5
Eurooptics has a killer deal on their Strike Eagle;

Vortex Strike Eagle 4-24x50 with EBR-4 MOA Riflescope SE-1627

All time low pricing on the Vortex Strike Eagle 4-24x50 with EBR-4 MOA Riflescope SE-1627 at EuroOptic!

www.eurooptic.com

I put one on my 6.5 upper.

 

[chef_josh]

Well… I said I’d let y’all know how it shoots.

Let me preface this by saying that I’m not sure I would’ve believed these groups if I hadn’t seen/shot them with my own eyes.

I was the only shooter. All ammo was factory 1st, and bought within the last 30 days.

I shot 80 rounds, all at 100 yards, with 4 different types of ammo, 20 rounds each type. All shots were at 18 power magnification.

PMC xtac 147 308, a 6.5” group, first 20 shots. Obviously I was pretty disappointed with that… gets worse.

The worst of the 4 groups, was Winchester Whitetail 180 gr soft points at 8.2” inches…. at 100 yards. (Yes, you read that correctly, an 8+ MOA group.

Federal Premium match 168 gr… this is the gold standard for match 308 in my opinion. Both the DD5 I used to own and my Midwest Industries ar10 with 16” Criterion barrel are 1/2 MOA with this ammo all day. 3.75”.

I’d send this damn thing back to PSA, except, I shot a 1.25” and 1.4” group of 10 with Winchester M80. It didn’t even have a bullet weight on the box, but I’m assuming it’s 149. Several shots in the same holes. This was the 2nd box I shot, so at that point, I was thinking the PMC ammo was maybe way off spec.

I’m not really sure what I’ll end up doing. For most AR10 rifles, I’d be pretty happy about this shooting good groups with M80, except I bought this rifle specifically to beat up hunting with. M80 is the least important round I’ll shoot from this gun.

In all honesty, I expected a roughly 3-3.5 MOA shooter with hunting rounds, and that would be sufficient for inside of 400 yards for its purpose. BUT, I don’t really know what I’ll do with it now. FYI, the barrel is 18” 1/10.

Everything cycled flawlessly, and recoil is less than I was expecting for such a light rifle.

I’ll go back later this week and shoot a bit more with my sled from the 50 yard mark and update more info.

 

[Bamaboy19]

What trigger are you running?Just guessing, PMC is pretty much budget ammo, & maybe it just doesn't like heavier fodder? I'd try a few more hunting rounds in the 150 range. 20 years ago, I was so impressed with the Hornady 150g SST, that I bought enough for a lifetime.
I now have 2-16" 6.5cm and have been buying up quite the variety of test ammo from light varmint to the heaviest S&B just to find their sweet spots. I bought the lapping tools, so I've pulled every barrel and trued up all my barrel extensions, even on factory built uppers, just for that extra little peace of mind. I've been surprised at how many barrel nuts weren't torqued correctly.
I'm still a novice, but learning as I go, so take my advice with a grain of salt...

 

[chef_josh]

*UPDATE

Well… first and foremost, I’m a moron.

I’ve been losing sleep over this rifle for like 5 days now. It just didn’t make sense. I should have figured out sooner that it wasn’t just the barrel.

There was a broken screw, under the mount, that had not only broken, but wedged itself between the mount and rail. The result was movement when I jerked on the scope.

This was not the kind of issue you would ever notice, unless you were meticulously looking for mount issues. It is, however, something that allows just enough movement to shoot a 12 MOA group.

Center of the target was just me dialing it back in after remounting.

Bottom left is Winchester M80.

Upper right was Federal American Eagle 150gr 308. The “flyer” was the first shot on a cold barrel, outside (low 40’s this morning), with the action open for about half an hour… make of that what you will

Upper left is Hornady 165 gr American Whitetail 308.

I’d say if you find the right match ammo, this would be a sub MOA shooter all day long.

 

[TK5o]

Try federal gold metal match 175gr. My R700 20” barrel 1:10 twist loves it. It has a hollow point bullet. And I believe it is a sierra match king. I will confirm this evening

 

[TK5o]

The 175’s perform better than the 168’s out of my rifle. I have tried the amax and eld bullets before settling on the 175 fgmm

 

[chef_josh]

The 175’s perform better than the 168’s out of my rifle. I have tried the amax and eld bullets before settling on the 175 fgmm

A good buddy of mine had a Savage 110fp that he put 5 shots in the same hole with the 168 fgmm, so I know that it’s good stuff. I can definitely see the 1/10 shooting 175 better. I don’t know that I’ll spend the money on match grade ammo from here to be honest. I bought it as a hog hunter, so it’s more than good for my needs already.

And… if I’m keeping it real… anything under 1 MOA is going to be outshooting me, so I’d probably just be burning expensive ammo on mediocre shooting anyway…