Your Ideal AR Tactical Build

[Obvious]

If you were going to purchase a new rifle or do a new build of a gun specifically for shooting midrange NRA AR Tactical, what would it be? An added bonus would be the ability to take down whitetail deer at less than 400 yards, but that's not essential. Would you do 223, 22 Nosler, 6mm ARC, 6.5 Creedmor, 308, or something else? Obviously the 223 and 22 Nosler would be borderline at best for taking whitetail, but midrange matches is the primary objective.

Would you have a favorite gun or components to go along with your preferred caliber? I'll be hand loading, so as long as there is brass available, I'll be good. Thanks.

 

[SWRichmond]

Glow much?

 

[Obvious]

Glow much?

Let's say under $2k not including optics. Maybe under $1500 if possible.

 

[Warren Dean]

https://www.savagearms.com/content?p=firearms&a=product_summary&s=22904

 

[kzin]

Hard to see the upside of 308 or 22 nosler

223 if you want to shoot in the 223 sub-class economically

6arc if you want better than 223 in ar15 format. Since you handload, any of several 6 wildcats also would work.

6.5cm(or 6cm) for greatest performance on targets or game if you can afford a high quality rifle in the 'ar10' platform

 

[mac86951]

Hmmm, well any caliber from 223 to 308; limited to 20" barrel; and 4.5lb trigger

Right off the bat the rules will restrict the components of the build so while I'd choose 308; using the default buttstock and rear squeeze bag; I'd probably pass on that caliber, but could ba a good choice. I built a 223 for this and it shoots great to 600; though blown around by the wind makes it challenging and deer at 400y? Ha, not likely.

In a 308 platform, of course 308 can do it; so can 7-08, 260 rem, 6.5 Creed and 243. I don't see good competition bullet selection for .277 or .254. 243 would be awesome, but limited in that by the 20" barrel; so I'd say 6.5s or 7mm.

$1500? That's a build it yourself for sure, and even then, you're looking for sales and custom tuning the non-standard 10 platform.


-15 platform; 6.5 Grendel can be fun; 6mm version is about right. Not sure about 400y deer though. Again, build it yourself and this one is easier to do first time around. Can keep under $1500 too.


My recommendations: 6.5 Grendel (123 class bullet) or 7mm-08 (160 class bullet)

Neither are what you see on the line often, so I wonder what that says about target abilities?

-Mac

 

[Obvious]

Follow up question. The rule states "chambered up to and including 308." Does anyone know what cartridges fall under that limit? Is 6.5 PRC considered "up to and including 308" or is it beyond? It seems like there are a couple options for building a Noreen BN36X3 or similar to shoot 6.5 PRC.

 

[Herzo]

I found the 6.5 Grendel to be a good choice if you want to stay with the AR15 platform - of course you will be competing against anything chambered in the AR10. The 5.56 (.223) is in it's own class. I would be hard pressed to get $1500 into a competitive AR15 that I built myself. Of course the price of poker goes up substantially with the AR10.

 

[BronzeArcher]

I like to keep things economical and friendly for younger shooters to borrow, so I'd go with a .223 Rem. I'd like to keep the options open for jacked match bullets up to 80 grains as well as the heavier copper bullets (for game), so I'd go with a 1 in 8" twist. Odds are I'd put a Leupold VX-III 4.5-14 Tactical scope on it or something very similar. This scope has proven reliable in many years of hunting use and occasional F-Class use.

I'd max out the barrel length with a match barrel, but given the 1 MOA X ring and 2 MOA 10 ring, I doubt I'd be a stickler for a given brand from the top 5. I'd have a Harris bi-pod on it.

 

[kzin]

The rules say .308 caliber not 308 Winchester cartridge.
They also say "AR-Platform". Is anything beyond an AR-10 not the actual platform any more???

I still don't even know if single loading over-mag-length ammo is legal.

 

[Obvious]

The rules say .308 caliber not 308 Winchester cartridge.
They also say "AR-Platform". Is anything beyond an AR-10 not the actual platform any more???

I still don't even know if single loading over-mag-length ammo is legal.

Good point on the 308. I wish the rules were a little more clear. I'd hate to build a gun now only to have them clarify the rules to the point that whatever I built doesn't work any longer.
I already shoot 223 heavies in FTR, so I guess 223 would be the easier route, although I'll probably end up with two complete sets of everything since long 223 FTR loads made for a bolt rifle are quite a bit different even when you do long single-feed into an AR and I don't want to have to remember/adjust where my seating depth and shoulder bumping are every time I load.

 

[Herzo]

Good point on the 308. I wish the rules were a little more clear. I'd hate to build a gun now only to have them clarify the rules to the point that whatever I built doesn't work any longer.
I already shoot 223 heavies in FTR, so I guess 223 would be the easier route, although I'll probably end up with two complete sets of everything since long 223 FTR loads made for a bolt rifle are quite a bit different even when you do long single-feed into an AR and I don't want to have to remember/adjust where my seating depth and shoulder bumping are every time I load.

The single loading is a requirement for competing, but they have specifically outlawed sleds. They don't say that the round must be fed from the magazine.

 

[Fast14riot]

I'd go with a 6WOA, 240 Tomahawk or 6 Hagar in the AR15 platform. I also really like the 6.8, I shoot silhouette and varmint silhouette with mine, but both my 6.8s have 24" barrels.

 

[Obvious]

The single loading is a requirement for competing, but they have specifically outlawed sleds. They don't say that the round must be fed from the magazine.

Yeah, the ambiguity of the mag rule is one thing i'm worried about. It seems that several rounds make a lot more sense if you can load them longer than mag length. If they ever make mag length a requirement, then it would be a different ballgame.

 

[DR_2297]

223 in a long freebore so you can seat the heavies out properly and get some velocity. 7 twist.

Or one of the 6 mm offerings. A 6 Hagar / 220 or 240 Thunderbolt / 6 AR (or turbo), etc. shoot the 105 class bullets.

AR Tac is fired on the MR1. It is a big target for an artificially supported rifle.

 

[geraldgee]

http://6mmar.com/

You may want to consider looking at the calibers mentioned on this site. I believe you can order a competition-ready upper receiver from them as well. Good luck with it.
Gerald

 

[Obvious]

http://6mmar.com/

You may want to consider looking at the calibers mentioned on this site. I believe you can order a competition-ready upper receiver from them as well. Good luck with it.
Gerald

Thanks for the link. Along the lines of kzin's point above regarding 308, here's the rule word for word.
” chambered in either (1) 5.56mm/.223 or chambered larger than .223/5.56 up to and including .308 cal/7.62mm"

Does that mean that 224 AR would shoot against 223 Rem or is the 223 separate class strictly limited to 223 Rem?

 

[mac86951]

Good point on the 308. I wish the rules were a little more clear. I'd hate to build a gun now only to have them clarify the rules to the point that whatever I built doesn't work any longer.
I already shoot 223 heavies in FTR, so I guess 223 would be the easier route, although I'll probably end up with two complete sets of everything since long 223 FTR loads made for a bolt rifle are quite a bit different even when you do long single-feed into an AR and I don't want to have to remember/adjust where my seating depth and shoulder bumping are every time I load.

Both good points. Did you know that the 300wsm and 300Rsaum fit in a 10 platform? I have a 7mmRSAUM, but not a 20" barrel. I suppose you shouldn't pick those cartridges to be fair to the other competitors.

-Mac

 

[Kurz]

Let's say under $2k not including optics. Maybe under $1500 if possible.

Trying to buy a quality, complete AR10 for $1,500 is pretty tough unless you downscale to something like Palmetto. $500 is a big difference when it comes to parts. You'll find this out when you price the necessary pieces for the build.

I don't see any reason to handicap yourself shooting the .223/5.56 so I suggest the 6XC cartridge which excels at the intermediate distance in F-Class. Get one of the top 105 gr. bullets such as the Berger VLD Hybrid then develop an accurate load. This combination works well at magazine length which other bullet/ cartridge combinations don't.

Difference between large action platforms:

"There are two patterns, the DPMS pattern which is also known as LR-308 and AR-10, which is an Armalite pattern. It’s basically the angle towards the rear of the lower receiver, where the upper and lower meet up in an area. One is curved more like an AR-15 and one is angled. The DPMS pattern is more popular, but there are a bunch of parts out there for the Armalite AR-10 that work well also."

I use the +2" barrel configuration and gas tube.

Buy the best glass you want to afford, you can find excellent glass in a lighter weight.

Pay close attention to the 14 lb weight limit as this will accumulate quickly.

 

[Herzo]

X-Caliber has their sale going, they build a very good barrel.