My decision to obtain an AR in .308 moved rather rapidly and I ended up getting a DPMS LR-308 Oracle. Since I've been on a little "vacation" from OSA I've been spending a lot of time over on 308AR.com and have enjoyed learning more about these rifles. The .308s are not as standardized as the 5.56 ARs so a person has to decide which company\group of vendors they want to go with when deciding on a .308 AR. DPMS really brings a lot to the table for the money and being that I have no problem with them as a company, the Oracle was the best choice for me.
The Oracle has a 16" barrel and though I think a 20" would be better for long range work, I have no issues with the 16". Besides, these things are beasts! The .308s are like if your 5.56 AR put on the "freshman 15" and they tend to be way nose heavy which makes sense because they are all steel out front but mainly aluminum and plastic in the back. It also has the carbine-length gas system. I'd prefer to have a longer gas tube but that will be an upgrade for the future.
Here's a .308 bolt on the left and a 5.56 bolt on the right.
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There are reports of DPMS .308s having a rough chamber which has known to result in some extraction issues. I was curious if mine would have that issue so I wanted to make sure the rifle was ready for its first trip to the range. The recommended lube for a .308 AR? Mobil 1. No kidding. I cleaned the shipping oil from the bore, cleaned the bolt and inner upper and coated the bolt with Mobil 1 30w.
Here's the beast at the range. The scope currently on it is a cheap junker with junk mounts. That will change at some point in the near future. I did a modified DPMS break-in on it; cleaned after each of the first three rounds then ran a 5 shot group followed by a cleaning. I then ran the rest of the mag. Unfortunately I only got to run one mag though it since I had spent too much time at the range fiddling with my 5.56 AR and ran out of daylight.
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This group is nothing to write home about but at least it was on paper in the first 10 rounds though the rifle. Ammo was 150gr soft point Monarch brass.
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I had a great time with it and am planning to go back out Sunday. It only has 20 measly rounds though it but it didn't hiccup at all.
The Oracle has a 16" barrel and though I think a 20" would be better for long range work, I have no issues with the 16". Besides, these things are beasts! The .308s are like if your 5.56 AR put on the "freshman 15" and they tend to be way nose heavy which makes sense because they are all steel out front but mainly aluminum and plastic in the back. It also has the carbine-length gas system. I'd prefer to have a longer gas tube but that will be an upgrade for the future.
Here's a .308 bolt on the left and a 5.56 bolt on the right.
[Broken External Image]
There are reports of DPMS .308s having a rough chamber which has known to result in some extraction issues. I was curious if mine would have that issue so I wanted to make sure the rifle was ready for its first trip to the range. The recommended lube for a .308 AR? Mobil 1. No kidding. I cleaned the shipping oil from the bore, cleaned the bolt and inner upper and coated the bolt with Mobil 1 30w.
Here's the beast at the range. The scope currently on it is a cheap junker with junk mounts. That will change at some point in the near future. I did a modified DPMS break-in on it; cleaned after each of the first three rounds then ran a 5 shot group followed by a cleaning. I then ran the rest of the mag. Unfortunately I only got to run one mag though it since I had spent too much time at the range fiddling with my 5.56 AR and ran out of daylight.
[Broken External Image]
This group is nothing to write home about but at least it was on paper in the first 10 rounds though the rifle. Ammo was 150gr soft point Monarch brass.
[Broken External Image]
I had a great time with it and am planning to go back out Sunday. It only has 20 measly rounds though it but it didn't hiccup at all.
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