One caliber away from contentment... who else?

[mdwest]

Probably a question for another thread, but I was just thinking about this yesterday. What make a DD or LaRue a "better built" AR platform than the less expensive brands? Thanks!

+1 to @BeeMaa 's comments..

the standard of accuracy for a mil-spec AR is 5" at 100 yards....

most off the shelf mil-spec guns will do better than that with the right ammo.. but most arent going to get you anywhere close to anything sub 2"..

Ive never seen a DD AR that wont hold 1.5" or better at 100 with whatever ammo you choose to feed it.. and if you feed it something it likes, most will get to 1" or better.. thats pretty strong performance from a semi-auto built around a modern sporting rifle pattern..

theyre simply better machined than your typical off the shelf S&W, bushmaster, etc..etc..

Same with LaRue..

All that said, there are several other companies that produce guns equal to or even better than DD & LaRue.. but.. you'll generally see even higher pricing with those manufacturers.. and I find both DD and LaRue to be great companies, run by really good people, with very high standards in customer service.. Not all the top tier manufacturers meet the same standard..

One of the great thing about the AR platform is how modular they are.. which is one of the principle reasons I build all my own.. I can take a run of the mill, average quality lower and upper, and then add in the components I like, that will bring the gun up to DD/LaRue accuracy and reliability standards at a little bit cheaper cost.. and I actually enjoy building the guns..

But if youre not into building AR's, dont have the right tools, etc.. its a whole lot easier to buy a DD, and hit the range or the hunting blind.. they are notoriously accurate and reliable right out of the box..

 

[BeeMaa]

UPDATE - Slight change in plans. The DD4 RIII was not in stock because it was sold earlier in the week and not removed from GB. However, being that I was dealing with Cove Creek Outfitters they were able to make me a killer deal on a DDM4V7 and will be shipping it out today.

When I called to inquire about this, Cove Creek was already on the phone with DD to see if they could get one to them ASAP, but it was not to be.

They are great people at that store and this is one of the reasons I’ll keep going back. Top notch customer service.

In the end I loose the ambi controls and have to live with the bulletproof 4-bolt forend vs the 6-bolt on the RIII. Shouldn’t be a hardship.

 

[mdwest]

UPDATE - Slight change in plans. The DD4 RIII was not in stock because it was sold earlier in the week and not removed from GB. However, being that I was dealing with Cove Creek Outfitters they were able to make me a killer deal on a DDM4V7 and will be shipping it out today.

When I called to inquire about this, Cove Creek was already on the phone with DD to see if they could get one to them ASAP, but it was not to be.

They are great people at that store and this is one of the reasons I’ll keep going back. Top notch customer service.

In the end I loose the ambi controls and have to live with the bulletproof 4-bolt forend vs the 6-bolt on the RIII. Shouldn’t be a hardship.

I actually like the DDM4V7 a little better...

Its easy enough to add an Ambi Mag Release if you really want one.. and not expensive or hard to do at all.. a really well made one is about $50 delivered to your door.. and an "average" one (which honestly is more than good enough.. its a mag release.. not a component that fails with any frequency.. and not a component that impacts accuracy or reliability in any way).. is about $30.. its literally a 5 minute job to swap out..

Same with the Ambi Bolt Release.. a really good one will cost you less than $50.. and an average will be about $30.. and its another 3-5 minute task.. easy to do.. requires no special tools and no special skills.. a youtube video can show you how to do this in a matter of minutes..

So for $100 more you pick up the ambi options.. but theDDM4V7 (at MSRP) is $250 cheaper..

And I like the longer 4 bolt handguard significantly better than the shorter 6 bolt handguard for a variety of reasons..

I think you accidentally walked into a better deal honestly..

For what its worth, Im a lefty.. but other than an Ambi safety I dont really care for anything else "ambi" on my AR's.. It probably goes back to using righty variants of M16/M4/AR15 for close to 25 years that were issued to me when I worked in other professions.. I simply trained myself to operate a righty gun.. and became just as fast and proficient with a righty mag release, righty bolt release, etc.. as I am with lefty/ambi releases..

I dont think youre missing much there at all.. if I ended up with a DDM4V7 I wouldnt bother swapping out anything.. you will be able to run that gun like a champ in no time.. regardless of being a left or right handed shooter..

 

[BeeMaa]

I actually like the DDM4V7 a little better...

Its easy enough to add an Ambi Mag Release if you really want one.. and not expensive or hard to do at all.. a really well made one is about $50 delivered to your door.. and an "average" one (which honestly is more than good enough.. its a mag release.. not a component that fails with any frequency.. and not a component that impacts accuracy or reliability in any way).. is about $30.. its literally a 5 minute job to swap out..

Same with the Ambi Bolt Release.. a really good one will cost you less than $50.. and an average will be about $30.. and its another 3-5 minute task.. easy to do.. requires no special tools and no special skills.. a youtube video can show you how to do this in a matter of minutes..

So for $100 more you pick up the ambi options.. but theDDM4V7 (at MSRP) is $250 cheaper..

And I like the longer 4 bolt handguard significantly better than the shorter 6 bolt handguard for a variety of reasons..

I think you accidentally walked into a better deal honestly..

For what its worth, Im a lefty.. but other than an Ambi safety I dont really care for anything else "ambi" on my AR's.. It probably goes back to using righty variants of M16/M4/AR15 for close to 25 years that were issued to me when I worked in other professions.. I simply trained myself to operate a righty gun.. and became just as fast and proficient with a righty mag release, righty bolt release, etc.. as I am with lefty/ambi releases..

I dont think youre missing much there at all.. if I ended up with a DDM4V7 I wouldnt bother swapping out anything.. you will be able to run that gun like a champ in no time.. regardless of being a left or right handed shooter..

I appreciate the feedback. If I find myself wanting/needing ambi controls, I’ll be sure to let you know. Had a bunch of AH members help with this and there’s still a lot to do. All the information is a help. Thanks again.

Not the right thread to get into it and I’m not even sure it’s even near close to an African hunting topic being that it’s an AR. I’ll leave the optic, mount, weapon light, sling…etc, for another place and time.

Suffice to say that there is another caliber on its way.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Because he doesn't really believe his rants about .the great all round Aussie cartridge?

At the thought of giving up his beloved .243 dies?

Russ needs a .243 to uphold his Bad Boy reputation in Australia, and to engage the family in some healthy outdoor recreational activities.

This thread is getting some traction.

@CBH Australia
Chris buy owning a 243 @Badboymelvin has shattered his bad boy reputation. He did it for the sake of his family so they can enjoy hunting as much as he does.
It takes a bigger man to ruin his reputation than uphold it in some cases. This makes Russ ten feet tall in my book.
As you have met Russ you know he is one of the GENUINE good guys despite his bad boy name.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I’m one less caliber away. Picked one of these up yesterday. I’ll post proper pics when it shows up.

View attachment 569875

@BeeMaa
Just what @Forrest Halley needs for his squirrels. A high cap semi. Gives him more chances before he has to reload to get one unless his shooting has improved.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha
Bob

 

[Sideshow]

@Sideshow
The tears you see when we play rugby are tears caused by laughter when watching how pathetic the English are when they play.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha
Bob

No argument there @Bob Nelson 35Whelen so glad I’m a kiwi

 

[CoElkHunter]

+1 to @BeeMaa 's comments..

the standard of accuracy for a mil-spec AR is 5" at 100 yards....

most off the shelf mil-spec guns will do better than that with the right ammo.. but most arent going to get you anywhere close to anything sub 2"..

Ive never seen a DD AR that wont hold 1.5" or better at 100 with whatever ammo you choose to feed it.. and if you feed it something it likes, most will get to 1" or better.. thats pretty strong performance from a semi-auto built around a modern sporting rifle pattern..

theyre simply better machined than your typical off the shelf S&W, bushmaster, etc..etc..

Same with LaRue..

All that said, there are several other companies that produce guns equal to or even better than DD & LaRue.. but.. you'll generally see even higher pricing with those manufacturers.. and I find both DD and LaRue to be great companies, run by really good people, with very high standards in customer service.. Not all the top tier manufacturers meet the same standard..

One of the great thing about the AR platform is how modular they are.. which is one of the principle reasons I build all my own.. I can take a run of the mill, average quality lower and upper, and then add in the components I like, that will bring the gun up to DD/LaRue accuracy and reliability standards at a little bit cheaper cost.. and I actually enjoy building the guns..

But if youre not into building AR's, dont have the right tools, etc.. its a whole lot easier to buy a DD, and hit the range or the hunting blind.. they are notoriously accurate and reliable right out of the box..

Thank you!

 

[CoElkHunter]

@BeeMaa
Just what @Forrest Halley needs for his squirrels. A high cap semi. Gives him more chances before he has to reload to get one unless his shooting has improved.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha
Bob

Forrest needs a .458 SOCOM (a short .45-70) upper for his AR platform. That way he could still just hit the tree branch the squirrel is on and have lead free fresh squirrel meat. LOL A few years back, my buddy and I were elk hunting and saw an AR propped up against a tree. We were figuring it was a .308. However, the owner showed us his .458 SOCOM and stated it had the ballistics of the .45-70 but fit in an AR platform. Pretty cool.

 

[mdwest]

I happen to have a 458 SOCOM… it’s a serious TX pig popper… but recoil trying to launch 20 rounds quickly at a sounder can be pretty excessive..

I’ve got a 46 caliber suppressor sitting in jail for it… when it finally makes bail I think the 458 is going to be a lot more fun…

 

[Woodcarver]

Forrest needs a .458 SOCOM (a short .45-70) upper for his AR platform. That way he could still just hit the tree branch the squirrel is on and have lead free fresh squirrel meat. LOL A few years back, my buddy and I were elk hunting and saw an AR propped up against a tree. We were figuring it was a .308. However, the owner showed us his .458 SOCOM and stated it had the ballistics of the .45-70 but fit in an AR platform. Pretty cool.

Close, but it's better considered a 45-70 "Light". Still a very effective round, more than capable to take an elk within reasonable distance. Only reason mine probably won't is, I have no interest in pursuing big game with an AR. Coyotes on the other hand, is what an AR is perfect for; the 458 Socom was pretty devestating on this mangy critter.
.

 

[CoElkHunter]

Close, but it's better considered a 45-70 "Light". Still a very effective round, more than capable to take an elk within reasonable distance. Only reason mine probably won't is, I have no interest in pursuing big game with an AR. Coyotes on the other hand, is what an AR is perfect for; the 458 Socom was pretty devestating on this mangy critter.
.
View attachment 570006

Wow! That’s one nasty looking coyote. Looks like early stage of mange?

 

[Woodcarver]

Wow! That’s one nasty looking coyote. Looks like early stage of mange?

Yeah, I haven't shot a clean dog out here for almost a decade. Seen a few, but haven't shot one. Once we had a population density of over 5/sq mi, (part of what allowed mange to run rampant), now we're probably closer to 1/5sq mi. It's a miserable way for them to die; Nature can be vicious.

 

[Forrest Halley]

@BeeMaa
Just what @Forrest Halley needs for his squirrels. A high cap semi. Gives him more chances before he has to reload to get one unless his shooting has improved.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha
Bob

I think my .375 is a great squirrel rifle...

Forrest needs a .458 SOCOM (a short .45-70) upper for his AR platform. That way he could still just hit the tree branch the squirrel is on and have lead free fresh squirrel meat. LOL A few years back, my buddy and I were elk hunting and saw an AR propped up against a tree. We were figuring it was a .308. However, the owner showed us his .458 SOCOM and stated it had the ballistics of the .45-70 but fit in an AR platform. Pretty cool.

We had an AR jockey at the range the other day. Wanted to know if he could shoot his .50 Beowulf. All this talk about recoil and some such. I offered him to shoot my .375 and he got quiet about all the recoil stories real quick.

 

[BeeMaa]

We had an AR jockey at the range the other day. Wanted to know if he could shoot his .50 Beowulf. All this talk about recoil and some such. I offered him to shoot my .375 and he got quiet about all the recoil stories real quick.

I suppose his "one more caliber" won't be a .375!

 

[Forrest Halley]

DD hammer forges not just the barrel but the chamber as well. I don’t think there is another company that does this. All other hammer forged barrels I know of have chambers cut in afterwards.

That the big one for DD. They do it in-house and are proud of it…hence the price. I’d like to see them offer a trigger that’s a little better than mil-spec, but whatever. Most people change them out anyway.

Triggers are very subjective. I proudly recommend Geiselle triggers. They cost, but you can run them forever and they are covered save the springs. I put 65k cycles on my trigger before I noticed it had issues. I called them up and they didn't laugh at me even though I said they could. They simply said it is recommended to change the springs every 5k rounds if that doesn't make it better call us back.

I suppose his "one more caliber" won't be a .375!

Probably not. He's too busy living it up on the ragged edge of recoil with the .500 Beowulf and .458 socom. He wasted our lives talking about limbsavers on ARs and by asking the RSO if he could shoot this like it was a .500NE. They had to consult the rulebook...all the while cold range. After all of that...this turd had to go back downrange to adjust his target. May he be squibbed to pieces!

 

[BeeMaa]

Triggers are very subjective. I proudly recommend Geiselle triggers. They cost, but you can run them forever and they are covered save the springs. I put 65k cycles on my trigger before I noticed it had issues. I called them up and they didn't laugh at me even though I said they could. They simply said it is recommended to change the springs every 5k rounds if that doesn't make it better call us back.

Picked up a TriggerTech today. LOL. With the exception of our Blaser rifles, every rifle or pistol has had the trigger worked to make it better...or at least better for us. The Blaser triggers were exceptional right out of the box.

 

[Forrest Halley]

Picked up a TriggerTech today. LOL. With the exception of our Blaser rifles, every rifle or pistol has had the trigger worked to make it better...or at least better for us. The Blaser triggers were exceptional right out of the box.

Cool thing about the Geiselle is that it runs on regular springs for an AR. If you have the boutique cassette triggers the parts replacement isn't as easy. They do have the one advantage of being more resistant to jamming by ejected primers and debris.

 

[Wyatt Smith]

Cool thing about the Geiselle is that it runs on regular springs for an AR. If you have the boutique cassette triggers the parts replacement isn't as easy. They do have the one advantage of being more resistant to jamming by ejected primers and debris.

Did you ever try the Larue MBT? I like it as much or more than my geissele. For around $100 it’s a great bargain.
I too also dislike the cassette type triggers.

 

[CBH Australia]

I think Russ was looking a a Daniel Defence AR type .243 with a Giselle trigger, La Rue Tactical rails and mounts all over with an EoTech holographic sight with umpteen dozen hi capacity mags with the full on tactical drag bag and "Stuff" with a generous hoarding of ammo. But then disaster struck. His wife saw the quote. Could be a true story, maybe it happened like that that. We don't know for sure.
Since that's on hold with Red Tape, Rules, Government and Restrictions and the ahh, Purchase Requisition approvals perhaps we should suggest a Blazer R8. @BeeMaa say's the triggers are great and the other converts are all impressed with the fit form and function of their Blasers.
Me, all I can afford is a Howa but I do like my Tikka's.
Since Bob gave up his "spare" set of TwoFourtyThree dies I have some .243 cases for Russ. Just gotta find him a reasonably priced Tikka in .243.