AR-308 – Project Phases and Details

Now that I’ve formally kicked-off the AR-308 project, I wanted to take a moment to give a high level overview of what I’ll cover over the course of this project. The goal is to learn about the .308 Winchester / 7.62x51mm cartridge family, take a close look at the DPMS LR-308 rifle platform, and also highlight the corresponding reloading techniques and equipment. Regardless of whether you’re plinking, wanting to shoot competition, or hunting: this series should prove to be interesting and helpful. Like most of my projects, I’ll break this down into phases.

Phase I: Cartridge Overview, Rifle Overview, Optics

In the first phase, we’ll learn about the .308 Winchester cartridge, take a look at the DPMS LR-308-b rifle, mount a Millett TRS-1 tactical scope, and perform other upgrades. The outcome will be an accurate AR-10 style rifle which will be suitable for testing loads, shooting off the bench, and even hunting. After spending time with the AR-15 platform, I’m really looking forward to learning and sharing about the “Big Brother” AR-10 platform (LR-308 specifically). We may even get into some of the history related to this rifle. Once the rifle is provisioned and “dialed in” we’ll be ready to load some ammunition.

Completed AR-308 Rifle - A DPMS LR-308b with Millett TRS-1 tactical scope and other accessories - Image Copyright Ultimate Reloader 2011

Phase II: Precision Single Stage Reloading

This website is fundamentally about reloading, so I look forward to demonstrating how to reload precision .308 Winchester ammunition for use in semi-automatic rifles. We’ll look at how to prep brass (including military brass), as well as the rest of the precision reloading process for this caliber. Finally, we’ll inspect cartridges and determine how well our equipment performed. This type of reloading can be a great way to “work up loads” that maximize the accuracy of the rifle. I’m curious to see what kind of accuracy results will be observed for this phase!

Phase III: Progressive Reloading

Once we’ve developed some loads that work well, we’ll look at progressive reloading equipment, case feeders, bullet feeders and more. This will be a great way to produce large quantities of precision ammunition in a hurry. Progressive reloading can result in much more efficient workflow, but one must be careful to take the time needed to ensure safety, and also to minimize downtime due to hasty equipment setup and related issues.

That pretty much covers it. I’m not sure exactly how long it’s going to take, or what exactly I’ll cover (you never really know until you get there) – but I do know that it’s going to be a lot of fun!

If you want to catch all of the updates, please sign up for email subscriptions – that way you can participate in discussions, and make sure not to miss anything! Do you want to see something that I haven’t outlined here? Please take a moment to leave a comment!

Thanks,
Gavin

4 thoughts on “AR-308 – Project Phases and Details”

  1. Great video setup and content. What are you using for your production setup? But more importantly and relevant to the AR build, and ammo, I would like to see a precision run done on a Forster Co-Ax. I would even donate the time on the press if you took care of the shipping both ways. Otherwise, I think you pretty much have everything to do a good run.

    Thanks,
    S

  2. I have shot both and find the 22/45 and the regular MKII shoot fine, both of them. But I like the steel of the MKII bteter. Even with the crappy mag release. And I can shoot that bugger all day, and I love it. But having a pistol that acts like a 45, well, I guess that makes a good deal of sense- and when the time comes to add another Ruger, I think I’ll buy the 45, for the same reasons.

Leave a Reply to Gavin Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

For Commerical Inquiries:
Ulitmate Reloader Commercial Services



Reloading Safety

Polls