Home Forums Hunting & Shooting AR and Tactical Rifles Lightest AR 10?

Do not, never have owned an AR. I want to buy one now, or build in 308. Don’t want it to weigh too much. Closer to 8# the better.

Is that an unreasonable expectation? I once looked at a DPMS that I thought was pretty light. Don’t remember anything else about it.

POF advertises theirs as being lightest, I believe.

I've got a Daniel Defense dd5v1 and it's anything but light. Awesome rifle but not something I'd want to carry much.

I have the Remington version of the DPMS G2 Hunter. It’s under 8lbs naked.

DPMS was the lightest, but recently I saw an add for one with a polymer lower that came in even lighter. Sorry but I'm having a brain fluff right now and can't remember the name. The price was cheaper too.

A total scoped weight of 8 lb is a very reasonable goal if you're willing to build the rifle with an eye toward saving weight.

My PSA 18" is 8 lb without a scope (measured on a postal scale), but it's not all stock. I have a lightweight barrel and lightweight bolt carrier in it. However, it could be lightened further with a lighter handguard and stock; it would be easy to shave off 1 lb, more if you want.

It's the top rifle in this pic, 9lb 4oz as pictured with the scope and empty mag. You can see the areas to save more weight - that full length handguard isn't super light, and the ACS-L stock is nice but heavier than some other options.

I have had 5 308 semi auto's, they all seemed like a great idea and they all went down the road as a full mag full of 20 cartridges weights about a pound then the gun with a scope is at 9 or so. Where I live I don't think there is much that I cannot do with the 5.56 and good bullets. At some point you have to become practical in what you do and buy.

Totally agree with you. I thought I wanted an AR10 until I had to remove a 20 rd mag from one for the guy next to me at the range on Tuesday. The thing was heavy.

Understand they’re heavy. But, doesn’t the balance mitigate weight? I would only be packing a 5 round magazine for hunting purposes. It’s not the capacity I like as much as the format.

I really wanted an AR10 back when I was buying my first semi.
The price was a bit steep.
When I picked several up, I changed my mind.
Bought a RRA with a quad rail instead.
Scope, mounts, full mag...still have a pig.
Now I have a PSA pencil barrel, mloc lightweight handguard.
Nice balance, light enough, shoots good enough.

They aren't as bad as some guys say. The weight really isn't that big of a deal; a lot of guys here have 5.56 AR15s that weigh just as much but either don't know or don't admit it. In my pic above, the bottom rifle is a 5.56, and only weighs 4 oz less than that 308. Granted that includes the TLR-1 light and the sling, but still, the difference is fairly small for rifles that are set up very similarly.

You are completely right about balance being more important than the weight (within reason of course). And, don't believe the nonsense some guys say about how 308 ARs are always heavy. If you want to set up a 308 AR to weigh only 6 lb for a walking rifle, you can certainly do that without going to extremes on crazy light components.

I think the biggest perception of 308 ARs being "heavy" is just the larger form factor. They feel bigger in the hands, and that bulk makes them feel like a lot more rifle compared to an AR15 of the same weight. It's just a perception, but it seems to have a big effect on a lot of owners.

https://www.springfield-armory.com/products/saint-victor-ar-10-308/

Check out the SA Saint Victor in 308. Specs say 7lb 11oz. Not in the Kimber Montana weight class, but the one I have seems well balanced.

I plan on using mine for close up, 50 yard or less, pig hunting. Going after them in the thick brush they like to hang out in. Added a red dot sight and a 10 round mag to keep light and handy. The muzzle brake is very effective, but I plan to wear electronic muffs while hunting.

I'm not much of an AR guy, but the price was right. I had thought of getting something like this many times and recently got lucky and won this one!

Here are the 308 POF's:

https://pof-usa.com/firearms/revolution/

Not cheap, but as light as 7.1 lbs.

I'm not fond of the 20rnd magazines for hunting purposes. A 10-round magazine is a much better fit, and still plenty of capacity for anything I've ever needed.

I second the 10 rounder.

Yep. Damn tough to get off more than 10 rounds on a sounder of hogs if your actually trying to hit em.

Five is the most I’ve ever killed in a group once they start running.

I thank you guys for the input. Several options have been presented & I will look them all over.

I've got a Windham Weaponry .308 that weighs 7 1/2 # and 10 1/4 # with a Nikon P308 scope and heavy Burris AR15 scope mount. Be careful buying your AR10, they aren't mil-spec and everyone's parts don't interchange. Make sure you get what you want upfront. My Windham has never missed a beat with anything I've shot thru it. Very well put together. I think an AR10 is a good investment for something a little more punch than an AR15. Love all my AR15s and do shoot them quite a lot more for more practical purposes and cheaper ammo though.

Tennessee Arms makes polymer lowers. I have a 308 lower but I have never assembled it. I have several AR15 lowers and I shoot them on a regular basis. I have one with a 14.5 inch barrel and an A1 upper that is well under 6 lbs with a Magpul rear sight and an A2 front. The only issue with the light rifles is the recoil with hot loads.
https://www.tnarmsco.com/ar-308/

I have the Saint Victory and its great!

How deep are your pockets?

https://www.2a-arms.com/product-p/2a-xrc18sc15blk-1.htm

I build AR10s for LR accuracy and SHTF, not so much for hunting. I have <7# 6.8 and 5.56 and other AR15s for carrying/hunting. AR10s are not as ‘handy’ as AR15s, and I don’t get any real caliber choice advantages for deer/hogs/coyotes, at typical hunting ranges. JMO

My 7.62/.308 DPMS GII Hunter with a 20” barrel weighs only 7-lbs 12-ozs—before adding scope/mounts or anything else.



From the American Rifleman:

“The GII is smaller and lighter, almost as small and as light as the AR-15 rifle. Current models start at 6 lbs., 14 ozs. Ballard said, "Depending on the model, the GII can weigh from one to several pounds less than its older LR counterpart." To accomplish that weight reduction, the engineers had to create new upper and lower receivers, as well as a new bolt carrier. … The forged, monolithic bolt carrier in the GII is another redesign from the old style. It eliminates the larger forward section and is the same size for its entire length. The new bolt carrier measures 0.930" at its largest point as opposed to the previous design at 1.135". The new bolt carrier is also 0.6" shorter than its predecessor. The GII bolt carrier group weighs 6 ozs. less than the old style. … The GII bolt uses new geometry for the locking lugs where every edge has a radius to enhance reliability. There are two ejectors rather than the standard single. Ballard said that is to help reduce spring fatigue. Of course, it also introduces redundancy as the gun will operate with one ejector. ...

This GII Hunter I tested blew me away with its accuracy. I was primarily testing that rifle for our sister publication American Hunter and didn't even plan to include it in this article, but the performance is too impressive to ignore. American Hunter uses three, three-shots groups with three different loads as a test protocol. With the Black Hills 168-gr. load, the first group measured 0.30". That was the best, but the average of three groups was 0.47". The average for all nine groups was 0.80". From an out-of-the-box AR-L shooting factory ammunition, that is very impressive accuracy.”
https://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2015/1/5/downsizing-dpms-gii-ars/

I also get an average of around 1/2” 100-yd groups with Nosler factory 168-gr ABLR loads.

Even with the reduced overall weight, it has a fairly-heavy/thick barrel that seems to absorb more heat than most ARs.

So far, I’ve only shot a few deer with it:


But it’s a great fairly-lightweight .308 AR. It is more accurate than any other AR I have shot, and it has never failed to fire (except when my son tried Hornady reduced-recoil ammo through it—not enough powder).

It’s cool to see the lighter trends for AR10s. So far, they don’t fill a niche that my AR15s and heavier AR10s don’t fill, other than being lighter. If I didn’t already have some of my purpose built, hunting AR15s, I might start out with one of the G2s or at least some of the lighter components and stick with a 308. That usually doesn’t stop me from adding to the Arsenal, regardless. Staying under 9#, loaded up, would add some versatility, for sure.

6.9 lbs. here:

https://www.dpmsinc.com/GII-Compact-Hunter_ep_239-1.html

I agree with a 10 round mag for hunting. Now if I was back in the SE US whitetail hunting, I'd take on in .308 or 6.5 CM and not think twice. For the type of hunting (minus bear baiting) I do in AK, I don't care to have one. That's just my personal preference and I'm not going to knock anyone that does hunt with them. Now give me a year or two, and I may change my mind since I have built a couple of AR15's in the last few weeks.

Restricted to 3 rounds in the gun here, so a even the 5 round mag I use for my AR-15.450bushmaster isn't full. No point is carrying even larger, mostly empty, mags.

I prefer to use 20 round mags, even when only loading with a few rounds for hunting. I use the magwell and mag often for manipulating the rifle, especially transitioning from one shoulder to the other (and did this when I shot my deer left handed last fall, because of the angle). Mag changes seem easier to me with 20s than shorter flush or nearly flush mags too, and since that's what I use most of the time, I've never felt a need or desire for 5 or 10 round mags.

I found the taller mags were a problem with using a short bipod, shooting prone. I don't like the gun resting on the mag when at rest.

Taller mags, yes, but not 20 rounders. A 30 (or 25 in 308) rests on the mag or needs a taller bipod, but with 20 round mags, all of mine rest on the butt. Those 20s are the same height as the grip. I don't see any advantage in going shorter, for how I use an AR.

Edit - look at the picture I posted above with the two black rifles. Both have 20 round mags in them; you can see the 20round 5.56 mag is the same length as the grip. The 20rd 308 Pmag is a little longer but still not enough to matter. I could see a 15 rd being a nice size there if they existed, but really dislike very short or flush mags.

My DPMS LR .308 with a 20" heavy barrel with mounts & scope weighs 11lbs.3 oz.

A 5 round .450 Bushmaster IS a 20 round 5.56 mag with a different follower.

"Bushmaster .450 Bushmaster 5-round Magazine.

High-quality construction. While the new Bushmaster .450 utilizes a standard 20-round AR-type magazine box the similarity ends there. A single stack follower is installed above the anti-tilt type follower to facilitate feeding the large diameter .450 Bushmaster. A special magazine spring is utilized and cartridges are single stacked to yield a full capacity of 5 rounds. As this .450 cartridge is too wide to fit through the feedlips in the conventional .223 manner this magazine must be loaded by sliding the cartridge under the feedlips."

Ok... You knew I was talking about the same size mag then several posts ago...
Jpro and Reloader28 were talking about 5 and 10 round 5.56 mags.

Honestly, I didn't know they even MADE 5 round mags for 5.56! I doubt I could get 3 rounds in one.