Rock River .308 Lower -- what to do?

[N8RV]

I'd like some input from those who care to chime in ...

Before the craziness set in, I bought a Rock River LAR-8 lower. Now, I'm debating how to build it up. I had intended to buy a RRA upper and make it into a semi-precision, long-range, reach-out-and-touch-someone-with-love rifle, but am wondering what other options might be out there.

According to RRA, the LAR-8 lowers do NOT necessarily mate with uppers from other manufacturers, so I guess I'm pretty much stuck with a RRA upper (correct me if I'm wrong.) Is there any merit in mating a different barrel with a RRA upper?

What about making an SBR? Is that a fool's errand for a .308?

Given that any serious long-distance rifle would be a bolt-action, is the most reasonable course of action to just stick with a stock RRA upper and be happy?

Thanks for any advice.

 

[Manatee]

There are many "serious" semi-auto long-distance rifles.

I don't have any direct knowledge of SBR .308's but it doesn't sound all that appetizing. Accuracy, fps, m/e would all seem to be less than ideal. 300 Blackout might be a better choice, but that will use an AR15 lower.

I would give RR tech support a call on your "mating" issues. They know what works and what doesn't. Overall, I think you might have a better rifle if you just stuck with Rock River all the way….at least as far as resale value goes.

 

[sig1473]

Either buy a RRA LAR-8 Upper or I think Bushmaster 308 Uppers mate as well to the RRA LAR-8 lower. I wouldn't SBR a 308 in an AR platform, but that is just me. I have a M1A Socom and that thing is unbelievably loud. Also, you see a dramatic drop-off in the ballistics of the 308 once you start shortening the barrel down from 18".

 

[N8RV]

Thanks. The SBR idea was a direct result of having attended NFA Day. I'm on the lookout for any and all NFA possibilities. I have The Fever.

As you can see from my avatar, shooting an SBR that doubles as a flamethrower is kinda fun. That was a 7.62 upper on a full-auto lower, and the light show was amazing. I kinda figured that perhaps an SBR in .308 might be similar (but certainly not as much fun as a semi-auto, sadly.)

Unless I get more ideas/opinions on this thread, I will likely just pick a RRA upper and play it safe. I'll leave the experimentation to others with more knowledge and money than I currently possess.

 

[N8RV]

Either buy a RRA LAR-8 Upper or I think Bushmaster 308 Uppers mate as well to the RRA LAR-8 lower. I wouldn't SBR a 308 in an AR platform, but that is just me. I have a M1A Socom and that thing is unbelievably loud. Also, you see a dramatic drop-off in the ballistics of the 308 once you start shortening the barrel down from 18".

Good to know about the ballistics. Up close and personal, I'm sure that the carnage-ability of a .223 and a .308 are comparable. Might as well maximize the ballistics of the cartridge, even if I'm not looking to hit steel at 1K yards. Sounds like I need to embrace a long-barreled mate for that lower.

Thanks for the reply and info.

 

[Mgderf]

Close to the SBR, but not quite, and a different platform, but I have a Savage Striker "pistol" (bolt-action) in .308 Winchester and it wears a 16" heavy barrel, with a YHM Phantom muzzle brake.

It has a bi-pod on the front. EVERY time I pull the trigger on that thing the muzzle jumps 4" off the bench!
I don't think a SBR in .308 would be very easy to control after the first shot.

 

[ctbreitwieser]

Screw practicality. SBR it and love it. It'd be the coolest flame throwing noise maker on the range. Unless you only shoot at indoor ranges. Sometimes you just have to have a couple guns that serve no purpose except being fun and looking cool. They're just guns. Have fun with them.

 

[N8RV]

Screw practicality. SBR it and love it. It'd be the coolest flame throwing noise maker on the range. Unless you only shoot at indoor ranges. Sometimes you just have to have a couple guns that serve no purpose except being fun and looking cool. They're just guns. Have fun with them.

Haha! Spoken like a true "NFAddict."

From the advice I've received here and elsewhere, it sounds like I would be smart to just mate the RRA lower to a RRA upper/barrel combo and call it a day. I just thought that, since I had this lower just sitting in my safe, I could register it as an SBR and have a very impractical, but FUN, range flamethrower. However, having an impractical toy like that right now isn't in the budget, so sticking with tried-and-true and practicality will likely stand me the best chance of staying out of the doghouse.

But ... someday ... hehehe ...

 

[rvb]

Haha! Spoken like a true "NFAddict."

no, a real nfa addict would say sbr it and put a can on the end....

there's got to be data online giving you an idea of the velocity out of a shorter barrel... and it's got to hit harder than a .223 from the same barrel length if you're looking for ballistics. I think a 11.5"-12.5" .308 w/ a can on the end would be an awesome bump in the night gun....

figuring out your intended use is always the first step. bump in the night gun? or gun for shooting groups at 800? or loud flamethrower? all valid answers.

-rvb