I'm looming into my first SASS rifle.

K

kentuckyshiner

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Full Member
Minuteman
Oct 19, 2013
17
7
kentucky
#1
im looking for a lil advise . Im looking to get into my first semi auto long range rifle. requirements are 1 MOA or less out of the box without any mods to the rifle. I have an opportunity to lay my hands on a armalite m110 SASS . I was wondering if there are cheaper option or if i should throw out the cash and get that one?
 
#2
Some will rag on Armalite because it isn’t Gucci enough but all of the Armalites that ever passed through my hands have been great shooters and a handful were/are exceptional shooters. All of mine have been reliable as anything else I’ve seen, I ran my T which is somewhat similar to the SASS 500 rounds suppressed without cleaning or lube before it started to act up. I cleaned the carbon from the extractor groove and popped it back in to only bang away a again. I stopped counting at that point. Armalite, KAC and LMT share a lot of DNA, some of the same people at LMT worked on the Armalite program. I’m fond of the B series and Illinois made rifles so I would definitely spend my money if it were either.


ETA I have a Franklin Armory trigger in one of mine and that damn thing is fun to shoot. It’s never malfunctioned even at full auto like rates of fire.
 
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#7
We build these for customers, but it is an expensive build, from SR25 rifle. If I can help with questions, or help your build, let me know. What I will tell you is if you want a real M110, there are no shortcuts. We also make the barrels, but that has been a slow slog with every shop we work with behind, but I am determined to put that into overdrive. We own all the blanks, so just a matter of executing.
 
#8
I have had an Armalite for over 20 years, I’ve run mine hard and through every weather Indiana has to offer. Heat, snow, rain, mud, dirt and even in an ice storm. I never had a failure due to the magazine, Gen 1 or the improved Gen 2. The Gen 2 mags are the reason why I am found of the B series, I’d take a Gen 2 mag each and every time over the PMag without a blink of an eye.
 
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#9
Not a heck of a lot of info out there on these... kind of frustrating. So I can't base judgement on other info.

So I am going to base some of my comments on my "similar" experience with a SAI M21.

Armalite makes fine products.
I am very comfortable Armalite can produce a tack driver of a AR10. They certainly have a TON of experience producing AR10's.


Now for my useless info...
My SAI M21 experience.... decades ago, my holy grail 308 was a M21. The OEM price was crazy high to me, and the availability of that specific model was horrible.
And I really wanted that model of a M1A. I mean it was the best sold by Springfield Armory ?!
My desires were fruitlessly left unfulfilled.
On a fluke ....I walked into a LGS and up on the wall was a used one. I was shocked, and put it on layaway immediately. ( Poor working guy budget )
After I got it... I Cleaned the barrel and the damn thing does shoot. It was worth the price.

For the moral of the story.... that danged thing to shoot. Granted precision would drop off after 150ish rounds, but cleaning the gas system always put precision back to normal.
My M21 is so consistently precise, it taught me what I was doing wrong. If I didn't pull the trigger properly , I'd get a flier.... etc

And as a example of how finely tuned the M21 is , I swapped the hand guard to a vented one.. and accuracy went to poop. I looked at the OEM one... and it was "tuned" / "fitted" for the M21... ( inside ribs ground flat, and OAL trimmed to fit, with no pressure exerted on the front band and gas system. )

So SAI knows wth they are doing.... and I bet Armalite does as well.

I guess what I am saying is, I am glad I bought the best a company made ( like your choice ) It has never left me unhappy with the groups produced with ammo it liked. ( 168gr FGMM )

Your AR10 choice is the best Armalite makes. I'd bet... it will be a shooter. If I found one at your price... I'd probably buy it.

I'd take the leap of faith in the Armalite.

I let a GA Precision slip through my hands , and a Factory Rebuilt genuine Remington M24 also slip through my hands... arrgh.

I do have to ask... how good of a Large Frame AR shooter are you ? No offense intended at all , but Large Frame AR's are beasts unto themselves to shoot accurately.
And if the AR10 shoots like my M21 ( better I hope , Lol ), that will help anyone learn.

Also , my M21 has so exceed my expectations, I will never sell it.

Hopefully your SASS Gen II will be the same for you.

So don't expect to be able to shoot sub moa out of the box , if you aren't familiar with Large Frame AR's.

This thread has useful info...
https://www.snipershide.com/shooting/threads/driving-gas-guns.6982373/

As always YMMV.
 
#10
Ok, to even be able to give you an opinion about this purchase I'd have to know the price the seller is asking. The asking price on Armalite's website is 3,150. There's no way I'd ever pay that much for an Armalite, and I actually like them and used to own one. Unless you've got a stockpile of match .308 ammo, I'd buy or build a 6.5 Creedmoor if I wanted an accurate large frame AR.

If you want an M110 clone, get someone to build that. Otherwise I see no reason to own or build an 11 lb. 20" .308 rifle.

That item number you posted shows that this is an A series rifle. These take the KAC ( or as I guess we were all wrongly stating DPMS) type magazines like the PMAGs rather than the proprietary M14 based magazine the older B series used.
 
#11
Build an M110 clone. Hell OP, not to hijack your thread but if anyone is interested, I may part with mine. I just don't get out and shoot and all having it does is make me want to spend more money on it than I care too.
 
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#12
I agree I wouldn't pay $3100 for an Armalite nor would I pay that for any of the .308 ARs. If it's new you should be able to get it around $2500, that was presilly prices. Used I'd knock off about $400 depending on condition and round count.

Another thing if it's an Arizona marked rifle it will have a button rifled barrel. Illinois marked used rifle cut match barrels. That's another reason why I like the older rifles.
 
#13

I think that's the reason why Armalite and Larue initially developed good reputations. They were using LW barrels in the beginning. I thought more about this and if I had to have a rifle the military or groups were using I'd either go LMT MWS or Seekins SP10M.
 
#21
I have a B model, super nice rifle. I don't consider Armalite a lesser rifle like so many people do. Probably one of the best money spent on the 2 I have. Zero malfunctions and very accurate to boot.
 
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#22
I live here in KY there is no used market here. everyone is sold out. the used market is dry here like i have never seen before. ar 15s are everywhere. but high quality guns are hard to find here. I always end up having to order what i want.
 
#23
My Rock River Arms 308 is a shooter , I have hunted with it for the last 8 years and love it, I am looking to sell it because it’s only a 16 inch barrel and want to buy a 20 inch barrel, it’s a sub MOA gun for sure out of the box
 
#24
Well I received my armalite in today. Im not gonna lie. its a lil heavier than expected however i do plan to finish the build. looking for a good scope to put on it and that will about round it out. depending on the size of the bell on the scope i have geiselle mount im gonna run on it but thats a different thread.
 
#28


Respect for what you wrote. I see it echoed here and elsewhere all the time.

YMMV is right.

I’m no rifleman and just shot my Fulton 20” Titan for the first time and was getting between 4.75 to 5 inch, 5 round groups at 700 yards.

Got less than 80 rounds down the pipe so far and expect to do better the next time out.

Not bad for a stock, $1,700.00 ish rifle.



OP, congrats on the score. I bet you’ll love it.

My only experience with Armailte is my 20 years old .223 upper that just shot .38 MOA at 300 yards the last time out. Outback 69 gr.

They know a thing or two.
 
#30
I have a Gen 1 Armalite SASS. Had it forwell over 10 years. Very accurate. Most 5 shot 100 yard groups with tailored 168 SMK loads average 0.8 moa. With 168 grain FGMM slightly netter. However it is heavy rifle. But it's not much heavier than my 308 LMT. I did add a Geissele SSA-E trigger. Never had a single problem.
 
#33
So I got my rifle in and on the first round the Triggertech trigger broke. I went ahead and ordered a Geiselle ssp trigger for it. However i have tried several times to contact Armalite to absolutely no avail. I will say this, this will be my last Armalite rifle I will ever purchase. After emailing them and calling several times . I never got through to speak with anyone and no return calls . the finish was damaged when i opened the box. something told me then I should of sent the rifle back . I am now trying to contact triggertech to see if they can replace the trigger for me. Lets see how this goes. yes i did get the rifle from euro opitics. they actually gave me a partial refund for the damaged finish on the rifle. their customer service is Grade A.
 
#34
I’m not a fan of Arizona Armalite, they can be hit and miss on the phones one day and Johnny on the spot the next. I never had much luck with emails from Arizona Armalite. Illinois was Vortex Like when it came to customer service and communications. It’s a damn shame the company sold to SAC….
 
#36
I'm curious what part of the trigger broke, the lever? they have a lifetime warranty seems strange........
Personally Armalite has been very helpful when I reached out to them from the first person who answers the phone to
the CS person to answer my parts questions. Perhaps like many good companies workers are difficult to find. Pics would
be nice to see the shipping damage. Good on Eurooptic took care of you on that, they are a great company to deal with.
 
#38
I spoke with trigger tech. Its the ticker that broke, due to improper installation . armalite finally got back with me they are sending a timney trigger out to replace the broken one. I'll try and get some pics to load up soon.
 
#44
Just a thought, A friend of mine has a DPMS SASS (not for sale) that's really nice. In fact it shoots even better than my Armalite SASS, He has never had a single problem with it. About the same weight as my Armalite SASS. Folks this site might be able to post additional comments on the DPMS SASS since I only know about my friends.
 
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#46
Well with the OP missing ,I'll update about mine. Got it 5 days ago and got out to shoot it to day, did the first 10 single shot break in rounds with no scope, so just point down range and pull the trigger-ran fine. Mine came with no finish problems and a Trigger Tech trigger that works great. At the same time my buddy who had gotten a Gen 1 Phoenix gun last year bought his out, he had fired 6 single shots before we got to his farm. His has scope, bipod already. He finished up his last 4 single shot rounds with some old 1973 military LC Match ammo and then switched over to 168 grain Gold Metal Match ammo. He fired 4 five round groups( cleaning bore in between each 5 round group). At the end all 4 groups were within .75 inches at 100 yards(he fire to same POA). The last 5 round group was with his suppressor on. His rifle came with a ArmaLite Match trigger. He's very happy with what he got for the money spent, as am I.
Forgot to mention my buddy used a original 1950s Armalite waffle mag, worked perfect, but the most he loaded into it was 5 rounds.
 
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