New 16" .308 LaRue PredatOBR arrived

[MSTN]

I swapped the P'tOBR RAT stock with the Magpul STR off a 5.56 gun, improving both rifles simultaneously, I think. I'll work with the AR Gold trigger in this one a while. It's incredibly light and crisp, breaking at an amazingly consistent 2.25 LB with no creep at all. It just is different than what I'm accustomed to using, so, hey, maybe I'll get all "surprise breaks" with it! I like the A-PEG grip, but it's a bit small for my needs on this type rifle. Wish Larue would make a size bigger. It's hard for me to un-learn over a decade of shooting with the Sierra Precision Rifle pistol grip.

The Surefire SOCOM suppressor for this rifle is still the better part of a year out, based on current BATF background check times. So, I'll be shooting unsuppressed for the time being.

The scope is a Nightforce F1 with H59 reticle, in a Spuhr P/N 3006 1.34" high mount.

A trip down the barrel with the borescope was a day at the beach. I can see no clue why this barrel got relegated to "Field Grade" status. Still, you can't "see" everything there is to know about a barrel with a borescope. I've given up trying to predict how a barrel will shoot by peeking inside it with a borescope, too. Too many century old Swedish Mausers have pleasantly surprised me.

Here's what I did see: Nice crown and super shiny lapped bore. The typical copper on the leading edges of the lands from test firing was present. Clean gas port. Some minimal tool marks in the throat and neck area of the chamber. I cleaned the barrel up well with KG products, paying particular attention to the throat, as usual, with KG-2 on VFG felt pellets. So, she's ready to shoot.

 

[K_4c]

That is a sweet setup in my book brother. How long did you have to wait and is Larue going to let you keep the field grade barrel as well? One last question, what does she weigh with and without optic?

 

[MSTN]

That is a sweet setup in my book brother. How long did you have to wait and is Larue going to let you keep the field grade barrel as well? One last question, what does she weigh with and without optic?

Thank you! The rifle comes to hand very well.

The empty rifle weighs 9 LB 8 OZ. The scope is 30 OZ, the mount 8 OZ. This gives a total of 11 LB 14 OZ.

Larue lets you keep the Field Grade barrel. I could not be happier, either. Here's my plan:

Yank the 16" light barrel out of my older .308 PredatAR. Salvage the Larue barrel extension. Use that barrel extension on a 24" Krieger 6.5 Creedmoor barrel with 14" gas system and Syrac adjustable gas block. Set the new barrel up for use with the Surefire FA762SS suppressor.

Install the 24" CM barrel in this P'tOBR, shown above. Add a NF ATACR for glass.

Take the 16" .308 P'tOBR "Field Grade" barrel and install it in my PredatAR, thus creating a true, original prototype format PredatOBR, lighter than the current PredatOBR by an ounce or so. Run an Aimpoint T-1 on it, and eventually a SF SOCOM.

Keep the 18" .308 P'tOBR, which is running reliably and shooting so well, as is, suppressed with the existing SF FA762SS. Move the NF F1, above, to it.

First, of course, I want to shoot the new rifle as it is configured, above.

 

[K_4c]

Thanks for the info... very nice setup.

 

[JudasMac]

That's a great looking set up man! Do you happen to know what Larue's lead times are?

 

[MSTN]

That's a great looking set up man! Do you happen to know what Larue's lead times are?

No idea right now. Sorry.

This was ordered exactly a year ago, in late November of 2012.

But, they're catching up surprisingly fast. The 18" P'tOBR I received in last month took nineteen months since placing the original order (March 2012). So, this means they caught up on March 2012 through November 2012 orders (eight months worth!) in just one month. I think it might be unrealistic to expect this rate to continue, of course.

There's no sign I can see in the four such rifles I have had the opportunity to examine that any corners are being cut to get caught up, either. If anything, this last rifle to arrive is even more squared away in fit, finish, and attention to detail than the first one that showed up. What was wrong with it? I found one very light tool mark on the upper receiver.

I've hammered together more a few high end gas guns in my day. I'm quite humbled by what I see here.

 

[George Mac]

Wes,

Great looking rifle! I'm anxiously awaiting your range report to see if you can perceive a difference in the 18" and 16" gas systems.

 

[texas_vet00]

Very cool rifle indeed man!!! I have one on order and hope I see it before 2015. Congrats!!!

 

[yetigoode2]

Very nice. I have several Larues and they are all fantastic.

 

[MSTN]

Finally got this little monster to the range late this afternoon. I was shooting for the first time ever off a proper front bench rest I'd recently purchased used off SH, a Farley Coaxial Gen I. I admit to hoping this gorgeous piece of machinery would do magic things for my shooting. I mean, bench rest guys use this kind of stuff. And they [act like they] are the smartest guys on the range, right?

Ronin47 was right: "You don't need no stinking bench rest equipment, Marine!" Apparently, I shoot better off my Harris pogo-stick. There must be some manual filled with secret stuff that comes with the Farley that I did not get.

I was on paper at 100 with the first shot, but the first two groups were nothing special, just over an inch. Switched to the Harris - 3/4". Immediately to the 300:

I'll take that, from a new rifle with "Field Grade" barrel only 15 rounds through it prior. I'll bet it would have helped the vertical dispersion if I'd adjusted the parallax. Shooting up-sun, I did not see it. Another lesson [re]learned.

Always the tinkerer, I then installed a new JP captive recoil system. Looks cool! Expensive. Folks on SH rave about it. But, my gun did not like it. The next group with the JP was four times what the one above was.

I know what Ronin47 would say: "Why fix what's not broke, dumb-ass?" And he would be right. The JP refused to exit its cave. It's broke now. Thus ended the shooting day.

 

[MSTN]

The 16" P'tOBR has a cunningly designed anti-removal feature for the JP captive recoil system. I had to completely remove the lower receiver extension to get it out. Tried the JP in my other P'tOBR - Little problem removing it. Tried the JP again in the 16". Same issue.

 

[8541recon]

I have to try and get mine out and see how it shoots. I pick it up on Monday. I will try to get out and shoot sometime next week and post an update.

 

[MSTN]

New look:

 

[epp838]

Sweet ride

 

[tikanni]

Awesome rifle.

 

[WBW]

The 16" P'tOBR has a cunningly designed anti-removal feature for the JP captive recoil system. I had to completely remove the lower receiver extension to get it out. Tried the JP in my other P'tOBR - Little problem removing it. Tried the JP again in the 16". Same issue.

Have you noticed any benefits or problems with the use of the JP captive spring system in your 7.62 OBR of 7.62 tOBR?

 

[MSTN]

Have you noticed any benefits or problems with the use of the JP captive spring system in your 7.62 OBR of 7.62 tOBR?

I've tried it in both P'tOBRs now with similar results.

Benefits: In a word - no.

Problem: Group size opened WAY up.

 

[mikenewgun87]

im jealous.....