Red dot or LPVO on 16” 308

[King_beardsly]

I’m playing around with building a range/SHTF toy based around a 16” 308. Now do I want to run a red dot like a MRO with possible magnifier or a LPVO in the 1-6 range? Also at what distance do you zero a red dot on a 308, is it like 556 where your gonna do a shorter zero distance?

 

[natdscott]

The only major ballistic difference between your 16" .308 and your 16" .223 is how hard it hits. On BOTH ends of the range.

LPVO is my vote, because you probably won't be able to run it fast enough to see the difference between at 1x or 1.5x conventional scope, and a Reflex Dot. Fewer parts is better-er.

Not unless you have a clam shell on the front. Gosh. 16" clamshelled .30 gasser..... that sounds SOOPER fun.

 

[Centuriator]

I'd go with a LPVO for your 16" .308. Would give you better options.

 

[King_beardsly]

The only major ballistic difference between your 16" .308 and your 16" .223 is how hard it hits. On BOTH ends of the range.

LPVO is my vote, because you probably won't be able to run it fast enough to see the difference between at 1x or 1.5x conventional scope, and a Reflex Dot. Fewer parts is better-er.

Not unless you have a clam shell on the front. Gosh. 16" clamshelled .30 gasser..... that sounds SOOPER fun.

I’ve got a buddy with an 11.5” with the lantac dragon and it’s brutal to be around.

 

[Docsherm]

I have a 1-8.5 on my 16" Noveske 308. If yku are considering a 308 then a reflex sight is kind kf a waste on it. Not too many applications that you would need a 308 over a 5.56 with a Reflex Sight.

 

[loveha]

My 16" 308 wears an Athlon Ares BTR 2.5-15x50. It's not something I'm reaching for too blast somebody back out the door during a brake in. I have a surpressed 223 SBR with an Eotech and light for that work. I don't want to let a 308 loose in the house even with a can, unless you slapped in ear pro. Not to mention the aforementioned follow up shots being slower.

But if the zombie hoard cometh, the Sig 716 and a couple drums should do excellent work outside.

 

[RyanScott]

What are you planning to shoot with it?

 

[King_beardsly]

What are you planning to shoot with it?

It’s going to be a 1:10 twist, so I can shoot most all loads but probably 147 NATO loads or 168 GMM when I wanna play around at distance or see how it stack up against my bolt gun

 

[RyanScott]

Well if you want to shoot distance you’ll want a LPVO. If you wanted a short range gun for hammering pigs or cars you’d want an aimpoint.

 

[King_beardsly]

Well if you want to shoot distance you’ll want a LPVO. If you wanted a short range gun for hammering pigs or cars you’d want an aimpoint.

I’m probably going out to 250-300 max with it, I’ve got 4-14 I could throw on if I want to go further out with it.

 

[RyanScott]

At those ranges there has to be a reason why you kicked 7.62 over 5.56. Hunting, barrier penetration, something. That should guide your decision.

 

[Docsherm]

Well if you want to shoot distance you’ll want a LPVO. If you wanted a short range gun for hammering pigs or cars you’d want an aimpoint.

EOTECH and a shorter barrel........

 

[King_beardsly]

I want something with a bit more ass then a 5.56

 

[Baron85]

Definitely a LPVO. Gives almost the speed of a red dot but also gives the precision for longer range or for shooting groups. A 1-6 would easily get you to 600yds if you ever wanted to play further out.

 

[oldfatguy]

And where will you find batteries for the red dot if it really is SHTF, like next week? LPVO will work w/o batteries. Keep your TP safe.

OFG

 

[RyanScott]

If SHTF lasts more than four years you have other problems.

 

[loveha]

I don't know about other people's battery buying habits. I buy mine ten at a time every year. Energizer lithium has a real good shelf life. Change them once a year when shooting weather gets good, or as they die because I'm an idiot who forgot to turn off the illumination. So if you don't have spares to last the full year plus, well, you failed. So batteries, they shouldn't even be in the conversation.

 

[King_beardsly]

And where will you find batteries for the red dot if it really is SHTF, like next week? LPVO will work w/o batteries. Keep your TP safe.

OFG

Oh man, next week how am I going to protect my TP fortress in time.

 

[winniedonkey]

I have a red dot on a 16" 308. Idea was Florida hogs and such. Works great however the 1-whatevers are more versatile IMO. All my gas guns seem to be heading that way. Lota good options out there with more coming. If only those lazy science guys could do a 1-28 DFP....

 

[HUNTERVASSER]

I picked this up to put on top of a Noveske N6 12.5 in barrel pistol..waiting now almost 5 months for them to finish it up.

 

[King_beardsly]

I picked this up to put on top of a Noveske N6 12.5 in barrel pistol..waiting now almost 5 months for them to finish it up.
View attachment 7282766

Well damn, that’s a nice little piece of glass

 

[ShooterwithNoName]

Yea I say go with the LPVO... I have a 16" 308 and it's main use is to carry through brush. Using a 308 as a CQ rig is overkill imo. FMJ is gonna overpenetrate like a mofo. Like, through walls, kitchen cabinets, to the outside of the place and then who knows where. At 16" length, a 10.5" 556 plus can would be the ticket. I run 11.5" 556 and a HD 870, both those have red dots. I have slugs on a side saddle if I need penetration.

BTW, Firing a 16" 308 inside a structure is pretty brutal. 556 isn't much better, need a can. It's about like a half powered flash bang and will definitely jar you without ear protection. I love my 16" 308, but to get the most out of it, I would go LPVO...

 

[King_beardsly]

Yea I say go with the LPVO... I have a 16" 308 and it's main use is to carry through brush. Using a 308 as a CQ rig is overkill imo. FMJ is gonna overpenetrate like a mofo. Like, through walls, kitchen cabinets, to the outside of the place and then who knows where. At 16" length, a 10.5" 556 plus can would be the ticket. I run 11.5" 556 and a HD 870, both those have red dots. I have slugs on a side saddle if I need penetration.

BTW, Firing a 16" 308 inside a structure is pretty brutal. 556 isn't much better, need a can. It's about like a half powered flash bang and will definitely jar you without ear protection. I love my 16" 308, but to get the most out of it, I would go LPVO...

It definitely wouldn’t be my first choose in a house, I’ve got other rigs for that. Unfortunately I can’t can it due to my lovely state hating everything fun and or useful.

The original idea came about from a facility that I used to train at all the time made the statement that 308 gassers were okay for the indoor shoot house and one of the instructors pretty much said “if you build it, You can train for nothing for a little while” Unfortunately the place shutdown when most of the staff went back to active duty in their respective military jobs

 

[UpSideDown]

I have a 16" .308 coming. It is getting a 1-8 LPVO.

I think realistically there are two big options for an AR-10.
- You want an effective intermediate range, semi-auto, box mag fed fighting or hunting gun, that has the ability to be useful at close range, so you get a scope.
-^^^ If you want this same scenario to work up close you get an LPVO
- You want a fighting gun that has the ability to penetrate through barriers like forest, and you can put a red dot on it.
-^^^ If you want this same scenario to work farther out you get an LPVO

Either way I like the LPVO. An AR-15 is a better gun in a lot of regards due to how much ammo you can carry per the weight and size of the mags, how much recoil it has, cost of ammo. AR-10's are kind of an extension of an AR-15 with a heavier cartridge in exchange for several drawbacks. The concept of the Battle Rifle died for a long list of reasons, so I wouldn't recommend chasing after that idea unless it really makes sense for you.

 

[strikeeagle1]

Since I'm sheltering in place I'll add a few comments. My only 16" 7.62 is a LaRue OBR. I have configured it with all sorts of optics for fun. I would not even consider it for a SHTF choice, however if I had to use it as such the most practical combination is probably having the SB 1.1-4X short dot with calibrated turrets. Most commonly I run a SB 5-25 with / without a RMR zeroed at 100 M, as such I have had cold bore shots at 800M (when the round is transonic) and it still is pretty good at 900M with factory ammunition. I have quite a few SBR's so If I had to choose a heavy caliber (probably not a great choice for any SHTF scenario) it would be my Wilson Combat 6.8 SPC II 11.3" with S&B 1-8 short dot with dual CC MDR-T6 reticle (shown last). So a gas 16" 7.62 is quite capable of fairly long range shots; up close is easy with red dot optics.

 

[King_beardsly]

Maybe ill pull my 1-4 off my 556 gasser, throw it on the 762 and pick up a red dot

 

[Claluja]

S&B 1-8 short dot

?

 

[eternal24k]

I have a Kahles 1-6 on mine, and It's great, but I find myself wanting a little more magnification and and a finer dot as the rifle can shoot very well and i find myself wanting to extract more accuracy more than I run and gun it. I will likely be getting a 1-8 or more likely, the GEN III Vortex 1-10

 

[Riverlife87]

For shtf, elcan. Reticle works well. You can chock a truck tire with it

 

[tk427]

I run a vortex 1 - 8 on my 16" .308. Usually using 168 SMK or TMK. This has become a real multi purpose gun, from longer range pigs and coyotes to range fun. I also have a .223 in almost the same spec as well

 

[TheGerman]

I've been dicking around with this for a while as well.

The thoughtprocess was always to put a mid range optic on it and fit a RDS on it. I liked the DAGR system where you had the T1 on top as rocking the large frame to the side really made it bounce around too much/had shitty recoil management offhand and you were musceling and fighting the thing the entire way. Having it in your shoulder and practicing to simply have a different head position to look through the T1 was much better, but still not ideal. You can get away with it on a 5.56, but the weight and weight distribution on a large frame with a scope is a whole other thing.

The SASS was a boat oar with the tube suppressor on it and why I'd always carry a M4 with me when I had one. Trying to use it as a carbine was a total last ditch effort. The MK12 I learned how to best distribute weight and got used to the top ring mounted MRDS; only changes would be me shortening the butt stock position and stowing the suppressor if I was patrol carrying it. You do this long enough and you realize putting all that shit forward on the rail hinders you, and you start moving things like your rail mounted PEQ back to the center of the gun.

If you're looking to shoot it prone/off a tripod 99% of the time, just put a mid range optic on it as it doesn't matter and you might as well get some magnification out of it.

If you want to use it as a carbine in a larger caliber, put a T1 on it.

If you plan to use it for both a DMR and a carbine, the large frame is the only gun I'd look at a LPVO for; mind you, I've never liked them as they do everything ok but nothing great. Whenever I've used one, I don't get on closer targets as quick as with an Aimpoint, there's a bit of the tube that obscures your vision, you tend to tunnel vision focus on whats in the scope and there is a bit of parallax. Another aspect to consider is the round you'd use as the 185g is probably the best precision round (hell, it was basically made for the M110/SR25) followed by the 175g M118LR, yet M80 ball has noticable less recoil offhand but you'd be sacrificing precision downrange.

Instead of the 3-18 plus Aimpoint T1 I have on my M110K1 I've been considering something like the NF8 1-8 F1 as its smaller, weighs less and has a larger FOV than the ATACR 1-8 with almost identical features outside of the .2MIL turrets and 30mm tube.

 

[schmi015]

trijicon 1-8 or preorder the vortex 1-10

 

[YammyMonkey]

I'm pretty much in the LPVO for everything camp at this point. I run a K16i on my suppressed 556 SBR and the ability to see more is a huge factor for me. I can crank up the power & look into windows, under cars, etc and actually see things. The weight penalty isn't huge, especially if you're trucking around with a 308.

Add an RMR on 45° mount or an angled scope ring replacement mount & you get the best of both worlds. Probably be even better with something like the NF 2.5-20 for reaching out.

 

[thehun]

I went through red dots, magnified red dots to LPVO to 21X optics...I settled for a LRTS 3-12x44...its about perfect for a .308 DMR...its a perfect sub 650m rifle...have no issues hitting man sized targets with M80 ball...