Talk me out of a SASS

TheGerman

TheGerman

Oberleutnant
Full Member
Minuteman
    • Jan 25, 2010
    10,607
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    the Westside
    #1
    I've always had it in the back of my head, and from reading some of the older reports of problems with the original KAC SASS I kind of put it away.

    I don't even really have 'room' for one. My go-to distance/accuracy rifle is M24A2 in 308Win and a Mk12Mod1 in 5.56 so a semi auto 308 sort of offers a solution to a problem I don't have. I don't really need a 308 semi, and the SASS wouldn't really fill a 'battle rifle' slot that a SCAR 17 would, but I do like the idea of a semi auto 308.

    Don't need one, already set on 308, yet here I am. I was looking at Armalite's yesterday and already figuring what optic to get and if I can get the Ops Inc muzzel device on one so it can share the 308 Ops Inc suppressor with the bolt gun. Sigh.

    Talk me out of this already because I know how this will go; I'll get a SASS and then want to go back to a 300WinMag on the bolt gun and it'll just keep getting more expensive from there.
     
    #2
    Don't do it....













    Ok...now that I said what you wanted to hear...I really have nothing bad to say about the SASS (quite the opposite actually...they are first-rate rifles in every respect), nor am I really going to attempt to talk you out of it. In fact...coming onto any forum like this and asking for someone to talk you out of any purchase (save perhaps any flavor of CounterSniper optic) is an exercise in wasted time because it just ain't gonna happen! ;) Seldom do I buy firearms anymore for which there is some specific "need" or "void" to be filled...passed that mile marker MANY years ago in my lifetime of firearms ownership/collecting/shooting/competing/etc. It all comes down to whether or not you really WANT it or not...AND...if you will shoot it and gain enjoyment from it...PERIOD. That said...nothing wrong with the SCAR17 either, but as you observed...they really are quite different animals aside from sharing the semi-auto/7.62 background. Again...personal preference.

    Good luck and God speed! No matter what...I hope you'll buy something. Lord knows the economy needs it whether you do or not! ;)
     
    #3
    Well, I can tell you I turned my T into a SASS along time ago. In fact I had to do this because they didn't offer the SASS at the time. My T is so accurate that I didn't build a .308 bolt gun but went with a larger (.30-06) caliber simply because it didn't make sense to have two precision .308s in my stable. Armalite is a sound rifle and will serve you well. I will argue with anyone who disagrees that you will not gain any noticable accuracy in going with another make. You MIGHT gain .25 going with GAP or Larue or you might not, you have to ask if that fraction of a MOA worth the extra money and wait time? I have shot many groups that rival bolt gun loads but I am the limiting factor. I don't tend to shoot for groups anymore unless I am doing load developement but I bang the hell out of some steel out to 700 with ease. If you do end up with one, I'd dump the the .308 bolt gun and build/buy that WM...
     
    #4
    The German,
    I just got one on Monday. For the money the Super SASS is a very good deal. If you cannot find one there are two more available to me. You just need an FFL for me to send it to.
    Kevin
     
    #5
    I see they have gone up in price a couple of hundo's. Still a bargain compared to what else is out there. The adjustable gas block itself is sells for $290 from 762SASS.com and are not always available. The Barrel by itself goes for $550 and is top notch and groups just as well as my Noveske, and it too is always sold out.
     
    #8
    CK_32 said:
    If you mean actual SASS ie Knights.. Yea don't do it...


    If you mean LR308.. DO IT!!! GAP10 or LaRue!!
    Click to expand...


    Nothing special about ARs. To make them accurate, for the most part all you need is to screw on a quality barrel, drop in a nice trigger, and shoot. Armalite parts are quality and spares are easy to obtain. However, it's your money so burn it how you like. As for me, I would rather flush money down the toilet than burn it.
     
    #12
    #14
    There's a new DPMS SASS that was debuted at SHOT last week. It's the GII SASS, which weighs what the 5.56 SASS does, only it's 7.62 NATO.

    I still think Armalite has the better design WRT the gas system and BCG, and mags allow much longer COL if you hand-load.
     
    #19
    I had an Armalite SASS and it was an inaccurate jamomatic.

    I wish I still had the add from when I sold it on KSL classifieds in Salt Lake City. I basically gave it away.....its one of the only rifles I ever lost any real money on.

    The add basically read "I will pay someone to come haul this piece of shit out of my safe".
     
    #21
    I have a Armalite SASS and love it. I eats whatever I put in it and shoots under 1 moa at 100. It can do better when I do my part, but I only have 300 rnds down the tube and I dont get near as much time to shoot it to see its true potential.I dont know what truble Lofty had with his but in the 300 rnds I have not had a single malfunction. I would also as said eariler look at the GAP 10 for about the same price.
     
    Last edited:
    #22
    Lofty said:
    I had an Armalite SASS and it was an inaccurate jamomatic.

    I wish I still had the add from when I sold it on KSL classifieds in Salt Lake City. I basically gave it away.....its one of the only rifles I ever lost any real money on.

    The add basically read "I will pay someone to come haul this piece of shit out of my safe".
    Click to expand...


    If you are just a shooter and not a hobbyist like me, then you were right in getting rid of it without trying to figure out what is wrong.

    AR's are very simple devices and easy to figure out for us hobbyists (you know the non-operator types).
     
    #23
    Lofty said:
    I had an Armalite SASS and it was an inaccurate jamomatic.

    I wish I still had the add from when I sold it on KSL classifieds in Salt Lake City. I basically gave it away.....its one of the only rifles I ever lost any real money on.

    The add basically read "I will pay someone to come haul this piece of shit out of my safe".
    Click to expand...

    I had that issue with a stock barrel during "the panic".

    Literally left 3-4 messages with ArmaLite and they basically responded with: "You have a shooting rifle, wtf do you want us to do with it?".

    I bought a Lothar Walther barrel about 2 weeks later...Now it's 1/2 moa...

    I also ditched the rail and the gas block...Went with PRI and an adjustable from them.

    I'm now very very happy...But, most of the stock SASS barrels, don't shoot well from what I've heard.
     
    #24
    EricCartmann said:
    If you are just a shooter and not a hobbyist like me, then you were right in getting rid of it without trying to figure out what is wrong.

    AR's are very simple devices and easy to figure out for us hobbyists (you know the non-operator types).
    Click to expand...

    Im sure I could have figured out eventually why the gun was a jamming piece of inaccurate crap...eventually.

    My range time is too important to me to waste trying to fix guns. When I pay $2500 for a rifle, I want it to actually function. I lost faith in it.

    To top it off, DPMS pattern magazines were winning the battle in the AR-10 world at the time, so I sold it and bought an AR-10 that actually ran right.
     
    #25
    Lofty said:
    Im sure I could have figured out eventually why the gun was a jamming piece of inaccurate crap...eventually.

    My range time is too important to me to waste trying to fix guns. When I pay $2500 for a rifle, I want it to actually function. I lost faith in it.

    To top it off, DPMS pattern magazines were winning the battle in the AR-10 world at the time, so I sold it and bought an AR-10 that actually ran right.
    Click to expand...


    well it sucks the way they treated you. I am lucky I never had to call the manufacturer for issues. My XCR I bought was a big POS with many issues, but I eventually got it worked out on my own and with help from Forum members. Now it ranks as one of my favorite guns.

    Now I am coming to the conclusion that working on guns, configuring them, getting them to work, is just as fun as shooting them. That's just me though.
     
    #26
    Absolutely, everyone has their own path to fun in this sport. I got fed up with tinkering after years of land speed motorcycle racing and blowing up motor after motor. It ended up being more about the journey than the destination.

    Im all about the destination now.
     
    #27
    I'm going to be contrarian, just for fun. Take a look at the Les Baer .308 Monolith. Very, very accurate and well built. A few of us on the 'hide have one and they're pretty neat. Not in vogue here but if you want a .308 BIG frame AR that can compete with a good bolt gun this a good one
     
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