Automatic rifles are, at the same time, a blessing and a curse of modern science.
These are the beasts that can fire a thousand rounds of ammunition per minute and are able to tear apart a human being into pieces within seconds. At the same time, they are an effective measure of deterrence for any law-enforcement agency. The dilemma between the effective use to cause & deter violence is what makes these machines somewhat special.
Rifles are termed as the weapons with selective fire, carbine cartridge, & detachable magazine. Even though there are thousands of variants of rifles, there are very few core models. One such core model is the Armalite AR-10 variant, one of the very first effective rifle variants in the world. AR-10s are still hip & famous in gun-loving communities, especially because it was the predecessor of the AR-15 style rifle. But today, we are going to discuss why you should choose an AR-10 for its own effectiveness.
The History
If we trace the origin, all rifles owe their glory to the German-built STG-44. The first effective machine of its kind saw active combat in World War 2. Americans & Russians were inspired by this design and started developing their own rifle projects. Russians immediately developed the AK-47 after the end of World War 2.
Americans started developing rifles in the 1950s. They wanted to replace the aging M1 Garand semi-automatic variants which were the main armament of the US army in ww2.
As the Europeans were adopting the FN FAL variants, Americans at first decided to go with the M14s which were an improved version of the M1, made to fit .308 NATO standard bullets.
But soon after, the US army decided to drop the M14 for its inefficiency and started looking for a better weapon. Around that time, Eugene Stoner developed an AR-10 rifle for Armalite, and it was proposed to the US military. But they deemed it an impossible task to make it & distribute it within the given timeline.
So a slightly modified version of the AR-10, adjusted for .223 Remington rounds, was rolled out. It was termed AR-15. And this is how the most famous American rifle family of all time- AR-15 came to be.
AR-10 in Modern Perspective
Although AR-15 models are more popular in the world today, AR-10 is a very effective weapon and certainly was way ahead of its time when it came out.
AR-10 has popularity among those people who want a better range and more permeability. AR-10s have an effective use in the army as moderate to semi-moderate range sniping.
For civilian use, it easily dominates AR-15 when it comes to hunting big games. An AR-10 can kill big games like bison very easily because of its larger bullet size.
Attachments
As we know, modern weapons feature a long list of attachments. They also vary on different models. Even then, there are some general attachment options you can look into. AR-10s feature a marksman ability for its long-range. You could certainly check out the best scopes for AR 10 to take advantage of this feature. It can also feature red-dot sight for small and intermediate-range.
Mufflers or silencers are a big feature of AR-10. It was one of the first rifles to provide a tactical silencer. The early ‘Hollywood’ models featured a flash suppressor/compensator.
Shoulder stocks are a very important component of any rifle. You can add various types of shoulder stocks in modern AR-10s. But choose the ones with most shock-absorbent capability, because it’d need to compensate for big bullet capacity of AR-10s.
Other than that, it can be fixed with custom grips for your convenience. Early models had the feature of bayonet fixing in the front. In the recent variants, you can fit in a grenade launcher like the avalanche gun.
AR-10 and AR-15: a comparison
Perhaps the biggest difference between the two rifles is their ammunition.
The AR-10s were built earlier and featured a bulky design to fit in the 7.62×51 mm NATO rounds or as we called it .308 rounds throughout this article.
Whereas more modernized AR-15 features 5.56×45 mm NATO rounds, which used to be called .223 Remington.
This bullet size difference created a visible contrast between the two rifles.
The AR-15, with its lighter bullet, features a lighter design and greater maneuverability. It will weigh an average of 6 pounds without attachments. It has wide availability. It has a better chance of receiving after-purchase service than the other rifle variants.
Whereas the AR-10 with its .308 rounds features a bulkier design. Out of the box, it’ll weigh between 8-10 pounds. It is not as widely available as AR-15.
The above comparison definitely goes in favor of AR-15. So, why are we suggesting the AR-10?
The same reason why it falls behind AR-15 in the above comparison – its ammunition. The 7.62×51 mm round is a big bullet. It has a wider range and better permeability. It can go up to almost 700 meters when shot from an AR-10. The .308 round can virtually tear through anything, starting from- walls, furniture, etc. So in close quarters, house-to-house combat, it can cripple the enemy’s defense very easily.
Whereas the AR-15’s .223 caliber rounds feature a low range, approximately 500 meters. It has a lesser penetration ability than the .308.
We have talked about the non-military application of this rifle, like hunting. AR-10 is definitely a better option here. You can kill smaller games, like- deer or squirrels using an AR-15. But when it comes to bigger animals, like- an elk or bison, you will need the power of the .308 round to bring them down.
Why you should choose AR-10
Obviously, for all the reasons we just talked about. It’s just convenient to have the power of .308 round in your hand. You can use the AR-10 for long-range combat. Moreover, it’ll provide you a better result in a short-range. So, it should be your top choice when you are buying an automatic rifle.
His name was Eugene Stoner.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene_Stoner
Is this guy for real? The M-16 I carried in Nam had a rate of fire of 600 rounds per minute. But it wouldn’t last a minute. There is a reason mini-guns and such had rotating barrels. The M-14 wasn’t inefficient. It was heavy. But mainly, it was manufactured so precisely (like you expect a rifle would be), it would jam in the mud of the jungle. The M-16 had much looser specs, and almost never failed to fire, no matter how muddy. We weren’t fighting trench warfare and bunkers. We were fighting ambush, of one kind or another. So many errors in this article. I am in the process of buying my first AR-15, so I can’t really speak to how they compare. I would expect a civilian rifle with semi-automatic action to be tightened up. The M-16 wasn’t notoriously accurate, Didn’t need to be. Oh, in most jurisdictions it is illegal to hunt deer with a .223. Shawn Jackson is not on my ‘must read’ list.
I looked hard at the AR-10, and decided it was too much gun for me. When TEOTWAWKI happens, I’m going to wish my son-in-law had one, but it would do me no good. My war was 50 years ago, so your mileage may vary.
and yet when I served during Vietnam, the biggest complaints I heard was that it had to be kept absolutely clean or it jammed on you, so how do yu get “no matter how muddy”?
AR-15 only shoots on semi-automatic and can not shoot on automatic for the 600 rounds a minute. Some people will read this and assume they are the same.
Sean Jackson, you need to brush up on your history, nomenclature, and writing ability. You are all over the place in this article. C- at best.
please stop calling this an “automatic” rifle. this scares the crap out of liberals, democrats, socialists, and others of the deviant persuasion. the only AR-10 we peons have available to us are semi-automatic. your introduction to this article is one of the main reasons our uneducated elected representatives try to ban them, causing “we the people” too expend a lot of time, energy, and money to stop them.
“AR” is short for Armalite the first manufacturer of this design not automatic rifle. Stop perpetuating ignorance.
The AR Actually Stands For “ARMALITE RIFLE”.
“Automatic rifles are, at the same time, a blessing and a curse of modern science.
These are the beasts that can fire a thousand rounds of ammunition per minute and are able to tear apart a human being into pieces within seconds.”
The first line of this article is what he’s talking about.
Glenn is correct. The very first sentence in the article is: Automatic rifles are, at the same time, a blessing and a curse of modern science. It does not say “semi-automatic” and the article doesn’t ever say anything about what AR stands for, which would be helpful for the few people that don’t know it stands for Armalite Rifle and not Automatic Rifle or Assault Rifle. And since the article starts out with the words: “Automatic Rifle” in an article about “AR”-10 and “AR”-15, then those that do not know what AR stands for would probably take AR to mean Automatic Rifle, and that is a BIG problem with the anti-gun environment we live in today.
That was the first thing I thought when I read the article.. The very first thing he talks about is how “automatic” rifles are “blessing and a curse”. How they can “fire a thousand rounds a minute and tear a human being to pieces within seconds”. 1. This has nothing to do with the article (AR 10) 2. He never distinguishes the difference between “automatic” and “semi-automatic”. 3. He fails to point out the difference between the M16 and the AR15. His last sentence “So it should be your top choice when you are buying an automatic rifle.” This tells me this guy doesn’t know his hand from his foot. , or he has an agenda that is not 2nd friendly.
A much better term for a semi-automatic firearm is “self-loading”. When the firearm is fired, it ejects the fired case and loads another round into the chamber, thus self-loading. This is a more accurate term, as what does automatic or semi-automatic mean anyway? Does an automatic firearm automatically fire itself? Does a semi-automatic just fire one round on its own? It would be much harder for gun banners to misuse the term self-loading firearm than semi-automatic firearm.
That’s true. Magazine-fed semi-autos are self-loading, and so are revolvers. When you pull the trigger or pull back the hammer, the revolver’s cylinder automatically moves to align a live round with the barrel. In other words; you don’t have to manually spin the cylinder one click to get the next round ready to fire. So, revolvers are self-loading as well and because there’s nothing the shooter has to do manually to put a round in line with the barrel, revolvers are semi-automatic in that way too.
Multiple gun-owning socialist here.
It’s the liberals we need to worry about. Most true socialists are very much in support of the right to keep and bear arms. and do not believe that taking firearms away from people does any good. In fact, the working class must be armed and it should be promoted. I know many firearm owning socialists.
“Under no pretext should arms and ammunition be surrendered; any attempt to disarm the workers must be frustrated, by force if necessary” – Karl Marx
Liberals are not leftists, There are some “democratic socialists” that are just Democrats, but they do not represent the left. Believe me- those of us on the left are just as anti-liberal as other gun owners.
socialist, eh? you are either pulling legs here, or don’t really know what you’re saying…I lean on the former. Either way, you’re no good for liberty.
There’s even a Socialist Rifle Association with numerous chapters.
Black Panther Party, Young Patriots, Young Lords, and other socialist groups also armed/trained.
Socialists in Zapatistas territory and Rojava are armed/trained.
Anarchists and other socialists in Revolutionary Catalonia were armed/trained.
Like the other person said, our common enemy is liberals (which includes “Republicans”, such as Reagan who passed the Mulford Act to stop the Black Panthers from open carrying)
If what you’re claiming was true, we would have NO modifications to the 2nd Amendment anywhere in the country, because there would just be overwhelming numbers of people against – Socialists added to the Conservatives to preserve the 2nd Amendment would wipe out the influence of any other group who are hell bent on destroying the 2nd Amendment, and that is NOT the case. So what you claim cannot be true.
I must agree with the preceding comment.
Omg I so agree. W the person in reference to ur comment lumping a at-10 into a automatic variant. A at-10 is and always will be classed as a semi automatic rifle. Plz do not do the job of the libs n the unknowing ignorant ppl in lumping I’m into that automatic and or assault classification. There is a huge amount of information to show n tell u why n it is important to know that especially on educating those less knowing. Dry automatic or truly a military assault rifle or pistol is illegal n has been out of regular citizens hands with certain legal procedures that a private citizen can buy pre ban autos and those are heavily regulated. Thank you
Sorry for the misspells my phone is not wishing to cooperate on spelling and it is so tiny for me on my screen. Thank u
I wholeheartedly agree with what Mr. Trombly commented and EXACTLY how he expressed it. I believe this to be one of the biggest problems in our fight to keep and bear—the horridly uneducated masses—mostly of the “left wing” persuasion. Whenever anyone produces an article or makes a comment that is NOT 100 percent accurate, one can take it to the bank it will be endlessly quoted and taken as gospel by every person interested in destroying freedom! Many of them either claiming to be “experts” or assumed to be one by people who are without a clue otherwise.
Just as the case of most “skeptics” who are almost solely assumed to be expert in the specific field in which they make their comments, the anti-gun crowd don’t seem to concern themselves with actual FACTS, much less the actual source of them—and truth be damned.
Misinformation abounds. I can only hope that anyone taking a stance on the gun issue, that actually care about freedom and liberty, owe those two words and all who have fought and died to keep them, at the very least to educate themselves on the subject via a reputable source, i.e. (NOTHING associated with Michael BLOOMBERG) and those writing articles/books on the subject should at the very least fact check for accuracy before submitting to the public. Our future depends on it.
You also lose a lot when referring to the ar15 as an assault weapon. The AR refers to armalite rifle. Semi automatic rifles are not assault rifles.
Assault rifles are select fire. Semi/automatic.
OK good idea for a long range battle rifle. However, these things are not MIL Spec so if it is a DIY, you will need to research 308AR.com to understand compatibility issues. 308
Win or 7.63×51 are solid baseline calibers. However modern ammunition gets you much greater range and lethality. Which one is debatable, I chose 6.5 Creedmoor., think the Army is also going with it. Also don’t expect bolt gun precision ammo to work well in one of these slam bam auto feeders. FMJ with cannalure well crimped is most productive. Some competition shooters have done well with 6mm Creedmoor but the lethality drops off. If you are going to go for long range with it you’ll need a bias mounting rail or a good long range scope with 140MOA elevation adjustment available to keep the target in the scope. You will also need an excellent muzzle break to keep the recoil down so you can keep your head in the scope for subsequent shots. This is a survival application not a long range deer shot. Move shoot and communicate
Geez Phantom30, all that time and info to a guy who knows nothing about firearms. It looks like he googled it or cut/pasted from Wikipedia. This guy is an idiot! I wondered if he’s trying to get paid by this site by pretending to be knowledgeable about firearms. Hey Survivopedia!…..don’t publish anything from Shawn Jackson! He’s a fraud! It makes you look bad.
Like I said on 29 March below. Also this was before the June 3rd 6mm ARC announcement discussed further below
Listen up – For those of you who Already own a M-16/ AR-15 in Cal. 5.56 – There is a Better, Easier, and More Economical Solution. Replace the barrel (Everything else stays the same) with one for the AAC .300 Blackout, and you are Really Ready ! Depending on the specific cartridge (loading), you can get just about Any ballistic performance that you want/ need. Note the Wide Range of bullet weights and muzzle velocities. Best choice by far.
Bill I concur I feel comfortable with calibers of .30 and above. I have hand loaded all my C/F ammo for decades and found the 300BLK (7.62×34) has similar if not superior ballistics than the 7.62×39 There is plenty of availability as the 5.56×43 cases can be cut down and resized to .300 blk
If only the AR-10 platform rifles were withing my budget….
But, since they’re not, I’ll just have to make do with my home-built AR-15.
I have built my own AR-10 and AR-15 both. Actually I have built 7 AR-15’s and 4AR-10’s. Each a little different in appearance but all perform basically the same. I LOVE my AR-10’s. They are a great gun for hunting anything from the pesky wild hogs up to Nil Gui an animal about the size of an elk down here in Deep South Texas. It will drop just about anything you hit with it.
Soo much of this article is written as if the author knows little to nothing about the subject…just kinda skirting the truth with sensationalism.. irks the crap outa me. that said, Just had to start out with the “1000 rounds per minute..” eh? oy
just remember there is a difference between NATO 7.62 x 51 and .308 win. As well as a difference between 5.56 x 45 and .223 rem. It is recommended That you become familiar with these before selecting the guns you intend to chamber these rounds in.
I suspect this article was written to provoke commentary. It succeeded. Forget SAAMI subtleties for traditional calibers, 300 AAC Blackout on AR-15 and 6.5 Creedmoor AR-10 platforms are better normal’s.
Definitely agree
Listen to Phantom30 – He knows what he is talking about.
The initials AR stand for Armalite Rifle, which was Stoner’s original design. They are not Automatic rifles, they are semi-automatic, which is an important distinction in this day when our 2nd Amendment rights are challenged regularly. The AR-15 is a fine combat gun for short ranges. It is accurate, easy to shoot, and has very little recoil. This is important for some people. The .308 rifles are all heavier and have more recoil. One can also carry around a lot more .556/.223 ammo than .308 (7.62×51), due to the substantial difference in weight. This can also be important. The newer “pistols” and bullpup designs also have an application for those who don’t want to hassle with an SBR. Everything is a trade off and a .308 rifle is great, but not always the best choice for every application.
Well Here is an update: 6mm ARC will get you most of the capability without the weight. My LR308’s are heavy and long. The 6mm ARC offers a new option. You can actually get a custom barrel faster than traditional sources. Demand is high.
Well I have been shooting my 6mm ARC for about a month now with factory and reload ammo. Factory ammo puts out 2660f[ps muzzle from a 20″ barrel. My 6mm Creedmoor 24″ shoots exact same bullet at 2950fps so there is the long range difference between an AR-10 and AR-15 platforms. Both supersonic well past 1,000yards, neither have full lethality at 1,000 yards. But here is the benefit, the AR-15 is about 5lbs lighter than the LR-308 platform fully equipped. An AR-15 is a little shorter, so it is becoming my long range weapon of choice for an auto loader. Getting old and weight and handling means more then ELR. Besides if your shooting ELR or ULR it is always better with a bolt gun. Bottom line 6mm ARC caliber AR-15 is barking at the usefulness of the AR-10. Have second 6ARC on order
Well after four plus months my CMMG barrel order came in. It was worth the wait. The barrel extension on the CMMG barrel is customized for the 6mm ARC. Brownells Faxon barrel extension is a standard 223 version which beats up casings and bullets during chambering. CMMG 1:7.5 twist MOA is less than 1.25 while Faxon 1:8 twist is 1.75. I am now willing to say that a good quality 6mm ARC will replace a standard AR-10 or LR-308 in many ways. I am even changing my tactical utilization priorities from a 6,5mm Creedmoor LR-308 to AR-15 6mm ARC because of weight and flexibility. Ammunition is expensive north of a buck a round. However, reloading works just fine. 6mm bullets are more versatile then even 6.5mm. So you now have deer hunting capability beyond 750 yards in a light weight AR-15 class platform. I’ve mount Monstrum Tactical 6-24×50 FFP MOA type H scopes on these suckers because they work and are affordable. Shooting 6mm ARC stays in scope so you can see your own impacts. Get them now before Chinese sources go away. I’d buy made in USA but price performance is king on a prepping budget. (PS my Ruger Precision 6mm Creedmoor shoots under a dime all day at 100 yards, but costs a lot more)
6 millimeter Advanced Rifle Cartridge is going no where in popularity from what I see. It is a rare cartridge and you will pay a lot of money for it. If you want an AR-15 go with the following common cartridges: 7.62 x 39, 300 AAC Blackout, 5.56 x 45 or 9 millimeter Luger.
This article is about having more utility and longer range with an AR-10 platform over an AR-15. Well if you want freedom from a limited range AR then you caliber choices, although piratical, in a general sense offer little to no long range capability. I now have three 6mm ARC uppers and for long range light weight low recoil they still are the best thing I have found. They whip the 308 AR-10 in many ways. True ammo is expensive today but I bought in early at affordable prices. Reloading brass is scarce, but I have what I need. The Hornady 110gr A-tip and Tubbs DTAC 115gr rebated boat tail bullets get you the chambering issue resistance needed to preserve round to round accuracy. Factory Black 105gr ammo works when you can afford it. 103gr and 108gr not so much. If you want in look up Shaw barrels.
I’ve owned the AR-10T, AND I was not impressed with it. However, I did recently purchase a Springfield Armory Saint Victor in .308 Win. It is light weight at less than 7 pounds, but with accessories like a Vortex scope, bi-pod, fore grip, and 2 point sling, the weight does go up. The recoil is minimal with the muzzle break, the functionality superior, and the accuracy of 1.5 inch groups at 100 yds. for an out of the box weapon is outstanding, and is supposed to get better as it is worn in. And I use 25 round MagPul magazines. Also agree that when it does hit the fan, the .308 Win. is a much superior round. Oh, and the price is very reasonable at around $1100. This is the answer for the what is being touted in this article, and is affordable. Way cheaper that kit building and tricking out your firearm, as you can do whatever you want to it and customize it however you want. I love the gun and am very happy with the purchase. Best value and choice available. Springfield Armory has an outstanding weapon there!
This article is packed full of bullshit, ignorance and misinformation.
Well been using my 6mm ARC s for over 6 months now and I am still very satisfied. The weight and accuracy of these auto feeders has been nice. Ammunition is very scarce and expensive. So I have been reloading. The problem is these casing are very sensitive in the chamber. If you use a standard lee factory crimp die it can bulge the case lip just enough behind the crimp to feed but create a no fire jam. You have to butt stock ground stamp to eject the jam. Other than that Mrs Lincoln the play is quite nice. It has sent all my LR308s to the storage rack. If I want longer range lethality, I use a bolt gun.
Automatic rifles? Lets at least use the correct nomenclature or you risk losing any credibility you have. I have one Ar10 and a few Ar15, building another AR10 at this time. Like and shoot both monthly.
Been over 9 months since I last commented in here. Noting has changed. AR-15 frame in 6mm ARC is the better solution. Bought enough affordable ammo early on so reloading resources is easy and effective.. It does take a Grendel bolt and magazines maybe there is some resistance there to building one of these. But cost, performance, and platform utility wins across the board. Try it you’ll like it.