ArmaLite's AR-10T

Several years back, I had the privilege of attending sniper school at Blackwater under the auspices of Col. Norm Chandler. It was quite educational. One thing we were taught was that semi-automatic rifles could never be as inherently accurate as bolt action rifles, due to the repeated movement and necessary tolerances in the recoil-powered bolt system of the semi-auto. A while after that, I came into possession of an ArmaLite AR-10T: a semi-automatic .308 caliber rifle with a 20-inch barrel (think "M16 on steroids"). This weapon is shown in the current ArmaLite catalog as the AR-10A4 SPR.

In the photo to the right, you can see the AR-10T in an Uncle Mike's Rifle Bag, shown with two 10-round magazines with an EOTech sight mounted. The end user added a bipod.

Now there was much conversation in the sniper course about whether or not a long barrel was necessary on a sniper weapon. In fact, I took the class with a weapon that had a 20-inch barrel built by Iron Brigade Armory (Col. Chandler's company).

The AR-10T I had was specifically built for use as an "urban" sniper weapon. It didn't even have a magnified scope on it--it had an EOTech reflex sight instead. Today that very same gun is being used by a police sniper (all he did was add a bipod) and he reports consistently shooting 1/2-inch groups--meaning this weapon habitually performs at 1/2 MOA or better.

Taking a look at the basic specs of the weapon we find a nine-pound rifle sporting a 20-inch chrome lined barrel with rifling that is right-hand-twist, one turn every 11.25 inches. The receiver is a flat top (all picatinny on top). This particular ArmaLite AR has a standard trigger, although they do make some with a two-stage trigger system. The overall length is 41 inches--just about 3.5 feet. That might be a little long for CQB work, but it most assuredly would be better in close quarters that a bolt gun with a 24-inch (or longer) barrel.

The rifle shown was my test piece and it did not come from ArmaLite with that finish. I received the weapon with a black metal upper and lower, and an OD green stock, fore-end and pistol grip. The digital camo finish was courtesy of R-Squared Custom Gun Finishing in St. Mary's County, Maryland. In fact, Rob (owner of R-Squared) also did a Beretta 96D to match.

My original intention was to put a pop-up back sight on the ArmaLite, and a fixed front sight, but I never got around to it. I secured the EOTech 510AA and zeroed it for the weapon. From a benchrested position at 100 yards, I never managed better than a ¾ inch group. Quite often the three shot group would consist of a two-shot one-hole and then a third shot not touching. As I stated above, the current owner of this weapon consistently shoots one-half inch groups with it and uses it as his duty sniper weapon.

While firing this weapon I was surprised at how light the recoil was. Having trained with a bolt-action .308 and not having found that recoil to be anywhere near abusive, I was still surprised at how light the recoil was in the ArmaLite rifle. Thanks to the front sling stud and the rear sling loop, I had originally fitted a standard sling onto the weapon. However, it was never intended to be a "field" gun, so I removed the sling before selling the gun.

During the testing process I experienced no malfunctions. I can't make the statement that the gun is 100% reliable, only because my testing ran to about 200 rounds and no further. I'd be more inclined to make statements about the unlimited reliability of the weapon had I put 1,000+ rounds through it. As it was, I experienced no malfunctions, misfeeds or other issues in the 200 rounds I fired through it.

The EOTech performed as expected. I wasn't at the range to test that particular piece of equipment, so once I zeroed it I didn't go out of my way to dismount and remount it to check zero maintenance, or throw it around to test durability.

With a recommended retail price tag of about $1500, I consider the ArmaLite AR-10T to be a good value. The .308 has never displayed any "stopping power" issues that I'm aware of, and it's certainly capable of excellent accuracy. I highly recommend that no matter what rifle you choose, you try out a variety of ammo and find the right match for your weapon.

BE SAFE!