Selecting a Heavy Rifle

I like big bullets and bayonets. I am an old school infantry guy, Ranger, and SF weapons man. I like big bullets that can reach out and punch big holes. And when the bullets run out I want my bayonet to continue the fight. After my military service defending my country, I am now ready to defend myself, my family, my home, and my community.

In selecting my “heavy rifle” (the 3-Gun term for large caliber rifles) I want a military grade rifle that I know will take abuse and still perform. I want a rifle that I can depend on to save my life, save the lives of my family, and to save the lives of those that need saving. I shoot in competitions and I want a rifle that I can use to maintain and improve the skills I learned in the military. And I hunt so I want a rifle that is accurate and reliable and able to take down big game.

So these are my requirements for my main rifle: one I can use for defense, competition, and hunting.

I developed the following requirements in order to conduct my search:

• Large caliber: .308/7.62mm, using commercially available ammunition
• Bayonet lug: the ability to mount a military bayonet (my favorite is the current USMC OKC3S bayonet)
• Integrated rail: a full top rail, and optional rails at 3, 6, and 9
• Forward Assist: or forward assist type functionality
• Standard magazine: uses the current standard for .308/7.62mm rifles, the MagPul Gen 3 magazine
• Suppressor capable: for hunting
• Accurate: accurate to 1000 meters (1 MOA) on a man-size target
• Ambidextrous Controls: for the safety, magazine release, and bolt release
• Made in USA: no explanation required
• Modern Sporting Rifle design: AR type design or current military design (such as the FN SCAR)

I looked at 32 commercially available rifles:

Vendor	Model
Aero Precision	M5E1
Armalite	AR-10 18-inch Tactical
Bushmaster	MOE 308 ORC
CMMG	Mk3 CBR
Colt	MARC 901 (LE901-16SE)
CORE	CORE30
Daniel Defense	DD5V1
Desert Tech	MDR
DPMS	MK 12
FN	CSR-20
FN	SCAR 17S
Grey Ghost	Specter Heavy 308
HK	MR762A1
IWI	ACE 52
JP Enterprises	JP LRP-07
KAC	SR-25 E2 ACC
KAC	SR-25 E2 APC
LaRue	PredatAR 7.62
Les Bauer	Mid-Length Monolith 308 SWAT
LMT	LM308MWS
LWRC	REPR
Patriot Ordnance	Skirmish Heavy
Patriot Ordnance	P-308
Primary Weapons Systems	Mk216
Rock River Arms	LAR-8
Ruger	SR-762
Seekins Precision	SP-10
Sig Sauer	SIG716 DMR
Smith & Wesson	M&P10
Troy	Rifle 7.62
Wilson Combat	308
Windham Weaponry	R16SFST-308

 

Of these 32 weapons only four met my basic requirements:

• Bushmaster MOE 308 ORC
• Colt MARC 901 (LE901-16SE)
• DPMS MK 12
• Sig Sauer SIG716 DMR

(sorry the FN SCAR 17S, an obvious contender, did not have a bayonet lug)

Of these four only the Colt LE901 met the majority of the requirements – so I selected the Colt as my new heavy rifle.

It has:

• User Configurable 1-Piece Upper Receiver with Back Up Iron Sights (BUIS)
• Full Floated Barrel
• Bayonet Lug
• Vortex Flash Hider (suppressor ready)
• Ambidextrous Controls
• Accepts Mil-Spec 5.56 Uppers (not a requirement but an interesting option)

I mounted a Trijicon ACOG TA-11E that I had and I was off on my new project: Project 901, where I test the platform and select the needed accessories for my new heavy rifle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next up – Project 901: Colt MARC 901 Basics