By now, you’re probably well versed in the AR-15 and all of its various chamberings. This article deals with cartridges chambered in its bigger brother. The trouble is that I’m not sure what to call it. While Colt technically owns the rights to “AR-15,” the term has become generic to describe the rifle. When you say an AR-15-type rifle, everybody knows what you mean. Armalite owns the trademark to “AR-10.” It calls its gun the AR-10, but the rest of the makers had to get creative if they wanted to avoid trouble.
DPMS calls its big-bore AR rifles LRs, as in LR-308, LR-338, etc. Even the new Gen II DPMS guns have the LR designation. Rock River Arms calls its own the LAR-8, and with JP Enterprises, it’s the LRP-07. Ruger calls its rifle the SR-762. The list goes on, and to avoid confusion, a lot of shooters just call them .308/7.62mm ARs. But, as we are about to find out, that’s not correct either, as there are plenty of other cartridge options beyond the .308/7.62mm.
So, I think I’ll just invent my own term: AR-Large, or AR-L for short. It should keep me and this website out of trouble, and you will all know what I am referring to as a rifle platform.
Most of the new gun-makers entering the field are following the DPMS concept, and that has become the standard more or less. Magazines and some other parts will interchange, whereas the AR-10 and some others use a different magazine and most parts will not interchange with the DPMS-style guns. Confused? Me too.
When you move up to the larger AR-L style of rifle, the cartridge options open way up. This rifle is designed for the .308 Winchester, so any variant of that cartridge will run well in the gun.
Scroll through the gallery above to learn more.
This article is from “Black Guns 2018” magazine. To order a copy, visit outdoorgroupstore.com.
