DPMS Panther LR-260 AR-15 Review By Jacob Gottfredson

[soldierofchrist]

thats where the 6.5 Creedmoor will come in, shorter case length allowing the use of the VLD bullets.

[puppezed]

Originally Posted by LouBoyd

DPMS made the choice to make the magazines interchangable with the Knight's SR-25, not the AR-10.

Does anyone know what´s the maximum cartridge OAL with Armalite AR-10 magazines? Is there any difference to DPMS magazines?

[rem338um]

I finally got my .260 Ar from DPMS after 2 1/2 years. When I opened the case the Badger Latch was sheared off and laying inside. I called and they said send it back we will fix it,not wanting to wait forever I optioned to buy the upgrade Vltor handle for $8.00 more and had to pay for a t shirt(25.00) to expidited the shipping, which was fast. I got out to do the 25 rnd single shot breaking in and the bolt never did lock back on any shot and the brass had long deep scratch in everyone. And when I got to shot 3 rnd groups after all that, it was still a single shot , would not pick up 2nd rnd. But groups looked promising. After some trial and error, found on the dpms forum that the carrier like's to be drenched in lube, so that helped.Bolt has not locked back yet. I had 2 stove pipes during feeding and no failure to extract . I also have a C Products mag that didnt make a difference.
On a good note; the gun seems to shoot well for a factory barrel, the JP trigger is sweet, and the Miculek brake really works!!
Hopefully after some more breaking in and maybe some polishing on the ramp, it might be good, as I am afraid to send it back.
So I don't know what gun they sent you to test, but it must of been a specially prepared one for testing and advertising, because according to most forum's everyone is having some sort of problem.....Ed

[bigduck73]

I have had a DPMS lr260 for several years now. It shoots better than I can. Yes VLD's do not work, but I have had great luck with the nosler custom competitions. There were some worksmanship defects, but I fixed them fairly easily at home

[long450]

I have the 260LR and it shoots very near 1/2 moa with no function problems what so ever. I also have the 308 LR, 308 18", a 243, and the 300 SAUM. The 300 SAUM had a problem with extraction, due to a rough chamber. I fixed it myself by polishing it. All shoot very well! I replaced the trigger on all, but the 300 SAUM, which had the JP trigger.

[Buano]

Please excuse my ignorance in the AR world. That said,

I have a DPMS Panther LR .308 with a stainless fluted 24" bull barrel that got handed to me after only a handful of shots since the buyer owes me money he doesn't have. I hoped to sell it but haven't seen more than drool on the chins of those who wanted it but didn't have cash. I've never been an AR fan, preferring bolt actions to bet the most accuracy while minimizing cary-weight — now I find there's an AR with bolt-action accuracy & I'm tempted. Since it's not selling I've thought of converting it to .260 and lightening it to make it a more practical deer/coyote rifle. Now my questions:

• I understand the conversion to .260 Rem only requires a new barrel. Is that correct?
• I lean towards a 24-25" medium contour premium stainless barrel. Is this my best option?
• Would I be better off with a lighter barrel, with or without a brake?
• How light of a premium barrel can I get away with & still maintain accuracy?
• Are there any special barrel features I should spec out for this rifle?
• What rifling twist is best for hunting weight .260 Rem bullets?
• Who are the best barrel manufacturers for replacement barrels?
• Would it be practical to make it into a .243, 260 Rem, .308, switch-barrel gun?
• What else can I do to lighten this gun to "cary weight"?

Thanks!

[long450]

You can convert to 260 with only a barrel change.
Depending upon your distance for shooting, you can go to 22" and loose some weight with very little if any performance lost.
For me, with either the 260 or 308 you will not need a brake.
You need to maintain some barrel thickness in the barrel under the handguard, but beyond that you can make the barrel fairly light.
Barrel twist for 260 should be 1x9 tot shoot the 140 grain bullets.
Barrel maker of choice for me is Krieger.
Switch barrel is pratical, but the bullet performance from the ones you mentioned are close enough to each other, I would just do the 260 or 308 and leave it alone.
You can get lighter stock and forend.