The applications of the AR are varied, and DPMS adds another one to the list.
Hunters have benefited greatly from technology first employed and perfected on the battlefield. Go back to the 10th and 11th centuries when the Chinese and Muslims concocted gunpowder. Firearms may not even exist had it not been for civilizations of yesteryear using early forms of gunpowder to gain an advantage in war. Jump ahead about 1,000 years to the bolt-action rifle. The models we cling to in tree stands and carry over ridge tops owe much to the Mausers and Mosin-Nagants, Arisakas and Lee-Enfields that were fielded before in combat.
If you stop to think about it, the influence of military ordnance has caused nothing short of a revolution in the way we hunt. After all, most of us no longer chase animals over cliffs, stick them with spears or even shoot them with flintlocks to get our venison. As military firearms have developed, the guns we take hunting have followed—albeit with various modifications to suit the needs and wants of sportsmen.
That relationship continues today. Enter the AR-15, inextricably tied to the M16, which has served in the hands of U.S. troops for 40-some years. It was only a matter of time before the AR, like its bolt-action predecessors with military backgrounds, showed up at deer camp in some form.
DPMS is one black-rifle manufacturer that has embraced the AR’s new role, building variations of the platform with features specifically intended for hunting. Although the company’s long-barreled AR-15 variants chambered in .223 Rem. and .204 Ruger have found favor with varmint shooters, big-game hunters require cartridges with larger bullets and more power. DPMS turned to its LR-308 rifle, inspired by the AR-10 and chambered in .308 Win., to provide the basis for its new Panther Hunter series. The line includes four ARs, each chambered in a different cartridge belonging to the .308 Win. family, all designed with attributes to make them well suited for the field.
Extended, 20- or 30-round magazines have their place on the range or the battlefield, but their size is more of a hindrance than a help to big-game hunters. DPMS includes a four-round magazine with each Hunter series rifle that extends just 3/4 inch from the bottom of the magazine well.
Lightweight Punch
The cartridges for which the rifles in the series are chambered will likely attract due attention from hunters and AR devotees alike. At least that was the case when I showed up at my local range toting samples of the four rifles in the line. It must have been a half-dozen times I explained not a one was for 5.56x45 mm or .223 Rem. Instead, I offered, hunters have their choice of .243 Win., .260 Rem., .308 Win. (of course) and .338 Federal.
“That’s the best thing that ever happened to those black rifles,” said one shooter after I reviewed the lineup. “It’s good to see them in real calibers.”
Hunters who have never seriously considered the AR platform for big game may have similar feelings. To be sure, the .223 Rem will kill a deer or even an elk with the right shot, the right bullet and under the right circumstances, but it can never claim to be an ideal big-game cartridge. The .243 Win., .260 Rem. and .308 Win., however, have proven their effectiveness in the woods for decades. And even though the .338 Federal is the new member of the family, it, too, has become accepted for game up to and including elk.
To designate the model names of the new Panther ARs, DPMS keeps the “LR” prefix and combines it with the caliber of the rifle. The LR-243L is chambered in .243 Win., the LR-260L is in .260 Rem., and so on. The “L” that comes after each number signifies the rifle’s lightweight configuration, another feature hunters will appreciate.
The rifles in the Panther Hunter series weigh 8 pounds without an optic, which is within ounces of most bolt guns. While the LR-308 has a 24-inch bull barrel and weighs more than 11 pounds, DPMS was able to shave some of that weight from the Hunter rifles by giving them 18-inch, light-contour barrels. Made from 416 stainless steel, the barrels on the Hunter ARs have six-groove, button rifling with a right-hand twist.
The twist rate varies by caliber: 1:10 inches for the LR-243L and LR-308L, 1:7 1/2 inches for the LR-260L and
1:9 inches for the LR-338L.
The LR-338L features a Hogue rubber overmolded pistol grip. Its textured sides help ensure a firm purchase, while the finger grooves provide hunter comfort.
For protection against corrosion and scratches, the barrels have a black Teflon finish. Each is fitted with a compensator to help reduce recoil and muzzle flip. The LR-243L, LR-260L and LR-308L sport a Miculek compensator that follows the contour of the barrel and has three ports on each side. In contrast, the LR-338L’s compensator adds a bit of diameter to the muzzle and has two pairs of large, recessed cutouts, as well as four smaller ports. Six more small ports encircle the face of the compensator. Along with a short run of fluting on the barrel, the LR-338L’s compensator sets it apart from the rest of the Hunter rifles at a glance. Other than those differences, the four ARs have very similar appearances.
Cutting the barrels back to 18 inches saves some weight and makes the Hunter rifles easier to carry up a mountain, but it sacrifices velocity. During testing, most loads I chronographed produced muzzle velocities that were 150 to 200 fps lower than factory specifications. The loss of velocity was most noticeable in the LR-243L; bullets fired from it clocked 240 to almost 350 fps less than the ammunition manufacturers’ claims. Velocity isn’t the only factor to consider when hunting, however, and giving up some speed for a shorter, lighter rifle may be a fair tradeoff when the hike is long, steep or fraught with thick, gun-grabbing undergrowth. Besides, when loaded with a proper big-game bullet, each of these cartridges is capable of getting the job done on deer-sized game at normal hunting distances even if that bullet is traveling a couple hundred feet per second less than factory-published data.
Hunters have come to rely on optics to place their bullets. A Picatinny rail integral with the flattop receiver of the Hunter ARs allows easy mounting of scopes. Be sure there is plenty of clearance beneath the rear of the scope to allow operation of the charging handle.
Tough Hunters
Despite their big-game chamberings, the Hunter rifles remain true to the AR platform in both form and function. They rely on the direct gas-impingement system of operation and have standard-length gas tubes. This is important to hunters for three reasons. First, the semi-automatic action offers follow-up shots that require nothing more than the squeeze of the trigger upon recovery from recoil. In most states, it’s the fastest, easiest legal way to send a second or third bullet on its way to a game animal. Next, the direct gas-impingement operating system helps reduce felt recoil, which means you’ll more quickly recover from the first shot to reacquire that deer or antelope in the scope if necessary. Finally, the system is reliable enough for our troops to stake their lives on, so it should do just fine in your favorite woodlot.
The hefty steel bolt and bolt carrier in the Hunter rifles are phosphated and heat-treated to stand up to wear and tear. This is per mil spec, and again, components built to withstand the rigors of combat should have no problem handling what abuse you may dish out during a hunt. The upper receivers of the ARs in the lineup are extruded from 6066-T6 aluminum alloy used in the construction of aircraft and are hard-coat anodized. An inadvertent bang against an ill-tempered rock shouldn’t cause much worry. The upper and lower receivers come from the factory with a black Teflon coating that won’t alert game to your presence, although the LR-243L and LR-308L I received for testing were respectively decked out with a Mossy Oak Winter and a Next G-1 camo dip.
Optics have become an integral part of hunting, and the A3-style, flattop upper common among the Hunter rifles allows you to mount your favorite scope atop its Picatinny rail with ease. Iron sights are not provided on the rifles, so you’ll need some glass before taking them to the field. I recommend mounting a scope in high or extra-high rings, as the high, straight comb of the Hunter ARs’ A2-style buttstock can make it difficult to get your eye in line with an optic that sits low on the receiver. Although a scope mounted in extra-high rings may appear to tower over the rifle, I think in practice most hunters will find it almost second nature to acquire the crosshair with this arrangement. Also consider that a scope mounted too low on the receiver will interfere with gaining a grasp on the charging handle.
All of the rifles in the Hunter series are set up for right-handed shooters, and the ejection port with dustcover is on the right side. The forward assist plunger is contained within a housing that serves as the brass deflector. With a large, flat surface, the brass deflector had no problem catching ejected cases and flipping them away from the rifle, so I think left-handed shooters needn’t worry about hot brass coming in contact with their facial features.
Surrounding the barrel and gas tube on the Hunter rifles in a lightweight, tubular fore-end made of carbon fiber. It measures 12 1/2 inches long and is free-floating along its entire length. A long, free-floating tube offers several advantages to the hunter. Because the tube is smooth and devoid of corners, your off hand can easily slide along its surface when shouldering the rifle or changing shooting positions. That’s not to say it is slippery; the weave of the carbon fiber provides a subtle texture that helps maintain tactile control. Since the fore-end doesn’t come into direct contact with the barrel, you don’t have to worry about changes in tension on the tube affecting point of impact. The fore-end measures about two inches in diameter, and its shape fits neatly into the “V” formed by shooting sticks or between the ears of a sandbag. Another function of the tube is to protect your hand from a hot barrel. Bolted to the fore-end is a stud for attaching a bipod or a sling. The low-profile gas block just forward of the fore-end sits below the top edge of the tube for a clean look.
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DPMS Panther Hunter Series
Manufacturer: DPMS; (800) 578-3767
www.dpmsinc.com
Models: LR-243L, LR-260L, LR-308L, LR-338L
Action Type: Gas-operated semi-automatic
Calibers: .243 Win., .260 Rem., 308 Win.,
.338 Federal
Magazine Capacity: 4 or 19
Barrel Length: 18 inches
Rifling: Six-groove, 1:10-inch RH twist
(LR-243L, LR-308L); six-groove, 1:9-inch
RH twist (LR-338L); six-groove, 1:71⁄2-inch RH twist (LR-260L)
Receiver: Extruded 6066-T6 aluminum
A3-style upper; milled 6061-T6
aluminum lower
Finish: Mil-spec hard-coat anodized and Teflon coated
Stock: Skeletonized, black Zytel A2-style buttstock with trap door; carbon-fiber fore-end
Overall Length: 39 1/8 inches
Weight: 8 pounds
Sights: None; Picatinny rail integral to upper receiver
Trigger Pull Weight: LR-243L, 5 pounds,
14 ounces; LR-260L, 6 pounds, 1 ounce;
LR-308L, 6 pounds, 3 ounces; LR-338L,
5 pounds, 13 ounces
Accessories: 4-round and 19-round magazine, nylon web sling, cleaning kit
MSRP: $1,499
