One
of the premier builders of quality AR-15 type rifles is DPMS
Panther Arms. They make a variety of different 5.56mm rifle
configurations, several of which we have tested here at
Gunblast.com.
Recently,
DPMS has entered the 7.62x51mm (.308 Winchester) rifle market
with the introduction of their Panther 308. The basic design of
the 308 follows the proven AR10/AR15 system design. The Panther
308 shares several operational parts with the AR15, but the
majority of its components are scaled up to accommodate the
larger .308 Winchester cartridge.
The
purpose of the Panther 308 is to deliver more power to the
target, and at longer range, than is possible with the 5.56mm
cartridge. The .308 Winchester is the cartridge of choice for
most military and police precision marksmen in the free world
today. For many years the weapon of choice was the bolt action
rifle, chosen for its reliability and accuracy, but many
agencies are now choosing the semi-automatic .308 AR10 style
rifle to fill the sniper/counter-sniper role. It is in this role
that the Panther 308 rifle excels.
The
Panther 308 is a gas operated semi-auto that locks with a
rotating bolt. It comes supplied with two ten-round detachable
magazines, a black nylon sling, and a cleaning kit. It wears a
heavy twenty-four inch free-floated barrel and a hard anodized
hand guard. The receiver is a heavy cast and milled unit, with
the upper and lower halves attached in the traditional AR style.
The upper receiver has a built-in high rise Picatinny rail sight
platform, eliminating the need for special scope risers. The
buttstock is of the A2 design with a storage compartment that is
accessed through the checkered butt plate. The test rifle
weighed in at just over ten and one-half pounds, and the trigger
pull measured seven pounds and nine ounces. Anyone familiar with
the AR15 rifle will be right at home with the Panther 308.
Shooting
was done for accuracy and function at a range of 110 yards. I
mounted a Bausch & Lomb six to twenty-four power
Elite scope atop the Panther 308 in Simmons rings. There
were no failures to feed, fire, extract, or eject during the
testing of this weapon. Functioning was smooth and flawless with
all ammo tested. The empty cases were thrown gently to the right
of the weapon, about three feet. The fired cases were undamaged,
which is good for those of us who reload. Groups at 110 yards
were under one inch, with Remington's 150 grain
Core-Lokt ammo grouping an even three-quarters of an inch, and Federal's
Gold Match grouping fifteen-sixteenths of an inch. This is good
bolt-action accuracy from this semi-auto, and could most likely
be further improved with careful hand loading.
The
Panther 308 is a fine weapon for those desiring a quality long
range precision rifle. It allows accurate placement of shots and
a higher sustained rate of fire than a comparable bolt action
rifle, and is priced well below most other AR10 type rifles on
the market.
Check
out the extensive line of rifles and components available from
DPMS at: www.dpmsinc.com.
To order DPMS rifles online, go to www.lowpriceguns.com.
Jeff Quinn
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