5 Best AR-10 Options You Can Actually Afford

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5 Best AR-10 Options You Can Actually Afford

The AR-10 is many things, cheap isn't usually one of them. But we dig up the best AR-10 choices that won't put you in the poorhouse.

What Are The Top Affordable AR-10 Options:

Nothing beats the AR-15. Well, almost nothing beats what’s become America’s favorite rifle. Talking long distance and large cartridges, the vastly popular rifle pales, not quite living up to its reputation for utmost versatility.

Sure enough, there are exceptions—there always are. The 6.5 Grendel reaches out and cartridges don’t get much larger than the .450 Bushmaster. Despite these allowances, there’s a more stalwart choice when it comes to hard-hitting, reach-out-and-get-them heavy metal.

In this arena, few long guns hold a candle to the AR-10.

The older and truly bigger brother to the AR-15 in many respects defines semi-automatic rifle power, precision and versatility. Found in some of the most renowned medium-bore cartridges—.308 Win., 6.5 Creedmoor, .260 Rem., and many more—the rifle is much more adept at precision and long-range applications. In nearly every chambering, the AR-10 is a legitimate 1,000-yard rifle, if quality built and manned by a shooter of steady nerves.

AR-10-Hist-7
The AR-10 harkens back to the earliest days of the rifle system. Left side view of “Hollywood” AR-10 prototype. Note the gas tube situated on the left of the barrel. Photo: Imgur

Furthermore, the rifle can engage much more substantial targets. Whitetails are the ceiling for the AR-15, while the AR-10 more than happily tangles with the likes of elk and moose.

Range and muscle aside, the best part of the AR-10 is its made a roaring comeback in recent decades. Once an afterthought, the market now bristles with these brute, tailored for every application under the sun. From hunting to home defense and target shooting, there’s a rifle for you.

Helping you weed your way through the suddenly saturated market, we’ve gathered up what we consider five of the best AR-10 options you can actually afford.

Brief Note About Price

Forewarning is merited concerning the affordability of these rifles. It’s relative. AR-10s are much more expensive platforms than AR-15. Less in demand and more proprietary than its little brother, the beasts command top dollar in comparison.

That said, there are opportunities to get into a well-built AR-10.

The ceiling we’re setting for this buyer’s guide is $1,500, which opens the doors to a great many shooters and arms them with a quality rifle. Just keep in mind, power and range come at a premium.

Money to burn? Lucky you. We’ll delve into top-shelf AR-10 options in an upcoming post.

Know Thy AR-10

Despite both emanating from Eugene Stoner’s brain, in their present iterations, the AR-15 and AR-10 share few similarities. Many already know and understand this, but for those that don’t, it’s worth the effort to educate yourself on the particulars of the rifle.

Patterns matter with AR-10s. An upper made for the top receiver won't work with the lower. Neither will many other components. You need to understand what works with what.
Patterns matter with AR-10s. An upper made for the top lower receiver won't work with the bottom lower. Neither will many other components. You need to understand what's compatible with what.

We won’t bog you down here with the minutia, instead point you to several articles we have dealing with just these topics:

AR-10 Upper
AR-10 Lower
AR-10 vs AR-15
Building An AR-10
History of the AR-10

The AR-10 is not a mil-spec platform, which means it’s not as simple to modify as the AR-15. Heck, depending on its pattern, it doesn’t play nice with other AR-10s.

Even though we’re dealing with complete rifles here, you might look to upgrade someday or even replace a simple component. Building a knowledge base now saves you headaches later.

How We Made Our Picks

AR-10s have made a bit of a comeback in recent years, so the market is currently awash with quality models at various price points. For this article, a few of us AR-10 enthusiasts on the Gun Digest team put our heads together, discussed our experiences behind the triggers of many different models and weighed each of their advantages and disadvantages. At the end, based on everything we know about the AR-10, these are the five rifles that we believe provide the best bang for their buck.

Best AR-10 Options For The Buck:

Sig 716i Tread

SIG 716I TREAD

Specs

Caliber: 7.62 NATO
Barrel Length: 16 Inches
Overall Length: 37 Inches
Weight: 8.5 Pounds
MSRP: Not published, retails for around $1,499
Website: sigsauer.com

Pros

  • Features upgraded furniture, a 3-prong flash hider and a free-floated M-LOK rail
  • Ambi Controls
  • Heavy carbon steel barrel

Cons

  • At the high end of what we consider affordable

Top to bottom, Sig’s Tread line hits an incredibly difficult target—the intersection of quality and affordability. This goes for its heavy hitter, the newish 716i. Yeah, the .308 Winchester is plain as a Kansas road trip, but it has it where it counts. There’s no wiggle room between the receivers, the barrel is heavy enough to shrug off heat and all its key components are magnetic practical tested.

One of the interesting twists, the rifle’s 16-inch carbon-steel barrel. Purists might scoff at such a short shooter, but it makes the 716i quite nimble even with a behemoth .30-caliber suppressor dangling off the muzzle. Furthermore, Sig incorporates a solid system for attaching the free-floated handguard around the barrel. Employing a clamping system at the rear, the unit has the extra backbone to remain rigid no matter how dolled up with accessories.

Unlike Sig’s previous forays into the AR-10 sphere, the 716i is direct impingement—expected at this price point. But this plays well into the gun’s compact configuration, keeping it a fighting trim 8.5 pounds.

Palmetto State Armory Gen 3 PA10

PSA GEN3 PA10

Specs

Caliber: .308 Win.
Barrel Length: 18 Inches
Overall Length: Not listed
Weight: Not listed
MSRP: $1,099.99
Website: palmettostatearmory.com

Pros

  • Very affordable
  • Ships with PSA's enhanced trigger
  • 18-inch barrel provides improved ballistics

Cons

  • Standard model comes with standard M4-style furniture, no provisions for attaching accessories

Price alone makes the PA10 one of the best AR-10 choices on the market today. Yet, Palmetto State Armory doesn’t leave shooters out in the cold when it comes to a quality build. Long considered one of the best values in ARs, the gunmaker offers a litany of features plum rare for the price point. Forged receiver, stainless steel heavy barrel, and adjustable gas block (on certain models) are all standard fare on these economical shooters. So is choice.

Beyond simple trigger and handguard upgrades, the PA10 catalog serves up an impressive selection of specialized models. In addition to the stock .308 Winchester PA10, Palmetto State also fields the 6.5 Creedmoor PA65 and lightweight PX10. Up the scale, the rifles run a bit more, but not so much as to prove exclusionary.

Standard across all models is the choice of 18- or 20-inch barrel length and 6-position adjustable buttstock—both PSA and Magpul. Outside of the base PA10 mode, with a polymer handguard, the rifles come with either Keymod or M-LOK compatible free-floated handguards.

Diamondback DB10

Best AR-10 4

Specs

Caliber: .308 Win.
Barrel Length: 16 Inches
Overall Length: 31.13 Inches
Weight: 8.2 Pounds
MSRP: $1,146
Website: diamondbackfirearms.com

Pros

  • Ships with upgraded furniture including M-LOK rail for accessories
  • Second-most affordable model behind PSA

Cons

  • Mil-spec trigger leaves much to be desired

Much like Palmetto State, Diamondback earns big marks not only for quality but also options. At the time of writing, the Florida gunmaker has 15 AR-10 rifles and four pistols in its catalog. This includes a choice of .308 Winchester and 6.5 Creedmoor chamberings, favoring the latter in selection. And like PSA, across the board the guns come in at a price nearly any shooter can afford.

Even with a wealth of choice, we think it’s difficult to go wrong with the company’s entry-level DB10CCMLB. A Spartan, if not tidy build, the gun runs reliably and proves agile in practical use. Much of this is thanks to the gun’s 16-inch chrome-moly barrel, a point that might turn off dedicated long-range shooters.

Lightening the .308 Winchester’s load considerably, hunters and others who require a fast-handling hard hitter will find it a boon. The one knock that keeps it from ‘best AR-10’ status, is the mil-spec trigger, which is exactly as it sounds—gritty and creepy.

Never fear, going up the ladder at Diamondback is a painless process and generally worth the extra money. Stainless steel barrels and CMC single-stage triggers are the reward for opening your wallet further.

Smith & Wesson M&P10 Sport

Best AR-10 1

Specs

Caliber: .308 Win.
Barrel Length: 16 Inches
Overall Length: 34 Inches
Weight: 8 Pounds
MSRP: $1,249
Website: smith-wesson.com

Pros

  • Excellent build quality and performance from one of the most trusted AR manufacturers
  • Still relatively affordable

Cons

  • Ships with standard M4-style furniture, no provisions for attaching accessories
  • Mil-spec trigger leaves much to be desired

Savvy gun buyers have been wise to the M&P15 Sport for some time. The M&P10 Sport, not so much or at least it seems that way. Gun shows aren’t exactly bristling with them nor are the review sections of gun magazines. A loss on both counts.

Smith & Wesson knows AR-style rifles, and it shows in arguably one of the best AR-10 options on the market regardless of price. You heard that right. Built like a tank and capable of pin-point accuracy, the .308 Winchester has chops enough to hang with many of the big boys. Well, not the furniture or trigger—but you were going to upgrade those anyway, right?

At once the rifle is unassuming and impressive, more the latter once you see it print. A steady MOA-producing machine, the 16-inch barreled M&P10 is likely all most shooters would ever need out of the brutish end of ARs. If they did, S&W has them covered with a Performance Center 6.5 Creedmoor rendition. Suffice to say, the iteration drifts away from affordable. But for those who put a premium on long-range accuracy still proves a value.

Springfield Armory SAINT Victor

springfield saint victor 308

Specs

Caliber: .308 Win.
Barrel Length: 16 Inches
Overall Length: 34.5 Inches
Weight: 7.69 Pounds
MSRP: $1,497
Website: springfield-armory.com

Pros

  • Ships with muzzle brake, upgraded furniture including M-LOK rail for accessories
  • Excellent trigger
  • Adjustable gas block

Cons

  • At the high end of what we consider affordable

Springfield Armory offers shooters a top-notch selection of AR-style rifles, but its SAINT Victor AR-10 really shines through.

Lightweight, great fit and finish and everything else that goes into making a quality rifle certainly places it among the best in this class of firearms. If there is any nit to pick over the rifle, it’s the price tag. It’s at the upper end of entry-level.

Available exclusively in .308 Winchester, the AR-10 does give shooters plenty of reasons to spend the extra money.

Boasting a 16-inch barrel, the carbine is highly maneuverable if you’re looking for a convenient hunter or a hard-hitting defensive option.

Springfield doesn’t skimp on the furniture, a M-LOK compatible handguard adds appeal. Not only does it free-float the barrel, but also gives you real estate for all your doodads.

However, the trigger is what turns heads. A nickel-boron-coated switch bests most out-of-the-box triggers in other guns. This, generally speaking, is worth the price of admission alone.

ModelCaliberBarrel LengthOverall LengthWeightMSRP
Sig 716i Tread7.62 NATO16 In.37 In.8.5 lbs.~$1,499
PSA Gen3 PA10.308 Win.18 In.N/AN/A$1,099.99
Diamondback DB10.308 Win.16 In.31.13 In.8.2 lbs.$1,146
S&W M&P10 Sport.308 Win.16 In.34 In.8 lbs.$1,249
Springfield Armory Saint Victor.308 Win.16 In.34.5 In.7.69 lbs.$1,497
44-Targetposters-pack-GD-reduced-300

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7 COMMENTS

    • Hello AQM,

      No matter where you stand on what we’ve written–agree or disagree–you are always welcome to comment. Looking in our system, your previous comment was removed by our spam filter, given it included links to retail sites. Linking in the comment section is a popular spamming technique and dilutes actual conversation. Our system tightly polices this. If you’d like to repost what you wrote, sans the links, it will remain.

      Thank you,
      Elwood

  1. This story is going to cause a few problems for people. AR-10s and AR308’s different Beasts from each other and share just about ZERO commonality with each other. You need to know which you have. For example bolts and Bolt Carrier Groups are not the same, Barrels are not interchangeable, most AR10s will not accept Drop in Triggers. ETC. I found this out the hard way.

  2. I meant the MSRPs listed by Gun Digest is $200 to $300 LESS than the MSRPs listed by the Gun manufacturers on their website.

    Still thinking it’s just to redirect traffic with inaccurate info by this article.

  3. Is this Journalism from 3 years ago?

    The MSRPs listed by Gun Digest on 3 out of these 5 “affordable” AR10s is at least $200 to $300.

    What seems more likely is Gun Digest is providing false MSRP data to drive traffic to these Gun manufacturers?

    How can I rely on reading a Magazine Article and letting my friends know this is good to read.

    Until then, hard pass on passing the information forward to others I know that spend good $ on firearms.

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