Live Free Armory LF308?

[Hunt3r]

Has anyone had any experience with this company? Their AR10 starts at 999 USD which is a pretty amazing price. The BA Hybrid is an 18" barreled version with 1 MOA guarantee at 1249. Specs are:

Caliber:7.62x51mm/.308
Barrel: 18" .308 4150 Chrome Moly Vanadium Steel Nitride Mid-Length Gas System by Ballistic Advantage
Rifling Twist: 1:10 RH
Muzzle Device: 5/8x24 A2 Flash Suppressor
Handguard : 15" Free-Float Keymod MIL-STD 1913 Rail System
Stock: Rogers Deluxe Super Stock 6 Position Adjustable
Upper Receiver: Forged 7075-T6 Aluminum Flat-Top with MIL-STD 1913 Rail
Lower Receiver: Cerro Forged 7075-T6 Aluminum
Trigger: Single Stage Mil-Spec Trigger
Charging Handle : Standard
Finish: Cerakote Upper, Lower, and Handguard.
Overall Length: 36"
Weight: 7lbs 14oz
Included: One 20-round MagPul Pmag
Warranty: Limited Lifetime Warranty

http://www.livefreearmory.com/product/lf308-ba-hybrid/

I don't have a lot of choice or time with California's new laws so I went ahead and bought it to test and be the guinea pig but I'm curious to know if others have already taken the leap.

[Christopher]

I'm curious as well.

[JC5188]

Welp, not a lot to offer at this point. Let us know how it works out.


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[Hunt3r]

I'll have it in hand 12/28. No optics ready for it but I do have MBUS Pros that I can use so I can function test and report back.

[Benito]

Never heard of 'em. Get an Armalite AR-10A.

[Hunt3r]

Never heard of 'em. Get an Armalite AR-10A.

I haven't either but the few reviews out there are very promising and the receiver set is identical to the Ruger SR762 so at the very least it won't be a total loss to shoot one.

[Hunt3r]

My notes from a cursory field-strip and inspection of the LF308 BA Hybrid: http://www.livefreearmory.com/product/lf308-ba-hybrid/

A lot of pictures here: http://imgur.com/a/mMxYp

1. The handguard has been changed relative to what was advertised. Not 100% sure why it was. The listed handguard is the Matrix Arms 15" 7.62 Lavi, which has an ID of 1.3" and weighs 9.87 ounces. The UTG Pro handguard has an ID of 1.66" and weighs about 11 ounces. Both are made of 6061-T6 alu. UTG has a profoundly terrible reputation but from what I've seen UTG Pro at least isn't airsoft-tier trash. This is going to be one of those wait and see things. At first blush it's not profoundly terrible though, it is ergonomic. This probably pushed the LF308 BA Hybrid weight higher than advertised. It looks like the Cerakote hid the logo because it is very faint compared to if you bought one retail.

2. The charging handle is the most basic, plain jane charging handle you can get. It is marked DT. I suspect this is a generic DPMS charging handle. I'm guessing that serious abuse will kill it. The standard latch-style charging handle is nice though, the DD5V1's ball bearing charging handle was just not very appealing to me in terms of ergonomics.

3. The Rogers Super Stock is neat. It's extremely light and very tight on the buffer tube. Seriously ridiculously tight, zero play. It's interesting how this is where at least some of the money is going considering that the Wilson Combat AR10s use the same stock. As far as other furniture goes, I just have a standard A2 grip. It works. I have no particular feelings otherwise.

4. The gas block is a lo-pro with set screws. No visible loctite but it may just be cleanly applied. The barrel is a Ballistic Advantage 18" government profile, 4150 CMV finished in QPQ nitride. This theoretically should shoot sub-MOA but the guarantee is only for 3 shot mag-loaded groups which may as well be no guarantee. The guarantee is good for 5 shots single-loaded though which is a little more reasonable.

5. The stock doesn't have a staked castle nut. However, I don't know how LR308s work here. This is similar to the SR762. The buffer appears to be a DPMS generic carbine buffer and weighs 3.8 ounces.

6. The receiver set is obviously Matrix Arms. There is a Cerro forge mark on the upper but I didn't find one on the lower. This is also similar to the SR762. All of these similarities in parts choices (even down to random UTG parts) really suggests that the LF308 is being specced out by someone that either really likes the SR762 or worked on it.

7. The BCG appears to be fairly bog standard but well-executed. Clean black nitride finish. There was some residue from what appeared to be test firing and it wiped off with no effort. The black oxide finish is wearing off already but that only provides minor corrosion protection compared to the nitrogen passivation layer. Extractor contains standard o-ring and spring. Single ejector which may pose issues if early extraction is happening. The gas rings appear to be a single piece like an Armalite AR10 rather than the standard 3 separate rings used in most LR308s. The forward assist works. Staking appears to be done properly on the gas key. The firing pin retaining pin was a bitch and a half to get back in because it's slightly bent outwards and needs to be compressed to fit in the hole.

8. The lower has a beveled mag well for easier insertion. Also has a bog standard single stage mil-spec trigger. The trigger is seriously awful. Worse than the SAM7R I have. The travel is rough and gritty all the way up until it breaks. It feels like a really terrible two stage trigger. If you aren't planning on installing your own trigger like I am, I would probably go for the RRA 2 stage.

9. The Cerakote job seems to be well-done. I have no reference here. Somehow the inside of the receiver seems to be coated as well. The only area where it gets a little spotty is where the upper meets the lower around the magwell.

10. Overall weight of this rifle is actually 8 pounds, 1.8 ounces. I'm guessing the handguard and manufacturing variance is responsible for this. It balances right at the edge of the magwell which means it won't feel front-heavy.

I went ahead and did some pricing calculations and roughly speaking it looks like the parts all together would cost roughly 1150 dollars to put together, so at the 1250 USD asking price it's actually shockingly reasonable. The rifle also came with a soft carrying case and a PMAG which is a nice touch, and it looks like there is a lifetime warranty for the original owner.

Of course, a nicer rifle would have something like Mega Arms barrel instead of a BA, a BCM gunfighter CH or something similar, something other than a UTG Pro handguard, a Geissele SSA-E or comparable trigger, and a whole host of other things that would be nice to have, but at this price point I'm not really sure there's much in the way of competition other than the Diamondback DB10 and stuff like the Armalite DEF10.

When I get more time I'll try to test for accuracy and get a feel for how well it functions.

For those interested it looks like they're currently running some kind of deal on a limited run of 18" hybrids with stainless steel nitride barrels instead of 4150 CMV: http://www.livefreearmory.com/produc...mited-edition/

[sasquatchoslav]

Friend sent me this link this morning I somehow missed this topic when it came up. I have the BA Hybrid and absolutely love it! Going to throw an adjustable block on it when my can comes, but that's a long time off. It will eat any ammo I put in it and have already stuffed my freezer with plenty of meat. Hard for me to find a reason to grab a bolt action any longer these days. As far as accuracy I'm not quite good enough to get sub MOA with cheap PMC ammo, but am sure others might be. I used my deer ammo to test my best which is entry level Hornady American Whitetail 150's and punched .8 which is more than I need to kill everything I put the reticle on where I hunt. Certainly better ammo choices out there to see if more accuracy can be squeezed, but I'm not trying to make this an elite accuracy paper puncher it's a pure hunting tool. The Ballistic Advantage barrel is as good as I need. From hogs to yotes to deer it's a dream machine. It's so light for the 308 it's a pleasure to stalk with(7 lb 14 oz) and I put that to test on the first night with a quick offhhand shot on a nice boar at around 90 yards just tracked beautifully. Put the fatter Ergo grip on too I have large hands that was a nice feel. I love the Velocity 3lb upgrade as well. I opted for their in house branded muzzle brake with cerakote and not having fired it w/o all I can say is bingo. Just short of mag dump speed I can hammer the 6" steel at 100 which is actually pretty close to what it's like when the big sounders of hogs come in to a tight spot after the first one which is always a head/neck shot. Also you can have them put a slightly larger handguard on at time of build so you can put any low pro block in there which is what I did I think he said the stock one limits you on choices. The build with trigger upgrade was about $1,500 by the time I put my hands on it. At that price it's what the AR snobs would call an entry, hobby or play gun which is fine by me. It 'plays' great in my 'hobbies'(hunting), fills my freezer with meat and rings the 10" gong at 600 yards with boring reliability which is more than I'd ever need it to do. I have been very hard on this gun it's on quads, UTV's and bouncing in trucks I use it all the time on the ranch. Covered in mud, dirt and dust and sat in the pouring rain for hours and stalked hogs in the swamp. Thrilled with it and it keeps on ticking. I know the rifle is capable of more than what I'm getting out of it. I don't proclaim to be a match level shooter, but I don't come home w/o the meat in the woods either and as a hunting tool this is as good as any AR I've ever owned and I've owned a few that's for sure. With the Redfish and Tarpon bite red hot already this year my trips down south from Tampa to fish are quite frequent which means I will show up to shoot down at Manatee in Sarasota frequently. So if you are a local and ever want to take a rip let me know happy to let you pound some lead at the 600/1000 gongs(gotta be factory ammo though no reloads sorry).

In short: could not be happier with the rifle thus far. What would I change from it's current setup? I was unsure if I was getting a can at the time and since LFA can put one on as an upgrade at the factory I'd of opted for that to streamline my chores. I'd of also opted for a rifle length stock which I prefer over collapsible b/c I'm able to build up the cheek weld better and also add length of pull easier to more match my bolt gun specs which are perfect for me.