I dont know if this has happened to you, but there are moments in my journey with firearms that have made a huge impression. One, I was at a Pat Rogers class and at the end of the second day there was a guy there that had a not yet release Noveske 300 Blackout that was beyond badass that he let me shoot. That experience made me make a gun very much like it and fall in love with 300 blackout.
But before that, very early on, before I had a clue about any guns other than handguns I was at the range with some friends and I saw a guy with a Larue AR with a super nice case (back in the day when the cases were super nice with their logo embossed on them) and I remember one of the guys I was with pointing it out and saying “thats a really nice rifle – its a Larue”. Since that day, in the back of mind I always wanted a Larue.
As I mentioned in my The Battle Of The 308s post, during Covid after I sold my used SCAR 17 for more than retail I was looking for an accurate 308 to fill more of a DMR roll vs the battle rifle that is the SCAR. Thinking back to that memory of the Larue I chatted with a buddy of mine that runs the local weapons division of a 3 letter agency and asked him about Larue. He mentioned that they had been running Larue OBRs for years and at some point were looking to switch over to the lighter PredatOBR 7.62 (tOBR). I asked him if there were any issues with the OBRs and he said “no, they are very accurate and heavy”.
From That conversation I started to try to dig up as much data on the PredatOBR as I could. If you attempt to do this you will learn very quickly that data is limited and it is severely limited after 2014. Mark Larue has a bit of a reputation in the industry not unlike Kevin Brittingham of Q and formally AAC – I make awesome shit and if you dont like it, piss off! By all accounts both do indeed make awesome shit if it is exactly what you are looking for.
So, as I said data is limited. Take something like weight. Some sites/forums say it 8.5 pounds, some sites say it’s 9 pounds, some sites say it’s 10 pounds. These are big differences. Since Larue doesn’t tell you how much it weighs on their website (which in my opinion is total bullshit), you really have no way to know. The gun has also gone through many iterations since those old reviews as LaRue has attempted to move more their manufacturing in-house. They no longer use the barrels they used from that old data. They clearly made the change to the BCG and some other pieces to puzzle. This is all slightly frustrating for people that are looking to slap down $3400 (NOW $4125). Oh, did I mention the wait. I ordered mine in Nov of 2020 and recived it Dec 2021. Now to cut Larue some slack it was the middle of Covid but they are known for their long back orders.
As an FYI the gun weighs 9.8 lbs without a mag and 10 lbs with one.
In an effort not to make this a novel, here are my thoughts. During the endless wait for this rifle I also started looking for an SR25 PC. These guns are hens teeth and very hard to find. I was totally under the impression I would not find one and was not interested in paying GunBroker prices. Randomly within a few months of looking I was able to find one new from a dealer. So for all of my time with the Larue I had been shooting the SR for 5 or 6 months prior.
The PredatOBR is a cool gun. It has the ability to break down with removing the hand guard & barrel and fit in a small toolbox. This feature seems cooler than it actually is. Its an AR, you can break it down into upper and lower by popping two pins and not be missing a whole lot. Clearly this is more of a feature for my buddy at the 3 letter agency.
The gun in my opinion is stuck in time. It has a non-ambi lower, a rail without M-LOK that needs all proprietary parts for mounts and sling attachments unless you run everything picatinny. Its heavier than expected picking it up, especially after running the SR. In all honesty the rail sucks. It has great machining but talk about a rail stuck in 2012. The Larue grip is stellar, and the RAT stock is cool with its built in cleaning kit and solid cheek weld. It has a great trigger (better than the SR) and balances well.
One of the main selling points for me was the adjustable gas block. It has two setting suppressed and unsuppressed. Going in I thought this was a must as you read about all the gassing issues with AR10s. I found this not to be an issue with the SR25 but it’s a nice feature to have. Previous BCGs were chrome, mine appeared to be nitrided which sucks and I would much prefer the chrome BCG. It also comes with a PRI gas buster charging handle which is a nice touch and nicer to run than I would have thought. The gun was very smooth and the machining and finish are excellent.
Larue states that the gun comes with an accuracy standard of less-than 1 MOA (1.047”) at 100 yards (same as the SR). But the catch is Larue uses 3 shot groups. If you follow Mark Larue on instagram he will constantly feed you some bullshit about how 3 shot groups are relevant because of some equation from a book he has: The never-ending 3-Shot groups vs. 5-Shot groups argument. In Brian Litz’ book Applied Ballistics, 3rd Edition … Brian Litz included a formula/chart to calculate 5-shot groups using 3-shot groups (and a host of other combinations). I posted a target that I proof-grouped a 16” 5.56 MGU (Match Grade Upper) today. The 3-shot group measures 0.570”, and the 5-shot group measures 0.650”. Multiplying 0.570 x 1.28 = 0.730”.
I have always been confused by this and why he pushes this narrative. 6.5 guns and 223 guns he will shoot 5 shot groups and post the results. Rarely does this happen with 7.62. You could say this is because he is cheap and doesn’t want to waste the precious Federal Gold Medal Match but I call BS as he has no issue shooting 5 shot groups with FGGM in 223 or 140 ELD Match which is far more expensive. But for the record, 3 shot groups are not statistically relevant.
Larue sends you a 3 shot test target with your gun. Mine was shot by the man himself and was .490 MOA. Thats awesome OTHER THAN THEY SENT ME A PHOTOCOPY OF THE TARGET WITHOUT A SERIAL NUMBER ON IT! They throw a sticker on the back with your name and SN of the gun. Seriously, it’s a 3k+ (now a 4K+) gun. In my mind this is unacceptable for any gun manufacture.
Now Rob Ski has had phenomenal results with his 18″ tOBR:
My accuracy was fine. 5 shot groups that were around 1 to .75 MOA with FGGM. That may be the gun or it may be me. I did not feel disappointed with the accuracy. I dont shoot 3 shot groups. But clearly very good for a gas gun and would only get better with time and round downrange. But to put that into perspective, I shot a sub MOA 10 shot group with the SR25 PC. The SR25 is more accurate but the larue is softer shooting.
Skipping to the chase, at the end of the day, as I said previously its a gun stuck in time. At its initial price point or $3400 with shipping and fees it was a good gun at a good price if you were looking for the features it has or lack of. It’s just a bit more expensive than those second tier of guns and it rides up with the SR25s of the world with features and accuracy. If it comes down to cost I think it’s a lot of rifle for money. An SR25 is $4900 if you can find one. At least with Larue you will get one if you order it. It may just take a year to get.
Larue has since raised it prices. The tOBR is now $4125, so with shipping and fees you will be around $4200. So that begs the question is the SR worth $700 more. The answer for me is YES. the SR25 PC is a modern rifle that is properly gassed, so there is no need for adjustable gas block. And as a modern rifle it has a modern rail in the URX4 with mlok and a full 15″ of rail length. It also has a chrome sandcutter BCG that has no issue running dry and a very nice ambi lower. You also get all the lineage of the military’s use of the SR25. She is a reliable workhorse.
I think if the Larue was updated with a new rail and lost some weight, you could make a case for the price increase. But as of now, (mid 2022) it’s a gun stuck in time. You are better off to get into 6.5 Creedmoor gas guns that 7.62 but if you are hell bent on 308 I would skip the Larue and look at Seeking or LMT on the lower end and / or JP and Knights on the higher end. This will not be a gun I keep around in the collection.
So what was the end verdict? Di d you sell it?
Sold it. To be totally honest after thinking about it for almost a year, that gun sucks. Barely worth your time at $3400 and now with the newly raised price it’s totally not worth it. The only reason to buy the LaRue is accuracy and you can get that or better at a much lower cost with a modern rail and ambi features.
Apologies for such a late comment.
I agree with your opinion about this platform being “dated”. That being said, do you have any opinions on the more recent UUK and subsequent MGU offerings from LaRue?
It seems Mark has “modernized” a bit with the newer, slimmer mlok handgaurd that still retains that OBR-style attachment to the upper receiver.
The UUK I did a bunch of research on as it is an upper I could throw on my SR25 lower. Everything I read is not all that accurate, and people who were actually looking for the accuracy vs just shooting were not all that happy. The only solution is to rebarrel. I have heard good things about the MGU, but his barrel length choices don’t interest me, and none in 6.5. Keep hoping, but it never seems worth it.