Ok, that's what I figured. I already have a 300 WSM for big game and am looking for a good semi-auto for gophers and varmint shooting.

if thats all your going to shoot the .223 will work fine,.308 does a way better job on coyotes and bigger varmints.

Great, thanks. Any recommendations on barrel length? Is it a factor?

Just remember the longer the barrel the more accuracy you can expect out of the AR.If your just going to be plinking and shootin it up barrel length is not important,if you want to whack a prarie dog at 300 yards get one with a longer,heavy barrel.

I appreciate it. Now, back to bow hunting!

The right AR? It depends on whether or not you are hiking and packing the rifle for any distance or length of time. If weight is not an issue then go for the 20 inch H-bar or heavy barrel. These rifles are dominating the long distance military style competition shoots where the M-1 Garand used to rule. Or you can get the shorter 16 inch barrel in either light or heavy barrel. As I mentioned earlier the barrel twist and chrome plating of the chamber and / or barrel is very important. The right rifle will be a tack driver.

I was in Capital Sports and they are selling a Remington R15 VTR with a 24" Barrel. It is a little more but it sure looks nice. I understand that Bushmaster is part of Remington now. Any feedback on this one? How about scopes? Which brands/models? BCD or turret? Thanks,

Joe

I've shot the DPMS in the 308, other than being heavy, which I believe all AR-10's are, it's a great gun. I plain on building one after the 1st of the year. I've heard that AR's are like a drug, once you get one there's never a stopping point, you want to get multiple AR's. We'll see.

Ive owned a Bushmaster,it was junk.DPMS is the only one I can personally recommend,I have NEVER had a jam in my LR308.

I should have acted when I first started looking for an AR. The best I could do within my budget was this Windham. 20" stainless barrel, Leupold scope. Now If I could find some ammo! Thanks again for all the advice, unfortunately recent events greatly reduced my choices.