The AR-15 rifle might get the most coverage, but it isn’t the only AR platform out there. It’s all too easy to forget the AR-10, the rifle made to handle bigger cartridges and longer-range shots (as a general rule). Which one should you get? Which is the better gun?
AR15 vs AR10: here’s what we have to say about it.
Love the AR-15 platform rifle? You might like the AR-10 rifle even more. (Photo credit: ARGearJunkie.com)
AR10 vs AR15 — Which Came First?
It’s a rather common misconception that the AR-15 was designed before the AR-10. In reality, Eugene Stoner created the gas operating system for the AR-10 before the AR-15 had even begun. Early prototypes of the AR-10 platform rifle appeared in 1955 and it was sometime in 1956 when the AR-15 was designed (and 1958 when the design was fine-tuned for production). So not only is the AR-10 literally bigger, it’s also technically the older of the two.
What’s an AR-15 Good For?
The great thing about the AR-15 is how versatile it can be. It doesn’t matter if you want a gun for home defense, hunting, range use, or to carry as a truck gun; the AR-15 does it all. Part of what makes it so multi-purpose is the wide array of calibers and barrel lengths it’s offered in, but it has a lot of accessories that broaden its use as well. That means that even within each category of use there are practically endless sub-categories.
A good example of the platform’s versatility is the use of an AR-15 for close quarters (CQB) work. The AR-15 platform gives you quite a few options from carbine-length barrels of 16 inches to set up a short-barreled rifle (SBR) which involves tax stamps to get the sub-16-inch barrel length approved (along with the suppressor you’d probably want on it). In addition, 300 BlackOut was specifically made for CQB with an AR-15, making it an ideal setup if you have the means and patience to get an SBR going. Of course, you can stick with a carbine and not worry about getting or paying for a stamp for a short barrel.
And if you’re a hunter, you’ll find out the classic 223 Remington chambering in the AR-15 is very well-used among hunters chasing smaller game and varmints. If you want to go after a slightly bigger game, just get a larger caliber AR-15 like one in 450 Bushmaster or 50 Beowulf.
What’s an AR-10 Good For?
As a larger, heavier rifle, the AR-10 is often used for long-range, precision shooting, and hunting. Snipers in the military lean more heavily on the AR-10 due to its greater ability to reach and touch distant targets with stunning accuracy, while infantry guys typically use AR-15 platforms. (It is vital to note the guns the military uses are not the same AR platforms you get at the gun store, they’re M16s and M4s, which have a full-auto option and cannot be owned by a civilian without a lot of money, paperwork, and approval steps).
Yes, an AR-10 is noticeably larger and heavier than an AR-15, but it’s for good reason. AR-10 rifles have longer barrels and are chambered in bigger, harder-hitting calibers. They’re also legal to hunt game in states where the AR-15 is not legal in its traditional caliber. With an AR-10 you might sacrifice some degree of portability, but that doesn’t mean they’re that difficult to carry, because they’re not. The AR-10 has a lot of uses and things to recommend it, not the least of which is the kind of precision you can get from it.
What Calibers Does an AR-15 Come In?
When the AR-15 rifle was originally created by Eugene Stoner it was chambered in 5.56x45mm NATO/223 Remington. Today that remains the chambering a lot of people associate with the AR-15 rifle, but there are actually a lot of other options out there. Some possibilities for AR-15 rifles include:
- 56x45mm NATO
- 223 Remington
- 300 BlackOut
- 243 Winchester
- 224 Valkyrie
- 22 Nosler
- 204 Ruger
- 350 Legend
- 450 Bushmaster
- 50 Beowulf
- 458 SOCOM
- 6mm ARC
- 222 Remington
- 30 Remington AR
- 50 Action Express
- 223 Winchester Super Short Magnum
- 8 SPC/SPC II
- 5 Grendel
- 300 HAM’R
What Calibers Does an AR-10 Come In?
The AR-10 is bigger and so are the calibers it’s offered in. That means you can go for a classic like 308 Winchester or get one in 6.5 Creedmoor if you’re more interested in precision rifle shooting (PRS). This isn’t a complete list but it gives you an idea what’s out there:
- 308 Winchester
- 5 Creedmoor
- 220 Swift
- 22-250 Remington
- 6mm Creedmoor
- 7mm Winchester Short Magnum
- 300 Winchester Short Magnum
- 338 Federal
- 6 BlackOut
- 458 HAM’R
- 260 Remington
- 7mm-08 Remington
- 500 Auto Max
- 45-70 Auto (not to be confused with 45-70 Government, which is a lever-action cartridge)
AR10 vs AR15, Which is Better?
It might be infuriating, but the answer to this is “it depends.” Whether the AR-15 or AR-10 is the correct platform for you depends on what you’re using it for and what you want. Would you want the bulk and length of an AR-10 for home defense use? Probably not, you’d want an AR-15 in something like 300 BlackOut or 223 Remington. Conversely, would you want an AR-15 with a 16-inch barrel for long-range shooting? No. Even cartridges like 224 Valkyrie can’t keep up with the trajectory and precision of an AR-10 in 6.5 Creedmoor.
Guns are tools, and that includes the AR platform. The AR-15 and AR-10 are both tools and should be selected for the job you need to handle, whether that’s defensive, hunting, or range time. This is fantastic because it gives you a logical reason to own numerous ARs from both platforms. Now, that said, if what you want is more of a jack-of-all-trades rifle, you’ll want an AR-15 so you are not sacrificing maneuverability and ease of use.
It’s accurate to say there are a lot of ways the AR-15 has an edge. It has more customization and modularity options, the parts are far more interchangeable than on an AR-10, and it is offered in a larger number of calibers. The AR-10 is no slouch, though; AR-10s are ideal for long-range work and hunting larger game and predators. When you want to be truly confident that one shot will do it, the AR-10 is your gun. And when your goal is making 1000-yard precision hits, you want an AR-10. It isn’t that both platforms can’t do it all—because they can. But they both offer a lot of pros for specific applications. Choose wisely, but in the end, why not both?