Here's something interesting that I stumbled upon; a single shot (auto ejecting) .308 caliber AR-15 upper made by Franklin Armory. PRODUCTS From what I could find out by researching it, it is a regular AR-15 upper receiver with an enlarged ejection port and a .308 caliber chambered barrel. The bolt is from Bushmaster, which was designed for the .450 Bushmaster, but will hold a .308's diameter rim. The gas system appears to have an adjustable gas block and I'm guessing that they dialed the gas port down quite a bit. When shooting the upper on a regular lower, it ejects the empty shell automatically and the bolt is held open, allowing one to shove another .308 round into the gaping hole. In Pennsylvania, we cannot hunt with semi-autos at all (except for shotguns during waterfowl season, but who cares?). I see no practical reason why we as hunters could not hunt coyotes, groundhogs, or small game with a semi like many other states do. This may allow me to hunt black bear and coyotes with an AR. Yes, I have an LR-308, but I can't hunt with it. The beauty of this is my AR has a Chip McCormick trigger pack in it, along with some other goodies to allow for precision and ease of shooting. This upper cannot feed rounds any other way but singly, by hand. I cannot see how the game commission can have a fit about it; it's no more of a single shot rifle than an NEF break open.
A Niche Market that has been created by identifying a design that is being addressed poorly by other Mfg Groups. Gets their name out and adds to the design and sales of a semi .308 later.
You need to call the local game cop and get a readout from them. On looking, they will not see the single shot feature from any distance, and might not take too kindly to you having an ugly black gun.
DNR has their own lawyers on staff. ( yes, I have met them) Let them check it for legal trouble first and save you legal trouble later. They can sign off in writing for you to carry in case of an issue.
somebody had a single shot 308 adapter for the 1911, of all things, years ago. Pachmayr, maybe? If the price is $200 or so, I can see this product selling a bit.
I contacted Franklin Armory and they said that they did not produce the single shot, auto eject upper anymore. Probably not enough of a market to justify making it, most states allow the use of a semi-auto when hunting. I keep thinking about getting the components and assembling one myself. Getting a barrel chambered in .308 Winchester that has an AR-15 profile will probably be the hardest thing to accomplish. The bolt is a .450 Bushmaster bolt, and a regular carrier. The gas block is an adjustable one. I would adjust it to full stop and keep opening it slowly until the empty casing ejects without a hassle. An interesting project nevertheless, I have other things to spend my money on at the moment...
