.308 help

[xfyrfiter]

I'll have to give a " second" to the Howa or Weatherby Vanguard, as the Howa I have is a fine rifle. Howa 1500 heavy bbl with a 6 to 24 x44 scope, less than moa with factory ammo, benched or bags. Trigger was pretty lawerish when purchased but easily adjusted to 1.5# with little or no creep.

 

[helotaxi]

Walmart has a Savage package gun not otherwise available in .308, .243 (short action), .270 and .30-06 (long action). Comes with a basic Bushnell 3-9x40 scope (nothing special but entirely functional) rings and bases and already boresighted. Even if you decide to replace the scope, the rings will work with any 1" scope tube with a reasonable sized objective and the bases will carry over if you go with a 30mm tube scope. It has the Accu-Trigger which is light years beyond the trigger on the Stevens. Best part is the $397 price tag.

I've bought 2, both primarily for the actions. The barrels ( 1 each .243 and .308) ended up on my lefty 111 in a semi-switchbarrel arrangement. A 1" 10 shot group was boringly easy with the .308 barrel installed on the other action. The action that began life as a .308 was fitted with a CHEAP ($130) heavy .308 barrel and also is a real shooter.

On the whole I own 4 centerfire Savage bolt actions and all are sub-MOA rifles. Most any rifle will give you acceptable accuracy for hunting. Savage gives you a high likelihood of getting exceptional accuracy.

 

[ISO1600]

Helotaxi, i also have one of those Wal-Mart package Savage setups. It's great.

 

[DBryant]

In addition to the above mentioned bolt guns, don't forget single shots such as the H&R/NEF rifles. Also worth mentioning, especially if you prefer iron sights, are the ex-military bolt rifles such as the Ishapore 2A1.

For military semi-auto .308's you're looking at the CETME or Saiga. The CETME has a reputation for being a crap-shoot.

I had a Century Arms HK-91 clone (basically a CETME with better sights) and had no issues with it. My buddy had a CETME and all it gave him issues until he broke it down and gave it a good ceaning. Others have not had so good an experience.

On the plus side, Century has a reputation for accepting returns and sending you a repaired or replacement rifle, even if you have to return it multiple times before you get one that you like. Plus, the mags are still pretty cheap.

The Saiga with a 16" barrel is developing a good reputation for accuracy, but you will likely want to convert it to a more AK style setup.

Don't forget to check your local shops for deals. You might get lucky and find something really nice. Also, there are some semi-auto .308's

Oh, and don't forget to leave some money for ammo! .308 ain't exactly the cheapest thing to shoot.

 

[ISO1600]

Aren't the ishapores known for like.... blowing up?

 

[coloradokevin]

I'll throw in another vote for the Tikka line. I own a Tikka in .308 and it is a tack driver as far as I'm concerned. Mine was a bit more expensive ($800) due to the heavy barrel. But, with that said, the basic Tikka T3 lite rifle usually runs in the price range you stated. And, they guarantee MOA accuracy from these guns.

Frankly, with the performance I've had from my gun, I've come to expect 1/2 MOA out of it. If I get an MOA group it usually means I did something wrong.

The accuracy doesn't seem to be confined to the heavy barreled version, either. I know a guy with a Tikka T3 lite and he's getting sub-MOA consistently.


Here's a picture of some coins I decorated from the 100 yard line this afternoon with my .308 Tikka (in bad winds):

 

[SaxonPig]

#14. Short and to the point.

Best gun?

14. Please don’t ask “What’s the best gun or caliber?” There is no single “best” gun or caliber.

 

[DBryant]

Iso1600, I haven't heard of any issues with this. The Wikipedia page I linked to had mentioned that some people believed that these rifles couldn't take as much pressure because of some confusion between C.U.P. and P.S.I.

I know that Indian 7.62 NATO ammo should be avoided because of inconsistencies in powder charge. I could see that causing some Ka-Booms if the Indian rifle was shot with poor quality Indian ammo.

I have also heard of some SMLE's being unsafe to shoot because of corrosion due to a combination of corrosive ammo and poor cleaning over the years.

However, from all the accounts that I have heard, they are quite good rifles. If someone has something that shows otherwise, speak up. I would hate to give someone bad advice, even on the internet.

 

[rs3604]

I also vote for savage, a buddy has one in 270, nice shooter, smooth and light.

 

[rs3604]

Coloradokevin, I like the use of money. Gives me a bad idea