It depends really on listing and meeting your priorities for the rifle.
I've had:
Century FAL
HK-91
Saiga .308
DPMS LR-308
Here's my GENERALIZED take on them:
- Century FAL:
Not the best to judge a FAL by. If you get one, MAKE SURE you get an Imbel receiver one, and MAKE SURE that you have the "Widow's Peak" feed ramps rather than the "Unibrow" feed ramps.
I haven't checked lately, but you want to have one that uses Metric Magazines because these are typically more plentiful and cheaper.
Now... The FAL is a good firearm-- no question about it. Pluses are plentiful parts, adjustable gas system, reliability, good ergonomics (for everyone but me), cheap magazines.
If you are looking for a good general .308 MBR, a FAL is an excellent choice. If you are trying to squeeze the absolute last bit of accuracy out of a rifle, the FAL isn't the best choice.
If you want a FAL, I'd make an attempt to get a DSA over a Century. I never did get my Century running right.
- HK-91:
My first 308 MBR. Great rifle. Weights a ton. Some hate the ergonomics and the "flimsy" cocking tube. I could live with both. What I couldn't live with was the "cap gun" feeling trigger. However, there ARE trigger upgrades that you can do.
Besides the lack of perfect ergonomics, the main criticism of a HK-91/G3 is that the polygonal rifling is very hard on brass if you reload. Don't let this bother you too much since the HK-91 tends to throw brass about 35 feet and you are VERY unlikely to find it if you DID plan on reloading it.
The HK-91 can be a pretty accurate rifle. I found mine on par with the FAL. However, like the FAL, if you are working to squeeze accuracy out of it, there are better choices.
One advantage to the HK G3 is that magazines are cheap.
The best advantage of and HK: It's an HK! When you carry it the world becomes right. Women will love you. Men will fear you. Your Charkas will align. Your acid reflux will dissipate. Blue birds will circle your head and sing. Flowers will bloom where you walk. World peace will break out wherever you go.
Saiga 308:
A VERY reliable rifle. I can honestly say that I never had a single feed or firing issue out of mine. The accuracy is VERY accurate for an AK platform.
If you want benchrest accuracy, there are better choices.
The main pluses to the Saiga 308 is cost, reliability, accuracy for its platform. The main cricisms are high cost of magazines, fear of being able to convert it (its not hard), and dealing with 922 issues (not really hard to do.)
DPMS LR-308:
This is my current (and last) 308 platform. This IS the platform that you would want to use if you were trying to squeeze accuracy out of a semiautomatic 308.
One advantage to the LR-308 is its modularity. You can get it set up the way you want to.
Another advantage is that there are a number of configurations that you can order it in. Mine has a 24" fluted stainless steel barrel. You can get it from that down to 16" M4 barrels.
For accuracy, the AR platform is the best choice of the ones that I've looked at-- truly capable of sub-MOA groups. The AR flatop is a very easy optics mounting platform.
Criticisms of the LR-308 start with the higher cost of magazines. DPMS ones run about 39 dollars. C-Products ones go for around 25 dollars.
The next criticism is that they may take some work to get running reliably. However, AR's have fought the reliability battle for decades now. The AR-10 platform has been recently picked for US sniper service, so it can run reliable.
The next criticism is that they are heavy. Most 308s are going to be heavy, and this is no different. You can minimize the weight issues with shorter configurations. Mine has the longest barrel, and it weights 11.25 pounds unloaded and with no optics. However, since mine is so long, I have the advantage of using it as a spear if I can't hit what I am shooting at.
At any rate, there's my take on it.
You can't go wrong with any of the above if you are looking for a 308 MBR-- but some are better choices than others for specific roles. Some may be far more reliable than others for a general purpose rifle (Saiga 308 or FAL compared to a AR-10) And Some are bad choices due to the manufacturer-- Century may cause you grief in a FAL or a CETME-- or it may run fine... you just don't know.
I hope this helps.
-- John
