General-purpose .308 light rifle

[cluttonfred]

Thanks, all, for the the suggestions. In response to a couple of similar comments, what I have in mind is certainly not very different from a scout rifle, but since definitions vary one what exactly that means, I am not calling it that. In this case, I don't need stripper clip loading or a magazine capacity greater than 4+1--I have several WWII surplus bolt-action and semi-auto battle rifles in other calibers.

What I am really looking for here is a lightweight, compact carbine with good fixed sights for flexibility and to backup the scope. For me that means a QD mount or maybe see-through rings, though with the latter the scope might be too high for comfort. A scout scope mount is an option, but I have no strong feelings either way.

 

[W.E.G.]

DPMS LR-308-T

 

[cluttonfred]

DPMS LR-308-T

I had a bolt action in mind, though I am not opposed to a semi-auto. Still, the DPMS is not quite "under $700 internet price without optics, ideally under $500." I did consider a Saiga .308 a rough-and-ready companion to a more accurate bolt gun. Maybe a Vepr? But both seem hard to find and the sights are nothing to write home about.

I also considered a Remington 750 semi-auto .308 carbine but they are not cheap and I am not sure I can get both a receiver sight and a scope to work at the same time.

Maybe I am going about this wrong. Perhaps there is an extended, one-piece Picatinny rail for one of these bolt guns that would allow both a compact scope and a pair of flip-up sights like one a compact AR-15 carbine?

 

[Zerodefect]

I'd recommend an Ar10 type with a mild 1-4x scope or even a simple Eotech XPS2/Aimpoint H1.

Or a Savage FP10 with any decent 3-9x scope.

 

[cluttonfred]

Thanks. Savage makes great guns but to my knowledge none of their designs quite meets my needs. Their less expensive models have long barrels and no sights, and their shorter-barrel models are generally much too expensive (that McMillan stock model above lists for $1,400!). The Savage 10 FCM Scout comes close, but the sights seem unprotected and it's just plain homely as rifles go. In the end, I will likely go with a straight light carbine like the Ruger and Howa already mentioned, Remington Model Seven or even the beautiful Savage Model 11 Lightweight Hunter and do without the back up sights. Still, I was hoping someone would come up with an option I hadn't thought of.

 

[mshootnit]

No.5 Mark1 Jungle Carbine. "Its not inaccurate, you just need to get closer!"

 

[Kliegl]

Not to be critical, but the whole backup irons thing is military derived. A hunting gun needs a permanently attached scope, variable power, that sits LOW for good shooting ergonomics.

If you get a light 2x7x28 or something, you can crank it down to 2 power, and shoot something ten feet away, just aim a little high. If you get a good scope on a hunting rifle, and you don't abuse the rifle, the scope will never have problems.

Plus returning to zero on a detachable scope is hard. About the only people, in my non-all encompassing experience, that do it right are the Germans. Perhaps some US military mounts do it right.

One problem people have is wanting one gun to do it all. It gets a lot easier if you say, well, I'll just back the scope off, and I'm not fighting zombie hordes, so I don't need irons. Then you can get a good set of low rings that will let you set up a scope right, and you're in business.