high capcity battle style deer rifle

[USSR]

Have to agree with 1858, with $2300 you can get a nice deer rifle and a battle rifle. Trying to have both in one rifle only leads to compromises.

Don

 

[FLAvalanche]

I have been through the whole range. FAL, HK G3, PSL, SKS, M1A and AR-10.
The one that out shined them all is the AR-10. By far it is easier to maintain, there are far more accessories and it is easy to manouver in the field.

The one on your left is getting back up and taunting you by sticking out his tongue! SHOOT HIM AGAIN!

 

[BRad704]

Ar-10's are just damn sexy! Sorry TIMC, not you, but your rifle! I DO see the corner of a Jeep though... YJ?

And might I say that I hate you people and your 4-digit budgets! My first thought when I saw "Battle Deer Rifle" was an SKS with 4x scope on a scout mount.. but I see that I am in a different league...

 

[TIMC]

Ar-10's are just damn sexy! Sorry TIMC, not you, but your rifle! I DO see the corner of a Jeep though... YJ?

Awww come on; not even a little?

Yes you are correct it is a 1992 YJ.

 

[charcoalburner]

TIMC,

What flavor of AR are u shooting?

 

[Girodin]

Honestly, any of the the usual suspects (FAL, M1a, G3, Saiga 308 AR10) will do what you want it to. A decent exemplar of any of them is up to hitting a deer in the vitals at 300 yards. I don't know how you hunt but here it requires a lot of walking and carrying a rather heavy m1a, FAL etc is going to get old. For $2300 you could buy a perfectly good bolt rifle and scope and still get a semi auto 308. Personally that is the route I would go unless it is just some thing where you want to hunt with a military style rifle. If that's the case any of them could be used so its more a matter of preferences and where you want to make trade offs IMO.

 

[MistWolf]

Charcoalburner- Mistwolf what quirks are you referring to in the HK and what clones are u saying to stay away from?

I don't say stay away from clones, although any HK91 or CETME clone built by the Angry Beavers (Century Arms) is suspect until it proves itself. They have far too many QC issues to be trusted- something I can attest to from personal experience.

PTR makes a quality HK clone. Serial # with the "A" prefix means the rifle was made by PTR and are reliable.

"B" prefix means it was sold as a receiver only and built by an outside source. Some are of the very best quality, some you should just run from as quick as possible.

"AW" prefix are rifles of later manufacture by PTR. Chances are they use a barrel made by Thompson. These rifles are reliable only with certain types of ammunition as the chamber flutes are fewer and shallower than mil-spec. PTR will not guarantee the PTR-91 will function with any ammo than what they reccomend.


First of all, you have to realize the HK is very German.
Quirks: If you reload, it's hard on brass. Not just the flute marks left on the outside, but the HK is known to often dent the spent brass on ejection. It's also known for tossing your brass two or three zip codes away.

Ever heard of the "HK Slap"? You pull the charging handle all the way to the rear & lock it to hold the bolt open. Insert a fresh magazine and slap the little cocking handle to release the bolt and chamber the first round. It's really kinda cool. But since the rifle doesn't lock the bolt back with the last round, you have to flip out the charging handle which unlocks the bolt and haul it back yourself. It's awkward to use while the rifle is mounted to your shoulder.

Bolt gap is a critical setting. If the bolt gap is too small, the rifle will kick you harder than Missouri mule. As the rifle wears, the bolt gap shrinks. To reset it, you replace the rollers with oversized rollers. If the barrel is set wrong, you'll have a hard time setting the gap correctly. (Don't remember what the gap is supposed to be. The barrel being set & pinned in the wrong place is something the Angry Beaver clones are known for.)

There is a hump where the buttsock meets the receiver. It's at the perfect place to rest against your cheek as your peering through the sights. It's also at the perfect angle to give you a nice case of cheek slap if you're not careful.

When you remove the bolt group, it's easy for the bolt to retract in the carrier and rollers to pop out into the locked position. If you don't know the Secret Handshake to reset the bolt & rollers, you'll never get them back in the receiver.

It's European. The safety is hard to reach for most Americans because we're taught to carry long arms with the muzzle up. To reach the safety without removing your hand from the pistol grip, you need to tilt the muzzle down. (Same is also true for the Fal.)

It's a delayed blow back system. A straight blowback system has to use a heavy bolt group and strong springs compared to a gas system. A blowback system also does not lock the bolt to the action and begins to open as soon as the recoil overcomes the inertia of the bolt & spring pressure.

The HK system simply delays when the bolt starts opening. The roller locks hold the bolt in place while the recoil impulse shoves the bolt carrier to the rear. As the bolt carrier moves back, it lets the roller retract so the bolt can then begin to open. Very simple in operation, it's different than what most are used to and definitely quirky.

All rifles have their quirks. The HK roller locked rifles have some rather unique ones. I like HK roller locked rifles. They're reliable, accurate, and have a very unique Teutonic personality

 

[zooski22]

ar-10

Does the ar-10 use the same buttstock and grip as the ar-15?

 

[GunsBeerFreedom]

I'll go a different route and say Saiga 308. Even after conversion, a nice high quality optic, and a few magazines, you'll have money left over for ammo (well, that depends on the optic you mount).

 

[Dustin]

M1 Garand mabey... do you really need more than 8 rounds?

 

[Lloyd Smale]

Problem with the ar10 and all the battle rifles that are large enough to handle 308 family rounds for deer hunting is there HEAVY. I used my 16inch ar10 last deer season and dragging it around got old. Next year i will take my 762x39 bushmaster ar15. Its about 2-3 lbs lighter. It is accurate and plent good enough for deer out to 200 yards. A 6.8 would be another good choise. If you want lighter weight and some more range check out a ar15 in 25wssm. Basicaly a 257 roberts in an ar.

 

[jcollins1007]

+1 on the Garand. Man up and use some iron sights and en-bloc clips. Kills Nazis, kills deer.

 

[-v-]

+1 on an AR-10. Its a bit on the heavy side, but its a solid rifle that gets the job done. a 16" gives you a range of ~800 meters before you go sub-sonic, as I recall.

As for DI ar's: The larger the calibur that the DI system is set up in, the better it works. I've yet to have a hiccup from mine, just make sure you slather it in oil.

 

[hso]

Runs cleaner and easier to maintain.

Do you have any experience with both systems to base this opinion on?

I and my friends have both systems. We find no problems with either for cleaning or maintenance. I own FAL, M14 and AR type rifles. The only ones used on game are the ARs. Since you are only interested in 300 yard and under shots any of the rifles will handle that, but the AR will be easiest to scope and easiest to carry.

 

[yeti]

very unique Teutonic personality

I have never seen the HK 91 described better, it's like the spirit of my Granddad inhabits that thing. It's so obviously German, it does exactly what it is designed to do, but it does it in such a way that it always leaves you shaking your head and muttering about the "dang, crazy square heads." :banghead: There is the easy way, the right way, and the German/H und K way.

 

[Agent Smith]

This meets all your requirements.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=179485149

 

[D.M.C.]

Have you considered one of these?

http://www.kel-tec-cnc.com/rfb.htm

The RFB has gotten pretty good reviews and it takes FN magazines. It's .308 and the weight and length advantages could match what you are looking for.









Photos taken from Oleg Volk's Gallery

 

[TrickyDick]

A PSL is a cheap alternative. It's sturdy, and fairly accurate. No Sniper riflle, but a good DMR. Cheap ammo, and lots of fun. The 7.62x54R is a decent round to take down a deer

 

[labotomi]

I hunt with my FNAR and it would make an excellent battle rifle if you weren't on the move for too long as it weighs about 10lbs

They can be had for about $1250, 1moa accuracy.

Mags are pricey

 

[Maverick223]

I agree with D.M.C....the RFB is the perfect tool for the job. In fact I plan to do a little deer plinkin' with one myself; that is, if I can get my hands on one.

OTOH if you want a AR platform, then I would probably go with an AR-15 instead, cheaper, more available parts, practically universal parts fitment, smaller, and much lighter. All you need to do is buy/build one in a more suitable cartridge, something like a 6.5Grendel, 6.8SPC, .243WSSM, 25WSSM, .30HRT, or .30RAR (alternatively the .458SOCOM, .450Bushaster, or .50Beowulf could be used for closer range).

 

[PAPACHUCK]

Saiga .308



This will do the job for a less than a grand before glass/mount.

 

[Fremmer]

OK, but how much to these rifles weigh? 10 pounds, 11 or 12 with rings and scope? Those are going to be like anchors at the end of the day in the field. I wouldn't want to lug around something so heavy. JMHO.

 

[zooski22]

thanks for the imput

I've decided to forget about the whole piston rifle thing and go with the dpms chambered in 6.8 spc in 20 inch barrel this should be exactly what I need and I have the option of buying different caliber uppers as I see fit. I can order it just the way I want it add the scope and I'm good to go.

 

[Maverick223]

^ You left out the part about saving a chunk-o-change...despite my distaste for the 6.8SPC, I believe you made a good decision.

 

[Sheepdog1968]

Springfield M1A Scout squad or Socom 16 would be my choice. Add a five round mag if required and a receiver scope mount if you do not like the scout setup. To me it balances better than any AR platform.

My friend, who can shoot 1" or better at 100 yards with a bolt action, was not at all happy with the accuracy he got out of the SOCOM M1A. Based on his result, if you go that route, I'd suggest either the Scout or normal length barrel version.