I am abbreviating Alaska here, and not referring to the AKtype rifles, so the part about some kid posing with one in his moma's basement has no bearing either
Eh? Eh? Wacka-wacka!
A general purpose rifle is the one you can grab from the rack not knowing where you're going, or what you'll be shooting, or at what range, with a high degree of probability that you'll be OK carrying it. It is, by definition, not a specialists tool, nor is it something that you reconfigure to suit. It's the one that you would want to save when the canoe turns over and all of the others are lost. It's the one you take on a year-long trip, not knowing where you're going, or what else you'll need to carry.
That's more of a SHTF, or go-to-gun, or
Uber-Gewere, or something. "General purpose" means intended for a range of
commonly expected purposes --not all of them, and especially not wild outliers. If there is a chance you'll be shot down behind enemy lines over the Pine Barons, it behooves you to undertake the journey with some specific preparation (a bolt action which is rugged enough to survive re-entry, as well as legal in the state you happen to be careening towards).
If however, the reasons one happens to keep a particular gun handy are
A) personal defense and pest removal
B) hunting a wide array of game at short to med-long range
C) target shooting for fun at range
D) complying with local laws that limit your options in these areas
Then a semi-auto 308 is just fine; more than capable of doing all three of these, and even the fourth in most locales. I imagine the specifics change depending on which of the four sectors "lights up" brighter for a user's particular situation.
I totally agree that configurability is for chumps. Especially for ARs, in which the majority of the gun must be re-bought for each new caliber conversion. True switch barrels actually make some sense, if the trigger is nice enough to be warrant such practice and attention, but very few semi-autos work on that principle (the newer ones are turning that way, though). I do think it'd be neat for someone to make a two-part AK-style receiver that separates across the mag well, to accommodate any length cartridge the receiver ring is big enough for. A semi-auto as truly configurable as a Contender
is kind of a cool idea (but it probably won't be cheap
)
Oh, and to answer a previous question about the FNAR. It is fantastic. I would shoot it more than any other rifle I own if I wasn't on a milsurp kick at the moment. I didn't suggest it since the OP sounded pretty set on the M1 platform, and while the BAR action is great, it isn't what I'd start from on a "from-scratch" rifle design since it is a bit outdated (i.e. more complex than needed).
I frequently argue --much to the irritation of owners of other platforms I'm sure-- that it is a better deal than any competing 308 semi-auto for normal usage purposes (which I define as occasional-to-frequent, but not heavy, use, while keeping the rifle responsibly maintained). If FNH would make a truly "light" version with fewer steel rails, a pencil barrel, and lightweight folding stock, with iron sights --they'd have an M1A-killer. Not because the M1A is an inferior rifle (it is superior in many ways as we all know), but because the FNAR will perform better for the vast majority of shooters interested in a 308 semi auto (it's more accurate, great trigger, lightweight, has integral scope mount, adjustable stock, etc.). I wouldn't recommend it for someone who insists on dragging their rifle through mud and leaving it filthy, bump fires, or shoots underwater. But if you try to take reasonable care of your guns and don't melt barrels, it's a fantastic deal for the ~1000$ they go for. The biggest drawback is the lack of high-fives you get from other gun owners for buying one, and the 60$ magazines (which they won't be if FNH ever gets off its keester and makes them in quantity --my guess is they're busy making SCAR crap instead
). How many mags of 308 do you really feel like blowing through or carrying, anyway?
I have 3 20 rounders, and a 10-er. 70 rounds of precision 308 is
plenty to last me until break time, when I can deign to spend two minutes refilling them
Suppressed FNAR: add a NV scope up top, emitter lamp/flash light to the forward rail, and a bipod = basically the perfect long-range pig-sticker
FNAR with Teludyne Straightjacket (aluminum+magic goo barrel sheath for reducing heat effects on accuracy). My guess is an integrally suppressed FNAR would look something like this
.
TCB