Ironicaintit
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Lever actions are becoming more rare, i think. I hardly ever see one unless im the one who brought it.
Savage is good, but i like the Winchester 88
Savage is good, but i like the Winchester 88
Looking for something unique in .308
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USAF_Vet
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Just examples of rifles I don't see every day. These days every .308 I see are either AR-10 style, or bolt action. On a rare occasion every now and then I see a PSL style.
The CETME/ G3 type rifles, and the FAL L1A1 style are a little more uncommon in my area.
I tossed Remington out there because I like the 760 series. I can find 740 series all day long and avoid them due to the horror stories of bolt rails being beat to hell.
This would be a casual plinker/ deer rifle up north more so than a long range target gun, so minute of deer is perfectly acceptable accuracy. Sub MOA shooting doesn't interest me. Tiny groups are only interesting with pistols.
I like the look on that FR8.
AK103K
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I had a couple of HK91's, and three FAL's, a Belgian FN back in the 70's, and a couple of the L1A1 kit guns in the early 90's.
The HK's by far were the better shooters (and at the time I bought them, within the OP's price range, $5-600).
The FAL's didnt shoot "groups", but liked to string their hits vertically as the gun warmed up. All three did it, and Ive shot others that did the same. My FN was stone reliable, my L1A1 kit guns were not. To be fair, this was back when the kits were first showing up, and before anyone "known" was building them here, and they were still trying to figure them out. I hate being the guinea pig, and while it took me a little while, I learned my lesson (and a hard one) with them, and a couple of AK and AR home builds. No more kit guns for me, unless I can shoot them first.
The HK's/G3's are on par with the M14/M1A's, and were the first well thought out combat rifles that were "modular", and could easily and quickly be changed to suit the needs of the user. They also had a workable, zero repeatable optics mount. I still think they have the best and most realistic iron sights too. HK's sling system is what all the other we have today are based on, and its still better than most to this day.
The FR8's were actually a predecessor of sorts to the CETME's/G3's. Their sights are very similar, and work the same.
The HK's by far were the better shooters (and at the time I bought them, within the OP's price range, $5-600).
The FAL's didnt shoot "groups", but liked to string their hits vertically as the gun warmed up. All three did it, and Ive shot others that did the same. My FN was stone reliable, my L1A1 kit guns were not. To be fair, this was back when the kits were first showing up, and before anyone "known" was building them here, and they were still trying to figure them out. I hate being the guinea pig, and while it took me a little while, I learned my lesson (and a hard one) with them, and a couple of AK and AR home builds. No more kit guns for me, unless I can shoot them first.
The HK's/G3's are on par with the M14/M1A's, and were the first well thought out combat rifles that were "modular", and could easily and quickly be changed to suit the needs of the user. They also had a workable, zero repeatable optics mount. I still think they have the best and most realistic iron sights too. HK's sling system is what all the other we have today are based on, and its still better than most to this day.
The FR8's were actually a predecessor of sorts to the CETME's/G3's. Their sights are very similar, and work the same.
Sheepdog1968
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I'd look for something used with a Manchlier stock.
kBob
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Another FR8 vote. Buddy tried to get me to get one in the 90's. His now has a bent bolt and nicely finished stock and a bayonet and still cost less than either of the black guns I bought at the time.
Re mannlicher stock. Old Pard and I ran across a Spanish 93 carbine at a yard sale once. only after firing most of an old Interarms 50 round blue box of loose mixed goodness (remember those?) did I bother to pick up a piece of the berdan brass. There was a serious headspace problem. We visited gunsmith friend with the idea of rebarreling in .308. As the cost was more than twice the price of the old gun the carbine became an attractive item of décor. Think it would have been neat though.
-kBob
Re mannlicher stock. Old Pard and I ran across a Spanish 93 carbine at a yard sale once. only after firing most of an old Interarms 50 round blue box of loose mixed goodness (remember those?) did I bother to pick up a piece of the berdan brass. There was a serious headspace problem. We visited gunsmith friend with the idea of rebarreling in .308. As the cost was more than twice the price of the old gun the carbine became an attractive item of décor. Think it would have been neat though.
-kBob
GAMEOVER44
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Ive seen used Ruger GSRs in that price range. Excellent rifles imo. Not many care for them on THR as a company it seems but I like Ruger. Not my favorite company but I like them.
AK103K
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If you get one, avoid the urge. My buddy had his replaced with a bent down bolt, and has regretted it ever since.
The straight bolts are much easier to manipulate, and work great when you carry them.
Leave the bolt stop on the follower too.
The FR8's take Mauser strippers, and are easily and quickly "recharged".
WestKentucky
Member
TC venture? Cheapo gun with good gun options.
Ruger m77? Good gun for the money.
Ruger m77? Good gun for the money.
What accuracy are you getting?
TwoEyedJack
Member
I got a Ruger Hawkeye stainless laminated in .308 from CDNN last month. $605 delivered to my local pawn shop. Very nice shooter.
USAF_Vet
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I'd avoid the bent bolt. I'm a lefty so a straight bolt is easier to come over the top.
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vaupet
Member
You can have a Unique (Alpine) in 308.
You just have to ad a zero
(just kidding a little bit on the word unique and the ad for coke zero, don't want to brag or offend anyone)
I own a FN belgium build mauser 98 wich was purposebuild as a sniper rifle for Israeli Defence Force. I bought it (used, of course) for 480.
it has a match grade barrel, the nicest trigger i ever found in a surplus rifle and it shoots the wings of a fly.
Wood is heavily used, incluidng scratches looking like score-marks.
If they can be found on your side of the big pond, go for this one
http://idfcarbine.com/photos/idf-mauser-sniper-rifle/
You just have to ad a zero
(just kidding a little bit on the word unique and the ad for coke zero, don't want to brag or offend anyone)
I own a FN belgium build mauser 98 wich was purposebuild as a sniper rifle for Israeli Defence Force. I bought it (used, of course) for 480.
it has a match grade barrel, the nicest trigger i ever found in a surplus rifle and it shoots the wings of a fly.
Wood is heavily used, incluidng scratches looking like score-marks.
If they can be found on your side of the big pond, go for this one
http://idfcarbine.com/photos/idf-mauser-sniper-rifle/
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Think PTR
I own and built 5 AR's in all different configurations, from match shooting to battle ready, in .223/5.56 but it does not have the long range knock-down power as a .308. I first looked to the AR-10 platform but felt that it was not a .308-made platform. Now that your wife bought you the .308 ammo, you have a great excuse to buy a .308 rifle, just to make her happy
I looked at all the variants of .308 and wanted a Semi-auto for versatility for hunting, defense and SHTF.
I figured that the AR was built around the .223 round so I asked myself, "which rifle is built around the .308?" The M1A, but too heavy with its wood and heavy steel. What do the militaries around the world prefer since, after all, they stake their lives on it. 70 armies world-wide from freezing arctic, to desert heat and sand to wet jungle warfare, all prefer the HK G3, also known as the Civilian HK91; reliable, accurate, simple, light, low recoil, cheap and plentiful replacement parts and powerful. Furthermore, it will take down ANY North American game and most African game as well.
H&K no longer manufactures the G3/91 but PTR, an American company (PTR91.COM) bought the tooling and all parts are interchangeable with the HK/CETME models and made some worthy American 21st century upgrades to the tried and true platform.
PTR used a far more accurate match-grade barrel, a lighter navy polymer grip, and magazines are cheap and plentiful.
The only downside is the degree that the rifle scars the ejected brass and I reload so this is a big deal for me, however, I found that a port buffer and full sizing, which I do anyway, and a simple rounding of the head's Rim and the brass is fully recyclable and reusable. With the picatinny rail and a Zeiss optic, the accuracy is about 1.5" @ 100 yards and it will deal out accurate devastation as fast as you can pull the trigger with only modest recoil. Take-down and cleaning is easy. The base models from Atlantic Firearms go as low as $850, like a Ruger bolt-action scout but the upside of semi-auto is enormous.
So I would advise, since a firearm is an investment like gold and silver, spend the extra money and get a fine rifle that maintains its value and will function if/when you need it. A quality firearm, like a fire-extinguisher, a parachute, and your car’s brakes are not a good place to cut corners.
‘Just my 2 cents. Enjoy!
I own and built 5 AR's in all different configurations, from match shooting to battle ready, in .223/5.56 but it does not have the long range knock-down power as a .308. I first looked to the AR-10 platform but felt that it was not a .308-made platform. Now that your wife bought you the .308 ammo, you have a great excuse to buy a .308 rifle, just to make her happy
I looked at all the variants of .308 and wanted a Semi-auto for versatility for hunting, defense and SHTF.
I figured that the AR was built around the .223 round so I asked myself, "which rifle is built around the .308?" The M1A, but too heavy with its wood and heavy steel. What do the militaries around the world prefer since, after all, they stake their lives on it. 70 armies world-wide from freezing arctic, to desert heat and sand to wet jungle warfare, all prefer the HK G3, also known as the Civilian HK91; reliable, accurate, simple, light, low recoil, cheap and plentiful replacement parts and powerful. Furthermore, it will take down ANY North American game and most African game as well.
H&K no longer manufactures the G3/91 but PTR, an American company (PTR91.COM) bought the tooling and all parts are interchangeable with the HK/CETME models and made some worthy American 21st century upgrades to the tried and true platform.
PTR used a far more accurate match-grade barrel, a lighter navy polymer grip, and magazines are cheap and plentiful.
The only downside is the degree that the rifle scars the ejected brass and I reload so this is a big deal for me, however, I found that a port buffer and full sizing, which I do anyway, and a simple rounding of the head's Rim and the brass is fully recyclable and reusable. With the picatinny rail and a Zeiss optic, the accuracy is about 1.5" @ 100 yards and it will deal out accurate devastation as fast as you can pull the trigger with only modest recoil. Take-down and cleaning is easy. The base models from Atlantic Firearms go as low as $850, like a Ruger bolt-action scout but the upside of semi-auto is enormous.
So I would advise, since a firearm is an investment like gold and silver, spend the extra money and get a fine rifle that maintains its value and will function if/when you need it. A quality firearm, like a fire-extinguisher, a parachute, and your car’s brakes are not a good place to cut corners.
‘Just my 2 cents. Enjoy!
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royalranger
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600 rem good idea
I think the rem 600 is a good suggestion and is a cool little rifle from the past. Another one to consider is the older browning blr fun gun, not so different but compared to all the ar and bolt style guns it is. Most don't think of a lever gun with a short barrel as long range but with some tweaking the BLR can.I just converted one from the 308 to 6.5 creedmoor with 20 in simi bull barrel, shots .75 moa (worse case) all day long with a decrease in muzzle speed of less than 2% on published factory loads. Actually closer to .6 moa when using Hornady 129gr SST ammo @ 2915 fps ( crono'd 10 ft from muzzle). The blr can give you bolt results in a lever action. Have fun
I think the rem 600 is a good suggestion and is a cool little rifle from the past. Another one to consider is the older browning blr fun gun, not so different but compared to all the ar and bolt style guns it is. Most don't think of a lever gun with a short barrel as long range but with some tweaking the BLR can.I just converted one from the 308 to 6.5 creedmoor with 20 in simi bull barrel, shots .75 moa (worse case) all day long with a decrease in muzzle speed of less than 2% on published factory loads. Actually closer to .6 moa when using Hornady 129gr SST ammo @ 2915 fps ( crono'd 10 ft from muzzle). The blr can give you bolt results in a lever action. Have fun
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Hastings
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I highly recommend the Savage 99 in 308. Been zapping groundhogs at 375 yards with the one in the picture below (Yes, with a 3-9x40 mid-80's Kassnar Wide-View Duplex Reticle scope, pretty low tech for 375 yards). It's not one of the pretty versions of the model 99, but it's fairly light, short, and as accurate as many bolt-action rifles I've owned. It's also a dream to carry in the woods or fields and holds five rounds in the rotary mag. The only way to improve on this one, in my opinion, would be to put a walnut stock and forend on it. The blonde wood makes it look like a leveraction SKS.
Another option for an unusual 308 is the Winchester 100. As long as it has the upgraded firing pin (from the recall) they are a great rifle. Here is a picture of my two Win. 100 carbines. The upper one is 308, and the lower is 243. They are comparable in size to a full-sized Ruger 10-22 or a Ruger 44carbine. I laid the 308 on top of my brother's 10-22 and it was pretty close to the same size in most dimensions.
They are fairly light, have 19" barrels, and mine are very accurate. Nice woods guns. Carrying a 10-22 sized 308 semi-auto with a few extra mags in the pocket is really appealing when hunting from heavy brush to open corn-fields and large pastures. Great little carbines with a lot of punch, but I wouldn't get one if you want to pump a lot of rounds thru the thing. Perfect for hunting but not so much for lots of range trips.
Another option for an unusual 308 is the Winchester 100. As long as it has the upgraded firing pin (from the recall) they are a great rifle. Here is a picture of my two Win. 100 carbines. The upper one is 308, and the lower is 243. They are comparable in size to a full-sized Ruger 10-22 or a Ruger 44carbine. I laid the 308 on top of my brother's 10-22 and it was pretty close to the same size in most dimensions.
They are fairly light, have 19" barrels, and mine are very accurate. Nice woods guns. Carrying a 10-22 sized 308 semi-auto with a few extra mags in the pocket is really appealing when hunting from heavy brush to open corn-fields and large pastures. Great little carbines with a lot of punch, but I wouldn't get one if you want to pump a lot of rounds thru the thing. Perfect for hunting but not so much for lots of range trips.
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I believe the AR 10 predated the AR 15. Thus your whole starting position is wrong. Even if it weren't I'm not sure it would be a reason to dismiss a 308 AR.
You don't have to get them in wood. Even the PTR 91 GI weighs 9.5 lbs. That is heavier than a number of M1A models and close enough to others that the difference is arguably negligible.
http://www.ptr91.com/products/PTR G.I.?id=23
Well pretty much everyone with the means to do so has moved away from the cold war ear 308 battle rifles. Those with means that are getting newly acquired rifles in 7.62 NATO aren't getting G3s.
Can you name any first world countries that are widely fielding G3 family guns? If it is just a historical popularity contest wouldn't the FAL be the more natural choice?
So which 308 rifle is that not also true for (accepting arguendo that it is true)?
Whats interesting is if you spend much time on HK pro, people seem to consistently want to scrap the navy trigger housing and replace it with steel. Also PTRs don't have paddle mag releases so you are going to spend some time and or money adding that. Particularly if you are getting one because you want what a G3 offers.
Not bashing the PTR, I own one. However, a lot of your logic seems strained.
As to what the OP wants. A G3 style gun isn't particularly unique and even the best deals I've seen on PTR GIs are over $600 by a fair amount and that doesn't account for any modification one might want to do such as adding a paddle release.
R.Ph. 380
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Built one just that way for my BIL for 725.00. Waited for parts on sale from Palmetto State Armory.
barnbwt
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"I believe the AR 10 predated the AR 15. Thus your whole starting position is wrong. Even if it weren't I'm not sure it would be a reason to dismiss a 308 AR."
While this may be historically true, I think experience with Stoner's genius has shown the concept is far more suited to the 223 round. The guns really and truly are lightly built (and though not to the extent of being a major trade-off, are not as strong across the receiver as your forged steel guns of earlier eras), and when you scale them up to 308 size, the density really shifts into the barrel in a big way. I know I was surprised by the size of an AR10 when I first messed with one, about as much as how muzzle-heavy it was (granted, you not only get a larger bore built to withstand more force, but 308's typically have relatively beefier profiles anyway, exacerbating the balance change.) Add to that how much more leverage your lightweight aluminum receiver elements have to withstand (while not being proportionally bulked up) and you end up with a 'weak feeling' rifle that packs an unexpected wallop (that's in quotes for a reason).
Maybe when Green Mountain starts churning out carbon-fiber rifle blanks for 30$ a pop (buy you'd need a heck of a good buttpad/brake to tame an AR10 at that point)
TCB
While this may be historically true, I think experience with Stoner's genius has shown the concept is far more suited to the 223 round. The guns really and truly are lightly built (and though not to the extent of being a major trade-off, are not as strong across the receiver as your forged steel guns of earlier eras), and when you scale them up to 308 size, the density really shifts into the barrel in a big way. I know I was surprised by the size of an AR10 when I first messed with one, about as much as how muzzle-heavy it was (granted, you not only get a larger bore built to withstand more force, but 308's typically have relatively beefier profiles anyway, exacerbating the balance change.) Add to that how much more leverage your lightweight aluminum receiver elements have to withstand (while not being proportionally bulked up) and you end up with a 'weak feeling' rifle that packs an unexpected wallop (that's in quotes for a reason
).Maybe when Green Mountain starts churning out carbon-fiber rifle blanks for 30$ a pop
(buy you'd need a heck of a good buttpad/brake to tame an AR10 at that point)TCB
johnnydollar
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One more vote for the Spanish FR-8 Mauser. Its look sets it about from just about any other bolt gun, and the compact nature of the little carbine makes it very fast-handling.
Ash
Member
If you want unique, how many guys will have a Mossberg 800? It's a bolt-action with 6 locking lugs (Similar to a Weatherby Mk V). It has Marlin-type rifling. They can be had in Western Field, Revelation, or New Haven livery.
The really cool thing is that it was designed by Louis Seecamp .
They are good hunting rifles, not overly expensive, you can get great scope mount bases for them, and they are not expensive. You can get one for $300. The extra money can be spent on a top-notch scope.
The really cool thing is that it was designed by Louis Seecamp .
They are good hunting rifles, not overly expensive, you can get great scope mount bases for them, and they are not expensive. You can get one for $300. The extra money can be spent on a top-notch scope.
Ruger American Predator
These are very accurate with nice triggers and the stocks while cheap feeling work well and bed the action nicely. I love my FR8 Mauser but the Ruger is a better gun. Spare mags are scarce and expensive though. The Predator has the threaded muzzle which is useful and only a liability in the few states like CA where that would be a prohibited feature. The unthreaded Ruger American has a longer barrel I believe.
These are very accurate with nice triggers and the stocks while cheap feeling work well and bed the action nicely. I love my FR8 Mauser but the Ruger is a better gun. Spare mags are scarce and expensive though. The Predator has the threaded muzzle which is useful and only a liability in the few states like CA where that would be a prohibited feature. The unthreaded Ruger American has a longer barrel I believe.
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