Reccomend me a .308 Battle Rifle

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liberalwithagun

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Lately I have been very interested in .308 battle rifles. There seems to be quite a few options out there and I was looking for some input.

What I am looking for:

- Accurate
- Easy to work on
- Easy to find parts
- Brass is reloadable after firing
- Can be shot left handed safely

Price Range: 500-1100

What I have looked at:

FAL - Like it very much. Seems that the gas block can be adjusted so that brass is reloadable. Seems that a DS Arms built unit is the way to go.

PTR-91 - Seems to be very hard on brass.

M1A - Great all around gun. Seems that brass ejection is a problem for lefties. High price.

Ar-10 - Not super interested. I already own an AR.
 
Not sure why a lefty would have a problem with an M1A... The army issued Garands and M14's to left-handed soldiers for 25 years.

I have a FAL and the brass is reloadable no matter how the gas is adjusted. The purpose of the gas system is to allow the rifle to be reliable even when its hot or dirty. Then again, I don't drag mine through the mud or shoot 500 rounds at a time, so I rarely have to touch the gas knob.

I love my FAL, but I think the M1A is more ergonomic and just "hangs" better. I have no experience with the other choices.


.
 
I just picked up a new Century CETME at the local gun show for just over $600 out the door. Love it so far. Sights aren't the best but I have an adjustable HK rear sight on its way now. I also don't like the safety (fire is up) but once I figure out my 922 parts count with the mods I want it will get an HK trigger group to hopefully fix that.

Heard it can be hard on brass but I'll get a port buffer and/or brass catcher and see how many it destroys. Not sure on how it would be for leftys since it slings brass a mile and the charging handle is on the left.

Parts and mags are easy to find since a lot of parts will swap with HK and there a lot of surplus CETME parts out there. Overall a cool rifle in .308 (I love 7.62 NATO every since I carried a '60 in the Marines :)). Different from the ARs all my buddies have which is an added cool factor for me, too :D
 
I'd go with the FAL. They're not as easily accuratized as a M1A Could be, but it's a battle rifle, not a target rifle. They are plenty accurate for plinking and combat though, I want to say 2 MOA average, wit that's just a wag. You may also want to look at Entreprise for a FAL. The general consensus is that they're just as reliable as a DSA but not as pretty and a bit less accurate. (note: I'm talking about the factory rifles, not the kits/receivers they sold as parts that were built up by other people) Mine has been great though, and I have no complaints.
 
The $1100 price ceiling would curb the choices a bit. Not many M1A's under $1100 which would be my first choice because of the accuracy advantage. If I'm going into a fire fight I want to be able to hit what I'm looking at 300 yds and beyond. Not sure on FAL prices but that is a fine weapon. I own M1A NM and have shot it out to 600yds with pretty good results. You said AR 10 doesn't do much for you but ease of operation and repair would make that one of my favs. I have a DPMS that does pretty fair out to 300 and easy to work on...So I guess FAL if you can get one in your price range.
 
Talk to me about different FAL factory builds. I don't think I will be building my own FAL as I lack the tools and likely the know how to build it w/o messing it up.

DSA seems to be the top of the line. Enterprise seems to be second but has had a bit of checkered past on their receivers.

Century? No thanks. If I gamble I like it to be in Poker.

What is the difference the DSA STG 58 and SA58?


EDIT:

What about a .308 Vepr? Can I get rid of that ugly thumbhole stock?
 
I'd go with the AR-10.
I have a Rock River LAR-8 which is super accurate, and stocks, grips, some spirings and pins and other things will are interchangable. Easily mount accessories, scopes, BUIS. Recoil is very managable.
 
I second the AR-10 or similar format like DPMS. Very versitile, accurate and brass is very reloadable. My DPMS LR 308 is a fun gun to shoot.
 
armalite ar-10 with gisselle ssa trigger 5r 11.25 twist bbl. m14's are nice,expensive to buy,and after you buy it,you have to unitize gas system,and do other stuff hopefully to get a 1.25 group at 100 yds.way expensive for non moa.ar-10 has bbl on the monolithic frame is basically free floated out of the box,trigger work with gisselle already done.taking apart to clean doesn't affect accuracy like the m14 would.
 
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Sorry, I know the CETME wasn't on your list but I thought I'd throw that option out there. I got a decent one judging by the fit and finish and the way it ran the first 400 rounds.

I don't know much about the FALs beyond what I read when trying to decide between it and the CETME/HK but it's a proven design that's been around for a long time.

A friend of mine has an AR-10 (not sure on the brand) but it's dead accurate and a very nice rifle. Only drawback for me is cost and it's an AR platform which are everywhere. Great for parts and add-ons but just not what I was looking for as far as something to carry around and use as a "utility" gun.
 
Battle rifle

There are only 2 things I do not care for on the HK91 - crushes brass and bolt closes on empty mag.

I like everything about the M1A except high scope mount, which is liveable. It also costs a lot and is a process to fully accurize this platform.

FAL prolly wins it for me if maximum accuracy is not the goal. Reliable, plentiful mags, adjustable gas, etc.

AR-10 seem lacking in interchangeability, reliability, etc.
 
I would consider the CETME if I could actually look at it. CETME's when made properly have been reliable and a good rifle. However, I have not seen a single CETME in my area.

Entreprise off the rack factory build may be my go to. Add a scope mount + forend rails and we are good to go.
 
It's a new option but you may want to look at the new Kel-Tec RFB. .308 and VERY left or weak side friendly what with the forward ejection chute design.

A local fellow got one recently and let me put a magazine through it. I had no trouble at all hitting the old welding cylinder at the 200 yard mark using the 2x short AR style scope/red dot setup he'd installed on it. Balance from "offhand" while reloading was very slightly back heavy as you'd expect for a bull pup style. But once both hands were back on the gun and the butt pulled firmly to the shoulder it felt great.

He must have shot 300 rounds thru it while I was there and it just kept on working and working.
 
The Kel-Tec looks very interesting. Problem is that they are hard to get your hands on. Furthermore they may be a bit out of my price range. Price looks to be about 1350. However saving up a few extra hundred bucks may be worth it.

Damn all these choices!
 
While looking for a great battle rifle, I chose the PTR-91. It is a great platform and fun to shoot! However while reviewing your criteria, the PTR-91 chews brass like no other gun I've ever seen before. Even if you still wanted to retrieve the brass, good luck finding it as my PTR-91 chucks the brass literally over 20 yards. Though I do not mind this aspect of the gun, there are two things I do not like. One, the bolt closes on an empty mag, and two, the rifle is not ergonomic by any stretch of the imagination. I think it was designed to be used by gorillas or something. Overall great gun, great sights, and a decent amount of accessories can be purchased for this beauty.
 
I'm reading this thread with great interest, but the choices don't seem to be all that great. M1A is a good option, but I didn't know you could get one under $1100.

So for my sake, if we upped the anty to $2000, what options does that open up? How is the SCAR-H? Maybe a PWS or LWRC option?
 
If you have 2k to haphazardly throw around sure a SCAR would be nice (pure speculation BTW). In terms of bang for the buck, in this case quite literally, the PTR-91 is hands down the best performer for the price, in terms of reliability, accessory availability, accuracy, and IMHO the most fun to shoot out of the guns listed.
 
I would look at a 308 AR. I have a Bushmaster (DPMS) with a 16" heavy barrel. With match ammo and if I do my part, it will do 5 shots under an inch.

With handloaded fmjs more like 1 1/2" for 5 shots.

My opinion of Fals is that they are heavy and not that accurate. I had a nice one, sold it!

I had an M1A loaded: you need specialized tools, scope mount is a pain and expensive, if you use a scope you need a cheek weld etc. etc.

I just think 308 Ars are the most straightforward, easy to scope and easy to work on.

DSA STG 58 vs DSA SA58

The STG58 is built on a Styr parts kit (sometimes unissued) built on a DSA receiver. DSA SA58 is all new parts made by DSA on their receiver. DSA also built a STG58 built on an Imbel receiver.


You just have find the rifle that works for you.
 
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Where are you finding the SCAR for 2k? Just under 3K sure, but 2k?

Also, why not look at a Saiga 308? I shoot lefty all the time and it's never been a problem. The only real 'issue' is finding higher cap mags for a decent price, but that's the same with the SCAR and M1A. It'd also save you a good bit of money for ammo.
 
From the only Saiga .308 I've handled, it just seems like an over simplified rifle and didn't shoot very accurately. Great price, great reliability, but if you're shooting anything past 100 yards in my experience this will not yield fabulous results.
 
I've had awesome luck with mine, between 1.5 and 2.5 MOA with most loads. Of course mine may be an exception, or yours may have been.
 
On the PTR-91:

I am thinking it is a no go. From my research they absolutely destroy brass. While I REALLY REALLY like the price vs either a DSA or Entreprise FAL price the unability or reducded ability to reuse brass is a killer. I like to reload my own rounds. I feel my rifle rounds (not pistol rounds....yet) are more accucrate than factory rounds.

If there is a way to keep a PTR-91 from eating my brass I will give it a serious look.

EDIT: PTR is on same price point as FAL. Meh.


On AR:

Ok. Ok. Enough people keep posting how awesome they are. I will go shoot one. I love the AR platform. My PSA Ar-15 is a beast. It sounds silly but I want something different from my AR in my .308 battle rifle. However, if the recoil/accucracy/parts/etc are that much better than other options I will pick one up.


Saiga:

Nah. Getting a saiga in 7.62x39. Why have a .308 version too?
 
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