Recommend me a great battle .308 rifle!!

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Jaws

Let's face it. Materials, thechnologies and knowledge have improved a lot since the M14 was introduce.
A new weapon design, built from the ground up, with all the lessons learned in the last 50 years,
will always have the advantage over an improved version of an old gun.
Click to expand...

Sounds good on paper, but the reality is that none of these new weapons have proven
themselves to be both as accurate and as reliable in battle as the modernized M14 is.
 
Ahem, Yes the M14 is pure shooting joy and so is the M1 Garand and the two aren't seperated by a whole lot. The new stocks for the M14 have modernized the platform. Correct me if I"m wrong but the new stocks offer a way to keep the M14 accurate without traditional bedding, Picatinny rails, adjustable stock. Otherwise nothing you cannot have in many other 308 platforms and also in many cases for a lot less.

IMO the AR platform in 308 from DPMS is a better choice because of Value and limitless amount of options that can be added at will. For example going from a long barrel upper for long range work to a short barrel just by swapping uppers. Try that with many of the other 308 battle rifles including the M14. Don't get me wrong I'm not bashing H20's awesome M14...it's a nice rifle system and will no doubt fulfill it's intended purpose. But I don't think anyone can argue against the Mr Potatohead rep of the AR platform.
 
Would love to have an M1A scout myself, but since that's not quite what you're looking for, I can tell you the PTR's are great guns. Have never got my hands on an fal, but my understanding is they are superb rifles aswell, more ergonomic and if memory serves just a tad lighter. Can't speak for them much more than that, but I own a PTR-91F with the 18" bbl and they are great rifles. AK-rivaling reliability, and with decent ammunition is definately capable of 1 moa or better. If you really want yours to look evil, it's gonna cost you a little more than the AR-10 or some of the other suggestions to modify, I've got a B&T low mount on mine that's rock solid but I believe it was around $120-$130. The magazines are cheap as dirt, and even the light aluminum ones have never given me any feeding problems. If you feed it mil surp ammo you'll have no problem hitting a man sized target if you do your part. It will ding up the spent casing quite a bit, and send them flying, don't know if reloading is important to you or not. They are a little heavy but with a proper shooting position I don't find it too difficult to keep the post nice and steady. It's certainly a contender for my favorite of the ones I own, you won't regret having one if it's the route you choose. Hope this helps
 
Oh, forgot to mention, the PTR's are made on genuine HK tooling also. Just have a bit heavier barrel. It's essentially an HK-91 with an affordable price tag.

Also, I've heard something about the receivers with the serial number starting with the letter 'a' being made by JLD themselves, and the 'b' receivers contracted out. Mine is an 'a' receiver, but was made after they switched to PTR 91 inc. Guess it'll give you one more thing to look into.
 
Fun? Check.

.308? Check.

Barely in your budget with tax stamp? Check.

Let me introduce you to your tooth-rattling friend.

nfafamily-web.jpg

Gemtech HVT sold seperately (and using it with this gun will void your can warranty from baffle strikes, not that I've seen any in a few thousand rounds).

Why get a PTR when you can get an evil, working MP5-sized gun in a big ugly cartridge?

Vector may be going under (the world's longest non-sale going out of business ever), but the V51s are still out there if you look.
 
Also, I've heard something about the receivers with the serial number starting with the letter 'a' being made by JLD themselves, and the 'b' receivers contracted out
Click to expand...

A is built in house, B are bare receivers.

All my Vector guns are built on PTR receivers, serial Bs.
 
I have owned or extensively used all of the main players. The two I love the most (and would bet my life on) are the HK-91 and the DSA FAL. Hands down they are the top choices for me.
 
The two I love the most (and would bet my life on) are the HK-91 and the DSA FAL.
Click to expand...

I'd agree on platforms, if I want a fullsize rifle I want a FAL, if I want a carbine I want a 51/53 though.

What eventually pushed it over the top for me though was the shared manual of arms with my MP5K-PDW build - although for long range designated marksman stuff, I'd much rather have one of my old unissued STG-58 builds. I just wish I'd kept more than a few of them ;(
 
Hello guys I've pretty much decided on the PTR-91 based on my research and what some of you guys have to say about yours!!! Thanks a ton for the input.

I want to buy one asap, but I am willing to wait until the next gun show. Would my best bet be to buy it from a certain online company that you guys know of or are they common at gun shows.

I have never gone to a gun show looking for a PTR-91 before so I do not even know if they are commonly found at gun shows. I went to gunbroker.com and some of those prices are just flat out unjustified. 99% of the guns there have NO BIDS on them..... I wonder why!

So if yall dont mind, recommend some good places I can look into for buying a new PTR-91.

Cheers and Merry Christmas!!
 
Good decision. You will not regret the G3 platform. It is in a class of its own.

You can get the PTR at Atlantic Firearms. It's $1,099. Not a bad deal IMO. I don't know what the deal is with that shrouded fore-end thing in the picture...if I were you I'd see how much it would run me to get it with the wide fore-end instead. It's worth it.

One caveat - the PTR has a polymer lower with a fixed pistol grip that can't be removed, I think. You might want to get a spare lower so that you can swap out the grip if you want to get a really nice PSG1 target grip like mine.

Buy it online. Don't buy it at a gunshow unless you want to pay 2500 dollars for it. The relative rarity of the G3 and FAL type rifles compared to other more common types of rifles means that there are a lot of sellers out there who try to trick people and charge way, way more than they're actually worth, because they know there are fewer people out there who are familiar with those sort of rifles and know they're being ripped off.
 
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Let's face it. Materials, thechnologies and knowledge have improved a lot since the M14 was introduce.
A new weapon design, built from the ground up, with all the lessons learned in the last 50 years, will always have the advantage over an improved version of an old gun.
Click to expand...

To an extent. But lets not forget that all of the rifles being discussed are about the same age. The AR-10 and the G3 have their beginnings at the same time as the M14, as does the FAL. The M16 is pretty old itself--what, like five or six years younger than the M14? Also, even most modern systems borrow from older ones. For example, most of the short and long-stroke gas piston systems can be traced directly to the AR-18 and the Kalashnikov, respectively. The G36, when you get right down to it, isn't much more than a product improved AR-18.

For years, the M14's stock system kept it out of the forefront because it required bedding to maintain accuracy and limited adjustment as well as accessory options. This combined with the difficulty in mounting optics were the primary complaints against the platform. Current chassis systems allow much more flexibility in terms of stock adjustment and ergonomics. Most of them increase accuracy while completely eliminating the need for bedding. And they make optics mounting much easier. All said and done, they fix all legitimate problems with the platform. Only negatives would be a few additional ounces in some cases, and the expense. The hard part can be just figuring out which chassis system you want. The Sage and the Troy would be good places to start.

The PTR-91 from most reports is a fine rifle. I would suggest you handle one before purchasing, however. Some do no like the ergonomics on the HK roller lock clones. In the past, the triggers have been pretty bad. By the time you consider the cost of a trigger job and possibly a paddle magazine release conversion, some of the cost benefit of the platform is eliminated.

I prefer the M1A/M14, then the FAL, then the HK roller locks. None of them are bad rifles, and you could be happy with any of them, but that's my preference.
 
Let's face it. Materials, thechnologies and knowledge have improved a lot since the M14 was introduce.
A new weapon design, built from the ground up, with all the lessons learned in the last 50 years, will always have the advantage over an improved version of an old gun.
Click to expand...

To an extent. But lets not forget that all of the rifles being discussed are about the same age. The AR-10 and the G3 have their beginnings at the same time as the M14, as does the FAL. The M16 is pretty old itself--what, like five or six years younger than the M14? Also, even most modern systems borrow from older ones. For example, most of the short and long-stroke gas piston systems can be traced directly to the AR-18 and the Kalashnikov, respectively. The G36, when you get right down to it, isn't much more than a product improved AR-18.
Click to expand...



I wasn't comparing the Mk14 with the other rifles suggested here.
From what is now available in 7.62mm NATO, M14 is right up there to the top. I said is too bad FN postponed the release of SCAR-H (for the civilians) and I got this answer:

Jaw's,
From what I can gather FN was forced to delay the H because it's currently a jam-a-matic POS.
On the plus side... the L is a flawless, reliable work of art... I want one


Maybe the 7.62mm x 51 NATO rifle round is best served semi-automatically...
if that's the case... I'll stick with the accurate, ruggedly reliable modernized M14
Click to expand...

In that answer someone else was comparing the 7.62mm SCAR-H with an M14. That's why I answered the way I did. The SCAR is completely new design built from the ground up and ensures a high degree of parts commonality between multiple rfles and it can be customized to what ever the mission requires. You can make it anything from a SCAR light with short barrel to a heavy one with long barrel and everything in between, as the mission requires.
M14 just can't compete in this respect.
 
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You can make it anything from a SCAR light with short barrel to a heavy one with long barrel and everything in between, as the mission requires.
M14 just can't compete in this respect.
Click to expand...

But the AR can.
 
Thanks a ton guys. Just like you suggested the main 2 sites that I found them on were Atlantic Firearms and CDNN. Is one of them better to deal with?

I might be mistaken, but it seems as if several people on this site were making a big stink about their experiences with Atlantic Firearms. I think it was some people who had bought some M1s from there. Any suggestions on which company to go with??

Thanks again
 
I would not buy anything until you have handled it.
Sure would be a shame to buy it online and go through all the hoops and then find that you hate the trigger, hate the way it handles, hate the way it shoulders, hate the way it shoots, etc, etc.
But if cool looks are the only thing you are worried about then pay no mind to me.

Not everyone is the same shape and size. What may be the greatest thing since bottled beer to one may be a huge disappointment to you.
The best rifle is not what everyone else thinks it is. The best rifle is the one that works for you. ;)
 
After Christmas lunch today, my friend and I drove over to his brother in law's home and I got to handle his CETME. Although I did not get to shoot it, it felt great!

So guys Atlantic Firearms or CDNN???? Personal experiences with either company would be great!
 
HK G3 clones, i love the look of the G3A4

If you favor old-style ergonomics over new style, the Springfield Armory M1A is beautiful, but hideously overpriced these days...
 
I have a CETME, which I'm selling, not because it isn't a great rifle (it is) but because I also have a FN-FAL.

John

The difference between a rifle in .223 and a rifle in .308
is the difference between cover and concealment.

And that's all I have to say about that!
 
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