I was after something similar, of course I was not building from the ground up so I had to start with an existing platform. I did not get the box magazine I would have preferred, and I did require a low-power (4x) scope that could be used in a addition to the iron sights, in this case a ghost ring rear.
Not a great picture, but you can get the idea. It started as a Yugo, so I had the grenade launcher and bayonet removed, then added the synthetic stock, the rear sight, had a Choate scope mount drilled and tapped, and added the short mag scope. Also had a trigger job done. Biggest pitfalls of this rifle IMO: not a chrome lined barrel, not box-magazine fed, and its heavier than it needs to be.
In the end I think it does accomplish the goal of being a rugged reliable sport rifle, good for hunting or personal defense.
It's not a complete match to your criteria, but similar enough in concept that I thought it might be interesting. Its basically a "de-militerized" rifle, or in other words, "sporterized" military rifle. For a ground up build, I go back and forth between x39 and .308. When pushed to choose an "if I could only have one" caliber, I lean towards .308, but if its not my only rifle and I were looking for a "handy versatile rifle" for my local woods, I would gravitate towards x39.
Not a great picture, but you can get the idea. It started as a Yugo, so I had the grenade launcher and bayonet removed, then added the synthetic stock, the rear sight, had a Choate scope mount drilled and tapped, and added the short mag scope. Also had a trigger job done. Biggest pitfalls of this rifle IMO: not a chrome lined barrel, not box-magazine fed, and its heavier than it needs to be.
In the end I think it does accomplish the goal of being a rugged reliable sport rifle, good for hunting or personal defense.
It's not a complete match to your criteria, but similar enough in concept that I thought it might be interesting. Its basically a "de-militerized" rifle, or in other words, "sporterized" military rifle. For a ground up build, I go back and forth between x39 and .308. When pushed to choose an "if I could only have one" caliber, I lean towards .308, but if its not my only rifle and I were looking for a "handy versatile rifle" for my local woods, I would gravitate towards x39.