which .308: M1A or Rem. 700Police?

[357wheelgunner]

I am looking into a rifle sometime soon. I have right now a Savage Mark II (bolt action, .22LR bull barrel, scope), a Rem. 870 express HD, a Rem. 870 Police magnum, and a few handguns. I want a rifle that I can use for hunting, target shooting, and long range defense if necessary. I have my shotguns for use around the house and into the yard so a maneuverable long gun is not needed. THis one will be used mostly for long range plinking, and refreshing my rifle skills. The rifles I am considering are a Remington 700 Police, with a pricey scope and a better trigger, or a Springfiled M1A, either in .308. What would you all do? Right now I am leaning towards the Remington because I love the quality of my police magnum shotgun....How is Springfield's quality lately?

 

[Bullet]

I had a Remington PSS in 308 with a cheap Bushnell 3/9 with a factory trigger. It shot five shot 1/2 in. groups all day (bench rest) with alot of the groups 1/4 in. for 4 out of 5 shots. This was with hand loads. If you want accuracy I'd go with the 700.

 

[dakotasin]

you mention that the rifle might be used for hunting. if that's the case, i'd stay away from either of the rifles you are thinking of. they'd work, of course, but there's better ways to skin that cat.

check out remington's lvsf chambered to 308. right now they are marked down thru a couple of distributors.

 

[Fumbler]

What kind of hunting are you doing?
If it's walking 1/4 mile to your deer stand, walking out to your porch and shooting deer at the end of your property, shooting prarie dogs, etc I would go with the 700P.
If the hunting you're doing is stalking game 10 miles then don't get either, get a sporter weight rifle.
If you're running dogs or hunting thick brush then get the M1A. You wont need the extra accuracy and you may need quick followup shots.

If you rarely hunt then either gun will be fine. Punching paper with high accuracy is as fun as seeing how far you can practically shoot with iron sights. The semiauto feature is always fun, but you'll burn more ammo.

Of course, for the price of either gun you're looking at you can get a heavy barreled Savage with scope package deal and a second cheaper gun just for fun.

 

[odysseus]

Two different rifles, two different designs for different purposes.

People do hunt with m1a's, but it's a battlerifle and for the money it takes to make it accurate for any real long distance shooting if you want sub MOA then get a good bolt action and expensive glass, and have fun. If you benchrest it gets into some finite details and fun. I am still looking myself for that right bolt action to move some good size grain down down down there...

If you want an excellent semi auto battle rifle design which is a pleasure to shoot and own and you can smile while unloading 20 rounds of hot .308's as fast as your finger then the m1a will surely suffice. Keep in mind there are many other semiauto .308's out there if you are not in Kali.

 

[Jonathan]

I've carried a setup almost exactly like your Rem700 option (#1, #2) through some of the worst terrain possible. Although it works, it's not the best choice for a hunting system.


With your goals, I would get the Remington LTR as the primary choice. It is lighter weight and more than accurate enough to be a competitor for target shooting. Although you'll lose some velocity, it's not really a factor until you're between 800-1000 yards.

Although I really prefer the Savage, I don't think you can get a compact version with the McMillan stock. Of course it's possible to swap out the barrels, but then the Remington has the price advantage. Perhaps if you could arrange a trade in advance this would be a better choice, but my feeling is that you're not interested in these kinds of modifications.


If the weight and size is not such a consideration, then I would get a Savage:

$740 for the 10FP-LE2B (sportingarms.com)
$82 for a Harris BRM-S (impactguns.com)
$65 for a TIS sling (tacticalintervention.com)
$40 SSS improved bolt handle (savageshooters)
$80 TPS rings (tacticalprecision.com)
$60 TPS base
$882 Leupold M1 with Gen2 reticle (premierreticles.com)
#130 Galati case/mat (wiskur.com)

Total: $2079

It hurts to see just how much that adds up to in the end, but I guarantee you won't be able to put together a better system for less. I think right now I'm just short of $3k for my rifle in the first link, and I still don't have a McMillan stock.

Although I think a bolt-action would be more useful, if you decide to go the M1A route please consider Fulton over Springfield.

 

[Kharn]

I bought my 700P for $700 out the door, a distributor was selling them for $640+shipping+transfer on one of the big selling sites (gunbroker, gunsamerica, etc), threw a 10x42 Super Sniper on it and am extremely satisfied with it for about $1100 all said and done.

Kharn

 

[Black Snowman]

I was looking at the 700PPS and ended up with a CZ 550 Varmint Laminated. Less expensive and I really liked the set trigger. I've since traded for another .308 bolt rifle so it's up for sale.

Between the two you mentioned, I'd go for the M1A because, for me, it's funner to shoot.

 

[Sactown]

I'd go with the M1A. Iron sights are fun and semi-auto is an added bonus.

 

[ocabj]

Don't waste money on a Springfield M1A. If you can get a used one made back in the early 90s or older when quality was better, then maybe. The only way to go on an M1A/M14 is Fulton Armory or go fully custom with a GI spec receiver and GI parts.

As far as getting a .308 for hunting and target shooting, weight is going to be an issue. With target shooting, you want a heavy barrel and a weighted stock for better prone and bench shooting. With hunting, you want something you can carry on a long hike. Someone mentioned the LTR which is an option.

But I think you would be better off getting two rifles. While you will save money using the same rifle for both hunting and target shooting, it's better to have two seperate rigs.

As far as rifles, I'm partial to Savage. You could always get a Savage 10FP in .308 and whenever you go hunting, switch to a lighter barrel and lighter stock. Takes less than 15 minutes to switch and headspace a barrel. I just use a bench vise I already have, wood barrel blocks I made myself, and a Savage barrel nut wrench from Sharp Shooter Supply. What's cool about this idea is that you could even switch to .243 or .260 without having to change the bolt face since .243, .260, and .308 are based on the same case (and use the same headspace gauges).

Good luck. Whatever you do, stick with the bolt gun. Don't get a Springfield M1A.

 

[NMshooter]

You will never get an M14 type rifle to shoot as well as a good bolt gun. If sub MOA performance is important go with the 700P. On the other hand, the M1A is more fun to plink with.

When it comes to semi-auto rifles you pay a lot more for 2 MOA or better accuracy, and the reliability usually suffers. That is why some folks still like bolt guns for precision work.

It really depends on what your priorities are, and which is most important.

 

[ECVMatt]

Have you look at a Rem 700 LTR?

I have one and love it. I wanted a gun that I could hunt with and still shoot small groups at the range. It is light enough that you can carry it all day, yet still shoots tiny groups. The bbl is 20 inches which does compromise FPS, but this doesn't seem to be a problem for normal shooting distances. I also like the M-14, but too much hassle with magazines, size, and target accuracy.

Hope this helps,

Matt

 

[schromf]

Pay attention to what Jonathan from Montana says. I have a 5-R Milspec Remington which is very close to the PSS model, under no circumstances would I haul that heavy barreled pig around in the Idaho/Montana/Alaska mountains unless I was doing a short walk to someplace I was bagging the rifle, and canyon shooting. It is just too heavy and ackward for a stalking rifle, and truth be known in my country I have other rifles set up very similar that are in bigger calibers which deliver a lot more energy out at extreme range.

I bought my Remington as a bench gun, I could see it being used in Texas or thereabouts where there is stand hunting on deer. It would be a great choice for that. But to pack up steep inclines covered in alder.....no thanks. As a bench gun it is superb though and I will say the groups are phemominal.