Which .308 Semi Auto?

[bk1]

I have a dilemma. I love the .308 cartridge but I dislike how heavy the various options are.

I currently have a PTR91 and a M1A. Both shoot well the limited time I have spent with them but as far as actually utilizing them shooting offhand etc they are a lot more cumbersome than my AR.

I think that is what spoiled me, I recently also purchased a new AR and wow, the lighter weight makes it soooo nice to use.

So, is there a option that would work well for me? I thought about the M1A scout squad but it really does not seem like it weighs that much less than my M1A loaded. What about a carbine length FAL? That is 8.35 pounds as opposed to the 9+lbs my two current rifles are.

Even the RRA LAR-8 was 9+ lbs.

Maybe I'll just stick with my PTR and if I want to use my AR I'll strap a few extra pounds to it so I won't be spoiled.

I realize that extra weight comes with the bigger cartridge but I just want to make sure I'm not missing an option out there.

Thanks for your input.

 

[G27RR]

An Armalite AR-10 carbine is 7lbs 13oz.

 

[Freedom_fighter_in_IL]

Many makers of AR type firearms now offer it in .308

 

[GunsBeerFreedom]

Saiga.

 

[FMJMIKE]

My Armalite AR-10 doesn't seem too heavy to me. Sure AR-15s are lighter but you sacrifice the heavy hitting .308 power ball..............

 

[bk1]

Is there a AR-10 that is considered to be more reliable than others?

I wonder why the RRA LAR-8 is two more pounds than the armalite.

 

[Mags]

The LAR 8 has more mass to the BCG. I have a DPMS, had a Lar-8. While the DPMS is lighter, both are heavy, both had quad rails. If weight is the primary factor for purchase don't get a rifle with a quad rail or add a quad rail later.
I think the Lar-8 was more accurate than the DPMS IMHO. I haven't tried an Armalite but not for the lack of wanting to but for the lack of funds. If money is not a factor look into LMT, LaRue OBR, and KAC.

My current semi auto 308


My old semi auto 308

 

[Roastbeef]

I have a Saiga .308 and it is deadly accurate and lightweight. I have modified with tactical options and it's got the durable AK receiver but very light and accurate and reliable. Great gun within 200 yds.

 

[JMusic]

Are you slinging up on your M1A? I find mine as easy to shoot for accuracy as my A2?

 

[Z-Michigan]

There's weight and there's balance, two different issues. Many guns of average weight fell too heavy because the balance is far out front. The PTR-91 is a prime offender here, but it afflicts a lot of .308 rifles to some extent.

For both light weight and good balance, you'll need to look mostly at guns with 16-18" barrels. An FAL with an aluminum lower (meaning almost any other than an STG-58) and an 18" standard light barrel is pretty well balanced and also reasonably light. DSA also makes a variant with a 16" barrel and short gas system that should balance about like a 16" AR-15 and not weigh much more. Similar weight and balance could be found with a 16" .308 AR, especially the Armalite AR-10 carbine with plastic handguards.

Also, a 21" barreled FAL with an aluminum lower and the standard light barrel is still fairly light and well balanced. That might be worth a look too.

 

[JMusic]

I sure like FAL's but they are not hunting rifles either. I have a BAR in 270 W that is a semi auto hunting rifle and I shoot, no hunt better with this gun. You have to make up your mine. Tactical, hunting or compromise.

 

[Kwanger]

I'd have to say an AR-10...or to throw something else out there, a Kel Tec RFB. Bullpup design means its not hanging right out there when shooting offhand like your traditional rifles - so might be a bit easier regarding weight distribution.

 

[Slamfire]

I have spent with them but as far as actually utilizing them shooting offhand etc they are a lot more cumbersome than my AR.

I have always shot my M1a better standing than any AR. You can snatch the trigger and still get a ten. The AR's with their short sight radius, you have to milk and milk that trigger, praying all the while that you don't disturb the sight alignment.

100 yard offhand


A bud of mine shot this offhand with his AR, that that don't prove nothing.

100 yard offhand

 

[rfurtkamp]

PTR's balance problem is the culprit most likely.

They put a heavy profile barrel on the things that destroys handling compared to an actual HK military profile barrel.

Swing time and handling are just terrible on the PTRs.

 

[unwise11]

Scar 17's arn't too heavy.
and an AR-10 with a 16" barrel would'nt get a full burn. but still pack a punch.

 

[Bernie Lomax]

The only semiauto .308 battle rifle I'm aware of besides the ones you mentioned is the Vepr, but I don't know how much it weighs.

 

[eastbank]

i have a vepr 7.62x51 and i like it. eastbank.

 

[Z-Michigan]

I sure like FAL's but they are not hunting rifles either.

Hunting rifle = your skill + your tactics + your selected game animal + equipment

An FAL, even a 3 MOA FAL (which is not unrealistic, sub-MOA is unlikely) is a perfectly fine 200 yard deer rifle, which is twice the realistic deer shot in my area. Of course it won't blast groundhogs at 400 yards, but neither will anything in .308.

Not saying an FAL is the ideal hunting rifle, just saying that it is a potentially usable choice depending on what you intend to do and how you plan to go about doing it. And the same comment applies to any other rifle, such as an AK.

 

[MTMilitiaman]

The SCAR-H and the POF-308 (a piston AR platform) both have advertised weights in the 8 pound range.

There are options for FALs and M1As with shorter barrels that fall into the ~9 pound range.

I wouldn't imagine a .308 Saiga or other AK platform would be all that much heavier than the 7.62x39 versions, around 8 pounds.

A lot depends on options like rail systems and other accessories. The main culprit in my experience however is ammunition weight. A 20 round magazine of 7.62x51 is going to weigh at least 2 pounds, and it doesn't matter what gun you stick it in, that is enough weight to notice shooting offhand. The best advise I can give you is to grow stronger or stick to the AR. Weight is the primary reason the gov'ment went to the 5.56mm. Not everyone appreciates the added range and power of the 7.62 to make it worth the weight. I hunt with a full size M1A and even after packing it around the hills all day, I still appreciate the firepower it gives me in any given situation more than the added weight. I notice the length more than the weight.

 

[Z-Michigan]

8.25lb FAL right here:

http://www.dsarms.com/SA58-FALTactical-Carbine-Rifle-308-Cal----SA58TAC/productinfo/SA58TAC/

And it will feel like less because of the balance. Although the 16" DI .308 ARs are likely to be, and feel, even lighter. MTMilitiaman is quite right about ammo weight, and there's no way around that - except that you'll probably be using a 5 round mag for hunting, and that helps.

 

[fragout]

This rifle weighs out at 8 pounds minus the mag.
...........


A 20rd M14 mag that is topped off with Win Q3130 (M80 Ball) weighs out at 1.5 pounds even.

Note: I have found that not all M14 synthetic stocks weigh the same. Not sure as to why that is, but some have deviated by approx. a pound in weight.

 

[eastbank]

i have watched a friend hit a 10 inch gong at 500 yds with a m1A with a 12power leupold 10 out of 10 from a rest. so there is at least one 308 that will kill groundhogs at 400yds. eastbank.

 

[fragout]

Not sure about ground hogs, but I used this rifle to take a 75pound feral hog at 322yds exact......


155gr Hornady TAP. 1 shot rolled the little hog, and he never got back up.

 

[Z-Michigan]

Note: I have found that not all M14 synthetic stocks weigh the same. Not sure as to why that is, but some have deviated by approx. a pound in weight.

Fragout: the M1A in your photo appears to have the current (2008/09+) production SAI stock, which is a newly made stock of glass-filled nylon. Older SAI rifles had repainted USGI surplus stocks that are fiberglass. The fiberglass stocks are heavier (I've handled both back to back on otherwise identical SAI M1As).

i have watched a friend hit a 10 inch gong at 500 yds with a m1A with a 12power leupold 10 out of 10 from a rest. so there is at least one 308 that will kill groundhogs at 400yds. eastbank.

You have groundhogs that are 8" tall and 8" wide? Yikes. Not to mention needing to know the exact distance given bullet drop at that distance, etc. etc...

 

[fragout]

Actually, both stocks pictured are USGI M14 stocks. The Mossy Oak camo stock has had the selector lever hole filled by SAI, then the camo job added after by SAI.

I filled in the selector lever hole myself on the other stock, and hit it up with some Krylon spray paint after some finish work.

You are correct in regards to the new SAI M1A synthetic stocks being a little heavier, because they are thicker in several areas, or at least the one I examined was.

USGI M14 stocks were what I was referring to. Not all of them weight the same. I havent counted, but have around 20 GI synthetic M14 stocks, and a few of them are lighter than the rest.

I still havent figured out why that is.