Which Rifle Should I Get?

[Cosmoline]

I ran a poll last year asking the forum which rifle I should get for my yearly big rifle buy. That poll answered--AR-15 and I bought a Colt LE carbine. It's been a lot of fun over the year and has opened up a whole new dimension of portability.

Now I'm saving up for another big purchase in the next few months and I'm looking for more suggestions and votes. There are still a lot of rifles on the bucket list. The primary contenders right now are battle rifles. I'm mostly torn between the classic M1A and the AR-10(B). Both have their pluses and minuses. The M1A has a better feel for off hand shooting and I find its iron sights superior. But it's also bigger and heavier. The AR-10B has the portability and simplicity of the AR-15 but may be a little too light.

I'm also still eyeballing a Nodak Spud PSL

And today I saw a really interesting H&K .308 MR762. By far the most expensive of the bunch, and I know little about it. But can it really be TWICE as good as the others? Because the price says so.

Anyway I'm tossing these and some other choices out there for the forum to kick around. Thanks!

 

[TurtlePhish]

M1As are just plain sexy. Awesome, awesome guns.

AR-10s are very versatile and sometimes quite light, for people who like that kind of thing.

PSLs are nifty and less common, but don't expect amazing accuracy. 1.5-3 MOA gun.

Can't tell you much about the HK, other than you could probably get any two of the others for the price.

 

[Bio-Chem]

thought about the FNAR?

 

[Welding Rod]

I picked the Garand simply because now is such a good time to buy (from CMP).

I recommend a Springfield Armory Service Grade Special.

You can always buy a M1A, which I also think is a great idea.

 

[Bill_Rights]

something else = FNAR

 

[Cosmoline]

Don't know much about the FNAR. It looks a little weird but maybe it shoots good. I don't recall seeing one for sale around here. What does it offer that the others don't?

 

[madcratebuilder]

The AR-10B has the portability and simplicity of the AR-15 but may be a little too light.

Did you really mean to heavy? A AR-10B Carbine is 8lbs+/- a few oz's unloaded. Add a 25 rd mag and your over 9lbs. If you go with a longer barrel(20-21"), optics and a bi-pod, it gets a lot heavier.

Both the Garand and M1A well shoot very similar, sights are the same, stocks are very similar. Both have more recoil than the AR-10.

Ammo for the Garand is more available and costs a few cents less per round.

Anyone of the above three are good additions to the safe.

 

[bannockburn]

I would go with an M1A as I prefer its overall design and balance over that of the M1 Garand. Either one would make for an exceptional buy for your rifle of the year aquisition.

 

[Averageman]

I voted M1A.
I bought one last year and couldn't be happier.
You have a good quality rifle thats capable of being a target shooter, hunter or even a S.D. weapon.
Get to know it spend lots of time on the range with it and you'll learn to love it.

 

[Shear_stress]

When choosing between guns I tend to go with the one that's out of production. Get a Garand. There won't be any more of them and when the CMP finally runs out (which will still be a while), that will be it for the reasonably priced ones.

Strange that Garands on the open market command a much higher price than the CMP, even though the CMP still has plenty of rifles in stock.

 

[dprice3844444]

hunt down a colt sp901,it's a new ar-15 type in 308,convertible to 223

ar-10 will be more accurate out of the box

 

[amprecon]

M1A for no scopes.
AR-10 for scopes.

 

[Meeteetse]

Personally I would buy a Garand first and the M1A second. The idea of owning a rifle with a little WWII and cold war history is much more interesting to me than the current AR and other types.

 

[Cal-gun Fan]

Get the M1 Garands whilst you still can. Last year, my dad and I got one from the CMP and it was a great experience. They undoubtedly have the best deal on them right now. The M1As, the AR-10s, the CZs, they'll always be around. But they ain't making the Garands anymore.

 

[MachIVshooter]

AR is the most flexibe and, IMO, nicest shooting of all the .308 autoloaders. Second choice would be an M1A, followed by FAL and then G3 pattern. Somehwere after that come spendy guns like SCAR 17 that offer no advantages over the others yet command a premium price. The FNAR is, IMO, about the ugliest of the bunch. It looks like a BAR mk II with a protruding pistol grip and 20 round magazine attached to it.

The Garand? Sacrilegious in anything but .30-06 as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Cal-gun Fan]

From what I've heard, the SCAR 17's advantage over the AR-10 is a folding stock, very low recoil (All but one account I've watched/read has commented on its really low recoil) and its lower weight.

 

[Bio-Chem]

FNAR offers guaranteed MOA out of the box

 

[MachIVshooter]

From what I've heard, the SCAR 17's advantage over the AR-10 is a folding stock,

Yes, if it matters to you.

very low recoil

It's a sharper impulse than AR-10 or M1A. Heavy reciprocating mass in the SCAR.

and its lower weight

SCAR 17S (16") empty weight: 7.91 Lbs.
Armalite AR10A4C (16") empty weight: 7.75 Lbs.
Springfield M1A SOCOM (16.25") empty weight: 8.8 lbs
JLD PTR-91 (18") empty weight: 9 Lbs
DSA FAL Carbine (16.25") Empty Weight: 8.35 Lbs
Kel Tec RFB Carbine (16") empty weight: 8.1 Lbs.

As you can see, not the lightest, and not that much lighter than most of the others in it's class. If shortest is your goal, the RFB has it all over everything else.

The SCAR is a good rifle, but it really offers no advantages over the AR-10, other than a 7" shorter length when the stock is folded (same OAL with stock out) and some exclusivety in ownership. Aside from that, it just costs twice as much.

For me, the reciprocating bolt handle is the biggest detractor. I just did a write up on a friend of a friend's SCAR 17S versus my AR-10A2 carbine last week. Aside from the SCAR's owner, everyone who shot both preferred the AR-10. And the owner of the SCAR was noticeably humbled after trying them side-by-side.

 

[Cosmoline]

I should add I'm not looking for anything with less than an 18" barrel. Leaning towards 20".

 

[mljdeckard]

I had an M1A, and I got rid of it when I realized it was turning into a bigger project than I wanted to play with. Because of the high mount, I had to lean way into it to use the scope. Because of the limited distance adjustability over the length of the action, I couldn't change the eye relief. This meant a bloody eyebrow and snickers at the range. (Which I can handle.) I realized that to make it the rifle I wanted, it would need a different stock, some work on the trigger, etc. I sold it to a guy at a gun show who was thrilled to have it, and I'm building my AR-10. I will have a few different uppers, in .243, .308, and .260 to start with. Same bolt face, same Pmags.

 

[taliv]

Man if I was ridin a bike tithe range through 12' of snow dodging man eating bears I'd be spending money on a truck or something

But if you're looking for a good (accurate) scoped rifle, look at a GAP10 and Larue OBR before you buy.

No idea how they work in alaska bu they are pretty impressive down here

 

[Cosmoline]

Yeah I had a dream the other night about buying a Ford Fairlane sedan. Which would have been cool but in the dream I was having to sleep in it. Besides, breakup in Anchorage is just a free water park for the mountain bike. A big, filthy water park full of insane drivers.

How does the GAP10 stack up against Armalite's current AR10's?

Optics are an option, and I'm using them more now than I used to. But I'm open either way. Put it this way if I get an AR-10 I'll likely go flattop with a 4x scope and if I get an M1A I very much doubt I'd mess with optics.

 

[Maverick223]

I'd call the CZ-550 the best battle rifle of the bunch.

FWIW I voted for the M1G, good solid rifle, with plenty of history. Ping!...sounds like victory! That said, the M1A is a pretty fair rifle as well, and affords more options (without damaging/altering the rifle), I just prefer the .30-06Spd.

 

[taliv]

Custom gun with top tier stainless barrel and match chamber vs factory gun. I think they're using pof receivers and magpul PRS stock but the price is pretty reasonable.

Get one in 260rem or 6cm

 

[C'Thulhu]

I voted PSL. Something about them screams class, ammo is cheap, even good ammo. They can be plenty accurate, and the standard optic is very robust, or you can mount something else.