.308 time, suggestions?

[JodyH]

Looking to buy a new .308 "battle rifle", because you know... BATTLE!


What I want:
Semi-Auto, mag fed
16-18" barrel
correct lop (short) stock or adjustable stock
20 round magazines
open sights and red dot capable
Will eat military ball ammo.
Hit where I aim it out to 300 yards or so (I'm a realist and my eyes suck).
Budget is pretty open.

Currently what I'm looking at:
DS Arms 18" FAL ($1500 range and mags are plentiful and cheap)
HK MR762A1 ($3000 and mags are $75-$100 each and somewhat hard to find)
KAC SR25 ($3500 and again KAC mags are $100+ and hard to find)

I'm leaning towards the H&K right now because it seems to be the best all around bang for the buck.
I really like FAL's but have no experience with DS Arms builds, it'd be the cheapest way to go but unsure of how well they take a red dot.
KAC is mucho nice, mucho expensive and can be a PITA when it comes to parts and accessories.

Anybody have anything to add?

[YVK]

SCAR 17. I think mags are available now at 1/3 price of SR 25, but you need to confirm that. Eats any cheap surplus 308 ball, cheap being used in a literal sense. Pretty accurate. Very discreet with its folding stock. Goes well with LEM HKs.

[jc000]

I've been looking at this and this (the MK216) recently. Both are under 9lbs. and under $3000.

Also considering a Megalithic build.

The PredatAR, LMT MWS, and Scar 17 are all appealing as well.

Lots of good choices out there! Don't thibk you'd go wrong with any of your choices though the riskiest may be the DSA FAL.

[SecondsCount]

Don't forget the S&W M&P 10 and like YVK said, the SCAR is a nice rifle and the aftermarket is starting to make mags for it.

I have not seen a 308 that couldn't stay inside a 6" circle at 300 so as long as you do your part.

The KAC, DPMS, and S&W and a few others all use the same mags. A couple companies including Magpul make them.

[GJM]

Per SLG and SeanM, there is really one choice -- Larue. PredatAR and PredatOBR, which fits in a tool box now, are the choices.

[1slow]

My favorite of the classic battle riles is a 50.63 FAL or clone of this model. Para Folding stock barrel about 17.5" they call it 18". Ergonomics are good. It is reliable and durable. Put a DSA scope base on it and an extended safety lever and extended mag release lever on it. I like the Para, the springs are very easy to get to without taking butt apart which requires tools.

I have shot a huge number of FAL s a lot of rounds since the 1980s. I like them a lot but there are some things to be aware of.

1) As the gun gets hot I noticed vertical stringing with scoped guns (not with iron sighted guns). I believe this is because optic mounts on a receiver dustcover mount (DSA seems to be the best) when the barrel shifts up front iron sight moves with the barrel, the scope mounted to the receiver does not move with the barrel. This was on 5+ FALs. Stringing was about 12" at 500 yards.

2) DSA build quality has varied. I would buy a SAR 48 as a first choice. This is a complete Imbel built gun imported by Springfield armory.
A quality build on a Imbel receiver would be a good choice. Belgian guns are collectors items and not better than SAR 48s in my experience. Arizona response is in AZ and has a good rep.
I have had several DSA early guns that were .308 chamber. This is a tighter chamber than 7.62x51. there were some feed issues with surplus 7.62x51 in the .308 chamber. In one case we put in an Imbel chrome lined 7.62x51 barrel and the problems went away. I have also had DSA FALs that worked fine.

3) FALs are hard to get a great trigger on, the Williams trigger jobs I have seen have been good.

Get the Gunplumbers Guide to the FAL by Arizona Response and you will have a lot of information. Also FAL Files is helpful.
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SCAR 17
One of the guys at Blue Force Gear ran one in Pat Rogers 3 day carbine class and liked it a lot. LightFighter shoudl have data on this.

The one I shot did not recoil much and ran fine but I have not scoped and shot one a lot so I do not have accuracy data.

[DocGKR]

I would get one of the LaRue's or a KAC ECC or K2.

[dbateman]

I like the FAL but I'm an Aussie so thats a given.

One of the guys I shoot with a bit has two DSA rifles he is happy with them. I know they have both had Jard triggers installed.
And are currently wearing a reflex site from Israel, I forget the make and model. Can find out if any one was interested.


POF make a good semi 308, very easy to shoot well.

But if I were in the market for a semi 308 this is what I would be buying. http://www.gaprecision.net/ga-precis...n-gap-10-.html

[Mike C]

SCAR 17.

This. I totally dig the SCAR 17. When I was in Benning I got to shoot a decent amount through one or two. They are pretty fantastic. Accuracy and reliability with standard 147gr ball was pretty darn good. Superb with hand loads from the civilian model I shot. Accuracy will be much better if you end up dropping in an aftermarket trigger. I too love the FAL, as 1slow stated. They are great all around rifles and you can put them together and strip them apart with minimal tooling which is really nice. Really easy to work on. Parts are cheap and plentiful if you know where to look, though they have dried up in recent years. There are some things to be cautious about though as 1slow stated/covered rather well.

On another note, there are some horror stories about the Scars and optics. My experience does not coincide with these stories. While I do not own one I have about 3500-4k through them. In my experience the Scars do well with optics as long as you stick with bonded lenses. Don't chince out on optics. A good friend of mine did and was really sorry. If you can get an LE or Mil. discount that is the way to go. Last I checked they run about 2.5k with the discount. Comes with gun and two mags. You will pay a lot more if you go the MR762 route. PM me if you need info on an LE/Mil dealer. That same LE dealer also sales to civilians and has conversion kits available for Com. Block 7.62, 300 Blk out, and 5.56/.223. Good luck man. Lots of good choices out there.

[1slow]

For precision I would not pick a FAL though I really like them.