Well bolt or semi auto? Sounds like you want semi auto? Then AR10. 16 inch barrel? Or 20? Just a matter of which manufacturer, what length barrel, and what kind of accessories. Anything else other than AR10 in 308 will be more expensive for not that much more benefit other than bragging rights. I too would love a SIG or a SCAR or something based on G36. But makes no sense to drop that kind of cash.

Can't tell you which manufacturer to go with. That choice basically trades cost with quality. I can tell you to stay away from gunshow specials. Who knows what's going on with some of those rifles. Everyone is a basement gunsmith.

Edit: I was told by a wise old sage to stay away from short barrel M1As. Unreliable gas system I think? M1As are old school cool but not sure I'd want that as my CQB gun. I'd rather build an M21.

Definitely semi. Almost definitely 16 inch barrel.

I'm with you. I would love a SIG or SCAR, but I just don't see spending that kind of cash. I'm not going to take it to range that often simply b/c of the cost of 7.62/.308 ammo. But I like the idea of having a bigger caliber in the quiver.

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If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went. - Will Rogers

Emery's Third Coast Triathlon | Tri Wisconsin Triathlon Team | Push Endurance | GLWR

If I had your dough, it would be the scar 17. A buddy has one and his collection rivals ours. That is his go to. If you want to save a grand, an ar-10 style is cool? But the only one with longevity will be the h&k 417 in civilian variant has been adopted by many militaries. Maybe the lmt mr 308 which is the British DMR. But you are still talking 2200 for either of them.

I can't complain about he m1a platform and the cqb on the chassis is interesting but you don't want to shoot any .308 with less than an 18 inch barrel. Trust me. The paratrooper style fals that side fold are pretty cool. But you fals are niche. Note any of these that are not a standard ar-10 are uncommon parts. But fals, m1as and from what I understand, scars are indestructible. You can put thousands of rounds through a fal kit without cleaning. Look up ol dirty fal.

But if I could, I would go with the scar no regrets.

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"In the world I see you are stalking elk through the damp canyon forests around the ruins of Rockefeller Center. You'll wear leather clothes that will last you the rest of your life. You'll climb the wrist-thick kudzu vines that wrap the Sears Towers. And when you look down, you'll see tiny figures pounding corn, laying stripes of venison on the empty car pool lane of some abandoned superhighway." T Durden

M1A function fine on short barrels. Their piston bleeds excess gas. The muzzle best from a 16 inch barrel on a .308 is too much and wastes a lot of energy. You don't want to be in a cqb situation wih somebody using one. You also lose a lot of velocity between 18 and 16 vs 20 and 18.

Also, you almost need the pistol grip config to use it at that length.

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"In the world I see you are stalking elk through the damp canyon forests around the ruins of Rockefeller Center. You'll wear leather clothes that will last you the rest of your life. You'll climb the wrist-thick kudzu vines that wrap the Sears Towers. And when you look down, you'll see tiny figures pounding corn, laying stripes of venison on the empty car pool lane of some abandoned superhighway." T Durden

Built a couple of ARs with my dad. Couple of months ago he purchased a 7.62 upper and its a direct swap on his AR-10 lower. Kinda coo to have .308 and the 7.62 at your whim. Built a range upstate 2 weekends ago and was trying some different ammo.

First AR-10 lower received we drilled, we went too low so that was a bust. But the rest have come out great! I haven't bought one but after putting the work and patience into building them, I think I would build over buy for sure.

SCAR 17s are going for about $3.5k on gunbroker; they used to go for $2.6k before the impending election. I own one--probably the best 7.62 NATO rifle I own. Had a M1A National Match, a FAL, an AR10 and a SCAR17--if you're looking for a good shorter barrel 7.62 main battle rifle the SCAR is the way to go. I was making approximately 1.5 MOA with match ammo and a TR24 red-triangle scope and a stock trigger. I'm pretty sure with a higher powered optic and a geissele trigger I can turn it in to a 1MOA rifle. It's also 7.9lbs making it much lighter than many of the other 7.62NATO alternatives.

I would tend to discourage the M1A--it's WWII technology, basically a magazine fed M1 Garand and scope mounting solutions are far and few in between--unless you just want a 1x power red dot scope. I would recommend using a variable power optic to take advantage of the greater stopping power at range.

If you can't stomach the $3.5k cost, try shooting a full stocked FAL. I have been impressed by the FAL's soft recoil and familiar ergonomics. Stay away from Para-FALs as they tend to beat the shit out of your shoulder due to the shorter recoil impulse.

Hope this helps.

*ETA:* The AR10 is probably #2 on the list. Familiar ergos and the platform lends itself well to accuracy.

This is the only weapon of that caliber that I have personal experience with. That was 20 years ago. I have neither good things nor bad things to say about it, really.

:-)


Cheers,
malte

I noticed the price jump on the SCAR 17. I was stunned.

Thanks for the response and suggestions.

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If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went. - Will Rogers

Emery's Third Coast Triathlon | Tri Wisconsin Triathlon Team | Push Endurance | GLWR

You are gonna have one hell of a uncomfortable muzzle blast from the M1A SOCOM. I did CQB drills (day and night) with my M14 with the standard length barrel and none of my guys liked shooting next to me.

If you want something with more omph than 5.56 in a CQB platform & situation then get a .300BK upper for one of your ARs.

If you just want a 7.62/.308 battle rifle than i would recommend the AR-10.

Personally my preference is for the M-14/M1a platform but that is based mostly on nostalgia. There are 'issues' with putting good glass on these old systems but if you were to go down that route look at Sadlak Industries for some good solutions. Just cause it's an old system doesn't mean it can't git er done either. Shot two deer last year--one with a muzzle loader during black powder season and one during regular rifle season with my M1a. In fact Mrs H and i enjoyed some very tasty venison chops (from this deer) over black rice just last night.

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Steve

Wow, that caught me too. I was toying with the idea of getting one two months ago, and they were 2700. I guess silly season has started.

I didn't think about the M1A and an optic. It is a bitch to mount a scope. They concept has improved in the last 6 years, because it used to be 100 or so shots and you had to check the zero. Newer 3 point mounts eliminate that, but you have no alternate optic. Of course, you can go with the a chasis.

I wouldn't let the old tech be a determining factor. The rolling bolt and op arm that makes up the action is still perhaps the most robust and rugged system out there next to a FAL in .308. You can easily go lots of rounds in the mud without cleaning. You can lube the thing with grease.

To be honest, if silly season has started, hold off for a year, or go with a cheaper fal to toy with until things settle.

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"In the world I see you are stalking elk through the damp canyon forests around the ruins of Rockefeller Center. You'll wear leather clothes that will last you the rest of your life. You'll climb the wrist-thick kudzu vines that wrap the Sears Towers. And when you look down, you'll see tiny figures pounding corn, laying stripes of venison on the empty car pool lane of some abandoned superhighway." T Durden

Yes, that's the one, sadlak with the three point mount. It becomes a dedicated scoped rifle though. No cowitnessing o ranything like that. I suppose you can quick mount a scope an have a quick mount emergency optic or iron site for CQB.

But I think any .308 whether from a M14/M1A, FAL, AR10 or SCAR is going to be hell on your peers, and the shorter the barrel, the worse. Shoot, the muzzle blast alone form a 16-18 inch .308 in a CQB situation would be like a flash bang on the people you are going after, definitely not what you want to be using in the middle of the night with dilated pupils.

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"In the world I see you are stalking elk through the damp canyon forests around the ruins of Rockefeller Center. You'll wear leather clothes that will last you the rest of your life. You'll climb the wrist-thick kudzu vines that wrap the Sears Towers. And when you look down, you'll see tiny figures pounding corn, laying stripes of venison on the empty car pool lane of some abandoned superhighway." T Durden

What about a FNAR? They're not really tacticool, but they shoot better than anything else that's come up here.


https://www.fnamerica.com/...ifles/fnar-standard/

Very interesting weapon.

I've great respect for Browning humpback shotguns and the BAR.

What makes you assert that it "shoot(s) better than anything else that's come up here?'

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Steve

I remember when that first came out. God that is a fucking ugly thing. And I hate the premise. An innocent looking semi-auto rifle designed for hunting. It legitimizes arguments that AR-10s or 15s are inappropriate for hunting. Shame on FNH for that. IN fact, I'm not even sure why they did that. FNH makes weapons, not sporters. Browning a subsidiary of FNH makes that stuff.

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"In the world I see you are stalking elk through the damp canyon forests around the ruins of Rockefeller Center. You'll wear leather clothes that will last you the rest of your life. You'll climb the wrist-thick kudzu vines that wrap the Sears Towers. And when you look down, you'll see tiny figures pounding corn, laying stripes of venison on the empty car pool lane of some abandoned superhighway." T Durden

Reviews are mixed on the FNAR. Accuracy is good, but I keep seeing it almost takes a professional gunsmith, who is also a mechanical genius, to disassemble and clean. Also, hard to find parts, including mags.

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If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went. - Will Rogers

Emery's Third Coast Triathlon | Tri Wisconsin Triathlon Team | Push Endurance | GLWR

If you're not seriously considering the S&W M&P 10 you are as big of an asshole as I suspected.

Clearly you don't know shit about guns. Stick to swimming.

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"In the world I see you are stalking elk through the damp canyon forests around the ruins of Rockefeller Center. You'll wear leather clothes that will last you the rest of your life. You'll climb the wrist-thick kudzu vines that wrap the Sears Towers. And when you look down, you'll see tiny figures pounding corn, laying stripes of venison on the empty car pool lane of some abandoned superhighway." T Durden

It's a great gun at an awesome price. Gets solid review from a lot of professionals. Undercuts the SCAR posse by a shit ton. Fully ambi other than ejection. What's not to like?

I wasn't, but now I will.

Consistent hits at 1,000 yards, completely stock. That's more than enough to get my attention: https://www.gunsamerica.com/...-smith-wesson-mp-10/

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If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went. - Will Rogers

Emery's Third Coast Triathlon | Tri Wisconsin Triathlon Team | Push Endurance | GLWR

It's obsolete Tech. There is a reason these weren't popular until recently. The original stoner system was not good. But perfected to its current state around the 5.56. The need for more punch and distance necessitated a solution. Surplus m-14's were thrown into service as an improved ar-10 system was developed as m110. The m110 was put in service in 2008 as a DMR. Guess what? Itnisnalready being replaced and phased out with the G28. A 417 piston driven system. Other units went with the scar 17.

Basically the flaws of the stoner system experienced and remedied with the 5.56 are common with the .308 and instead of resolving them, military and manufacturers are resolving it with piston technology.

So if you want the ar-10 system vs a scar or m-14, look into a piston system. Otherwise you are buying a toy. Also it's parts aren't as standard and not as durable as other battle rifle platform. Ask yourself, why haven't militaries adopted it? Why did the only major military that adopted it (us) phase it out quickly. Look up m110 on wiki. Knight Armament supposedly makes the best one and even it gets complaints on durability and maintenance. If I'm going to fork out 1000 for a .308, it's going to be Rugged. I have three .308 semi auto rifles none of them ar-10s. I really wanted one for a while and did lots of research with KAC and LMT being the only contenders at the time. Didn't do it because of cost. Wouldn't do it because of what I read. If I buy another .308 semi, it's going to be a piston driven gun from a solid manufacturer. I want a scar, but would consider a piston ar-10.


http://kitup.military.com/...per-rifle.html?wh=wh

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"In the world I see you are stalking elk through the damp canyon forests around the ruins of Rockefeller Center. You'll wear leather clothes that will last you the rest of your life. You'll climb the wrist-thick kudzu vines that wrap the Sears Towers. And when you look down, you'll see tiny figures pounding corn, laying stripes of venison on the empty car pool lane of some abandoned superhighway." T Durden