Latest in Semi-Auto .223/.308 Rifles?

H

Higgins

New member
As I noted in a recent post, I am looking at buying myself my first .223/.308 Semi-Auto "assault" type rifle. I don't have the time or money to read everything written out there on the subject, so I thought I'd seek the expertise of those on this board.

If you could have only one "modern" .223/.308 semi-auto, military style rifle in case the SHTF, which one would it be? Would have to be reliable, accurate (out to say 300yds), durable, easy to clean/breakdown, simple to operate, fairly easy to lug around - in short a rifle you could bet your life on even in the most adverse situation (a la 45 days in a foxhole in the Ardennes in the middle of Winter, surrounded by hostile enemy). My price range is less than or equal to about $2k.

Have never owned and AR-15, but I'm not particularly enamoured of their direct gas system which causes excessive fouling, reputation for jamming/failures and seemingly needless complexity. Think AK's are reliable, durable and simple, but have heard they are not particularly accurate. I've heard FAL's are nice, but heavy and it's hard to find well made ones and get parts.

I've recently learned about the relatively new Robinson Arms M96 and think that rifle might just fit the bill.

But, in the spirit of being fully informed, I'd be curious to know what other relatively new developments are out there in .223/.308 rifles. What's the newest/best thing? What new developments are on the horizon that maybe are worth waiting for? If I am only getting one rifle, I want it to be the right one the first time. Thanks for any thoughts you have on the subject.
 
Higgins, you may wish to use the search function. There are tons of threads on this very topic.

Every weapons system has its pros and cons. It all depends on what fits you, and suits your personality.

For me I go with the FAL. (L1a1 parts on Imbel inch receiver). It is hard hitting, relatively accurate, and super reliable. It is a heavy beast, but it feels good to me. It weighs about the same as the other comparably equiped .308 battle rifles. I also find that its ergonomics suit me much better than the AK, HK91, or AR.

For $2000 you could build quite the setup. If your biggest FAL concern is the weight, take a look at the new aluminum Williams Arms receivers. They are new to the market, and they are still working out the bugs. Do a search over on www.fnfal.com for some great info. Some members over there did 1200 rounds through one in an hour to see if it would break, and it did fine.

If you have a quality FAL smith build a parts gun with a carbine barrel, Williams aluminum upper, and DSA aluminum lower you will have one bad .308 that weighs less than an M16A2. Unloaded, I'm not sure about loaded weight.

But that is second hand info, I have never used an alumalite FAL myself. I like big heavy chunks of steel. :) Run out of ammo, and this thing would make one heck of a club.

Just ask yourself what you really want the rifle to be able to do, and then work from there. Try as many different guns as possible. I always thought that I would really like the M1A, but once I got to use one a lot I found that it didn't really "fit" me as well as a FAL. Everybody is different.

If you are near Utah, come out to our next Gathering (none planned yet). Pretty much every kind of military style rifle availible is there to try.

-Correia
 
FAL parts are everywhere and cheap right now.Buying a DSA FAL will assure you it will last a lifetime.As far as the M96 ....what are you gonna do when they stop production on them?They are a hybrid rifle and parts will skyrocket and be extremely hard to find.Try and stick with something that has an abundance of surplus parts around .
 
I'd take another look at the AR...

Believe be, I am not an AR-15 zealot by any means, but I think you've misjudged the design, based on your above assessment. The AR's direct gas impingement is not needlessly complex; the entire action is really very, very simple and uncomplicated. The AK series has a deserved reputation for reliability, but the claims of inaccuracy are also justly deserved. The AR has had the advantage of military adoption and ongoing improvement. The AK has, too, but it's accuracy hasn't improved:) . The other rifles you've mentioned are certainly worthy of consideration, but I'd have to recommend the AR for the first time buyer. They ARE reliable, extremely accurate, fun to shoot, and after all, they do possess a certain satisfying "touch of evil":mad: . Nobody, really, is maligning their current-production Armalite, Bushmaster, Colt, DPMS, etc. AR-15 as unreliable, certainly with no more frequency that SAR 1,2,3 owners, or DSA FAL owners, or HK 91 owners, etc. Get and AR, they're fun guns!
vanfunk
 
M1A (Civilian M14) in .308 if you are thinking more use over distances, especially out to 300 yards. This round is a true battle rifle caliber

Urban & CQB, good brand of AR-15 in .223 would probably suffice.
Smaller, lighter, not the troublesome jammomatic as you described. They are certainly not complicated and parts are ubiquitous. .223 is an assault rifle cartridge and was designed for shorter ranges.

If you are just going to bury it, or are planning a real 'end of the world' situation, AK47 type may do best for you.

I've "bet my life" on the bottom two rifles before, never needed to on the M1A.
 
Unfortunately, due to import restrictions, I cannot evaluate the HK G36, SIG550/1, FNC/BOFORS. I have heard great things about the G36 and mussi regularly raves about the SIG550/1. Many of the most recent designs are manufactured overseas and as such we won't see them here.
 
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