New semi-auto .308, Need help in choosing one.

H

HAMMER1DOWN

New member
Hi Ya'll! Well, I have been stationed in Korea for the past 10 months and finally saved up enough money for a new rifle and pistol (also posted in the semi-auto handgun forum).

For the rifle I am lookin at a nice semi-auto .308. I was looking at the M14/M1A but I shoot one now, I am a Designated Marksman for my platoon, and I like the feel of it but the scope mount height is really awkward for me to get any kind of steady rest. So thats out, until later.

So back on track here, I would like a rifle I can lay down and fire 10 rounds out at distances of 500-800 pretty accuratley, has to be semi-auto, as I already have a good turn-bolt gun in the same caliber. I like the Les Baer .308 semi, but if there are any other suggestions out there feel free to post them and I will look and maybe ask questions.

This rifle will be used for everything from just range work to plinking to hunting (varmints/predators)

Thanks,
Hammer
 
The FNH FNAR is hailed as one of the most accurate semi-auto 308's available. I own it's twin, the Winchester SXAR and it is superbly accurate, less than .5 inch at 100 yards with a solid rest. Supposedly the FNAR is slightly more accurate due to the fact that the picatinny rail is screwed into both the receiver and the barrel adding rigidity, and thus, accuracy. At least that is what the guy on the phone told me when I called FN to inquire about the difference between the FNAR and the SXAR. If you wait a little bit, FN is releasing an FNAR in a McMillan stock later this year, which is a pretty good upgrade IMO. There is also the AR-10 to look at. I have shot one before and can say they range in accuracy from okay to excellent, depending on the brand, or the builder when it comes to custom AR-10's. The most accurate factory AR-10's I have tried are are the Noveske models, which use the Armalite lower receiver, and the LMT, which use the other type of 308 AR style receiver. I am currently building an AR-10 with an Armalite lower. The last piece I need is the Noveske 16" upper which is currently on back-order. I really like the stainless barrel, polygonal rifling, and accuracy of the Noveske's I have tested, which is what drove me in that direction. Hope this helps.
 
I like the M1A from Springfield but I don’t see how you could possibly go wrong with a Les Baer product.

That said, you might want to see if kraigwy will weigh in here with a suggestion.
 
A lot of .308 AR/AR10/SR25 pattern rifles will also perform superbly in the accuracy department.

A couple of AR10 style rifles:

1.) RRA LAR-8. Accurate, but lacks parts commonality with other AR10 rifles. Comes standard with 2 stage match trigger. Uses FAL mags. About 0.60 MOA on mine. ~$1400

2.) DPMS .308 ARs. Also accurate, seen a lot of good accuracy out of them. I think the majority of the models do not have the 2-stage match trigger. Seen plenty go sub-MOA. ~$1200-1800ish. Works with Magpul LR20 mags.

3.) LMT MWS. About $2,500. Used by the Brits. Has a good reputation, but I don't have too much experience/research in to this gun. Works with Magpul LR20 mags.

4.) Larue OBR/PredatAR: The OBR is superbly accurate. $3,000. I think this is the most accurate .308AR I've seen...Works with Magpul LR20 mags.

5.) KAC SR25....Old production guns seemed to have some teething issues. Supposedly accurate now, but price tag is hefty. IIRC $5,000.

6.) GA Precision GAP10. New production guns look sub 1/2 MOA (reportedly 3/8 MOA on snipers hide). These guys know how to build a quality precision gun. About $2,500. Works with Magpul LR20 mags.

7.) LWRC REPR. $3,500. Cool side charging handle (can charge gun w/o the awkward chin punching maneuver), comes with match trigger and PRS on the 20" guns. Accuracy varies from sub MOA to 1.5 MOA...

8.) POF P308...don't know much. Looks like they come with a match trigger. $3,000 or so.

If it were me and I had about $3,000 to spend on a long range .308, I would take a hard look at the Larue OBR and GAP10. I used to own a Springfield M1A National Match, but never really 'sync'd' with the platform. It was also a little heavy for me too (IIRC, ~11lbs empty versus 9lbs empty on an AR platform).

Hope this helps....YMMV
 
There are stocks for the M1A rifles that help with cheek rest, most of them are not wood though and cost an arm and a leg.

Quality .308 on the cheap: Saiga .308 with drag stock. Total cost for rifle and scope rail and stock with extra ammo comes to under 600 if you do it right. 8 round mag is standard but 10, 20, and 25 round mags are available. Barrel length comes as short as 16". It is very front heavy, though. The "stock" stock is hollow and feels like a 10/22 synthetic stock. I think you can get wood stocks for this rifle as Saiga once had other models with wood stocks. Not sure if they still make them.
 
Since you have ruled out the M1A take a look at the 7.62 AR platforms. Several styles to choose from, these do not have the interchangeability that the AR15 rifles do. Uppers, lowers, LPK, barrel, barrel nuts, magazines, bolts and BCG's are different brand to brand. This FAQ well show you many of the differences.

http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=62&t=378850

These rifles can get heavy, long barrels and optics well be over ten pounds. Impressive accuracy from a semi-auto rifle, sub MOA with ease. I went with a Noveske N6 upper and ArmaLite AR10 lower. I'm ready to build a second one.

AR10noveske01.jpg
 
Agree with madcratebuilder, some of the AR designs will be familiar to you based on your military experience.

You may want to consider a Remington R-25. As far as I understand, it resulted from an agreement between DPMS and Remington, it is a DPMS .308 AR design tweaked and manufactured by/for Remington for the hunting (and possibly other) market(s):

http://www.remington.com/products/firearms/centerfire/model-r-25/model-r-25-rifle.aspx

Put a nice scope on it, and it will easily be able to perform as you described.

(The cost of the rifle plus the scope and mounting may wind up being most of $2K, which may or may not factor into your decision...)


Disclaimer: BTW, the only evidence I have that DPMS is the company which worked with Remington is anecdotal - lest anyone accuse me of spreading BS. The rifles have been discussed on other forums, and this is the source of the speculation. Everyone knows that no one ever spreads untruths on the internet! What Remington themselves have to say on the matter is this:

"We included a 4-round magazine, and the R-25 is compatible with DPMS 308 Win-type magazines and accessories. front and rear sling swivel studs are installed.
Key Features:
  • Semi-automatic AR-10-style rifle developed in conjunction with an industry leader in the category"

Take it in the "for what it's worth" category! I will say that mine has a really nice single-stage trigger that breaks right at ~4.5lbs.
 
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@SR420-
I like that stock a lot... It looks a helluva lot more comfortable than the EBR stock I have used, and looks good to boot. Where (and for what $) am I looking at to get one of those stocks??
 
I have JP LRP-07 that is accurate rifle and lightweight. The 18" supermatch barrel is outstanding. There are many .308 semi-autos out there. How much you're willing to spend will determine the rifle for you.
 
HAMMER1DOWN @SR420-
I like that stock a lot... It looks a helluva lot more comfortable than the EBR stock I have used, and looks good to boot.
Where (and for what $) am I looking at to get one of those stocks??
Click to expand...

Call SAGE and speak with Tammy... expect to pay $1150.00 or so.
 
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