I am planning to buy a .308 sniper/target rifle. I already own an accurate .223 semiauto (Sig SG-550, shoots 1 MOA) so I do not need a short-range gun but one that can hit accurately beyond the reach of .223.
I do not live in the USA, but in Finland, and we do not have gun bans (but need permits for every gun except airguns). I can quite easily find mil-spec FN FAL, HK G3 and M14, but have not seen any sniper models, just ordinay issue guns. Of those FAL is possibly the less accurate. G3 would probably be difficult and expensive to accurize (PSG-1 components cost a fortune), but accurizing M14 seems to be common in the USA and I could mail order parts from there.
I currently know a Winchester-made (made 1961) plastic/fiberglass-stocked US G.I. M14 I can purchase, but I am wondering how accurate it can be made, and how much money I have to put on accurizing it. The guy who owns it claims that gun (not modified) shoots little over 1 MOA. Starting from a mil-spec M14, what must/should be changed, what modified? How accurate does it get, is half MOA (consistently) possible?
A local gunsmith suggested building a semiauto sniper from a roller-locked HK 770 hunting model. He said roller-locking gives better accuracy potential than gas operation since barrel harmonics are not disturbed by gasport. Any comments?
What do you think, can I get a good sniper rifle from a M14, or by modifying a HK 770? Or should I just take the easy way and opt for a bolt action for ranges too long for my .223? I know guys who have bolt guns capable of quarter MOA, and that's probably impossible for a semiauto.
Ossi (from Finland)
I do not live in the USA, but in Finland, and we do not have gun bans (but need permits for every gun except airguns). I can quite easily find mil-spec FN FAL, HK G3 and M14, but have not seen any sniper models, just ordinay issue guns. Of those FAL is possibly the less accurate. G3 would probably be difficult and expensive to accurize (PSG-1 components cost a fortune), but accurizing M14 seems to be common in the USA and I could mail order parts from there.
I currently know a Winchester-made (made 1961) plastic/fiberglass-stocked US G.I. M14 I can purchase, but I am wondering how accurate it can be made, and how much money I have to put on accurizing it. The guy who owns it claims that gun (not modified) shoots little over 1 MOA. Starting from a mil-spec M14, what must/should be changed, what modified? How accurate does it get, is half MOA (consistently) possible?
A local gunsmith suggested building a semiauto sniper from a roller-locked HK 770 hunting model. He said roller-locking gives better accuracy potential than gas operation since barrel harmonics are not disturbed by gasport. Any comments?
What do you think, can I get a good sniper rifle from a M14, or by modifying a HK 770? Or should I just take the easy way and opt for a bolt action for ranges too long for my .223? I know guys who have bolt guns capable of quarter MOA, and that's probably impossible for a semiauto.
Ossi (from Finland)