If I was planning on getting a precision marksmen rifle at some point which would be better when it comes to accuracy,reliability and cost of mags and accessories?

AR10 across the board.

Just get a reputable AR10, SR25, or variant if you are dead-set on 7.62 NATO/1950s.

I've thought about other calibers, but I like the fact you can buy 308 in bulk for plinking. This rifle would probably become my primary deer rifle.

AR10s can be pretty heavy for hunting.

If that is the route you're going, I would find the lightest, small-frame model you can, like the Savage MSR-10 18".

My AR10 build on a TN arms polymer lower, with a lightweight stock and a 16" barrel will weigh approximately 7.5 pounds without bullets or optic, so you can build one that isn't much heavier than an AR15. That being said,  you can get a Howa 1500 in 6.5 or 308 for $500 that will weigh 6 pounds in the same condition.

For the kind of hunting I do not too far from my house, I only have to walk a few hundred yards, 1/2 mile, or such.  I enjoy my AR15 rifles a little bit better, but for a relatively short walk one of my .308 AR10's isn't that bad.  I highly recommend a quality sling, as I think this made the most beneficial addition for carrying the heavier rifles...and even the lighter ones.  I use a padded Magpul MS1 which is pretty darned comfortable without getting into the "pillow-sized" versions you see on some bolt rifles...also use this same sling on my one precision bolt rifle...and you still get that quick adjust buckle feature.  I wouldn't want to carry my AR10 much further...and for what's in my area as far as coyotes, pigs, small deer, etc., the AR15 with the right bullet does pretty well.

Between M1A and AR10 for precision?...I think the AR10 offers more options.

Owned an M1A Scout.  Nice rifle.  I tinned out my collection and the M1A was sold .  The only rifles that will never be thinned out of my collection are my ArmaLite AR10 B rifles.

AR for accuracy and ease of scoping.   You can scope a M1A but you also need to adjust stock fit to get your head up to the scope.   It's workable but still kind of awkward.

The M1A wins in utter reliability.  That open receiver and bolt set up works.  


+1 for AR reliability I would personally stick with a factory rifle.  I liked the armalites before the Big catalog changes.  I didn't buy one though.

M1As aren't utter-reliable.  They are one of the least-reliable of the NATO battle rifles easily.

FAL
G3
M14
AR10

Isn't a M1A basically a M14 minus the full auto...which was disabled on them since it/they sucked/didn't work for shit in full auto mode anyway? So what's different, a few pieces of the trigger assembly? What else?

Quality of the parts varies on the civilian guns, not that the issue M14s are Cadillacs or anything.

The best ones we had issued were National Match M14s/M21s, glass-bedded, trigger worked, polished lug recess in the op rod/cocking handle, accurate barrels, NM false hiders, polished and unitized gas system parts, hooded peep sight rear aperture, etc.

Still finicky weapons if you shoot them a lot or get sand on the action.

Which one can you shoot better? Or should I ask which stock fits you better? I don't like the Ar10 platform compared to the Ar15. But I do shoot an M1A better than I do the Ar10 with open sights. Now with a good rear stock I do shoot the AR10 better with an optic. The Ar10 will cost less to maintain the M1A will require an armorer to go through and rebed at some point. If I was you I would find one somewhere and shoot them before I committed.

Pick your mag.

That MVP-LC chassis looks exactly like the MDT-LSS chassis I have for my .243 precision rifle I put together.  Mine uses Magpul AICS mags.  Ahh...I see further on their site that it is an MDT-LSS chassis.  However, I was surprised to see that they state it uses SR25 pattern AR mags for the .308 parent cases.  I assume that's true, and that's pretty cool.  My LSS chassis uses readily available Magpul AICS mags which are awesome and reliable.  I didn't know Mossberg was using that chassis.  I still find it interesting that they used SR25 pattern mags instead of AICS Magpul units for a bolt rifle.  Mossberg must have specially contracted for that change with MDT.  The Magpul SR25 mags are cheaper, so there's that.

A couple years ago I went through the same decision process.

While I liked the look and idea of a M1A, I found several advantages to a AR10/SR25

The AR10 was:
cheaper
more customizable
compatible with many AR15 parts
lighter
softer shooting
better drop in triggers
easier to mount accessories
side ejecting with top rail meant easy mounting of optics

In the end I built a Aero M5

I used both M16A1's and M14's in the US Army.  Hands down my favorite (especially on a windy day) for reliability and accuracy was my M14.  The issues I had/saw with the M16A1 turned me against them for almost 30 years.

I bought my M1A in 1978 and still have it.  Every deer I shot dropped when the bullet hit them.  Never missed one (only took two moving shots, the rest were standing still).  I spent years trying to get that rifle to shoot the groups I wanted to see, no luck.  Bought a rack grade SA M1 Garand from the CMP that shot rings around my M1A and the M1A went to the gun safe and that old Dec. 44 M1 (with an LMR barrel) goes to the range if I take a big .30.

Awhile back, I wanted a "back up" .308 in case the M1A finally did break some day (got a lot of .308 ammo to either shoot up or give to my youngest son for his M1A - more on that in a minute) so I bought  GII.  Even with me changing out parts to make it fit me better it has been 100% reliable so far with SA surplus.  Can't say the groups are better than the M1A but I've only shot SA surplus through it so far.  I'll get some reloads made up for it sooner or later and then I'll see what it can do with better ammo.

The wait a minute "story":  The first .308 I bought my youngest son was a FAL.  Good shooting rifle, but it would only run a few magazines before it would start failing to pick up another round from the magazine.  He'd turn the gas knob a couple clicks and run another magazine or so and it would again start the random/regular failure to pick up a round from the magazine.  Turn the gas knob another couple clicks and good to go again, but it would repeat, repeat, repeat till he was out of adjustment.  You could clean the rifle and it would do it again the next day (Appleseeds and Ramseur field shoots in the 2005/2006 years when very few rim fires were seen/used at Appleseeds.)  Turned out to be a gas port size issue.  Full length barrel, shorted to less than 16" with a compensator welded to the barrel to get length back to more than 16".  I took it apart (metric pattern rifle, so the gas port is easy to get to under the front sight) and opened up the gas port a few thousandths of an inch and now it runs like a raped ape, even at the very lowest gas port settings.

You can get good/bad in anything.  Or you can get lucky and get a really good one.

Having said all that, if I was going to buy yet another .308 it would probably be another AR10 type rifle.  My M1A has been a great rifle, I just like better groups that it, as purchased, will give me.  I won't spend hundreds/thousands of dollars to make it more accurate when I can use the same money to buy another rifle/handgun/reloading supplies, etc.

When it comes to nostalgia the M1A wins every time hands down.  When I see mine I think of Private Pyle and it makes me smile :)  

As far as shooting for real I'll take my SR25 ECC every day of the week.  I love my M1A but I will never part with my SR25 and it's just a better platform all the way around.

I owned a SOCOM 16 and much prefer my AR10 carbine. Better ergos, more reliable, lighter, easier to mount optics, lights, etc. I'm using mine for hunting as well. It replaced both my .30-30 lever guns and a Ruger 77 .308.

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the mvp will use sr25 mags and m14 mags as well .

I've owned a Devine, TX National Match M1A for at least 40 years. Very accurate rifle and utterly reliable. That said it's accuracy can't keep up with either my PredtOBR or my Les Baer Match Sniper.

I'd flip a coin on that one.  Black or wood - what's your preference?  I'd say associated costs and accuracy between the two are similar.  I've shot national Match M14s that were virtual laser beams, which are priced similar to a good AR10.