Your favorite .308/7.62x51 semi-autos and battle rifles

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Your favorite .308/7.62x51 semi-autos and battle rifles (Page 1 of 2)

Posted: 12/10/2019 2:57:23 AM EDT

There are so many good .308 semi-auto rifle options out there. Wanted to get a thread started so that we can share our favorite (might not be the best) .308 semi-autos and battle rifles out there.

Since .308 / 7.62x51 is a very common caliber among both bolt action and semi-autos, excluding the bolt action, and any other non-semi autos out of this thread. Here is the basic criteria:

- Should be in .308 / 7.62x51 caliber
- Semi-Auto only
- Must be available in the U.S.A.
- Under $3000 (so we keep out the ultra high priced unobtanium options to a separate discussion)
- Above all, reliable and fun to shoot

I’ll start with mine:
- FN Scar 17
- C308/HK91 (not available currently :(), PTR91
- M1A
- Haven’t owned any AR10s so cannot comment as to that platform
- the CZ BR .308 would be at the top of my list “only” if it was available in the US.

Posted: 12/10/2019 3:14:59 AM EDT

[#1]

OP, you must really like threads on .308 rifles eh?

https://www.ar15.com/forums/Armory/What-308-7-62-NATO-Gun-do-you-like-/2-502032/

FN SCAR 17/20

Then I would add the LMT MARS-H with the MLOK upper chassis. The old MWS quad rail was one heavy beast.

Posted: 12/10/2019 3:21:42 AM EDT

[#2]

That was for me asking advise to add to my collection :)

This is the for the whole group to share their favorites

!! ARFCOM members here have some really awesome guns.

Posted: 12/10/2019 3:41:18 AM EDT

[#3]

I have owned a Rock River Arms LAR-8, PTR-91 and SA M1A, of those I felt I liked the M1A the best. It seem to be balanced better and I found the controls more natural to me. Take-down, to include removing the bolt, was more difficult than on the other two, but removing the bolt isn't always necessary unless you are doing a detailed cleaning. Otherwise it was accurate and I never remember having any malfunctions with it.

The LAR-8 was just a big AR and was the easiest to mount scopes or optics on, was accurate and reliable, I just never warmed up to it.

The PTR-91 was a beast of a rifle, you need an extraordinarily long thumb to work the safety without shifting your grip, the trigger was abysmal, the civilianized mag release sucked and I never liked the charging handle location/operation. It also destroyed brass so a no-go for reloaders not to mention flinging said brass a country mile away, a little difficult to recover on a range full of other shooters waiting for you to get back on the shooting line. The recoil impulse seemed more pronounced than on the other two, but otherwise it was completely robust and never had an issue with malfunctions of any kind.

I have reconsidered a replacement battle rifle and of what's available today I think I'd try out the M1A Scout Squad or even the Galil ACE if I were to go down that road again. If the Galil ACE sported an 18" bbl I might have to fo on one. I have not owned or shot a FAL and hear good things about them as well as the SCAR, but I am not ready to lay down $1K+ on another rifle right now.

Posted: 12/10/2019 4:32:06 AM EDT

[#4]

Custom built M1A on a Fulton Armory receiver and barrel, all USGI parts, with cartouched wood stock. Perfection.

Posted: 12/10/2019 6:22:46 AM EDT

[#5]

IMHO, most fun .308? SOCOM 16. Great sound when cycled and feels solid.

As accurate as AR 308s? No, but fun to shoot.

An expensive rifle I’d like to own in 308? GAP10 G2. Out of this price range though.

Posted: 12/10/2019 9:56:39 AM EDT

[#6]

FAL
I also like my M-14S
I'd like to pick up a SCAR-17 at some point.
Select fire HK-91/51 are fun to shoot, though not very controllable.

Posted: 12/10/2019 10:18:07 AM EDT

[#7]

I'm loving my Tavor 7, it's my favorite 308 currently. I also enjoy my Para FAL. But the AR-10 style rifle is still one of the best. The SCAR 17 is awesome also.

Posted: 12/10/2019 1:17:10 PM EDT

[#8]

- G3k clone

- galil ace 762x51

Im not happy with the ar10 pattern rifles under the 3k limit.

I owned 2 scar 17s and really tried to love them but experienced several issues in relation to bolt handle stoppages and optics issues. At this point the price would be over the 3k limit as well.

Posted: 12/10/2019 1:40:40 PM EDT

[#9]

I don't care for clones, so for me it's the real thing or bust. When it comes to .308 battle rifles, mine favorites would be:

CZ Bren 2 Battle Rifle

HK 417

HK91

FN FAL

Posted: 12/10/2019 2:13:00 PM EDT

[#10]

Strictly battle rifle I still prefer the 17, but I prefer the MWS as an all-around .308. It’s such a versatile platform. It can nearly out-“battle rifle” a 17, but can go all the way up to a sub-MOA 24” 6.5CM with a 30 second barrel swap. I’m sure the SR-25 is nice but I’m so content with the MWS that I doubt I find out firsthand any time soon.

Posted: 12/10/2019 2:44:47 PM EDT

[#11]

It's hard to beat a nice .308 AR, performance wise. But I really love shooting FAL's & G3's the most.

Posted: 12/10/2019 11:03:47 PM EDT

[#12]

As much as I like a good AR-10....I think the M14 and then the FAL (Izzy) are my favorites.

Posted: 12/10/2019 11:37:40 PM EDT

[#13]

FAL and M1A in that order.

Posted: 12/11/2019 10:47:22 AM EDT

[#14]

I've owned most of the major ones over the years.

Two FAL's....they're okay, but not as reliable as people claim and not very accurate.

Two HK-91's...I love them for iron sight shooting and general messing around at the range. Super reliable and both of mine were more accurate than my FAL's and M1A supermatch. Not a bad choice.

Galil...it was meh. Nice but too expensive for what it was and similar to the FAL in accuracy.

M1A...mine was a supermatch built in 85. It gave disappointing accuracy even with all the upgrades done to it. The guy who bought it from me ended up grenading it with his handloads...

SR-25 EMC ... great rifle, once it came back from KAC after 8 months for warranty work. Poorly reamed chamber, but in the end they made it right. Should have kept it but whatever.

SCAR-17...steaming pile of dog shit. Great on paper, and fine if all you want is a battle rifle, but 6" groups with FGMM 168gr were a "slight" disappointment. Sent it in and FN customer service was terrible. They finally admitted their factory cut crown was extremely jacked up and fixed it. After that it shot 1.5"-2" groups with FGMM at 100m. Too many design flaws and FN's warranty stance towards suppressed use led me to ditch it.

LMT MWS...by far my favorite rifle. You can go from a 13" LW .308 barrel and ACOG to a 20" SS 6.5 CM barrel and optic in a couple minutes. I reconfigure mine at will depending on what I plan on doing at the range. Pick up one with an MLOK upper and toss a LW barrel in it and you're getting within a few short hairs of the SCAR's weight. Mine is sub MOA with all three barrels I have for it, two of them being chrome lined. Folks are under the impression they're too portly, but those same folks haven't handled one in most instances either.

Posted: 12/11/2019 11:38:55 AM EDT

[#15]

I love my M21... solid, and well built. Never fails to feed and function.

keep the gas system clean, ( precision wise ) and it will perform very well.

And my PSA PA10/ 65's have been a great value. I will tune them and change some parts. Then enjoy them greatly.

Posted: 12/11/2019 6:50:56 PM EDT

[#16]

MY DSA 21" Para

Posted: 12/11/2019 9:16:41 PM EDT

[#17]

Robinson XCR-M

Posted: 12/11/2019 9:28:01 PM EDT

[#18]

Para FAL 16"
M1A
Both have never failed,

Posted: 12/11/2019 10:22:38 PM EDT

[#19]

LMT LM8 w/ light-weight 16" barrel.

Definitely the 'Cat's Ass.'

Posted: 12/11/2019 10:39:30 PM EDT

[#20]

Attached File

M14 for me.

Posted: 12/11/2019 10:57:04 PM EDT

[#21]

Quote History

Quoted:

LMT MWS...by far my favorite rifle. You can go from a 13" LW .308 barrel and ACOG to a 20" SS 6.5 CM barrel and optic in a couple minutes. I reconfigure mine at will depending on what I plan on doing at the range. Pick up one with an MLOK upper and toss a LW barrel in it and you're getting within a few short hairs of the SCAR's weight. Mine is sub MOA with all three barrels I have for it, two of them being chrome lined. Folks are under the impression they're too portly, but those same folks haven't handled one in most instances either.

View Quote

I'll 2nd this. Mlok Upper, MARS lower. Multiple caliber sub-MOA barrels and more options to come. Simple, Modular, Rugged, and its seems about as light as my old Scar 17 depending on the configuration.DMR stock uses the same tube as the sopmod stock. The only thing I can think to make it better might be to add the Sid/Q taper to the barrels from the factory. Not to mention cheap when you dont buy it from someone price gouging, Should run you between $1800 and 2400 depending on configuration except the L129A1.

Posted: 12/11/2019 10:59:59 PM EDT

[#22]

SCAR17
PTR91
SA58 (dont own but have shot alot)

Posted: 12/11/2019 11:03:15 PM EDT

[#23]

I like all the variations of the 308 AR’s I’ve built. I also like M1A’s just to change it up.

Posted: 12/13/2019 8:29:10 PM EDT

[#24]

I have a full-size m1a and lmt mws with 13.5” barrel and pinned lmt flash hider. Both are nice and I have had zero issues however the lmt is where it is at.

Posted: 12/13/2019 8:55:48 PM EDT

[#25]

PTR 91 GI

Posted: 12/13/2019 11:40:09 PM EDT

[#26]

Quote History

Quoted:
I have owned a Rock River Arms LAR-8, PTR-91 and SA M1A, of those I felt I liked the M1A the best. It seem to be balanced better and I found the controls more natural to me. Take-down, to include removing the bolt, was more difficult than on the other two, but removing the bolt isn't always necessary unless you are doing a detailed cleaning. Otherwise it was accurate and I never remember having any malfunctions with it.

The LAR-8 was just a big AR and was the easiest to mount scopes or optics on, was accurate and reliable, I just never warmed up to it.

The PTR-91 was a beast of a rifle, you need an extraordinarily long thumb to work the safety without shifting your grip, the trigger was abysmal, the civilianized mag release sucked and I never liked the charging handle location/operation. It also destroyed brass so a no-go for reloaders not to mention flinging said brass a country mile away, a little difficult to recover on a range full of other shooters waiting for you to get back on the shooting line. The recoil impulse seemed more pronounced than on the other two, but otherwise it was completely robust and never had an issue with malfunctions of any kind.

I have reconsidered a replacement battle rifle and of what's available today I think I'd try out the M1A Scout Squad or even the Galil ACE if I were to go down that road again. If the Galil ACE sported an 18" bbl I might have to fo on one. I have not owned or shot a FAL and hear good things about them as well as the SCAR, but I am not ready to lay down $1K+ on another rifle right now.

View Quote

Thanks for sharing from experience.

Posted: 12/13/2019 11:48:19 PM EDT

[#27]

Quote History

Quoted:

I'll 2nd this. Mlok Upper, MARS lower. Multiple caliber sub-MOA barrels and more options to come. Simple, Modular, Rugged, and its seems about as light as my old Scar 17 depending on the configuration.DMR stock uses the same tube as the sopmod stock. The only thing I can think to make it better might be to add the Sid/Q taper to the barrels from the factory. Not to mention cheap when you dont buy it from someone price gouging, Should run you between $1800 and 2400 depending on configuration except the L129A1.

View Quote

Sounds interesting. Thanks you both. I will explore the LMT MWS more. You guys got me interested :).

Anyone know, how this compares to the XCR-M?

Posted: 12/14/2019 12:02:46 AM EDT

[#28]

Attached File

Full semi auto hush puppy

Posted: 12/14/2019 7:59:53 AM EDT

[#29]

I love my PTR 91. It doesn't recoil nearly as hard as the internet claims.

Posted: 12/14/2019 10:35:42 AM EDT

[#30]

Quote History

Quoted:
I love my PTR 91. It doesn't recoil nearly as hard as the internet claims.

View Quote

Folks who claim the G3 recoils too hard probably never heard of bolt gap.....

Posted: 12/14/2019 10:38:44 AM EDT

[#31]

Quote History

Quoted:

Sounds interesting. Thanks you both. I will explore the LMT MWS more. You guys got me interested :).

Anyone know, how this compares to the XCR-M?

View Quote

Attached File

Posted: 12/14/2019 10:59:08 AM EDT

[#32]

F
A
L

One n' done.

Posted: 12/14/2019 10:59:45 AM EDT

[#33]

Quote History

Quoted:
https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/267873/92CDE6FA-66A8-48BD-A8DC-F5FC711FCF4C_jpeg-1195012.JPG

Full semi auto hush puppy

View Quote

What model is that, specifically, and is that a factory bipod?

Posted: 12/14/2019 10:59:49 AM EDT

[#34]

My M1A Scout Squad rifle is a fun shooter.

Posted: 12/14/2019 11:01:36 AM EDT

[#35]

I'm partial to my 308 pistol.

Posted: 12/14/2019 11:08:32 AM EDT

[#36]

By far my favorite is probably my M1A, the Scout version.

I've also owned the original Bushmaster 308 version, which is the Rock River Arms design that took FAL mags. Sold it.

Owned a couple of CETME's, sold both of them.

Owned several of the DPMS style AR pattern rifles, still have 1, full DPMS and another that is a home-build with Aero parts. I enjoy them, but they don't feel as comfortable as my M1A.

No experience with any others in semi-auto.

Posted: 12/14/2019 11:25:58 AM EDT

[#37]

M1A=sex

Posted: 12/14/2019 11:56:55 AM EDT

[#38]

DSC_1633-M1A Can by FredMan, on Flickr

Posted: 12/14/2019 12:18:17 PM EDT

[#39]

FAL. If im shooting 7.62x51, thats what ends up coming with me every time.

Posted: 12/14/2019 12:39:42 PM EDT

[#40]

DSA medium contour, first year of production. Minute of head at 300 yards!

Posted: 12/14/2019 1:13:30 PM EDT

[#41]

Quote History

Quoted:
https://live.staticflickr.com/1625/25110737784_c603229ae4_b.jpg DSC_1633-M1A Can by FredMan, on Flickr

View Quote

Night time sexy!

Posted: 12/14/2019 7:29:03 PM EDT

[#42]

FAL

Vepr 308 (AK)
Zastava M77 (AK)

Although, I had owned HK91 (built on all HK tooling parts), Cetme. Had five of them at one time, sold all after awhile. No desire of owning these..

The FAL was built on Imbel receiver and G1 part kits. Have it for over ten years now.

The Vepr I got two when they were around $700, and the M77 when they were $500 a piece. The Vepr is quite accurate for an AK.

Posted: 12/17/2019 12:40:01 AM EDT

[#43]

AR10 - lighter than the others, accurate, reasonable triggers with possibility of much better ones, reliable - this is my current gun.
PTR91 - heavy, absurdly heavy trigger, very rugged, great aesthetics - had one in past. No reliability problems, wish I'd had the welded rail model. Don't get the A3 stock for anything but pictures, the standard one is much superior.
M1A - good aesthetics, absurdly accurate irons. Did not carry it.

Posted: 12/17/2019 6:25:41 PM EDT

[#44]

M1A is my favorite of the guns I have tried. Reasonably accurate, very reliable.

currently own
G3 Bulky and less accurate but reliable
FAL It works but seems bulky and heavy to me

Have owned
AR-10 it was accurate but always had a feeding issue

Posted: 12/18/2019 1:11:51 PM EDT

[#45]

Attached File

OK, so it's a bit more than $3k, but it does shoot .308 out of M-14 mags (slightly modified).

If he's too cheap to spend that kind of $$, then M1A, followed by FAL.
I actually prefer the FAL, but the shortage of good FAL magazines and the excellent sights and ready availability of new mags for the M1A tilt the judgement in its favor.
If insists on scoping it, then something AR-based would be a better choice.

Posted: 12/18/2019 2:54:26 PM EDT

[#46]

Quote History

Quoted:
Vepr 308 (AK)

View Quote

This made me forget, I am really lusting after a VEPR in 7.62x54R as a battle rifle. Remove the wood stock and throw a traditional converted stock on.... hnnnnnng

Posted: 12/18/2019 3:43:05 PM EDT

[#47]

Quote History

Quoted:
This made me forget, I am really lusting after a VEPR in 7.62x54R as a battle rifle. Remove the wood stock and throw a traditional converted stock on.... hnnnnnng

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/_XsRvNcHZwE/maxresdefault.jpg

View Quote View All Quotes

View All Quotes

Quote History

Quoted:

Quoted:
Vepr 308 (AK)

This made me forget, I am really lusting after a VEPR in 7.62x54R as a battle rifle. Remove the wood stock and throw a traditional converted stock on.... hnnnnnng

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/_XsRvNcHZwE/maxresdefault.jpg

Didn’t know those could end up looking like that, and now I want one a lot. That’s badass.

Posted: 12/18/2019 4:06:52 PM EDT

[#48]

Quote History

Quoted:

Didn’t know those could end up looking like that, and now I want one a lot. That’s badass.

View Quote

Yep! I believe Carolina Shooters Supply makes the stock adapter, as well as a few others. The only thing is I've heard you need to cut the tang off to get the adapter on if you buy one of the models with the wooden thumbhole stock. There are some that come from the factory with a sidefolding skeleton stock, though, like this: