Last year I picked up a Vepr with a 20" barrel chambered in Grendel to fill my DMR role. Put a 6x32 POSP scope on it, and it's a damn fine rifle. Ever since though, I kind of second guessed myself for not going .308. Shortly after that one I picked up a CZ bolt gun in .30-06, which is a joy to shoot. That really renewed my interest in .308.

So at the beginning of looking into this problem in earnest, I came to the conclusion that the Robinson XCR-M was the rifle for me. However it looks like a 6-8 month wait on one of those. They don't respond to your emails. Too great a likelihood this current federal government will pass some sort of ban before 6-8 months go by, and the Robinson is off the table.

Back to the drawing board, I figured a SCAR 17s was right up my alley. However, the longer I looked at them, I had a strong feeling that once one of these came home with me, what I saw and felt in my hands would not justify the price I just paid. I'd say it's #3 on my current list.

#1 for me right now is the B&T APC 308 in 18". I have a fair certainty I would be happy with one of these because my primary SHTF carbine is a CZ Bren 2 MS 16", which I love to pieces, and these appear pretty similar.

#2 is one that drifts close to AR territory, but after looking at it a long time I view it as its own platform and not part of the AR family, the HK MR762A1. People unanimously seem to love these, and I think the design looks rational after watching a couple of Youtube field strips.

If I can get a B&T I am mostly certain I will go that route. If that one is off the table, today I am leaning MR762A1 over SCAR 17s.
There are lots and lots of threads on this subject and I've read them all. Nevertheless I am still in the decision making process, and if you made it this far into my post, I value any feedback you have to offer on this subject while I'm making up my mind. Thanks guys.

Get an M-25 or an M-14 EBR set up.  Fits what you are looking for as a DMR. That was what they were designed for back in the 90's.

You’re going to have to pay to play with all of them, but the HK MR762A1 is the only rifle of the lot that is ready to go right out of the box.   You can buy the HK and the only added expenses will be buying extra mags since they’re proprietary.

The B&T needs an added stock, which isn’t that difficult but given the $4k price tag, it’s just an extra $100-$400 depending on what you decide to slap on.  There’s something to be said though about the compatibility of the platform with AR components like the buffer tube and trigger.  Just more money you need to drop.  

The SCAR is the worst rifle of the lot for out-of-the-box performance.  Accuracy capability is there, but the rifle as a whole is very crude for precision work and you need to put in a ton of money in the rifle.  The trigger is garbage, the stock is meh and the handguard is blah.  When I was looking at seriously buying a SCAR 17, it was clearly obvious that I was going to have to dump an additional $1k into the rifle to upgrade it to the point where I was going to be happy with how it shot.  I’ve shot both a stock 17 and an upgrade KDG/Geissele setup and the difference is tangible, and the added expense worth it for the upgrades over the stock rifle.  That said, is it worth it to dump that money into a rifle that isn’t a dedicated precision platform?  Meh, not really.  At least not without replacing the barrel with a match barrel, and that’s even more expense on top of the whole deal.  At that point you’re pushing well past SCAR 20 money, so what’s the point really?

If you want a hidden gem, the Sig Sauer 716 G2 DMR is a tack driver and gun that not a lot of people know about.  Sort of a sleeper in the DMR world.  My agency (large metro PD) tested one for our SASR program, where we were looking for a couple SASRs for urban quick response to complement our bolt guns.  The G2 DMR was by far one of the best overall rifles we tested.  We wound up selecting the Nordic Components NC10, but there were some mitigating factors to that selection, including the fact that NC and my agency happen to be in neighboring area codes.  If we had not selected the NC10, the G2 DMR would have been our SASR.

Of the ones you selected, it’d come down to the B&T vs HK, just like what you mentioned.  I think that the HK is a more complete package, but in the end the B&T might be more ideal for the compatibility with grips, trigger and mags.  The mag thing could be a big deal, because HK mags are 3x as expensive as Magpul PMAG-LRs.  I guess it just depends on how many mags you would want.  The aftermarket trigger thing for the HK is where you really get hosed though.  I guess at the end of the day it’d come down to what the accuracy performance will be.  We know the MR762A1 can perform since it’s the foundation for the new M110 SASR, so I guess it just depends on whether the B&T can perform.  


I would NOT recommend that you do anything with any legacy battle rifle (M1A, PTR91, FAL, etc).  They’re antiquated, finicky, much harder to source parts for, and substantially harder to service/modify.  Modern rifles are so much easier to service and reconfigure.  Most modern rifles (if configured properly) out of the box can give 1MOA or better of consistent accuracy, while the legacy systems won’t get anywhere close to that either consistently or at all.

useful and backs up what I'm thinking, thanks

I had my heart set on an XCR-M. I've reluctantly turned away from it as well. I really think they are an amazing platform and design. It makes me sick that they have basically shot themselves in the foot over and over with various internal company issues unrelated to the firearm itself.

I'll be getting an MDRX in .308 converted to side eject. If you can handle the bullpup setup I think it's the way to go.

eta. Swappable calibers as well.