SCAR 17,  Colt LE901, H&K MR762, HK91, HK91 clone

Of the above or any other models not listed, who has hunted with it?
What would you recommend?

Some requirements
5 round mag must be available or a higher capacity mag can be blocked
accurate out to 200 yards for deer hunting
scope will be mounted

Anxious to hear from people who have hunted with the above.
Also anxious to hear about the capability of the above as related to hunting

308 is a good round for deer out of any gun. Get a decent variable scope and go at it.

Armalite AR-10.  20" for whitetails,  24" FF for pronhorns.  Yes the 24" got a little heavy stalking pronghorns.  But where you have multiple doe tags it's fun as hell.

I used an M1A to take a couple of moose in Soldotna, Alaska when I lived there and a M1 Garand tanker in .308 to hunt Mule deer in the North Cascades. I used 165gr Nosler Partition handloads for both moose and deer. Open sights as well and all kills were within 100yds. I really don't consider the .308 a moose cartridge but it will get the job done with precise shot placement. For deer in heavy timber the tanker was ideal with quick follow up shots in an instant. My tanker was capable , in my hands anyway, out to 200-225 yds on deer size game. I never shot a moose at any distance greater than 80yds with the M1A, but then again,  I never shot a moose further than that with any caliber rifle. I have hunted with a HK 91 a few times but I never really cared for that platform and sold it off. Only problem with the M1A is scope mounting. I never had a scope mount that worked on the M1A and I've tried them all. LRB has apparently solved the problem but their rifles are pricey. As a side note, the AR10 is a fine platform but bulky in book as compared to the M1A. If you can, try out a M1A and see how it feels, then try out an AR10 and you'll feel  the difference.

For 200 yards, any of the above. I'd buy a cheap HK91 or clone and shoot iron sights.

I have owned all 3 of the major 308's, M1-A, FN-FAL, and the H&K 91.

The H&K 91 is my favorite. I have hunted with it quite a bit. I have killed several deer, several turkeys, a few pigs, and 3 Antelope.

I shot all the Antelope and several of the other animals with the retractable stock on the rifle. All were taken with a scope in an original H&K mount, some with a Kahles ZF 69 6x and some with a Hendsolt 4x.

My favorite 308 load, in all the 308's I have shot is a 165 gr Sierra HPBT Gameking, or a 165 Nosler Ballsitic Tip, or the Nosler 165 gr Partition, over 39.5gr of IMR 3031.

In the H&K 91 I also use a 150 gr bullet over 42gr of IMR 3031. This load hits the same place as most Military 147 gr ball ammo.

You cannot go wrong with an original German H&K 91.

I just recently a few days ago acquired a very lightweight AR 10 type rifle a Christensen Arms CA 10 in 308, that I am testing. It weighs just over 7 lbs, so it just might be the lightest rugged semi auto 308 hunting rifle on the market.

After I test it further I will do a seperate thread on it. So far it shoots very accurate with 7 different loads and runs 100%.

But I have not shot it enough to recommend it yet...

I hunt with my scar17,  nice and light weight.   very mild recoil for a 308 makes follow up shots cake.  Mine has yet to taste blood, i got skunked last season.

Maybe you need to get an H&K 91!!!

True story, I can hunt with, whatever rifle, and not see a thing to shoot for several days...

THEN, I can get out the H&K 91, and BINGO, I will kill something  great.
I have shot my second best buck deer with it, it was my best for about 20 years, and I killed my second best Antelope ever with it.

On the deer I had hunted several days, and not even seen a buck, I took the 91 on the last evening.

It has always been my LUCKY hunting rifle.

Just last deer season I was wanting to kill a few wild pigs for the freezer. I had not seen a pig in several days.

The first evening I hunted with my H&K 91,  I shot two of them, one about 160 lbs and one about 225 lbs.

LUCKY is as LUCKY DOES...

Like was mentioned above, a deer doesn't know what type of rifle the bullet was fired from.

I'm only hunted with my M1A and that's what I killed my deer with, all one shot kills.  Never seemed to see a deer while out with the 742 Rem. or the 03A4 (both 30.06).  If I still lived in WV I'd hunt with my M1 Garand as it is more accurate than my M1A.

My son killed his first deer with his M14S PolyTech last year.  On shot kill as well. He's "eat up with it now".  Can't wait till deer season this year to try t do it again.

If its accurate and reliable, any of the rifles you listed will work fine.  Good luck.  Have fun.  Come back with pictures.

I pig hunt with my 16" AR10T

Browning Bar Safari

SCAR
VEPR
M1A
H&K SR9/G3
PTR91
AR10

Those would me my picks in that order.

M1A - forgot about it
thanks

Browning BAR short trac

Benelli R1 comes in .308.  I have the 5.56mm MR-1, and if the R1 is anything like it (which they advertise it is), it ought to be a dream to shoot.  Plus, it has the added benefit of being 100% lower-48 legal.  Price may be a downside.

I've used my Bushmaster ORC 16" .308 middy AR for coyote hunting. I put an Eotech 552 on top and used 165gr SP Federal Fusion and got one that was on the run.

Fast shooting rifle with that setup. Pretty light and simple for field use. Cheap to boot, got it for $799 at Sportsmans Wearhouse in Lexington, KY a few years back.

16 inch middy gas plane jane 10A4 carbine with an SS scope from SWFA will serve you well out to 200 and beyond.

Their mildot scopes are all fixed power and right at $299 except the side focux 10x for $399.

http://swfa.com/SWFA-SS-MOA-Scopes-C4226.aspx

They have milrad scopes in variable powers, a bit more pricey:

http://swfa.com/SWFA-SS-MRAD-Scopes-C4225.aspx

Not specifically a semi auto , but as an fyi, I popped my last elk with a 20" .308. The handload used a 165 grain Sierra hollowpoint Gameking and Varget powder. One shot, bang,flop. This was with with a shortly Tikka bolt gun. The point is though that typical  shorter barrel lengths of semi autos in .308 provide enough velocity to get most any job done, hunting wise.

This! I have the carbine version with a fluted barrel. It's a wicked Elmer Fudd gun.

Accountant

Lost River

I have killed a lot of game with the Sierra 165 gr HPBT Gameking over the years. Before they used the term Gameking. It is an excellent bullet for the 308.

I have taken bobcats at 30 yards and antelope at 550 yards, with a bunch of deer,  turkey,  and pigs in between.

My standard load is 39.5gr of IMR 3031. That load has shot so good in every 308 I have tried it in, that I have never seen  the reason to make a change.

Hey you forgot the VEPR 308. The walnut thumb hole stocks, especially the Super variant can look the role, if that's of any importance. They are easy to scope with all the QD side mounts available nowadays. I haven't officially benched my gun yet, but I can pop soda jugs all day long at the 100yd range. I doubt deer would be too much of a problem @ 200 if you can swing your end of the stick at that range. Comes with a 5 and a 10 rd magazine. The gun balances like a dream- odd saying that about an AK type weapon, but it's true. Feels lighter than it really is. All 308 variants seem to come in approximately 1:12 twist.
My VEPR had one of the worst triggers on an AK I've ever used. I popped it out, and noticed the whole thing was painted, including the sear/trigger engagement surface. Stripped paint & stoned the surfaces. I now have a decent 2 stage feeling trigger with just a bit of mush in the 2cnd stage. It's good enough that I probably won't even bother dropping a $25 Tapco trigger in.

Only other thing on your list I have any experience with is the the HK types. Good gun, but never my first choice for a few reasons. Awkward safety and charging handle location. Wonky balance makes gun feel heavier than it really is. Godawful trigger. Accuracy is usually really good, but the crappy trigger usually defeats it. The claw mount for scopes sucks unless you're mounting original German scopes. The newer PTR rifles have a welded on piece of rail thank God. Still gotta make sure your optic won't interfere with operating the charging handle.

Id check out the new S&W if I were you.

S&W???

For less money, how about one of the old Remington semi auto's?  You can find them at pawn shops and I believe you can purchase higher capacity after market magazines if you'd like.

M&P10

M&P10 Review

I shot a buck with my SCAR 17, with a Leupold Mark 4 3.5x10 last year using Federal GMM 175gr. Worked like a champ. Dad normally uses an FAL with an ACOG.

The lightweight series from dpms may be worth looking at... my 260 20" weighs in at just over 8 lbs without ammo or optics.

Eta I have the 260 but I know they make a 308 and 6.5 creedmore too

I've used a Springfield Armory SAR-48 Bush rifle (Imbel 18" FAL) with a Simmons 2.5x scope mounted on top successfully out to 300m on whitetails.  Ammo was Remington's 150 gr CorLokt.


CD