Should I get the standard or the scout? Is the barrel length in .308 as critical as it is in .223? I like the idea of the shorter rifle because it will be easier to lug around and it will be easier to swing the muzzle around but I don't want to loose to much velocity.

I might be using it to take wild pigs/deer. Is this an adequate pig rifle? What range is it effective out to? Thanks for the input.

Just get it standard length. Better yet, get it in NM configuration and start shooting the NM course through DCM. It'll make you a far better shot than you are now.


Yes, it's a .308 for Pete's sake.

You can shoot an elk with it, so I'm sure it's ok for pigs.

Uh......hmmmmm.....the .308 is one of the top five selling rifle cartridges in the US.  If the military adopted it to take down a human, I guess it would be good for a pig or deer.  The last deer I shot with a .308 did not have much to say.

You will loose some velocity going from a Std. M1A to a Bush/Scout M1A, but what does it matter if your targets are 50-200 yards (ie. hunting situations).  A .308 is plenty to take down a deer or pig at 200 yard even with a 16" barrel.

You're looking at about a 2-300 fps velocity loss.  The M193 5.56 cartridge requires a high velocity impact for the bullet to fracture.  This is the cause of it's wounding prowess.  I forget the magic number (2700 fps?), but any slower than that and it's not a good performer.  I still wouldn't want to get shot with one.  A 7.62*51 round isn't velocity dependent in its wounding capacity.  The lower velocity out of the 18 inch barrel is pretty meaningless in all but the most advanced marksmanship tasks.  Ergo, 18 vs 21 makes little difference in the practical accuracy or range departments.  

Where it makes a huge difference is in the flash and blast of the rifle.  The increase in these characteristics alone is enough to keep me at standard barrel lengths.

Quoted: Where it makes a huge difference is in the flash and blast of the rifle.  The increase in these characteristics alone is enough to keep me at standard barrel lengths.

Drift, I always knowed you wasn't foolish. Thanks for taking up my slack. I have an FR-8 in .308 and my fellow shooters have dubbed the short barreled little thin 'Weedburner' just for that reason.

The scout length is actually more accurate.

STANDARD............repeat that to yourself 100 times......it should sink in by then.

both !

Either one will make you happy

What if I'm hunting pigs in the brush? Won't the extra four inches make it more unwieldly?

I read an article where they tested .308 out of some different barrels.  It came down to you losing around 30fpe when you went from 22" to 18."  Muzzle flash is deffinately something to consider though.


-G