Ever heard of the .30-06 round?  The .308 round is, more or less, the same round with a shorter case.  Granted, there are differences, such as the .308 can't shoot the heavier bullets (200+ gr) quite as well, as there is less room for them in the shorter case.

But, yes, many .308 and .30-06 loadings have identical bullets and identical ballistics.  And the .30-06 is the most common hunting round in the US (it's still more common for hunting due to tradition and it's flexibility with the heaviest bullets).

And, yes, FAL would do just fine.  You would probably need to buy a 5-round mag, though, as most states require semi-autos to hold 5 rounds or less for hunting.  DSA sells them.

-Troy

The .308 will take any beast, two or four legged, in North America with a properly placed shot. Certainly more than enough gun for a deer.

I have an FAL and have been playing around with scopes on it. It's not going to be nearly as accurate as a bolt action or even an AR. I've tried an AMT Professional 5x scope and liked it. I know that the BDC is set for the .223 round, I was just playing. Had it out last week with an Aimpoint Comp ML red dot sight - lots of fun. I'm now looking at getting an IOR Valdada M2 which is a 4x24 scope built around the .308 round.

A better "sniper" semi-automatic rifle would be a Springfield Armory M1A N.M. but they run over twice what the cheapest FAL can be had for.

308 is a fine deer and all around cartridge. The FAL is also a fine rifle.
Mostly its what ever floats your boat, check out the FAL's and if you like 'em, buy one.

just my opinion.

sgb

ps: For most deer I prefer a browning A bolt in '06 myself.