I'm thinking DSA FAL, but what would you like to get or have?

FAL is a great choice, I love my Imbel.

M14 built on a LRB receiver or any M14 from (Armscorp ( of Baltimore) or Polyetch or Norinco.

I've seen some Polytech for sale locally. Any work needed to be done to them to make them safe?

I've had an FAL, G3, and AR10 type rifle.

I've still got the LR308 and recently built another.

SCAR 17 is probably the best 308 rifle I've shot so far. I still like having an FAL, HK-91, AR-10, M1A, in my collection of course.

Valmet Model 88 Hunter

M1 Garand.

Make sure you when the head space is checked that it's done with a 7.62 NATO head space gauge not a .308 gauge. They are different.
Using a .308 gauge in any NATO chamber will almost always give you false NO-GO unless the particular chamber happens to be short of NATO spec.
Back in the early 90's lots of guys needlessly freaked out about the head space of their Norinco and Polytech M14 because they incorrectly assumed .308 and 7.62 NATO were the same and the proceeded to use the wrong gauge for their check. More than few gun cranks made money "fixing" what wasn't broke in the first place.

Also IIRC Polytech receivers were machined from CroMo forgings.

Para FAL carbine

If you can swing the price, the Scar 17 is about as good as it gets for an all around .308. Its very accurate, lightweight, compact, and is built to accept optics rather than as an afterthought. I love my M1A too, but my 17 has it beat pretty much every way.

I went LMT; the Brits I worked with/talked to were happy with theirs.

Rock River LAR-8 Varmint.

AR10 type. It is the only 308 I own anymore. I have had FAL, Garand, M1A, HK91, Veper

These days I'd go Vepr.

I went PSL in 7.62x54R.

Scar 17 lightest lowest recoil and one of the most accurate 308
Ar10 is second only because it is heavier and slightly more recoil
Then fal or m14. Both super sexy looks but not accurate
G3 and clones have the most recoil and poor ergo and balance and god awful triggers.

over the years I've had a couple of M1A's, L1A1 (inch pattern FAL) and AR10... if you are going to add optics the AR is my suggestion, and comes with a pretty good trigger... the FAL's are overly nose heavy for my liking, and mine had terrible fixed sights... if I had good eyes anymore I'd still have the M1A... I like the AR platform

I like the FAL but AR10 is my fancy

I'm not particularly satisfied with the current offerings.  AR10's in my observation seem to have a lot of reliability problems, and also tend to just be oversized, and not nearly as wieldy as their AR15 cousins, and very heavy.  I wouldn't touch the RRA - I don't care for their bolt release design, and the one example I shot jammed every single shot - it was ridiculous.  It's such a spotty field, I'd probably pay the Premium and get the LaRue, if I went this road (they even make a .260 version now, which is very interesting).

SCAR18 has some appeal, but damn it's expensive, and also quite heavy from what I can tell.  The one time I shot one, it had a muzzle break, after 2 shots my ears were ringing - through my combined muffs and ear plugs.  

I really like the Kel Tec RFB concept, and that brings the overall size of the rifle back into the more handy realm, but KelTec pretty much "mailed it in", and those rifles have a bad reputation of lots of problems and short-life construction techniques.  The M1A has some appeal, but the gas system has some sensitivity, and they seem to take a lot of screwing around with to attain, and in particularly to maintain, good accuracy.  They used to be grossly overpriced, but I've noticed deals can be had on those now, and they are cool rifles.  I just don't care for rock-in style magazines and already have a Garand - it's an old-tech design, and just requires more maintenance to sing than stuff that's more modern, and scope mounting is an afterthought to the design.  

The HK G3 is a complete POS.  Just run away, it's a dog.

The FAL is probably the best version of a .308 battle rifle I've ever shot.  I really really like that gun, just a sweetheart, though the sights are only kind of eh, and again, scope mounting is a challenge.  

I'm most enthused about the Desert Tech MDR, as it seems like a very manageable .308 Bullpup with a nice 19" BBL option and a promise of solid accuracy.  And even better, the option to get in something a little more modern like 6.5 & 260, which I like better than .308.  At last, technological improves of the last 40 years finally meets the .308 platform.  Problem there is this 2014 announced product is apparently vaporware.

All poor choices, all for poor people.

I have a Stg58 and love it.
Of all the retro 308 rifles its one of the best design IMO..

As far as modern platforms I would stick with a AR10style just because I'm a AR fan.. Just a boring reliable design!
The XCR looked like a good rifle (a sort of moder FAL) but never became available here in italy...
The Scar is too expensive..
The Desertech or the keltec RFB seem interesting if you like the bullpups

 

It's not the best ever but a POS?


Care to explain why ?

Oh my God - it sucks.  The controls are design for People with 8" long fingers.  The trigger is wretched.  The recoil is abusive.  The ones I shot jammed.  The ones I watched other people shoot - jammed.  The sights are crap.   For the love of God, it doesn't even lock the bolt open on the last shot.   I can't remember the accuracy being anything to write home about.  The flutted chamber is a solution looking for a problem, but it's a great way to wreck your brass (assuming it survives the slamming against the sheet metal and 20' launch that is).  Nobody else needs a fluted chamber to work.  It's cheap shit stamped sheet metal - for $2000.  Worst .308 platform out there.  

It does look cool, and has the nifty front cocking system that you can slap and look cool doing it - so there's that.

I went with a 18" LMT

For me, a M14 type rifle, just because I'm so fond of the old M1.  The M14 type rifle is a smooth shooting rifle, and accurate enough for me.  I'd take an AR10 as well, never shot one of those though.

FAL for general putzin' around, AR-10 for precision shooting.

I don't have a lot of experience.  But I like the M1A.  I own a springy loaded and briefly owned a polytech.  I've shot an FAL and didn't prefer it to an M1A.  I feel more at home with a traditional type stock, I think that has something to do with it.

SCAR or AR10

All the legacy battle rifles suck in their own ways.

I went through this selection about 2005.

I'd owned a HK 91 - didn't like it for some of the reasons mentioned.

AR10's at the time were very big, heavy, and didn't have universal parts between companies.

M1A sounded finicky about ammo and accuracy.

So, I went with a FAL from DS Arms, and love it.  It's a great shooter, and mine is about a 1.5"/100 yard shooter with a scope and good ammo.

Since then AR-10 have gotten a lot better, so I'd check those out, and see how you like their size compared to AR-15's.

Aero 762

I'd like an FAL shortie or a 13" SCAR 17

Wow thats a pretty strong statement..
The G3 is probably the 2nd most popular semiauto 762 rifle in the world with the 1st being the AK and the 3rd maybe the FAL..

The fact its overpriced on the civilian market doesnt make it a POS

He also thinks the SCAR is heavy

The g3 may have shitty ergos but it doesnt jam. I dont think you were shooting a legit HK. That gun has been used in countless conflicts and usually ends up as the dmr of choice for poor militas.
And how is the scar heavy? Compared to what other 308?

The grains of salt continue to grow...
"...after 2 shots my ears were ringing - through my combined muffs and ear plugs."  

The main gun on our tanks must of been quieter because they didn't have a muzzle-brake.  But wait, the 155's did and even they never rang my ears with plugs in.  Shock-wave like a mofo, but no ringing.

Hmmm...

I have to agree with the FAL suggestions, its a great platform that has been proven over the years..

I have a pair of FALs. If I could do it all over, I would get an AR10 instead, if only for the better trigger and muzzle device options.

In terms of .308 semi's, I have personally owned an FAL, couple AR10's and a couple SCAR 17's.  

If you have the scratch, it's a no-brainer: SCAR 17 should be bought eight days a week.  They are just outstanding rifles.
If you do not have that much scratch, just grab a large frame AR.  

The SCAR is a bit softer in recoil impulse and is a bit lighter, but my PWS Mk216 is no slouch in the weight and recoil impulse departments as well.  The SCAR's have excellent ergo's, ambi controls and great balance to them.  They do come with a particularly shitty trigger, but most rifles do nowadays...

DSC_1633-M1A Can by FredMan, on Flickr

M1A Scout.

Something about that rifle makes it just incredibly enjoyable to shoot. I love the M1 action, excellent balance, and the muzzle brake does an excellent job at reducing recoil and muzzle rise (and making noise).

As far as accuracy I can make the 300 yard gong ring 10/10 times with iron sights which is more than enough for me.

I have shot the SCAR and I like the M1A better.

Still waiting patiently for my Desert Tech MDR

Wanna know how I know you're FOS....  

OP...if you can swing it or wait until after the elections...SCAR-17s.  I've owned them all.  The SCAR is the best battle rifle out there that excels in light weight, accuracy, reliability, and ergonomics.

This.

 



Here's my personal ranking:



1) SCAR



2) AR .308


Not sure where I'd rank the Valmet and Galil .308's as I haven't held either. Someone let me fire theirs so I'll know. lol


 

How would you use the .308?  Mission drives the decision.  

My only .308's are civilian hunting rifles, a bolt action and a Remington 742 semi.  The latter is not tactical, as it is not designed for high rate of fire, but has put a lot of deer in the freezer, is 1.5 MOA accurate with good ammo, and is lighter (7.5 lbs.) and handier in the field than tactical semi autos.  Fudd guns have some advantages, especially when cost per round limits how many rounds you put down range and use the rifle for hunting.  Just an alternative to ponder.

horrible choice

limited mags, shitty ergos and terrible platform for optics

OP AR10 platform

I honestly love my AR10 and couldnt think of having anything else

I totally agree.  I've always wanted a .308 bolt gun of some sort.  Although to be honest, if I'm going to enjoy shooting a .308 in volume, the recoil can get a bit stiff when they're lighter.  So, even though an M1A is heavier, it's a lot more fun to shoot in volume.  Having said that, I'd rather carry a bolt gun for hunting.  Which might even include SHTF.  Sling a lighter bolt gun over your shoulder for taking deer or game and then have a compact rifle of some sort.  Like an MP5.    Or yes, an SBR AR.   Or wait, maybe a Beretta PX4 storm, it's pretty light.

I have an AR10, MA, and FAL.  If I could only keep one,  I'm keeping the FAL.

I went through this recently and picked up a Ruger SR762.
Lots of good features, reasonable price, and reasonable weight. It's not a SCAR 17,but it was half the price, so I'm good with it. I'll top it with a Vortex Viper 1-4x for now.
I wanted a "do everything" rifle, so the ability to mount optics and lights, plus the availability of triggers and muzzle devices led me to this over legacy battle rifle platforms.

Little hijack..
What is the status of current AR10 style rifles as far as propietary & Common parts etc?
I know years ago there was not an official standard pattern with 3 major designs (for BCG, mags, barrels,): kac, armalite and the more recent colt 901.. Has the situation changed? Or do every different brand still use its own parts?

I like it.  How do you like shooting it?  I've never shot an AR10 and I always figured the recoil would be stiff.  But maybe not.

There is still a bunch of proprietary stuff but it seems like the market is going in the direction of SR-25 pattern parts. The problem I have found is that bolts and chambers across manufactures don't really seem to jive. My Buddy and I went through about 5 or 6 barrel/bolt combinations before we ditched the AR-10 altogether. We either could not get the guns to headspace properly or even if we did we would have numerous signs of overpressure. I'd consider getting a KAC, LMT, or Colt factory gun in the future but I will not waste another dime trying to build one.

 

For the OP: Get a Fal. The DSA optic mounts work great if you don't want the irons. Look for an older LMT receivered DSA gun or an Imbel.