308 semi auto AR10 or M1a

308 semi auto AR10 or M1a

  • AR10 flavor

    Votes: 51 64.6%

  • M1a flavor

    Votes: 28 35.4%
  • Total voters
    79
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JO JO

JO JO

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308 semi auto AR10 or M1a pro and cons ?
I have not fired either but have fired a mini 14 / plenty of AR15's and spent some time with the M16
I would like to add a semi 308 to the herd what say you all ?
I do have 308 bolt guns and load for them
 
AR10.
More versatile, potentially more accurate, probably less expensive, better recoil impulse. A little less cool, but them's the breaks.
 
The M1A is ten times the rifle the AR10 is, BUT all said above is true. An M1A is going to cost your two or three times as much as an AR10 will and once you have the rifle, doing anything to it will be a PITA. When you buy an M1A, what you can do to it is very limited. Even mounting a scope is a bit of a challenge. The M1A is the kind of rifle that you buy because you like it and will shoot it the way it is. It's a battle rifle with limited use for anything else. Well, that last one is arguable, but it's an arguable point.

With the AR10, just think AR15, only bigger. Barrels, trigger, magazine, accuracy, optics...it's a playground. If I had to choose one, it would be the AR10.
 
Hmmm... I've heard AR-10's are unreliable, but then I heard it all the time about AR-15's too. Thing is, I heard it from an instructor who is a fan of AR-15's, M1A, AK's, and generally has little-or-nothing negative to say in a lot of cases.

If I were considering a .308/7.62 semi, I think it'd be between an M1A and a Garand, and no, you don't necessarily want to scope those. AR-10 if you just want to tinker, and maybe you crack the code, but I'd suggest having one you know you is reliable.
 
Last edited:
Figure out what you are going to use it for then select the rifle that best matches your use.

If your buying a semi-auto .308 for hunting I would choose neither. For hunting I would choose a FNAR.

For target shooting both AR and M1A should be great rifles and it really comes down to what fits you best and what works best for you. I would take a M1A over an AR10 any day... but I prefer brown rifles to black rifles.
 
mustanger98 said:
Hmmm... I've heard AR-10's are unreliable, but then I heard it all the time about AR-15's too. Thing is, I heard it from an instructor who is a fan of AR-15's, M1A, AK's, and generally has little-or-nothing negative to say in a lot of cases.

If I were considering a .308/7.62 semi, I think it'd be between an M1A and a Garand, and no, you don't necessarily want to scope those. AR-10 if you just want to tinker, and maybe you crack the code, but I'd suggest having one you know you is reliable.
Click to expand...

An AR10 is just like an AR15. Can be just as reliable or not and for the same reasons. Personally, I don't own an AR10. I've worked on a lot of them, again for the same reasons you would an AR15. I really don't care for them. They are big and heavy for what they are. They can be accurate, but never as accurate as a bolt gun, assuming that you spent the same amount of money on each. My .308 is a bolt gun. I do think that an AR10 does have it's place for those that just plain need to lay down a whole lot of .308 or they just really want to be able to lay down a whole bunch of .308.

When I said above that I'd take the AR10, it was more from the perspective of having a part of an arsenal that would be easy to maintain and relatively easy to buy parts for. It was a completely practical statement. Nightlord40K said it right. For soul: M1A. It's a damn fine rifle and it has that action. I think the M1A is everything that kept the Garand from being perfect for it's time. A more practical caliber, detachable box magazine and, again, that action.

I'd suggest that you get out and try to shoot both. I've shot both plenty and if we're doing open sights, I much prefer to shoot the M1A. ARs feel like tools. The M1A feels like a rifle.
 
The AR10 is far superior in customization choices, and in especially for mounting scopes. In most cases, they are inherently more accurate than any M14 variant. I used both in the military, and the AR10 (SR 25 and M110 variants) beat the M14 platform in every way. The M14 was only designed to have 2 things mounted to it- a bayonet and a sling.
 
I carried an M-14 in the Navy and if you think an AR-10 is a big, heavy rifle, then you've never slung an M-14 for any length of time, or had one used as punishment by a BUD/S instructor by making you hold it above your head and straight out in front of you.
 
While most say that an AR-10 is just a big AR-15, remember that there is a mil-spec standard for AR-15s, the same is not true for AR-10s. Which means that there are different shapes and sizes of incompatible lower and upper receivers, handguard rail heights, and magazine types. I have neither, though have handled both. I agree that a complete AR-10 is easier to work on and upgrade, but an M1A has a style all its own. It will come down to intended use and personal preference.
 
If you go AR10, keep in mind that the commercial versions are not NEARLY as standardized in terms of parts compatibility across brands as the AR15 are. Therefore, if you think you are going to tinker, you should really almost plan the build all the way to the end to make sure that the components you want are available and compatible with your chosen system. Stuff that is semantics in the AR15 world isn't always such in the AR10 world. For example "AR-10"s are made by Armalite, and if you have a DPMS 308 and buy something for an "AR-10", it likely isn't going to fit. You really have to pay close attention to parts descriptions and research before you buy.

When I was looking for a first rifle, I wanted to start with the very closest thing to a scaled up M4/Colt 6920 that existed on the market, that I could build out in the same ways. I settled on the Armalite DEF-10. I've had it for a while and haven't shot it much (it's mostly been sitting since I got it) but I've actually pulled it out again recently. It has met my criteria about as good as anything could have I think. It is fully compatible with AR15 triggers which is nice. Quality seems on par with any milspec AR15. You can look high and low and I've yet to see a single report of them being unreliable, and mine hasn't skipped a beat either.
But you really have to start with a goal in mind and plan, a lot more than you do with AR15s for the reasons I mentioned above.

I used to have an M1A, and it had nice sights and trigger, and "soul" out of the box, yes. But as mentioned, doing anything, even mounting a scope is nontrivial and in the end I sold it.

I still have a FAL (DSA SA58). It is also reliable, military proven over decades, you can work on them, but it isn't as easy either. Also it is hard on the brass.
 
I have owned a few AR-10s. Nice pieces. One day I had a chance to shoot a SOCOM version of the Springfield M1A1. It has a scout rail. Not talking about the version that has the ugly, heavy railed handguard. I am talking the lighter version. They are 16 inch bbl and have a muzzle brake that makes it feel like a .223. No muzzle rise and practically no recoil. Ever since I had that experience, I personally would look for the SOCOM M1A1. My purpose is for defense and fun. I have been looking.
 
If you decide to build an AR308, I suggest getting all the small parts along with both lower and upper receiver from the same manufacturer. As stated all ready, there is no set standard when it comes to large frame AR's. Or just purchase a complete rifle.
 
army_eod said:
They are 16 inch bbl and have a muzzle brake that makes it feel like a .223.
Click to expand...

Not quite, but close...

Love me some M1a!

CPrTRZym.jpg

The M1a requires more fastidious maintenance than an AR, and you usually have to do a bit of work on them to get them to shoot their best, but it's nothing you can't do. I'm not a big optics guy (I pulled the rail off my Socom...) but there are better mounts these days, like the Ultimak, if you did. Like the M1 Garand, the M1a is a rifleman's rifle, it all depends on what you are going to ask from it.
 
I have both.

The AR is more useful for all of the reasons given above, the M1a is much more fun to shoot for me. Both have been totally reliable, neither is for sale.

Both are heavy, 9+ lbs, although the on the AR this is somewhat correctable - it has the PSA 18" stainless barreled upper which is overkill in weight.
 
gbw said:
I have both.

The AR is more useful for all of the reasons given above, the M1a is much more fun to shoot for me. Both have been totally reliable, neither is for sale.

Both are heavy, 9+ lbs, although the on the AR this is somewhat correctable - it has the PSA 18" stainless barreled upper which is overkill in weight.
Click to expand...

I have to agree about the weight of the PSA stainless barrel. I built my Gen 1 PA10 a few years ago when parts were scarce and went with the PSA 20" stainless barrel.
 
There is a new AR-10 out there that is supposed to be as compact and light as the average AR-15. I forget who makes it. Expensive. Seven and a half pounds, I think. But all proprietary. If it becomes a proven design, I could be interested. I do not like 9 and 10 pound ARs. I have a Nam Retro rifle (20 inches) and it weighs in at about 6.5 lbs. That is what I trained with; the old M-16. That was/is a fantastic weapon. We have lost all of that. Show me a 6.5 lb AR with 20 inch bbl. This happens to have a 1:8 twist so I shoot 75 grainers. It is stupid accurate as it sports a Criterion bbl. I did mount an ACOG on it. LOL. It is made by Fulton Armory in MD. They make some nice stuff.
 
I have written elsewhere on this forum about the M1A. I acquired my first M1A, a Supermatch in 1979 from the SAI factory when I lived in IL. At the time, AR-10s were not easily available, though I would not have gone that route if they were, based on both my experience with the M14 and the M16A1 while in the USAF 10 years earlier. My Supermatch has been everything a shooter could ask for in a semiautomatic rifle. I have never had a reliability or functioning problem, maintenance is as easy as for an M1 Garand (which I also own and love) and superbly accurate for its type. I scoped it a few years ago with a Bassett Machines Low Picatinny rail that gives me quick detachability with easily recovered zero. My rifle, with ser. # 013,xxx, is a good shooter with both factory Federal Gold Medal Match and my handloads using 175gr Sierra Match Kings and IMR 4064, RL 15, Norma 203B, Varget, IMR 4895, or H4895.

The target below was shot last September as described with FGGM factory loads. I shot it off a bench using a Vortex Viper PST gen 1 6-24x50 scope at 100 yards.

M1A Supermatch w: FGMM 175gr.jpeg

I recommend the M1A. I have several.
 
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