advice on a .308 semi

[DANGERRUSS]

I have the bug for a .308 (or 7.62 x 51 if you prefer) rifle. I have a budget of around 1000-1200 for the rifle. I was thinking about a Saiga with a 21 inch bbl and having it cut to 18" or 19" and having it threaded and denutering (pistol grip conversion) the rifle. So what other options should I consider? Most of the AR platform rifles are 1500+ that I have seen. The HK's leave me cold and the Fal's seem hard to scope. Thanks for your thoughts Russ

 

[USSR]

...the Fal's seem hard to scope.

Russ,

Not hard to scope at all. The DSA Extreme Duty mount is rock solid.

Don

 

[shadowalker]

Take a look at the DPMS LR-308 as well, it is their AR-10 type rifle and known for good accuracy. They have options with 16, 18, and 24 inch barrels, some models can be had for about $975.

 

[briansmithwins]

Hope you have another $2k socked away for ammo.

I'm pretty much shooting 9mmP and 7.62x39 as I can afford (more or less) to burn a couple hundred rounds each month of those calibers...

BSW

 

[elmerfudd]

FAL's are actually very easy to scope. There are several good solid mounts on the market right now.

I personally prefer the Saiga though. Neither one will win any awards for accuracy, but both shoot reasonably well. I'd expect about 2-3 MOA from either a S308 or an FAL. The FAL has a higher price tag, but much more affordable mags, so if you're one of those guys that wants to have 10 or more mags for each rifle, you wont save much money by going with the Saiga. Both are very reliable, but I'd give the edge to the Saiga. The FAL has much better ergos and sights, but overall I prefer the compactness and handiness of the Saiga. With a folder installed, it's a very small rifle.

One other rifle I would look at would be the DPMS LR308. I believe it retails for around $1000 and is supposed to be quite accurate. I wouldn't expect it to be as reliable as either the Saiga or the FAL though and I think mags are pretty pricey.

 

[Tarvis]

Used M1A? I have no idea on the cost, but that would be my only choice for a 308 auto-loader.

 

[DANGERRUSS]

I think the M1a would also be hard to scopeunless you get one with a scout rail. The extreme duty FAL mont does look good. Does it have to be moved to clean the rifle? Do any of the ar type rifles use common mags?

 

[TIMC]

The M1A is very easy to put a good solid mount on and it never has to be removed to clean the rifle but good mounts are expensive.
Here is the Smith mount on mine.


I think the best option for an easy scope mounting semi auto rifle is an AR-10 flat top rifle but new the M1A and AR-10 are both out of your price range.
I have had several .308 semi-auto rifles over the years and by far my favorite is the AR-10.

 

[Claude Clay]

recent rite up re howa/axiom.$1050 scoped and sub 1 moa. if it is as good as the review it is a bargain

 

[DFW1911]

Have you looked into the Springfield Armory SOCOM 16? I don't know if it's within you budget but I'd definitely check it out.

 

[mljdeckard]

The problem I had with the M1A was that even though the mount went straight on, it was so high, I couldn't get a comfortable shooting position. I had to lean way into it, and it kept banging me over the eyebrow. (Only fun the first few times.) I did a little digging, and realized that to really use it as intended, I would have to get a different stock, with a raised or adjustable comb. This changed the budget of the project significantly.

Also, the sight picture was actually obscured by the mount. The whole point of trying the project was that I could still use the iron sights, but when I had to move up the rear to zero, I ran out of space. I wound up selling the project to someone more serious than me, and getting another Remington. If I were to try it again, I would probably look at the AR-10. I checked in Impact a few years ago, they had a DPMS that started at $800 something.

 

[elmerfudd]

No, you don't need to remove the mount on an FAL to clean it. The bolt carrier just slides out the back. Cleaning the inside of the receiver is somewhat more difficult with a mount on, but it's not a big deal. Back when I had my FAL, I used an ARMS mount. Those just slide off and back on again so there's no difference when it comes to cleaning. They have a very snug and precise fit, so there is no movement when the gun is assembled and no loss of zero. With the DSA and Tapco mounts you attach them and leave them on.

 

[USSR]

The extreme duty FAL mont does look good. Does it have to be moved to clean the rifle?

Nope, it replaces the flimsy sheet metal dust cover, and does not interfere with cleaning.

Don