SIG 716 vs other semi-auto .308s

[Thompson9494]

I was wondering if anybody had an opinion on the SIG 716 rifle. I'm a fan of SIG so I don't really expect the rifle to be bad but I was wondering how it stacked up against other popular .308 semi-autos such as the Springfield M1A, DS Arms FALs and the AR-10 rifles. The only constraints are the rifle you're comparing has to be cheaper than $2,100. The SIG 716 we saw at a gun show was being sold for $1,800 but the price on SIG's website is $2,100-ish, so I'm capping the price there and if you're going to suggest a different rifle than the ones above the only constraints are it has to be magazine fed and have at least a ten-round magazine, though 20-round magazines or larger are preferable.

Thanks!

 

[Dean1818]

The 716 is a nice rifle, but its heavy.


I looked at it, but didnt wish to lug around the woods,
I went with an incredibly accurate but much lighter Bison Armory 6.8


The 308 to look at today is the M&P 10, its very light

 

[JustinJ]

I like the operating system of the PWS Mk2 but a complete rifle will exceed your price point. I'm not sure what it would cost to put together a lower but the uppers go for about $1,900.

 

[The_Armed_Therapist]

The 716 is a nice rifle, but its heavy. I looked at it, but didnt wish to lug around the woods, I went with an incredibly accurate but much lighter Bison Armory 6.8

Apples to oranges. For a .308 battle rifle, it's not heavy at all. If my memory serves me correctly, it's about 9.3 lbs. That's normal, perhaps even slightly lighter than most of the competitors.

When it comes to .308 battle rifles, any that you've mentioned are great. It's at least as good as the others you mentioned. $1,800 is pretty standard for them. The only ones you could get that would be easily cheaper would be a few of the AR10-style rifles and PTR91. M1As and FALs will be about the same price.

 

[12131]

For your price cap, then also look at RRA LAR-8 and DPMS LR308. No experience with the RRA, but the DPMS in .308 is solid and way below your price cap.

 

[dvdcrr]

For light I like the Armalite carbine, and the Bushy Moe is very compact. I like the mp10. It seems fairly light and maneuverable to me. The Sig would be fine as well.

 

[wally]

What mags do the SIG 716 take? Something proprietary? (totally loses interest in it!) Or hopefully the Knights/DPMS/MagPul style.

Saw one for ~$1650 at a gun show recently, but not knowing the answer to the mag issue couldn't take a chance on it.

 

[Dean1818]

Apples to oranges. For a .308 battle rifle, it's not heavy at all. If my memory serves me correctly, it's about 9.3 lbs. That's normal, perhaps even slightly lighter than most of the competitors.

When it comes to .308 battle rifles, any that you've mentioned are great. It's at least as good as the others you mentioned. $1,800 is pretty standard for them. The only ones you could get that would be easily cheaper would be a few of the AR10-style rifles and PTR91. M1As and FALs will be about the same price.

Of course for contexts sake, you could have included my recommendation for the M&P 10
From my post to fit the OPs request.

Do you work for the NY Times?


Weight is important. I tried out my cousin's PTR, and other 308s... ........ Too heavy for lugging around the woods all day. IMHO

If hunting is your gig,
That bit of difference of 2.5 to 3 lbs is large when walking around..... Not so much for a stand hunt

 

[Dean1818]

The M&P 10 can be had for $1500 ish, so it meets your price requirements.

 

[The_Armed_Therapist]

Of course for contexts sake, you could have included my recommendation for the M&P 10 From my post to fit the OPs request.

Do you work for the NY Times?

You are right, I should have done that. I think I stopped reading your comment because I don't recall seeing it. My apologies! I handled an M&P10 recently, and it did seem lighter than others I've seen. A Brother-in-Law has the LR308 with tons of extra stuff on it... ridiculously heavy, even for a minute or two of casual shooting.

I don't understand the NY Times question, though.

 

[RCArms.com]

I've not handled the Sig yet and unless one is transferred through, it's unlikely that ill be seeing one anytime soon.

My personal semi-auto .308 rifles are an Armalite AR-10T lightweight carbine (optics) and a Springfield Armory M1A (irons only). I've sold all my other .308 semis and kept these two.

Both are reliable, accurate, fairly lightweight, and fun to shoot.

Don

 

[Z-Michigan]

The M&P10 is light, well made, and IMHO the value champion in the .308 AR class.

The Armalite is betamax. Not a bad design, but different from what has become the standard.

The Rock River is just weird. I owned one briefly and didn't like it at all. Absurdly long action, RRA proprietary parts, clumsy use of FAL mags. It would be nearly my last choice.

The DPMS .308 options are quite decent, and the value runner-up. They are purely a consumer grade rifle, but that's how 99% of these will be used anyway.

If you got very lucky you might find a Colt 901 for $2100, and that's basically in a class above the rest I mention here. Kind of heavy though, and also has some proprietary part issues.

 

[Dean1818]

You are right, I should have done that. I think I stopped reading your comment because I don't recall seeing it. My apologies! I handled an M&P10 recently, and it did seem lighter than others I've seen. A Brother-in-Law has the LR308 with tons of extra stuff on it... ridiculously heavy, even for a minute or two of casual shooting.

I don't understand the NY Times question, though.

The NY Times is notorious for leaving part of a quote out, that would give a different context entirely to the communication.......


But its all good...

I think if my pennies can come together...... A M&p 10 may be following me home at some point..

 

[Thompson9494]

Thanks for all of your responses!

 

[The_Armed_Therapist]

The NY Times is notorious for leaving part of a quote out, that would give a different context entirely to the communication.......

Oh, OK. Like I said, I just stopped reading the comment. Wasn't intentionally doing that.

 

[fragout]

If your interested in the M1A rifle with 18in bbl and synthetic stock for $1195.00

http://www.jgsales.com/springfield-armory-m1a-bush-rifle,-308,-18-barrel,-used.-p-59294.html


Note: A police trade in..... and Springfield Armory honor's their lifetime warranty regardless of if the rifle was purchased new or used, plus the better customer service in the business.

5,10, and 20 round Checkmate Industry steel magazines (NIW) can be found here.....

http://www.lrbarms.com/m14accessories.html

The above is not any heavier than any other semiautomatic "MBR" chambered in the caliber your interested in.

Also.......
The rifle above is essentially a Scout model without the "scout mount", and sports a solid handguard in place of the Scout version's HG. The end product is about as light in weight as a M1A can get. ( My M1A-A1 Bush rifle weighs out at 8.3 lbs unloaded , and with GI synthetic stock /sling.)

FWIW..... I have no interests regarding any of these companies, as I simply prefer the design of the M1A/M14 to that over any of the others.

I would suggest that you get a hold of an 18inch bbl M1A and find out for yourself if you prefer it to the others. ( FAL/G3/AR/AK )

Note: You didn't mention if your plan is to add optics...but.........

Reliable optics mounts for this rifle exist, and some are extremely KISS friendly.

http://www.bassettmachine.com/

Good luck with your decision.

 

[csspecs]

Saiga and vepr rifles can be found in a lower price range. They are a different kind of rifle being stamped, but are fairly decent. Some can be fairly accurate.

But it depends on your use of them

 

[henschman]

I didn't like how they only offered them with a heavy profile barrel. I wanted a light weight rifle. I also wanted longer than a 16" barrel. I ended up buying a base DPMS Oracle .308 for $995 and getting a Criterion lightweight 18" CL barrel for it. So basically I spent the same amount of money the SIG would have cost, and got features I like a lot better.

If the M&P 10 had been out when I made my purchase, I might have gone that route. I like what I have a little bit better since it has a rifle length gas system instead of mid-length, and takes the more common DPMS pattern parts though.

If I were looking to just buy an out of the box .308 AR in today's market, I would probably go with the M&P 10.