Which .308 platform?

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Tejasmtb

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So my obsession with the 5.56 AR craze has run it's course and now I am in search of something mid range with more energy and knock down force which has led me to the .308. I have been considering a 6.5 AR as well. I want some thing that will provide great accuracy out to 500M (not that I will be able to provide it haha) and has ease of portability and is user friendly and relaible. Here are some Platforms I have been considering.

1) M1A, most likely an 18" barrel version like the Scout, but I might be open to the Socom as well. Not sure if wood or composite is better here with the accuracy. $2000 est. W/o optics (I owned a Socom about 6 years ago and while I enjoyed the accuracy, I found it a little cumbersome in it's layout and weight)

2) FNH SCAR 17S. I hear great things about tHis gun except for the trigger. Most think they are ugly yet I love the way they look. Can't be a bad gun when so many countries use it around the world. Hard to find in the tan color. $2800 w/o optics.

3) AR-10 most likely a LaRue OBR 7.62 Optimized Battle Rifle. Nothing new to learn here from what I have been using for the past 5 years, just new magazines and more power. $2999 w/o optics.

Am I missing anything here? I am not too concerned with cost so I don't want it to play a big deciding factor in my choice. Are some easier to repair or find accessories for? Is one platform known to be more accurate? Best places to buy? Thanks for any input here, much appreciated.
 
I'm in the same spot Tejas, except for the money that is. :eek: I already have a nice NIB DSA FAL, but have been thinking about a .308 bolt action for a more accuracte "reach out and touch someone" tool. A friend of mine bought a HOWA action in stainless. Japanese made, but gaining notoriety for their quality machining and performance, and dropped it into a Axom Spec Op Stock. I think I'd rather have the Hogue over molded stock though, no more recoil than a .308 creates. I may go the other way around with the money though, and spend $600 or so on the rifle and $1000+ on the glass. This could be an interesting thread, and I would also like to hear what some of the long distance .308 sages have to say on the subject. :cool:
 
For price and accuracy, its hard to beat a bolt action. Classic choices are the Winchester 70s and Remington 700s. A newer rifle that looks nice is the Ruger Gunsite Scout. If you've already got a semiauto, you might consider a bolt.
 
I meant to add an M24 bolt action clone in there too. That Ruger is interesting that barrel length. Does anyone have any experience with that gun?
 
Tejas, I was in the same boat that you are in about a year and a half ago. I looked at building an AR platform .308, but in the end I went with a bolt gun.

My reasons for doing so were weight, portability and accuracy. I found that an AR in .308 is a pig when it comes to carrying it around and handling it. I didn't enjoy it at all.

I listed accuracy because I do believe that dollar for dollar it is easier to build an accurate bolt gun. Although I have seen some accurate ARs, bolt guns are more accurate as a general matter; although as a practical matter, you may never realize the difference in accuracy between a very accurate AR and a very accurate bolt gun.

I have also found that it is easier for me to shoot a bolt gun more accurately than an AR as well. It is easier to follow through with a bolt gun than it is with an AR. An AR has a whole lot more going on after you pull the trigger than a bolt gun does. A bolt gun is also going to have a much faster lock time.

For the price of a decked out AR, you can build a custom .308 and KNOW that it's going to shoot way under MOA.

My .308 bolt gun was built on a Remington 700 action and I have less than $1500 in it after everything was said and done, not including the scope. This rifle will hit a half inch circle at 100 yards everytime when shooting drills, as long as I'm fresh.

A friend of mine just bought a stock Remington 5r and it shoots MOA at 100 yards with cheapie Magtech bulk ammo.

Still, if an AR is what you want, go for it. You can't go wrong with the LaRue.
 
What customization needs to be done to a stock 700 to improve accuracy? Is there a company that sells an already tricked out .308 bolt gun?
 
The Ruger scout has a short barrel so you loose a lot of bullet speed. and Armalite has
match grade rifles advertised 1 moa but they are heavy. bolt guns are light but slow
to reload. I am still trying to decide as well lol
 
Remington 700 LTR in .308 with a fixed 4x or 6x scope (perhaps a Weaver or Leupold with a std. crosshair or BDC reticle), keep it around 9-10 ozs. and 10-11 inches OAL.

Affix a simple, adjustable, nylon sling. It does not have to be fancy.

Settle on a mildly accurate (1-1.5MOA) and affordable (about 65-67 cents per) surplus or bulk .308 round, chrono it, use a ballistic calulator to determine drop, then tape the drop and drift info. to the stock. Permanent marker on Tyvek works well.

Buy a Nikon Rifleman rangefinder.

Practice a lot from standing, kneeling, squatting, prone and barricade positions. Don't bother with a bipod, but a lightweight, nylon beanbag full of polystyrene beads might come in handy.

500m is a long way. You may need some 10x42 binocs to determine friendly or foe at that distance.
 
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Finally (sorry for the triple post here) for a high-end box-stock bolt gun I don't think you can beat a Sako TRG-22. About $2,800, minus mount, rings, scope, sling, brake and/or can.
 
The .308 AR's are heavy, even in carbine form. A bolt gun would be considerably lighter and possibly more accurate.

I have a NM AR10 with a Noveske 21" NM upper, amazing rifle. I just finished up a 6.5G AR build and it well out shoot the .308 at ranges past 1k yards, and it's lighter, even with it's 24" barrel.
 
If you decide you want a .308/7.62 AR, the OBR is very accurate. Factory guarantee of 5 shot groups under 1 MOA with Federal Gold Medal Match ammo. It has been used in some military sniper competitions by some winning teams.

International Sniper Competition
http://www.sniperinfo.com/forum/sho...actical-OBR-Excels-at-Intl-Sniper-Competition

I have the 5.56mm version, and while not the 7.62 it is made with the same process and standards. Its factory test target had a 5 shot group under 0.5MOA (0.479"). I have replicated that more than once, and it will stay under 1 MOA pretty well with good non-match ammo, too.

Target included with mine:
LaRueOBR556FactoryTarget2-1.jpg

I don't usually save my targets, but here's a target I shot at 100 yds with plain Black Hills 55gr ammo (six shots, with one called flier, 1" grid) on my first trip to the range with the OBR.

img474.jpg

Here's a shot on LaRue's website of a sampling of their 7.62 OBR test targets. Keep in mind they are 5 shot, not 3 shot, groups using factory match ammo, not handloads. Also, they aren't trying for the best possible group - they just verify it shoots sub-MOA before it leaves the factory. http://www.larueosr.com

OBRtargets.jpg
 
A .308 bolt gun. Remington 700 or any number of Savages. My most recent addition suits me fine, a Kimber 84M LPT equiped with the following:

Leupold 4-12 x 40 with parallax adjustment
Butler Creek flip-up covers
Warne Tactical steel rings
Mounting Solutions Plus anti-cant device (on scope tube behind back ring)
Stoney Point traget knobs
Harris 6-9 bipod
Accu-Shot monopod

The initial performance of this rifle is extremely impressive, to say the least.

img1409ju.jpg
 
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