best 308?

[100Xkid]

I know it is a bad time to start looking for a .308 battle rifle, but!!!!
looking for opinion on what one to try to get.
I don't care for the Kel-tec BFR at all, the SCAR-H seem great but the Mags are very expensive,
the M1A is always a great choice
PTR 91
AR-10
the Sig 716 is what i am leaning towords, but mag?
Any thoughts?
Thanks
100 X

 

[42769vette]

My vote goes to the M1A. If its more of a CQB weapon my vote goes to the M1A socom

 

[gunman41mag]

You left out the F A L

 

[LarryC]

I have a Winchester Lever action .308. Like the round - also have a couple 30-06's (Garand and Eddystone bolt action) Like the Garand - great battle rifle and reasonable priced if you qualify for the CMP. I also recently built a DPMS LR-308, 22" stainless bull barrel w/Walnut furniture and Vortex 6X18 Crossfire 2 scope. So far really like the rifle. However prices are very high and availability is really limited for this type of weapon right now. You might want to look around and see (1) what is available (at any cost) and (B) what you can afford to spend (prices may really surprise you.) you might also look for the availability and price of the Magazines for the rifles you are interested in. The above may make your decision for you.

 

[IndyDave1776]

Unfortunately, for the time being, unless you are independently wealthy, you are going to be stuck with what you have in your closet/safe/sock drawer. While the attention is focused on the AR family, just try finding magazines for an M1A. The PTR91 may be a hit given that the Germans have dumped a seemingly-endless supply of magazines on the market, but even those have tripled in price (never mind that $1 to $3 is not that big of a deal). I haven't checked for a few days, so even these may have dried up. At the end of the day, buying post-panic is a losing proposition. You will need the rifle, magazines, and ammunition (just try finding that right now). We are far enough into this that I would advise waiting it out. The whole gun ban thing may blow over and the panic buyers will eventually run out of money. If you want to hedge your bets and buy anyway, even though I chose the M1A, right now for a .308, I would probably go with a G3 platform, like the PTR91 by virtue of the sheer number of mags in circulation and the comparatively low demand for them relative to the supply (which was why they were going for a buck or two when M14 magazines were going for $20. It is very important to make sure that you don't run yourself broke before you can assemble everything you need to operate and maintain the rifle.

 

[77broncoman]

+1 for the DPMS LR-308. Have one and love it. Reliable and shoots < 1 MOA groups if I do my part.

 

[mshogren]

I love my LMT MWS! Good luck finding one now though...

Mark

 

[avboiler11]

GAP 10

 

[huntall50]

I chose the FAL, check it out.

 

[flatlander]

Any La Rue.
Armalite AR10
+1 FAL
It's pretty hard to pick out what you'd like just based the little you posted. Have carried a HK, FN and M14 at times andthey are some heavy mothers and the ergonomics just aren't as good to me as the AR platform.

Bob

 

[BehindBlueI's]

I'm strongly considering buying a CMP M1. I'm down in GA now and wanted to go by the South Store in Alabama, but its closed for the holidays.

 

[sloughfoot]

An M1 Garand re-barreled in .308. Put a flash suppressor and pistol grip on it. Those and the bayonet lug will drive them crazy....

You can do this for far less cost than an M1A and clips are still widely available and at reasonable prices.

I have one in 30.06 and one in .308.

 

[100Xkid]

thanks all, gives me something to think about

 

[rhino]

My current dream rifle is the LWRC REPR. It even has the charging handle on the left side where it belongs!

A SCAR heavy would be cool too, as would a Larue .308 AR.

 

[IndyDave1776]

An M1 Garand re-barreled in .308. Put a flash suppressor and pistol grip on it. Those and the bayonet lug will drive them crazy....

You can do this for far less cost than an M1A and clips are still widely available and at reasonable prices.

I have one in 30.06 and one in .308.

How expensive and/or difficult would it be to further modify it to accept M14 mags like a BM59 and possibly a stripper clip guide on the bolt carrier like an M14?

 

[black label]

My current dream rifle is the LWRC REPR. It even has the charging handle on the left side where it belongs!

A SCAR heavy would be cool too, as would a Larue .308 AR.

I'm with rhino, get the LWRC REPR. I have one, and couldn't be happier.

 

[bcannon]

AR10 - the best user friendly platform - I have a M14 and its reliable but old technology - still very good but old - i have 3 AR10s and love them - if i were investing today I'd buy another Armalite AR10 - great shooting rifles

 

[Barry in IN]

Since my opinions haven't changed, here is a cut and paste of my long-winded response from the last time this came up. The only difference is that the mag prices given are laughable...or cryable:

I've had, or still have, the following: M1A, HK91, FAL, .308 Garand, AR-10, and FNH SCAR 17S.

M1A:
I got the M1A in 1987, a standard wood stock model. I was living NW of Chicago at the time, so the next winter I drove over to Geneseo and dropped it off for an upgrade to NM config. I shot it in NRA Highpower until maybe 1995 or 96.
I wanted a M1A from the time I knew they existed and was one happy boy the day I got it. After the first couple of years of ownership, my excitement faded. It is a neat rifle and can be accurate, but I don't think it's as great as legend makes it out to be. Never having carried one into a battle, I can't say much there, but I think there would be much handier and easier to use rifles.

I mostly used mine as a match rifle, and base most of my opinion accordingly. In that use, it works but it's mostly a compromise. It won't hold zero as well as some others or even as well as a Garand, IME (An M14 has a little more than half the recoil transferring surface area of the Garand because of changes to get the box magazine. This is one reason why the better builds use "lugged" receivers.). The sights are good but you do need to keep an eye on them and keep the rear sight pinion fairly tight to make sure they don't "self adjust. The trigger is usually good to start with and can be made better.

I found getting the most accuracy from the M1A in Highpower positions (offhand, sitting and prone) took more care and consistency than some other rifles. In other words, it was less forgiving to me. After changing to an AR (.223 or .308), I could screw up a little and still be OK but the same lapse with the M1A gave me the bad shot. And I just saw a lot more rifle trouble (broken parts, mysterious zero shifts, etc) with M1As in Highpower than bolt guns or the later ARs.
I still have mine and won't let it go, but it's from nostalgia not performance.

HK 91:
I got an HK 91 in the early 90s, after wanting one in the 80s like everyone who ever read Mel Tappan. It was neat because it was different, but that was about it. It was really reliable, even though it got filthy quickly. The accuracy was really good.

The trigger made that accuracy hard to get, though. What an awful trigger. I don't know if they still exist, but there was a place in IL called Williams Trigger Specialties who would work over an HK trigger and make it into a set trigger. I had it done, and it helped a lot, but it still wasn't that good.

People often say you can't reload brass fired from HKs, but I don't know where that comes from because you can. It looks beat to hell, though a little better with the ejection port buffer, but you can reload it. I'm still using brass in other rifles I shot in the 91 15 years ago.

I hated the ergonomics of the HK. The pistol grip felt small but the safety required giant thumbs to use well. The magazine could be released two ways, but only one worked very easily (granted, that was an adaption for the civilian 91, as the real G3 only has the better way). The bolt does not lock open on the last round if that is important to you.

Mounting an optic is a pain. I did it, using a swan clamp-on mount, but it sat so high I needed to add a riser to the stock. By the time it was done, the rifle was getting clumsy.

I thought it was the hardest recoiling .308 I ever shot.

At the time I got mine, the only source of magazines were from HK, which were not cheap. By the time I traded it off, cheap magazines were starting to show up from all the countries starting to changeover away from the G3. I don't know what they run now, but I don't know if anyone is still making new mags, so have to wonder if the price will go back up someday.

I really didn't see that the 91 did anything better than some other .308s out there, and they did it with better ergos and less recoil. Maybe if it was the only rifle I could have, I had to keep it forever, and would never have access to any cleaning or maint gear, or parts, or anything to make parts, I might go with the HK for being the most dependable and reliable. Still, I don't feel it was markedly so. I think it would take something extreme, like a case of shooting 1,000,000 rds through an FAL and 1,000,001 through an HK 91 without any maint to see it. I clean and maintain mine more often than that. I traded it off.

FAL:
I got an FAL somewhere in here. I really like them. I got rid of the FN when they got crazy valuable and kept the cheap Century L1A1 that never would be worth anything. That Century is made from parts that were simply worn out, yet it has always ran fine. I think the very fact Century can assemble a working rifle with their hack skills using worn out parts, it says something for the design.

I don't know if I can say the FAL is the best at anything, but it is usually close to the top of the list and has no big drawbacks I can find. The trigger may not be as good as an AR or Garand design, but it isn't bad (they do vary). Accuracy isn't amazing, but still pretty good. It might not be as rugged as an HK, but it sure seems good enough. Ergonomics aren't as good as an AR, but better than almost everything else to me.
About the only negative I can find is that scoping it is harder than some. It can be done, however, and it doesn't sit too incredibly high.

People usually think of them as large rifles, but a lot of people learn they feel better than they look. It's not that much longer than most others, and we are often comparing a 22" barreled FAL to other rifles that have 16" or 18" barrels. With equal barrel lengths, it fits in pretty well.
What people miss, or don't realize, is that it is a slim rifle. Mine fit in a slot-like cubbyhole of a minivan we had, where nothing short of a slim lever action could go.

Mags are out there. Even though most countries have dropped it, so many of them used it that parts are still floating around. And DSA makes parts.

I like the FAL.

AR-10:
I've only had one AR-10, an ArmaLite. Mine was one of the first AR-10(T) models, with the long, heavy, 24" barrel. As such it wasn't a direct comparison to the "infantry-type" rifles I'm listing here, but the basics are the same as more standard AR-10s.

Accuracy was of course excellent. The trigger was great. Ergonomics were just fine. Mine was pretty heavy and clumsy with the long barrel, but the shorter, lighter, barreled ones handle fine. You can buy anything under the sun to mount on it. Scoping it is no problem.

Depending on what make you get, magazines can be plentiful to...OK. My ArmaLite was probably the hardest to get mags for, because the choice was to either buy from ArmaLite or buy an M14 mag conversion from ArmaLite, but I always had plenty even during the ban. The owners of those using SR-25 mags have it made in the shade now that P-Mags are out for them and cost around $20.

The only concern I had with an AR-10 is that they were not adopted in huge numbers by countries all over the world like the FAL and G3, so we are pretty much dependent upon the current manufacturers for parts.
A similar concern is a lack of battle-proven track record. We know how the FAL, and to a lesser extent, the M14 and G3, do in wartime conditions, but it was mostly a question mark with AR-10s. Yes, places like Sudan and Portugal used some AR-10s 50 years ago, but their fighting some brushfire wars with a rifle that may not have more than a few, if any, parts in common with what's out there now doesn't directly apply. The KAC SR-25s and others in sniper use might tell us something, but they are rather special case rifles and situations.
It's probably nothing, but I always do think about the fact AR-10s don't have the direct tie like the others based on widely-issued rifles with long service records.

FNH SCAR 17S:
I've had mine for only a few months now, so can't say a lot for certain that requires long term use to know. Yet, it doesn't take a lot of use to see some things.

It's almost as ergonomic as an AR to me, and better in an area or two. I got my first AR in 1984 (I had to order it, since almost nobody stocked them then) so feel pretty comfortable with them and didn't know how I'd adapt. The SCAR's controls are nearly identical, with one big difference being that the selector moves 45 degrees instead of 90 degrees, and a longer reach to the bolt catch due to the .308 size magwell. Everything except the bolt catch is ambidextrous or, as in the case of the charging handle, changeable from one side to the other.
The forend is what feels different to me, with it being blockier than most ARs.

The charging handle is connected directly to the bolt carrier so reciprocates with it on each shot. Some have complained that this causes the charging handle to strike their hand. I haven't found it to be a problem, but I grasp the forend pretty far out. If one uses a mag well hold, they might get whacked if they let their fingertips come up high.

The trigger on mine is about like the typical AR, or maybe a little better. However, I did basically shop around and buy the one with the best trigger. I know replacement triggers for SCARs can get expensive, so it was worth it to avoid that, even if I had to buy from a place that didn't have the best price.

Recoil is easily the least of any .308 I've fired.
Noise is the greatest of any .308 I've fired.
Both are due to the combination muzzle brake/flash hider. It works.
I put the SCAR on a 10-lb scale and it weighed 7 lbs, 10 oz unloaded. For comparison, I put my 1980s 20" SP1 AR-15 (Vietnam style) on the scale and it weighed 7 lbs, 2 oz. The .308 SCAR weighed exactly a half pound more than a .223 most would consider light, and I'm not sure if the SCAR recoils any more than the AR. Whether that's from the rifle's design, or the brake, or both, I don't know.

Accuracy has been excellent. I threw a Leupold 3.5-10X scope on as a temporary scope until my 1-4X came in. The first group fired with that scope was with my handloads using Lithuanian (cheapest I can get) FMJ bullets, and five went into 1.25" with me yanking one. The other four made a 1" group.
The second group was with 168 Sierra MatchKings, and just the first load I picked from the ammo boxes. I yanked one of those too (the unfamiliar muzzle blast) but they went one inch. The other four were in 5/8". I have not duplicated that since, but have only benched it a couple of times and with the smaller scope. It's nice to know it's capable, though. I shot it at a friend's farm to 500 yards around Thanksgiving, and it was whacking the steel just fine with the 1-4X. I am more than happy with that accuracy from a .308 battle rifle.

Function has been fine, even with one magazine I converted from an FAL mag. I've mostly used military-ball-equivalent ammo, but have tried jacketed bullets from 110 to 175 grains. No malfunctions with them.
For the heck of it, I tried two cast bullet loads. One I didn't expect to function. I use it for offhand practice in the woods behind the house in other .308s: 9 grains of Red Dot and a 113 grain bullet. Hardly more than a pistol load in a rifle case. I had to hand-cycle those, but they did group OK. I also shot a cast load that I thought might stand half a chance. This one used a really heavy 218 grain cast bullet and 24 grains of Varget. That is 63% of the amount of Varget I use with FMJs. It worked. The action moved with a "shlunk-shlunk" like a steam locomotive starting up, but they all cycled and fed.

And of course it has all the gadgetry like rails, folding adjustable stock, decent iron sights, etc and so on. They are expensive, but there might be $1,000 in accessories on it.
It stats pretty clean. I pulled it apart after the first 200 rounds, and if I didn't know, I might have guessed it had a magazine through it.

It's way, way, early, but so far, I like it. Nothing I can think of is worse than any other semiauto .308 I've had. Some things are better. It's parent design SCAR-H might not have a 40 year track record to look at, but it has been in at least limited service for around eight years.

.308 Garand:
And last is an oft-overlooked one. I saw it mentioned here earlier, but I don't know if you are considering it. You should.
I may have picked on the M1A, but I like the .308 Garand. They seem to hold their zero better, the barrel is a little heavier, and one thing the Garand has over all the others listed here is no magazine sticking out in the way. A big .308 box magazine can get pretty annoying. Even though a .308 Garand weighs a little more than an M1A, I think a .308 Garand is easier to carry for long periods because of the lack of a magazine poking me.

Yeah, you only have 8 rounds compared to 20, but how many .308s do you need? A Garand can be reloaded fairly quick. Spare loaded clips take up hardly any room and can be dropped into most pockets if you had to.

I keep a Garand as a car gun. First, I like a .30 cal for that, for a couple of reasons. One is that if I need a rifle when I'm in or near my car, it's probably because someone is shooting at me from in or near another car of their own. I know a 5.56 will poke through most cars, but I'd feel better with a .308. Another reason came to me when in GA visiting the in-laws and I got invited to a deer/boar hunt at a cabin: The AR I had with me suddenly seemed small. For a general purpose rifle, which is what a car gun is, maybe a .308 is better.
And the Garand has fit better in a couple of cars we've had. The height of an AR can keep it from going in some otherwise handy car cubbyholes. Cup holders hold Garand clips just fine. And while a Garand isn't light, the car is carrying it, not me. I never know whether to give this much value, but they might not be as scary to the ignorant as black rifles.

After using the .308 Garand as a car gun for a while, I started using it in classes and 3-gun/carbine matches for the training and practice.
It doesn't handle too bad. I'm never much behind where I'd be with an AR. I get more reloading practice too!

So don't rule one out.
A good Garand from the CMP can be had for $600. A .308 barrel is $190. Contrary to what you might read elsewhere, that's all you need to make one into a .308. Even with installation costs, you would have a new barreled Garand for less than most of the other choices.
It's a reversible process too, so since they hold their value pretty well, it can go back to .30-06 for later sale or trade if wanted.

 

[onetwoonetwo]

Since my opinions haven't changed, here is a cut and paste of my long-winded response from the last time this came up. The only difference is that the mag prices given are laughable...or cryable:

I've had, or still have, the following: M1A, HK91, FAL, .308 Garand, AR-10, and FNH SCAR 17S.

M1A:
I got the M1A in 1987, a standard wood stock model. I was living NW of Chicago at the time, so the next winter I drove over to Geneseo and dropped it off for an upgrade to NM config. I shot it in NRA Highpower until maybe 1995 or 96.
I wanted a M1A from the time I knew they existed and was one happy boy the day I got it. After the first couple of years of ownership, my excitement faded. It is a neat rifle and can be accurate, but I don't think it's as great as legend makes it out to be. Never having carried one into a battle, I can't say much there, but I think there would be much handier and easier to use rifles.

I mostly used mine as a match rifle, and base most of my opinion accordingly. In that use, it works but it's mostly a compromise. It won't hold zero as well as some others or even as well as a Garand, IME (An M14 has a little more than half the recoil transferring surface area of the Garand because of changes to get the box magazine. This is one reason why the better builds use "lugged" receivers.). The sights are good but you do need to keep an eye on them and keep the rear sight pinion fairly tight to make sure they don't "self adjust. The trigger is usually good to start with and can be made better.

I found getting the most accuracy from the M1A in Highpower positions (offhand, sitting and prone) took more care and consistency than some other rifles. In other words, it was less forgiving to me. After changing to an AR (.223 or .308), I could screw up a little and still be OK but the same lapse with the M1A gave me the bad shot. And I just saw a lot more rifle trouble (broken parts, mysterious zero shifts, etc) with M1As in Highpower than bolt guns or the later ARs.
I still have mine and won't let it go, but it's from nostalgia not performance.

HK 91:
I got an HK 91 in the early 90s, after wanting one in the 80s like everyone who ever read Mel Tappan. It was neat because it was different, but that was about it. It was really reliable, even though it got filthy quickly. The accuracy was really good.

The trigger made that accuracy hard to get, though. What an awful trigger. I don't know if they still exist, but there was a place in IL called Williams Trigger Specialties who would work over an HK trigger and make it into a set trigger. I had it done, and it helped a lot, but it still wasn't that good.

People often say you can't reload brass fired from HKs, but I don't know where that comes from because you can. It looks beat to hell, though a little better with the ejection port buffer, but you can reload it. I'm still using brass in other rifles I shot in the 91 15 years ago.

I hated the ergonomics of the HK. The pistol grip felt small but the safety required giant thumbs to use well. The magazine could be released two ways, but only one worked very easily (granted, that was an adaption for the civilian 91, as the real G3 only has the better way). The bolt does not lock open on the last round if that is important to you.

Mounting an optic is a pain. I did it, using a swan clamp-on mount, but it sat so high I needed to add a riser to the stock. By the time it was done, the rifle was getting clumsy.

I thought it was the hardest recoiling .308 I ever shot.

At the time I got mine, the only source of magazines were from HK, which were not cheap. By the time I traded it off, cheap magazines were starting to show up from all the countries starting to changeover away from the G3. I don't know what they run now, but I don't know if anyone is still making new mags, so have to wonder if the price will go back up someday.

I really didn't see that the 91 did anything better than some other .308s out there, and they did it with better ergos and less recoil. Maybe if it was the only rifle I could have, I had to keep it forever, and would never have access to any cleaning or maint gear, or parts, or anything to make parts, I might go with the HK for being the most dependable and reliable. Still, I don't feel it was markedly so. I think it would take something extreme, like a case of shooting 1,000,000 rds through an FAL and 1,000,001 through an HK 91 without any maint to see it. I clean and maintain mine more often than that. I traded it off.

FAL:
I got an FAL somewhere in here. I really like them. I got rid of the FN when they got crazy valuable and kept the cheap Century L1A1 that never would be worth anything. That Century is made from parts that were simply worn out, yet it has always ran fine. I think the very fact Century can assemble a working rifle with their hack skills using worn out parts, it says something for the design.

I don't know if I can say the FAL is the best at anything, but it is usually close to the top of the list and has no big drawbacks I can find. The trigger may not be as good as an AR or Garand design, but it isn't bad (they do vary). Accuracy isn't amazing, but still pretty good. It might not be as rugged as an HK, but it sure seems good enough. Ergonomics aren't as good as an AR, but better than almost everything else to me.
About the only negative I can find is that scoping it is harder than some. It can be done, however, and it doesn't sit too incredibly high.

People usually think of them as large rifles, but a lot of people learn they feel better than they look. It's not that much longer than most others, and we are often comparing a 22" barreled FAL to other rifles that have 16" or 18" barrels. With equal barrel lengths, it fits in pretty well.
What people miss, or don't realize, is that it is a slim rifle. Mine fit in a slot-like cubbyhole of a minivan we had, where nothing short of a slim lever action could go.

Mags are out there. Even though most countries have dropped it, so many of them used it that parts are still floating around. And DSA makes parts.

I like the FAL.

AR-10:
I've only had one AR-10, an ArmaLite. Mine was one of the first AR-10(T) models, with the long, heavy, 24" barrel. As such it wasn't a direct comparison to the "infantry-type" rifles I'm listing here, but the basics are the same as more standard AR-10s.

Accuracy was of course excellent. The trigger was great. Ergonomics were just fine. Mine was pretty heavy and clumsy with the long barrel, but the shorter, lighter, barreled ones handle fine. You can buy anything under the sun to mount on it. Scoping it is no problem.

Depending on what make you get, magazines can be plentiful to...OK. My ArmaLite was probably the hardest to get mags for, because the choice was to either buy from ArmaLite or buy an M14 mag conversion from ArmaLite, but I always had plenty even during the ban. The owners of those using SR-25 mags have it made in the shade now that P-Mags are out for them and cost around $20.

The only concern I had with an AR-10 is that they were not adopted in huge numbers by countries all over the world like the FAL and G3, so we are pretty much dependent upon the current manufacturers for parts.
A similar concern is a lack of battle-proven track record. We know how the FAL, and to a lesser extent, the M14 and G3, do in wartime conditions, but it was mostly a question mark with AR-10s. Yes, places like Sudan and Portugal used some AR-10s 50 years ago, but their fighting some brushfire wars with a rifle that may not have more than a few, if any, parts in common with what's out there now doesn't directly apply. The KAC SR-25s and others in sniper use might tell us something, but they are rather special case rifles and situations.
It's probably nothing, but I always do think about the fact AR-10s don't have the direct tie like the others based on widely-issued rifles with long service records.

FNH SCAR 17S:
I've had mine for only a few months now, so can't say a lot for certain that requires long term use to know. Yet, it doesn't take a lot of use to see some things.

It's almost as ergonomic as an AR to me, and better in an area or two. I got my first AR in 1984 (I had to order it, since almost nobody stocked them then) so feel pretty comfortable with them and didn't know how I'd adapt. The SCAR's controls are nearly identical, with one big difference being that the selector moves 45 degrees instead of 90 degrees, and a longer reach to the bolt catch due to the .308 size magwell. Everything except the bolt catch is ambidextrous or, as in the case of the charging handle, changeable from one side to the other.
The forend is what feels different to me, with it being blockier than most ARs.

The charging handle is connected directly to the bolt carrier so reciprocates with it on each shot. Some have complained that this causes the charging handle to strike their hand. I haven't found it to be a problem, but I grasp the forend pretty far out. If one uses a mag well hold, they might get whacked if they let their fingertips come up high.

The trigger on mine is about like the typical AR, or maybe a little better. However, I did basically shop around and buy the one with the best trigger. I know replacement triggers for SCARs can get expensive, so it was worth it to avoid that, even if I had to buy from a place that didn't have the best price.

Recoil is easily the least of any .308 I've fired.
Noise is the greatest of any .308 I've fired.
Both are due to the combination muzzle brake/flash hider. It works.
I put the SCAR on a 10-lb scale and it weighed 7 lbs, 10 oz unloaded. For comparison, I put my 1980s 20" SP1 AR-15 (Vietnam style) on the scale and it weighed 7 lbs, 2 oz. The .308 SCAR weighed exactly a half pound more than a .223 most would consider light, and I'm not sure if the SCAR recoils any more than the AR. Whether that's from the rifle's design, or the brake, or both, I don't know.

Accuracy has been excellent. I threw a Leupold 3.5-10X scope on as a temporary scope until my 1-4X came in. The first group fired with that scope was with my handloads using Lithuanian (cheapest I can get) FMJ bullets, and five went into 1.25" with me yanking one. The other four made a 1" group.
The second group was with 168 Sierra MatchKings, and just the first load I picked from the ammo boxes. I yanked one of those too (the unfamiliar muzzle blast) but they went one inch. The other four were in 5/8". I have not duplicated that since, but have only benched it a couple of times and with the smaller scope. It's nice to know it's capable, though. I shot it at a friend's farm to 500 yards around Thanksgiving, and it was whacking the steel just fine with the 1-4X. I am more than happy with that accuracy from a .308 battle rifle.

Function has been fine, even with one magazine I converted from an FAL mag. I've mostly used military-ball-equivalent ammo, but have tried jacketed bullets from 110 to 175 grains. No malfunctions with them.
For the heck of it, I tried two cast bullet loads. One I didn't expect to function. I use it for offhand practice in the woods behind the house in other .308s: 9 grains of Red Dot and a 113 grain bullet. Hardly more than a pistol load in a rifle case. I had to hand-cycle those, but they did group OK. I also shot a cast load that I thought might stand half a chance. This one used a really heavy 218 grain cast bullet and 24 grains of Varget. That is 63% of the amount of Varget I use with FMJs. It worked. The action moved with a "shlunk-shlunk" like a steam locomotive starting up, but they all cycled and fed.

And of course it has all the gadgetry like rails, folding adjustable stock, decent iron sights, etc and so on. They are expensive, but there might be $1,000 in accessories on it.
It stats pretty clean. I pulled it apart after the first 200 rounds, and if I didn't know, I might have guessed it had a magazine through it.

It's way, way, early, but so far, I like it. Nothing I can think of is worse than any other semiauto .308 I've had. Some things are better. It's parent design SCAR-H might not have a 40 year track record to look at, but it has been in at least limited service for around eight years.

.308 Garand:
And last is an oft-overlooked one. I saw it mentioned here earlier, but I don't know if you are considering it. You should.
I may have picked on the M1A, but I like the .308 Garand. They seem to hold their zero better, the barrel is a little heavier, and one thing the Garand has over all the others listed here is no magazine sticking out in the way. A big .308 box magazine can get pretty annoying. Even though a .308 Garand weighs a little more than an M1A, I think a .308 Garand is easier to carry for long periods because of the lack of a magazine poking me.

Yeah, you only have 8 rounds compared to 20, but how many .308s do you need? A Garand can be reloaded fairly quick. Spare loaded clips take up hardly any room and can be dropped into most pockets if you had to.

I keep a Garand as a car gun. First, I like a .30 cal for that, for a couple of reasons. One is that if I need a rifle when I'm in or near my car, it's probably because someone is shooting at me from in or near another car of their own. I know a 5.56 will poke through most cars, but I'd feel better with a .308. Another reason came to me when in GA visiting the in-laws and I got invited to a deer/boar hunt at a cabin: The AR I had with me suddenly seemed small. For a general purpose rifle, which is what a car gun is, maybe a .308 is better.
And the Garand has fit better in a couple of cars we've had. The height of an AR can keep it from going in some otherwise handy car cubbyholes. Cup holders hold Garand clips just fine. And while a Garand isn't light, the car is carrying it, not me. I never know whether to give this much value, but they might not be as scary to the ignorant as black rifles.

After using the .308 Garand as a car gun for a while, I started using it in classes and 3-gun/carbine matches for the training and practice.
It doesn't handle too bad. I'm never much behind where I'd be with an AR. I get more reloading practice too!

So don't rule one out.
A good Garand from the CMP can be had for $600. A .308 barrel is $190. Contrary to what you might read elsewhere, that's all you need to make one into a .308. Even with installation costs, you would have a new barreled Garand for less than most of the other choices.
It's a reversible process too, so since they hold their value pretty well, it can go back to .30-06 for later sale or trade if wanted.

excellent re post of a post! well thought out.
M1A is a good rifle, seems to eat whatever you feed it.
all of those are excellent choices.

 

[snowman]

I have a M1A socom16 and love it. I'm amazed how much the compensator reduces recoil, making it easy for follow up shots or double tapping.The shortened barrel makes it very maneuverable in tight places and it will feed anything. I like it so well, I lost interest in getting a .308 AR.