Suggestions on 308Winchester Semi auto

[tripleshotsplease]

i've been thinking about an m14 for some time now, but they are crazy expensive.
would love to know if there are any clones out there below $1k that would give me the same accuracy.

Suggestions?

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[Gun Mechanic]

M14 (full auto) and M1A (semi auto) knock offs around $1,000 aren't going to give you the accuracy you want. I'd go with an AR10 style platform. DPMS had a couple in your price range.

Gun Mechanic

 

[dmancornell]

PTR-91 GI's are listed on CDNN for $899.

 

[tripleshotsplease]

Anything Synthetic and not wood?
I am somewhat going for the new urban look and hopefully accurate +800yds

 

[tripleshotsplease]

PTR-91 GI's are listed on CDNN for $899.

That thing looks quite alright. anyone ever used them before?

 

[Wallygator]

What kind of accuracy are you looking for? The polytech's are the only M14/M1A under $1000, and you might get 2moa with good ammo. The AR platforms in .308 are probably the most accurate for under 1k. The PTR-91 is a good gun, put probably not as accurate as the AR-10's

 

[dustinm]

I bought the Remington R25 two years ago in .308. Its a few dollars north of 1K but you might be able to find one around your price. I love the AR platform and the .308 makes a great all around shooter gun.

 

[dmancornell]

That thing looks quite alright. anyone ever used them before?

I've put 2k rounds through mine. 2 MOA with surplus ammo. Heavy but pretty much indestructible. Topped it with a Hensoldt surplus scope: http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/SCP074-34.html

But the PTR is a stretch for for 800 yards. If you want a semi-auto for that distance and price I'd suggest the FNAR, CDNN has them for $1K.

 

[mjbskwim]

Well if you look at the catalog on their link,that FNAR 308 is pretty accurate.A friend has one that he shot sub moa at 100yds first shots from the gun.And his cost was about 1200+-(dealer)
They have them for 999
That's the one I would go with if I needed another 308

 

[H2O MAN]

M14 (full auto) and M1A (semi auto) ...

M14 (Anybody) M1A (Springfield Armory, Inc.) all being semi-auto.
Any of them can be quite accurate with quality ammo, a shimmed has system and some trigger work.
Norinco and Poly Tech M14s are still the very best value in the M14 world. forged receiver, forged 1-piece op rod, chrome lined barrel etc...
All of my M14s are custom built on Norinco and Poly Tech receivers.

Civilian NFA legal select fire versions are out there, but they cost many thousands of dollars.

 

[Ding]

Get an M1A.You can make your own ammo or get quality ammo in a box to shrink that MOA down to 1".

 

[noshis9s]

What do you want to do with it? I had the same thought a while back when looking for a 308. Then I tried one (an hk91 clone, admittedly kind of a piece of crap) and realized at any kind of real range semi auto wouldn't really be necessary, as rapid fire follow up shots with that recoil just aren't realistic. Going bolt action will cut your price tag in half and provide better accuracy out to range, probably doing everything you want it to, and still providing quick enough follow up shots with training.

 

[unklekippy]

During the Great Gun Scare Of '08, my uncle purchased a DPMS LR308 with I believe a 24" fluted barrel. At the time, I thought he was foolish and should have bought two bolt guns for the price. I went with him the first time he fired it and it changed my mind. 800 yards is an incredibly long way. Bolt or semi-auto, doping the wind on that shot is going to require a lot of practice and definitely some luck. Most people seem to keep their Polytech and Norinco M14's. They are worth every penny if you get one. As far as flat out hitting consistently at 800 yards, the DPMS LR308 will shoot as accurately as you can, especially with the longer barrel, not the 16 or 18" versions. Kip

 

[Ding]

You will need great glass on anything you get so take that into consideration when you purchase your choice.It will make all the difference on how you shoot at distances you suggest.A little experience behind the glass will get ya popping targets at distance regularly.You don't want to get a quality rifle and skimp on the glass.

 

[unklekippy]

No doubt quality glass on something like the LR308 that I mentioned is necessary. In my opinion, an M14 or M1A is best left with open sights. I want to be very clear that the open sight stance is my opinion before anyone starts getting on about the merits of optics on an M14. Scoped or open sights, the range that you are looking for will require practice and the ability to judge wind across 1/2 a mile. That will be up to you no matter which weapon you choose. When you make your choice and finally your purchase, I wish you nothing but the best in getting it dialed in at the ranges you are looking for. Good luck and keep us posted on what you decide to buy. For the record, I have no experience with the FNAR, but have heard great things for the price. That is another rifle that in my opinion would require optics. Kip

 

[OFADAN]

Triple Shot...you have not clearly defined your mission/purpose for this 308. This makes it extremely difficult to provide you with advice or guidance. However, you're getting a lot of good, no, make that great advise.

I/we are not sure if you "want to have" a M1A or you "need to have" a 308 to fulfil a mission profile. There is nothing wrong with "wanting" a rifle. But if you have something specific in mind then please let us know so we can stop beating around the bush and get specific in helping you.

Moving on...If you "just want to have a M1A" then the advice on the Poly is sound. For the money they are a good choice between one of the high end Crazy Horse or off the rack Springfield. There are plenty of mods you can do to make it a real shooter!

If you're "need to have" a 308 for a specific mission then there is some wisdom in the AR10. Because, if you're already familiar with the AR/M16 platform then the guys have given you sage advice on the DPMS for example. You've not really clearly articulated how you intend to use this 308 or what your mission is so it is a challenge to offer specific advice.

The M1A platform works well for close range out to 500 yards. Yes, it can shoot further but it's sweet spot in a DMR for example is the 25 yards to 400+.

I can tell you if you're not familiar with the M1A platform there is a fairly moderate learning curve to it and you'll need to invest in some additional tools to clean and maintain your rifle if you want take proper care of it. You cannot clean them properly from the breech so you need a muzzle guard if you're using a traditional rod or you'll need an Otis or something similar for a breech clean. Also you'll either need to make or purchase drill bits for cleaning carbon out of the gas system, and a few specialized wrenches. Now granted there are some work-arounds but I stated if you want to do this correctly/right you'll want to invest in additional tools such as some milspec grease, a greasing tool, etc.

So knowing you're wanting to go under $1K you need to understand there are tools and things you'll need beyond the purchase of the M1a. This is not one of those, shoot it and clean/maintain it with "what I already have" kinda rifles!

The M1A system is also propellant specific. The Op Rod system while robust, it is fussy in terms of the burn rate of the chosen propellant which means you have to be careful about what propellant you use if you chose to reload and these rifles are best suited for a max mass of 168 grains. Anything heavier is putting a strain on the rifle op system (this is according to my armorer's training so if you dispute this fine, I'm only reporting what Springfield taught me). I'd suggest you join one of the M14/M1A specific forums and learn all you can. This rifle is a dandy but it requires some specific learning to get up to speed...trust me on this one, I went into this years ago quite naive'.

The AR10 platform as has been stated earlier by Kip and others is a very reliable good system. The short barrel carbines are popular for a carbine specific mission with more umph than its 5.56 little brother. As Kip mentioned and I'll validate, OFA's 24" barrel LR308 with 6.5 x 20 TMR Leupold glass proved itself this last year hitting 3 consecutive rounds in a row beginning at 400 yards and continuing on out to 1200 yards. It shot right along side some high end GAP bolt rifles. While no where in the same league as a bolt, and particularly a GAP, it was able to complete the course of fire.

Anyway, lots of good advice here...I'm just encouraging you to consider what you "want or think you need" and then look at the big picture. Ammo isn't cheap on a 308 so that must be taken into consideration as well. So if you're maxed out on the price of the rifle to begin with then also tally up what ammo, reloading compoinets, & accoutrement's you'll need as well.

Dan

 

[tripleshotsplease]

Thanks everyone for their great input.

I have shot many different types of rifles, anywhere from Pistol caliber carbines to 556 in the army to 30-30 levers to 50 cal bolt action.
At the end of the day, I have come to the conclusion that 308 is the perfect universal caliber in any situation, With that said, I've been watching a lot of Zombie/Apocalypse movies and I think I wanna take one with me before I move to Idaho As long as I can do 10/10 with a decent glass at 700-800 yards i'd be happy. I like to keep it below 22" barrel since I already have a case at that length.

 

[OFADAN]

Thanks everyone for their great input.

I have shot many different types of rifles, anywhere from Pistol caliber carbines to 556 in the army to 30-30 levers to 50 cal bolt action.
At the end of the day, I have come to the conclusion that 308 is the perfect universal caliber in any situation, With that said, I've been watching a lot of Zombie/Apocalypse movies and I think I wanna take one with me before I move to Idaho As long as I can do 10/10 with a decent glass at 700-800 yards i'd be happy. I like to keep it below 22" barrel since I already have a case at that length.

Tripleshot...keep in mind while the 308 can reach out to 1200 yards the maximum effective range is actually 800 MAX and actually 500-600 is perhaps its real range in terms of real terminal ballistics. Also shooting 10/10 keeping it within 1 MOA (which is what you need at that distance) is a bit of a stretch with that platform unless you've added some mods and obviously put good glass. The key is a well trained and practiced shooter obviously, but you've got to have the system to get the job done. I started to go the M1A route as you are considering for the very purpose you stated in the quote. But I soon figured out it just wasn't going to produce these results consistantly. Yea, I know a couple guys who do it on a regular basis but their rifles are heavily mod'd and they invested a ton of time AND money to get these results.

I don't know alot about shooting and firearms and I'll be the first to admit this...but in my limited experience shooting the M1A and also shooting next to others shooting the same platform (only they had $5,000 pump into their rifles and optics) they struggled at 800 yards when the bolt guns reached it with ridicious ease keeping the hits at 1 to 1.25 MOA and the LR308 did a very good job at around 1.25 MOA. The last time I was at Thunder Ranch for their Mid Range Rifle course the two M1A's (and they were high end rifles - the optics were $3500) struggled to get consistent hits past 500. Now, I'm not saying they can't or won't but you need to understand their potential limitations for us mere mortals.

Good luck and keep us posted on your progress. I'm anxious to hear when you make your purchase and subsequent shooting and results.

 

[Mark W.]

Remington Model 740 742 or 7400 DBM feed 22" barrel not a problem cost around $400.00- 500.00 USED

Remington Model 750 in .308 22" barrel runs about 750.00 Synthetic stock and $850.00 for the pretty walnut checkered stock. Current offering. 10 rd mags run about $20-34.00 bucks on line.

Browning BAR used under 1000.00 local and as fine a rifle as you can buy in the semi auto realm.

Granted both are hunting rifles not cool tactical imitation military rifles but then they cost less shoot the same ammo the same distance and the same level of accuracy. The Remington models can use an aftermarket 10rd mag not sure about the Browning.

 

[jordanvraptor]

If money is no object I hear the SCAR Heavy is pretty nice...

I personally would get an M1A but more for nostalgia than anything else. As others have said, it costs a lot more to make a semi auto as accurate as most bolt guns. Have fun.