What is the Best .308 Battle Rifle? Something with 20 or more round clips, semi-auto, accurate, not too heavy, and reliable. I've been thinking of adding one to my arsenal. I'm considering the Armalite AR-10, a FN-FAL, and various HK-types. Am I missing any? Which is the best and why?
Best .308 Battle Rifle
- Thread starter branrot
- Start date
Although I was a die hard M1 freak for many years......I like the adjustable gas system on the FAL family. A user who is familiar with their weapon is not going to mis adjust the gas and get into any lasting trouble. With the adjustable system you can dial it to use a wide variety of special purpose ammunition.
Sam
Sam
Super VEPR / VEPR II
Sir
Do not rule out the VEPR II or the super VEPR. Info available at this site if you search for it. Or at www.ROBARM.COM.
Good Luck
The Gooch
Sir
Do not rule out the VEPR II or the super VEPR. Info available at this site if you search for it. Or at www.ROBARM.COM.
Good Luck
The Gooch
You are forgetting the M14/ M1A !!
"Accurate, not too heavy, reliable"
You are describing the HK, FAL, AR10, and M14 rifles. The only differences remaining are your preference.
I should also mention that the M14 is the only option with a traditional, non pistol gripped stock. Oh, and the others are just fugly
"Accurate, not too heavy, reliable"
You are describing the HK, FAL, AR10, and M14 rifles. The only differences remaining are your preference.
I should also mention that the M14 is the only option with a traditional, non pistol gripped stock. Oh, and the others are just fugly
Orignal not parts kit, Belgin FN FAL hands down. This is the gun of the free world, 93 nations where not wrong. The H&K is a great gun but if the Belgians whould have sold FALs to the Germans after WW2 there whould not even be a G3. The Germans had to go to the Spanish to get the CETME. The M1A is also a great gun if you like wood (wood is or tabels and chairs not guns in the 21 century) and do not mind open sight because all M1A scope mounts move. All and all you just cant beat a FN FAL but that is just 93 nations and my humble opinion
i like the ones that can put 10 rounds in a coffee can at 100 yards in 20 seconds
in other words, dang near all of them.
FALs have the cheapest magazines
~10 dollars
many of the others have 50 dollar magazines
.308 is a real reach out & touch round, and the scope mounting options are a part of the equation.
in other words, dang near all of them.
FALs have the cheapest magazines
~10 dollars
many of the others have 50 dollar magazines
.308 is a real reach out & touch round, and the scope mounting options are a part of the equation.
Good original FN-FAL. Used one in the Reserves in the mid-eighties. The guns were all but wore out, but hands down were far superior than my personl M-14. Better handling, better sights, cocking lever on the proper side, adjustable gas regulator. And in my experience more reliable and less prone to breakage than M-14's. A good AR clone in .308 would be my second choice. They have a very good mag release botton, decent safety, cocking lever that can be used by the left hand etc.
geez, ya really know how to start a fight, doncha? Hrmm.. maybe next time ya can walk into a brothel and ask which is better, blondes, brunettes, or redheads?
Hrmm.. knowing the crowd here, I expect the answer to both questions is -- get one of each! Or maybe more!
That said.. I reckon if in today's world I was to pick a .308 battle rifle solely in terms of funtionality on today's battlefield, I'd pick a FAL.
That said, I got an M14 instead. I like the history, I like the action, I like the lines of the rifle .. and it just feels good to me. PS.. just put mine in fiberglass stock -- much handier! Another nice thing is by not having a pistol grip, you get to use your "evil feature" for something useful like a flash hider, presuming we're talking post-ban..
Best answer .. handle 'em all, if possible fire and field strip 'em all, and decide for yourself. Ain't a one of 'em not going to do what you ask it to do.
-K
Hrmm.. knowing the crowd here, I expect the answer to both questions is -- get one of each! Or maybe more!
That said.. I reckon if in today's world I was to pick a .308 battle rifle solely in terms of funtionality on today's battlefield, I'd pick a FAL.
That said, I got an M14 instead. I like the history, I like the action, I like the lines of the rifle .. and it just feels good to me. PS.. just put mine in fiberglass stock -- much handier! Another nice thing is by not having a pistol grip, you get to use your "evil feature" for something useful like a flash hider, presuming we're talking post-ban..
Best answer .. handle 'em all, if possible fire and field strip 'em all, and decide for yourself. Ain't a one of 'em not going to do what you ask it to do.
-K
sleeping dog
New member
Can the CETME handle "normal" 7.62 NATO and .308 ammo? I hear "CETME" (however it's pronounced in espanol) and I think of weak ammo. That's maybe from all the bad press on the FR7 and something called a CETME round.
Is this CETME updated for new ammo pressures?
Also, CETME reminds me of Spain, which reminds me of brunettes, which reminds me of ... never mind.
Regards.
Is this CETME updated for new ammo pressures?
Also, CETME reminds me of Spain, which reminds me of brunettes, which reminds me of ... never mind.
Regards.
blackamos said it when he said get a BelgianFN FAL... but since you probably can't get one (since there really aren't that many in this country), I'd say get the M14.
I couldn't decide, so I have both.
That said; plus and minuses to both in my opinion are:
M14-
the sights! the iron sights on the 14 are probably the best iron sights on any .308 battle rifle... someone said they're better on another rifle? yeah... right.
FAL-
the mags! the $5-20 mags for the FAL allow you to stock up on 20, 30, 40 , 50+ mags without killing your bank account like the M14s $32-60 mag prices.
M14-
top lock bolt. Real easy to quick-clean anything that found it's way in, or remove jams.
FAL-
adjustable gas system. A real cool feature that allows for personal tailoring (unless you don't know how to use it).
M14-
front handguard. ~anyone who shoots enough rounds through the FAL will appreciate keeping the heat off your fingers. the FAL gets hot.
FAL-
breech cleaner. This little nugget makes the FAL easier to bench clean in my opinion.
M14-
Historical US value. Having seen use in USGI soldiers' hands, it's cool to have a 'reinactment' type weapon.
FAL- pistol grip stock. To some this doesn't matter, to some it makes all the difference. I get more of the assualt rifle 'feel' with an FAL because of the pistol grip. It's a definite cool feature.
Both rifles are tough as nails rugged as hell. Both rifles will probably equally take abuse and keep on going. Supposeably the M14 performs better in sandy conditions- I haven't found enough evidence to support this though. They're both masterpieces of engineering. I haven't shot the AR10, only held it, but it looks like a fair contender in the game. Prices start at $1000 and go up from there. Scope mounting on the AR10 looks a lot easier than either of the (not so easy to scope) rifles. And I've heard from many that the recoil is smaller/less than the M14, which I think is less than the FAL. But the AR10 mags are even steeper, -if you can believe it!
That said, get the AR-10 so you don't have to take part in these discussions later!
I couldn't decide, so I have both.
That said; plus and minuses to both in my opinion are:
M14-
the sights! the iron sights on the 14 are probably the best iron sights on any .308 battle rifle... someone said they're better on another rifle? yeah... right.
FAL-
the mags! the $5-20 mags for the FAL allow you to stock up on 20, 30, 40 , 50+ mags without killing your bank account like the M14s $32-60 mag prices.
M14-
top lock bolt. Real easy to quick-clean anything that found it's way in, or remove jams.
FAL-
adjustable gas system. A real cool feature that allows for personal tailoring (unless you don't know how to use it).
M14-
front handguard. ~anyone who shoots enough rounds through the FAL will appreciate keeping the heat off your fingers. the FAL gets hot.
FAL-
breech cleaner. This little nugget makes the FAL easier to bench clean in my opinion.
M14-
Historical US value. Having seen use in USGI soldiers' hands, it's cool to have a 'reinactment' type weapon.
FAL- pistol grip stock. To some this doesn't matter, to some it makes all the difference. I get more of the assualt rifle 'feel' with an FAL because of the pistol grip. It's a definite cool feature.
Both rifles are tough as nails rugged as hell. Both rifles will probably equally take abuse and keep on going. Supposeably the M14 performs better in sandy conditions- I haven't found enough evidence to support this though. They're both masterpieces of engineering. I haven't shot the AR10, only held it, but it looks like a fair contender in the game. Prices start at $1000 and go up from there. Scope mounting on the AR10 looks a lot easier than either of the (not so easy to scope) rifles. And I've heard from many that the recoil is smaller/less than the M14, which I think is less than the FAL. But the AR10 mags are even steeper, -if you can believe it!
That said, get the AR-10 so you don't have to take part in these discussions later!
The HK91/G3 has a fatal flaw in a main battle rifle. It does not lock open on empty. In the heat of battle are you really going to be counting rounds? Murphy says the rifle is going to go "click" at the worst possible time.
The FAL is the way to go. Ergonomically it is the fastest of all when doing a reload. It reloads very similar to an AR15: as you're reaching for a fresh mag with the left hand, the right index finger is dropping the empty. Then you reload with the left and drop the bolt release with your left thumb. The guy with the HK91 is still fumbling with his mag, and still needs to rack the bolt, while you're back in action.
Someone mentioned the FAL forward grip gets hot. No need for that -- lose the metal handguards and buy the synthetic ones from DSA. It's $50 well spent and you'll never burn your hand again.
You can't ignore the economics of tons of FAL mags being available for $5-8, while HK mags are $25+, M14 mags are $50, and AR10 mags (when you can find them) are $75+. FAL spare parts are cheap and are everywhere.
None of these rifles are precision, 1-MOA, out to 1000 yards. Anyone who says that is full of it. If you want sniper accuracy, get a bolt gun with a 26" barrel. The intended mission of a .308 MBR is to hit 2-legged critters at 500 yards with iron sights and milsurp ammo. That means the rifle has to be capable of 4 MOA. All of these (FAL, HK91, M14, AR10) will do it. (Assuming of course that the shooter is a "rifleman".) In terms of reliability, I'd say all of the mentioned rifles is roughly equal. They are all made to operate under the worst of conditions, so a good example in any should be utterly reliable.
Buy a *good* FAL, not one of those $500 Century hack jobs. A decent FAL will cost around $1000 and up. But it's something you can trust your life on.
The FAL is the way to go. Ergonomically it is the fastest of all when doing a reload. It reloads very similar to an AR15: as you're reaching for a fresh mag with the left hand, the right index finger is dropping the empty. Then you reload with the left and drop the bolt release with your left thumb. The guy with the HK91 is still fumbling with his mag, and still needs to rack the bolt, while you're back in action.
Someone mentioned the FAL forward grip gets hot. No need for that -- lose the metal handguards and buy the synthetic ones from DSA. It's $50 well spent and you'll never burn your hand again.
You can't ignore the economics of tons of FAL mags being available for $5-8, while HK mags are $25+, M14 mags are $50, and AR10 mags (when you can find them) are $75+. FAL spare parts are cheap and are everywhere.
None of these rifles are precision, 1-MOA, out to 1000 yards. Anyone who says that is full of it. If you want sniper accuracy, get a bolt gun with a 26" barrel. The intended mission of a .308 MBR is to hit 2-legged critters at 500 yards with iron sights and milsurp ammo. That means the rifle has to be capable of 4 MOA. All of these (FAL, HK91, M14, AR10) will do it. (Assuming of course that the shooter is a "rifleman".) In terms of reliability, I'd say all of the mentioned rifles is roughly equal. They are all made to operate under the worst of conditions, so a good example in any should be utterly reliable.
Buy a *good* FAL, not one of those $500 Century hack jobs. A decent FAL will cost around $1000 and up. But it's something you can trust your life on.