David the Gnome
New member
I've been wanting to purchase a semi-auto rifle that was capable of long range shots and carrying enough of a punch to be equally useful in both personal defense and as a hunting rifle should either need arise. In addition to range and power I also wanted a rifle that wouldn't be prohibitively heavy. I looked a lot of different choices in several different calibers and finally selected one that met the requirements I had set for myself. These are some of the rifles I looked at and my reasons for disqualifying each of them:
AR-10, DPMS 308 (and variants)- This one I found the most intriguing on paper. Who wouldn't want an AR-15 in 308? I was almost positive this would be the rifle I would buy until I actually got to the store and held one. I couldn't believe how heavy and unwieldy this rifle felt in my hands. The short-barreled versions were at least lighter than the 20"+ versions but they were still short of lightweight and the exaggerated size of the 308 receiver made what was comfortable and maneuverable on the AR-15 into a large clunky interface that just didn't work for me. I also didn't care for the fact that all the various DPMS models I looked at had fixed stocks and metal hand guards. I also wasn't to sure about parts compatibility or the difficulty of finding parts should the need arise in the future.
HK G3, PTR-91, CETME- I've never cared much for the looks of these weapons but they've been well proven all across the globe. I looked at the PTR-91 and CETME specifically. The build quality on the PTR-91 was quite good and the build quality on the CETME was quite suspect. The price alone of the CETME made it appealing to me so I was quite interested in this one as a possible candidate. Holding this rifle in your hands you have to feel sorry for anyone who had to lug that thing around as an issued weapon, it is HEAVY. The controls on the gun were very clunky and awkward to use. It took a tremendous amount of effort to pull back the charging handle and I just didn't like the sounds it made when I did so. The PTR-91 was much better about this but at over $1,000 I felt like there were better, lighter choices.
AR-15, S&W M&PT, Ruger SR-556- I've owned AR's before so this was a natural choice for me. I've found, however, that I don't shoot my AR's. I take them out to the range once and then they sit in the safe. I just don't find them overly enjoyable to shoot. As an emergency grab and go weapon it's very hard to argue against the AR system. It's light, accurate, parts are a dime a dozen, and ammo is easy and relatively inexpensive to get. All those good things aside, it doesn't really fit my requirement of a solid long range or hunting round. While it can get the job done in most situations, it just wasn't really what I was looking for, at least not chambered in its traditional 556/.223 cartridge.
Steyr AUG, MSAR STG-556- I was pretty excited to see the Steyr AUG being announced at this years shot show as a future product for the US. There are several companies making different versions of this rifle such as MSAR. I came very close to buying the MSAR STG-556 and probably would have if the experience at the shop had gone a little better. I loved the compactness of having a 20" barreled rifle in a package the size of a collapsed 16" M4. The controls were different but not uncomfortable and the integrated scope of the version I looked at was quite nice. Unfortunately the MSAR version does not accept AR magazines, using their own proprietary setup instead. It also has the same shortcomings of its 556/223 chambering that the AR-15 variants had. I will probably still get one on down the line but this wasn't the rifle I was looking for at this time.
Springfield Armory M1A (and variants)- I looked at a number of different M1A variants, including the standard M1A through the fancy SOCOM versions. The SOCOM versions in particular, with their 16" barrels and synthetic stocks, appealed to many of the requirements I set for this "battle rifle" I was looking for. However, I found the regular M1A to be reasonably lightweight (especially when compared with many of the other rifles I had looked at) and still capable of fulfilling my other requirements, being chambered in the much more potent 7.62/308 cartridge.
I chanced upon a M1A National Match that was in like-new condition for a price I couldn't pass up and decided to bite. Being a C&R collector I was already familiar with the M1 Garand and its manual of arms. The M1A felt like a natural progression of the Garand that I knew and loved. It actually felt considerably lighter than my Garand, at least unloaded. There was a SOCOM 16 model there as well but it just didn't feel as good to me as the M1A, and after owning a Tikka T3-Lite in 308, I was wary of the potential for abusive felt recoil out of an ultra-lightweight 308. I may still get the SOCOM some time down the road but I would like to shoot one before making that decision.
Here is a crappy indoors picture:
I hope to have it out at the range tomorrow afternoon.
AR-10, DPMS 308 (and variants)- This one I found the most intriguing on paper. Who wouldn't want an AR-15 in 308? I was almost positive this would be the rifle I would buy until I actually got to the store and held one. I couldn't believe how heavy and unwieldy this rifle felt in my hands. The short-barreled versions were at least lighter than the 20"+ versions but they were still short of lightweight and the exaggerated size of the 308 receiver made what was comfortable and maneuverable on the AR-15 into a large clunky interface that just didn't work for me. I also didn't care for the fact that all the various DPMS models I looked at had fixed stocks and metal hand guards. I also wasn't to sure about parts compatibility or the difficulty of finding parts should the need arise in the future.
HK G3, PTR-91, CETME- I've never cared much for the looks of these weapons but they've been well proven all across the globe. I looked at the PTR-91 and CETME specifically. The build quality on the PTR-91 was quite good and the build quality on the CETME was quite suspect. The price alone of the CETME made it appealing to me so I was quite interested in this one as a possible candidate. Holding this rifle in your hands you have to feel sorry for anyone who had to lug that thing around as an issued weapon, it is HEAVY. The controls on the gun were very clunky and awkward to use. It took a tremendous amount of effort to pull back the charging handle and I just didn't like the sounds it made when I did so. The PTR-91 was much better about this but at over $1,000 I felt like there were better, lighter choices.
AR-15, S&W M&PT, Ruger SR-556- I've owned AR's before so this was a natural choice for me. I've found, however, that I don't shoot my AR's. I take them out to the range once and then they sit in the safe. I just don't find them overly enjoyable to shoot. As an emergency grab and go weapon it's very hard to argue against the AR system. It's light, accurate, parts are a dime a dozen, and ammo is easy and relatively inexpensive to get. All those good things aside, it doesn't really fit my requirement of a solid long range or hunting round. While it can get the job done in most situations, it just wasn't really what I was looking for, at least not chambered in its traditional 556/.223 cartridge.
Steyr AUG, MSAR STG-556- I was pretty excited to see the Steyr AUG being announced at this years shot show as a future product for the US. There are several companies making different versions of this rifle such as MSAR. I came very close to buying the MSAR STG-556 and probably would have if the experience at the shop had gone a little better. I loved the compactness of having a 20" barreled rifle in a package the size of a collapsed 16" M4. The controls were different but not uncomfortable and the integrated scope of the version I looked at was quite nice. Unfortunately the MSAR version does not accept AR magazines, using their own proprietary setup instead. It also has the same shortcomings of its 556/223 chambering that the AR-15 variants had. I will probably still get one on down the line but this wasn't the rifle I was looking for at this time.
Springfield Armory M1A (and variants)- I looked at a number of different M1A variants, including the standard M1A through the fancy SOCOM versions. The SOCOM versions in particular, with their 16" barrels and synthetic stocks, appealed to many of the requirements I set for this "battle rifle" I was looking for. However, I found the regular M1A to be reasonably lightweight (especially when compared with many of the other rifles I had looked at) and still capable of fulfilling my other requirements, being chambered in the much more potent 7.62/308 cartridge.
I chanced upon a M1A National Match that was in like-new condition for a price I couldn't pass up and decided to bite. Being a C&R collector I was already familiar with the M1 Garand and its manual of arms. The M1A felt like a natural progression of the Garand that I knew and loved. It actually felt considerably lighter than my Garand, at least unloaded. There was a SOCOM 16 model there as well but it just didn't feel as good to me as the M1A, and after owning a Tikka T3-Lite in 308, I was wary of the potential for abusive felt recoil out of an ultra-lightweight 308. I may still get the SOCOM some time down the road but I would like to shoot one before making that decision.
Here is a crappy indoors picture:
I hope to have it out at the range tomorrow afternoon.
