Starter .308?

[Guest HillyKarma]

Hey guys, I just turned 18 a while back, and have been saving up for a semi-auto .308 rifle, but not any one in particular.

I wanted to come here to see what you guys had to say, if you had any recommendations or anything like that.

I'm looking for something I can use at the range, but also take hunting. 

I don't mind saving for a while longer if need be.

[atlas3025]

For a starter semi 308..I would think the lower end DPMS models would be tough to beat. Though it'll be interesting to see what the PSA looks like.

[Spots]

Whats your budget? Under $1k theres a few options. CETME, low end DPMS, Saiga. Once you break the 1400-1500 mark you get into Armalite, M1A's, maybe an FAL. Id suggest a low end DPMS AR as they are gonna be the easiest to do optics on. Tapatalk ate my spelling.

[Guest HillyKarma]

For a starter semi 308..I would think the lower end DPMS models would be tough to beat. Though it'll be interesting to see what the PSA looks like.

Thanks for the recomendation, but could you direct me to the lower end models? 

Everything I'm seeing is about $1100 plus

[Guest HillyKarma]

Whats your budget? Under $1k theres a few options. CETME, low end DPMS, Saiga. Once you break the 1400-1500 mark you get into Armalite, M1A's, maybe an FAL. Id suggest a low end DPMS AR as they are gonna be the easiest to do optics on. Tapatalk ate my spelling.

I actually saw a nicer FAL for about 1000, so I was kind of considering that.

I mean, at the moment I'm sitting at about 800 bucks, but I can wait a little while to save some more if someone shows me a rifle that's just exemplary.

I was looking for an M14 style rifle for later on, possibly, as well.

[Spots]

[quote name="HillyKarma" post="1099628" timestamp="1390446705"]I actually saw a nicer FAL for about 1000, so I was kind of considering that. I mean, at the moment I'm sitting at about 800 bucks, but I can wait a little while to save some more if someone shows me a rifle that's just exemplary. I was looking for an M14 style rifle for later on, possibly, as well.[/quote] FAL's are good rifles. For $800 your probably looking for a CETME or a Saiga. I had a CETME and traded it for a Federal Ordinance M14. Search for polytech and federal Ordinance m14's and you might find one in the $1k range. A CETME is usually very reliable, though if its Century built you need to shoot it before you buy it, and look up how to check the bolt gap and make sure its good. A warning, the CETMEs are hell on brass due to the fluted chamber and they will throw it a long ways. For $800 you could buy a very nice bolt gun in .308. Have you thought a out something like the Ruger GSR? They are very nice little rifles, and about as close to a do it all as I can imagine. Tapatalk ate my spelling.

[atlas3025]

This was posted up at slick guns a few weeks ago. Deals like that pop up fairly often. I think walmart carries that model for near that price.

http://www.slickguns.com/product/dpms-lr-308-sportical-ar-10-sa-308-rem-16-191-6-pos-stk-blk-87295-free-shipping

If you want to go cheaper and stay semi auto, maybe a VEPR in 308...

http://www.slickguns.com/product/russian-vepr-rifle-308-square-back-20-12-barrel-integrated-sights-vsb308-20-02-68999-shipped

I don't have any experience with the VEPR in 308...but the 7.62x54r version is a hoot.

I am sure others will chime in.

[DangerDanJD]

The low end DPMS 308 rifles sportical/panther are pretty decent and they hold their value well. Check out www.slickguns.com for a few weeks and you can probably find a DPMS for under 900. 

[whitewolf001]

$800-900 will get you into a PTR91, CETME is only worth it for under $500 imho.

[Hershmeister]

Buy a ptr91 pistol and sbr it!

[Jonnin]

S&W M&P is a solid, fairly inexpensive starter, good experiences with their 223 led me to buy this one and so far, though I have not had it long, I like it!

[Moped]

If you want to go cheaper and stay semi auto, maybe a VEPR in 308...

http://www.slickguns.com/product/russian-vepr-rifle-308-square-back-20-12-barrel-integrated-sights-vsb308-20-02-68999-shipped

I don't have any experience with the VEPR in 308...but the 7.62x54r version is a hoot.

I am sure others will chime in.

 

 

I've always heard good things about the VEPR.  This is a rifle I would consider.  I would also recommend a Saiga.  I have one in .223 and it's a blast to shoot!!!

[wareagle]

Spots brings up a good point about bolt actions. I am a fan of .308 rifles. Right now, I only own three; SOCOM 16, FNAR and GSR. I can guarantee, the GSR will be here a LONG time. It's awesome. The SOCOM is fun but HEAVY. The FNAR is accurate, smooth, but BORING. I tried to like the FAL, PTR, CETME, AR10, but AR10 was the only one that felt like a long term keeper.

Here's a pic of my of the GSR.

[Raoul]

I kinda like the idea of a bolt action. It'll give you a chance to get a .308 at a lower price and that way you can afford some ammo. And if you like the .308 there are a whole bunch of options available to spend your money on.

[RC3]

$800-900 will get you into a PTR91, CETME is only worth it for under $500 imho.

Where is this $800 to 900 PRT 91?

[DangerDanJD]

Where is this $800 to 900 PRT 91?

 

Looks like Atlantic Firearms may have some in for 900, http://www.atlanticfirearms.com/component/virtuemart/shipping-rifles/ptr-91-gi-rifle-939-atlanticfirearms-com-detail.html?Itemid=0 . 

 

There is also a Cetme listed in the Knoxville Armslist today for 600 if you decide to go that route. http://www.armslist.com/posts/2602054/knoxville-tennessee-rifles-for-sale-trade--cetme--308

 

Personally, I still recommend a bolt action. 

[RC3]

Looks like Atlantic Firearms may have some in for 900, http://www.atlanticfirearms.com/component/virtuemart/shipping-rifles/ptr-91-gi-rifle-939-atlanticfirearms-com-detail.html?Itemid=0 . 

 

There is also a Cetme listed in the Knoxville Armslist today for 600 if you decide to go that route. http://www.armslist.com/posts/2602054/knoxville-tennessee-rifles-for-sale-trade--cetme--308

 

Personally, I still recommend a bolt action. 

URGH, If only my rear differencial hasnt broken...... Im so sad now. 

[Guest HillyKarma]

Spots brings up a good point about bolt actions. I am a fan of .308 rifles. Right now, I only own three; SOCOM 16, FNAR and GSR. I can guarantee, the GSR will be here a LONG time. It's awesome. The SOCOM is fun but HEAVY. The FNAR is accurate, smooth, but BORING. I tried to like the FAL, PTR, CETME, AR10, but AR10 was the only one that felt like a long term keeper.

Here's a pic of my of the GSR.

HNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNG

That Socom looks so sexy.

I may go for a .223 just for a little range toy, since I've noticed a lot more of those being readily available.

[~48_South~]

My advice is buy the best you can buy, dont rush to buy a less quality firearm just so you can have it instantly. As a new shooter it may be hard to tell the difference between the $700 century G1 FAL and a $1800+ DSA but once the more you shoot and run your weapon the differences will become obvious and that goes for pretty much any weapon platform imo. I have owned/do own tons of semi auto 308's from $500 up to around $3000 and when I had the cheaper guns all I could think about is how fast I can sell them and upgrade to something bigger and better. If I had $800 there isnt a chance I would spend it on a semi auto 308, because I know through my personal experience there is nothing in that price range that really floats my boat or is up to my standards(NOTE:I want the non existent perfect rifle for all roles). That being said if I just had to buy something in that range it would hands down be the PTR91 not a Cetme or any of that, PTR91 is the hands down best in that category and price imo. 

 

I have had around 4 or 5 M1A's(2 socom 16,Scout,Standard,and loaded I believe) and they are kind of like 1911's to me,no matter how much I want to love them there are platforms with more features and better performance cheaper and or in the same price range so for me (personally) M1A's arent worth the price. I dont like the hit or miss aspect of the lower end models having head spacing issues and what not so I have simply avoided them altogether but even if I could find a Springfield for the same price as a PTR I would go with the PTR no questions asked. Now if a Smith,LRB,or Fulton were in the $1300-$1500 range I might own one of those but unfortunately thats not the case and even with those fine specimen of the M14 you still have the same issues with ergo's and aftermarket accessories that hinder the standard rifles.

 

FAL's I have had two FAL's one was a Century that I had some years back and it was such a POS I sold it for $100 just to get it out of my house,the other I still currently own is a 16" DSA SA58 Para and I love this rifle but then again it set me back almost $2k. If I wanted a FAL I would only buy DSA and their entry level SA58 models can be found for $1200-$1300 on Gunbroker I think. With the DSA I like the fact that Im getting all new parts and not a bunch of stuff thrown together from a parts kit,sure some if not most parts kits guns work great but my luck I would buy a $1,000 imbel receivered mutt gun with no warranty and be screwed.Easy to find and add some accessories to this rifle,quad rails,scope rails,stocks etc but doesnt have near the support of some of the other contenders.FAL trigger are typically stupid heavy and there is not a ton of aftermarket support in that department. Mags are hit or miss with this platform and I highly suggest checking out the Moses mag if you end up with an FAL.

 

AR10's-Im sketchy on the AR10 style rifles simply because there is no real standard for them, a lot of proprietary parts so on and so fourth. That being said I have owned  3 in 308,Remington R25,DPMS Recon, and a LMT MWS. Cheapest being the R25 at around $1300 if I remember right, the gun was exceptionally accurate but had a lot of hiccups FTE's FTF's etc(It should be noted a lot to me is a problem happening about every range trip,not something happening every couple of rounds),Kind of the same thing with the DPMS Recon problems here and there but not as frequent as the R25 and nothing catastrophic by any means, mostly crappy mag issues with both Im sure or they hated the particular loads I was feeding them. My LMT is a fine rifle but it comes at a cost and the way its set up currently it weighs more than my precision bolt guns(All of my AR10's were extremely heavy). I have not had the problems with the LMT that I had with the other 2, but I also run PMAGS in the LMT and I ran garbage through the others. My take on the price difference between these models is I paid a fair amount for the modular design and superb fit and all the tolerances seem really on point vs the others. A new shooter may not appreciate such things especially price considering at first,but as I said earlier from my personal experience the more you run them the more you will appreciate the fine quality of the higher end guns. Now I have heard a lot of people go with the entry level DPMS LR308 and have great success with it running the rifle in more of a precision rifle/DMR as a matter of fact Sniper Central has a pretty good review on this rifle you should check out.

 

PTR91/G3's-  I like the PTR91 a lot Im not sure it can be beat when it comes to ruggedness and reliability then throw in the price and there are no contenders imo. The PTR like the FAL falls into the battle rifle category for me which means it can withstand some extreme abuse and still goes bang when the trigger is pulled but comes with the downside of less favorable accuracy reports for the most part. There have been people that report 4moa groups with both the PTR and FAL fortunately for me both of mine shoot quite well all things considered. I probably average about 1.5moa with my PTR sometimes closer to MOA bagged from prone though it seems to be somewhat inconsistent when trying to print tight groups. As to where if you do your part the AR10 platform is highly likely to print sub MOA groups consistently yet its more prone to malfunction imo in less than ideal conditions. The PTR/G3 style rifles have probably are second to the AR10 when it comes to aftermarket support and accessories, only problem is most of it comes at a cost seeing as how a lot of accessories are HK. The magazines are stupid cheap for this rifle though,Im talking $2-$3 a mag compared to $30-$50 for the other style rifles and they can be found everywhere. One of the drawbacks to the G3 style rifles is they beat up brass pretty bad so if you are thinking about reloading down the road this rifle might not be for you and a lot of people report that the G3 style rifles have noticeably more felt recoil when compared to the others due to its 'roller delayed blowback" operation, now for me personally I cant tell any difference in the recoil between my PTR and my FAL so idk. Though recoil wasnt horrible imo to start with I now have a PWS FSC91 on it and its a delight to shoot.

 

Ultimately the choice is yours if you want some tacticool looking eye candy that you pull out and show off to friends and take to the range a handful of times per year with no real intentions of serious shooting then something cheap like a cetme wouldnt hurt,if you want more precise shooting/long distance capabilities then the AR10 platform,if you want something known for reliability but at the sacrifice of accuracy then the PTR91 or DSA FAL fits the bill. I cant really come up with a reason to pick the M14 style rifles over any of the others but I guess if you want a rifle that has a relatively long history with the US military then the M14 platforms may be for you. If you want the best of both worlds sub MOA accurate and extremely reliable weapon system then keep saving buy a Scar 17 and never look back, I use to hate this platform and it is costly but its the closest thing Ive found to the perfect semi auto rifle.

 

There are other options as stated above such as the Vepr or the Saiga unfortunately I have little knowledge or experience with either of these in 308,however all of my AK's are Arsenals(Built off Saiga's) and they are excellent firearms.

Edited January 24, 2014 by ~48_South~

[RC3]

There is also a Cetme listed in the Knoxville Armslist today for 600 if you decide to go that route. http://www.armslist.com/posts/2602054/knoxville-tennessee-rifles-for-sale-trade--cetme--308

 

This is cruelty. Even more so than before.

[DangerDanJD]

Dang that's a long post, glad I took the time to read it. Lots of good info, particularly from someone who has experience with each rifle. As someone who is always in the market for different rifles, this was really helpful. 

 

My advice is buy the best you can buy, dont rush to buy a less quality firearm just so you can have it instantly . . . 

[SmokyBaer]

Kinda hard to find but a Winchester SX-AR is the FNAR's little brother and can shoot very accurately.  From what I saw, they are 400-500 dollars cheaper than the FNAR too.  $800-900 range last time I saw one.  Maybe check GunBroker for one.

[RC3]

Saiga also makes .308 rifles. Think of them as giant ak's

[Hershmeister]

Keep an eye on CDNN's website for deals on ptr's

[whitewolf001]

Keep an eye on CDNN's website for deals on ptr's

^^^This. Though their inventory management SUCKS.