Auto loading .308 that doesn't kinda suck?

[two70]

Anyone have experience with the IWI guns? Either Galil 7.62 or Tavor 7?

I have shot my Galil in 7.62 yet but it is very well built and lighter than expected. My Tavor 7 is my favorite semi auto .308 that I've shot including a DD. It is heavy though and not as accurate as other sa .308s. The trigger is not bad at all, especially for a bullpup, and it is very soft shooting. The DD is nice and very accurate but I depending on the intended use, I'd likely sell it long before the Tavor.

Depending on his preferences and uses (not to mention budget) for it there are some other options not yet mentioned. The first is the Zastava .308 AK. It is likely not as nice as the Galil but it's also cheaper by several hundred dollars. At the upper end of the price range is the DT MDRX, while more expensive than others it does have the nice feature of being convertible to other calibers, even 5.56. Lastly, in the non-tactical realm, is the Benelli R1. Capacity is limited but it's a nice rifle, fairly reasonable on price, and IMO a great choice if capacity is not a concern.

 

[JR2010]

Hey INGO! I haven't posted in a while but I've been perfecting my lurking skills. Seems we've lost some good people.... sad to see. CM was a friend and I didn't know BT personally but enjoyed his posts. RIP guys.


MAC posted a video the other day about why AR-10s kinda suck. My brother has expressed interest in getting into an AR-10 despite my best efforts to talk him out of it (I just don't think he realizes how big of a can of worms AR-10s can be) I haven't shown him MAC's video yet but he lays it out pretty well. How no two AR-10s are alike and it can be very hard to make one reliable. So it got me thinking. What auto loading (AR-10s and others) are out there that don't kinda suck. I'm not sure his budget but what does INGO think about 30 caliber auto loaders?

My list in no particular order:

IWI Galil 7.62
IWI Tavor 7
LMT MARS-H
DD5 V3
NEMO XO
M1A

The most affordable are probably the M1A and DD5. My personal suggestion would be the LMT MARS-H as I have personal experience with LMT products. I own 3 now and I blame INGO entirely for it lol. No real opinions on the IWI guns and the Gali seems hard to find reviews on. T7 seems well reviewed. The real off the wall one is the NEMO and I can't seem to find anything about them anywhere which is good in a way but bad also.

Hard No to PTR and DSArms. To many horror stories.

What say INGO?

I have a Palmetto that shoots and functions perfectly! Worked great right out of the box. I stick to name brand ammo and have had no reliability issues. My only problem with the rifle is feeding it is too friggin expensive...

 

[Robert Richardson]

Their is a video of a guy that took a Aero Precision AR-10 and ran it without lubricant until it stopped. It went farther than I expected it to.

I don't know why anyone would run any AR without lubricant in the first place, or any firearm. It's a tool it builds up heat from friction without lubricant it will fail eventually.

It's called stupidity.

 

[Robert Richardson]

If you want to punch holes in paper, get the M1A.
Want a battle rifle, get a FAL.
I have both, I enjoy the short barrel FALs over the standard 21". 2K will get you a nice one. Granted, the best ones out there are the ones with the Imbel reciever. DSA does make a good one if you do have an issue, it does have a lifetime warranty. If you take the time and look, still plenty of surplus 7.62x51mm ammo out there.
Here is a Imbel build that I know of for sale. Under 2K

 

[Bluehazemay]

My Vote would be for the Sig 716i - has been wonderful to shoot and no issues so far. Price range is decent and will give your brother something he could enjoy and trade down the road.

 

[Hookeye]

Ive shot a few factory FALs and some done from kits. They all ran fine. None were cheapies.

You can piece together a rig, if you have good parts. But what are " good parts" ?

Had a Steyr lower that put rear sight over a bit when zeroed. Minty lower. Had a new Belgian lower too, it put the rear dead center. Sucked as I wanted an STG clone..

But I went with what worked and LOOKED best ( rear sights not centered upsets me ).

Upper? Reportedly the old DSA forged were their best. Think new forged stripped are $600.

Reportedly Argy shoot best. Pops had a minty one and indeed, it shot very well.

Kicking myself I didnt snag one when he sold em (had two).

Had three unfired Belgian. Last one sold a couple yrs ago was about $7k.

Well beyond my budget. Im a shooter, not a collector.

 

[Hookeye]

I dont care for the ergonomics of the M1A. Much prefer the FAL. But they suck for mounting optics. Nothing is ever perfect LOL.

Dont care for the battle.sight of the FAL, the tombstone rear and wide post front.
Think the DSA A2 style rear is a good upgrade. Still need a thinner front post, may have to work one down.

 

[Hookeye]

AR10s are heavy but optics mount easy.
And they seem to shoot well. And you can just swap out a barrel if it doesnt.

But they look like an AR15 LOL

FWIW i kinda wanted the HK 770, a sporter auto when I was a kid.

 

[Sgt7330]

All auto-loading .308’s kinda suck because they are expensive to feed! That said, my only experience is building a Fulton Armory M14 barreled receiver with USGI parts. It’s nice, but all depends what a person wants to do.

 

[Colt556]

I’m an M1A guy. I have had and shot HK, AR10, FAL and Cetme and always go back to the M1A. It just fits me and being a boomer it’s a rifle of my time. I just got my SA Super Match back from Ron Smith of Smith Enterprises after it was glass bedded into a McMillan stock and had his Warrior gas system installed. He said it shot under an 1” at 100 yards with open sights and several shots were touching.
I also have a Squad and a Loaded and they both shoot well too. Looking for a SOCOM but haven’t found the right one yet.
The M1A is a proven platform and is still used by certain units in our military and used in High Power matches across the country. Parts are plentiful and there are a variety of stock options and other accessories.
I love the look of the M1A in a nice walnut stock. I have one in a VLTOR stock and another in a camouflage USGI fiberglass stock but the ones in the walnut always look the best to me. Just like my M1s.

 

[teddy12b]

For autoloading 308's I've owned two DPMS 308B's and I found them both to be surprisingly accurate, and the second one wasn't quite as reliable as the first. DPMS has been bought and sold since then so the same gun today wouldn't necessarily be apples to apples.

I've owned a PSA 308 that was utter garbage and I would not recommend it at all to anyone.

Lastly, I had an M1A scout that's one of my biggest regrets of ever selling. The weight of it isn't bad for a 308, the sights are as good as it gets, and the burris 2-7x with ballistic reticle makes it an easy no brainer gun for distance. The one I had wasn't a match rifle, but it was more than accurate for any kind of big game hunt I'd ever do. Currently shopping for a replacement M1A scout, and springfield now has their "Firstline" discount for veterans and first responders which still doesn't make up for their mishap in Illinois a few years back, but it's a good first step.

 

[Robert Richardson]

Ive shot a few factory FALs and some done from kits. They all ran fine. None were cheapies.

You can piece together a rig, if you have good parts. But what are " good parts" ?

Had a Steyr lower that put rear sight over a bit when zeroed. Minty lower. Had a new Belgian lower too, it put the rear dead center. Sucked as I wanted an STG clone..

But I went with what worked and LOOKED best ( rear sights not centered upsets me ).

Upper? Reportedly the old DSA forged were their best. Think new forged stripped are $600.

Reportedly Argy shoot best. Pops had a minty one and indeed, it shot very well.

Kicking myself I didnt snag one when he sold em (had two).

Had three unfired Belgian. Last one sold a couple yrs ago was about $7k.

Well beyond my budget. Im a shooter, not a collector.

Granted the sights aren't the best. Problem with the rear sight running to one side is due to whoever mounted the barrel, they either undertimed or overtimed it, easily corrected.
The " best " parts are the NOS parts or the hood used ones. Nothing wrong with the DSA parts either.
DSA forged upper receivers were made by LMT, identified by the serial number beginning with DS. FN decided a forged receiver wasn't necessary. The best receiver to build off of today is a Gear Logo Imbel, still being made in Brazil.
A guy just has to remember that the FAL is a battle rifle, not or ever will be a target rifle.
The value of these just keep going up. Prices on everything it takes to build one has skyrocketed the last year or so. Complete rifles are the way to go now. Buy once, cry once, lol.

 

[Hookeye]

One lower had rear sight left when other didnt. Same upper, so something in the lower itself. Still usable but not when ya have OCD

LOL

 

[planedriver]

Hey INGO! I haven't posted in a while but I've been perfecting my lurking skills. Seems we've lost some good people.... sad to see. CM was a friend and I didn't know BT personally but enjoyed his posts. RIP guys.


MAC posted a video the other day about why AR-10s kinda suck. My brother has expressed interest in getting into an AR-10 despite my best efforts to talk him out of it (I just don't think he realizes how big of a can of worms AR-10s can be) I haven't shown him MAC's video yet but he lays it out pretty well. How no two AR-10s are alike and it can be very hard to make one reliable. So it got me thinking. What auto loading (AR-10s and others) are out there that don't kinda suck. I'm not sure his budget but what does INGO think about 30 caliber auto loaders?

My list in no particular order:

IWI Galil 7.62
IWI Tavor 7
LMT MARS-H
DD5 V3
NEMO XO
M1A

The most affordable are probably the M1A and DD5. My personal suggestion would be the LMT MARS-H as I have personal experience with LMT products. I own 3 now and I blame INGO entirely for it lol. No real opinions on the IWI guns and the Gali seems hard to find reviews on. T7 seems well reviewed. The real off the wall one is the NEMO and I can't seem to find anything about them anywhere which is good in a way but bad also.

Hard No to PTR and DSArms. To many horror stories.

What say INGO?

Consider an fnar or the Winchester version

 

[Hookeye]

Been watching some YT boar hunting.
The Benelli sporter semi auto, and there was an odd HK........SLB?

 

[bgcatty]

I’m with the supporters of the M1A or M1 Garand in .308. Nothing like a tried and true real warhorse!

 

[kawtech87]

Consider an fnar or the Winchester version

I actually had an FNAR back when they first came out. Great rifle but disassembly for cleaning was a PITA! I only attempted it once and lost a tiny spring for the part of the operating system in my carpet. About an hour with a flash light and moving furniture I finally found it put it back together then sold the rifle soon after. Yes I followed the instructions to a T. It was by far the worst gun I've ever tried to disassemble. I won't own a rifle I can't field strip in the field.

 

[RCB]

M1A and/or FAL would be my first two stops. SCAR if you have the cash. Sometimes they don't run well to begin with, but with some tweaks they do fine. I would still rather have an FAL or M1A but they are kind of spendy now. Building your own can seem cheaper than the M1A but that usually proves to be incorrect.

Also worth noting that the only real issue you need to pay attention to is if it's a true AR10 style receiver or LR308. MOST are LR308 (if you are putting together a franken-gun). If it's a factory built rifle, then you shouldn't have any issues.

 

[planedriver]

I actually had an FNAR back when they first came out. Great rifle but disassembly for cleaning was a PITA! I only attempted it once and lost a tiny spring for the part of the operating system in my carpet. About an hour with a flash light and moving furniture I finally found it put it back together then sold the rifle soon after. Yes I followed the instructions to a T. It was by far the worst gun I've ever tried to disassemble. I won't own a rifle I can't field strip in the field.

No disagreement there.. if you can get past the price of extra mags they are tack drivers. Yep the tear down is not unlike a ruger mk pistol. Do it once and never again. Lol

 

[pinshooter45]

My one and only rifle so far in .308 is an Ishapore Enfield built in 1967. But what I want to give carful consideration to is the new Ruger SFAR. The YouTubers I follow seem to like it, so I'm going to give it a look.