.308, What do you think is the best?

[BlazeLeeDragon]

So my brother is about to get a .308, that's the caliber he wants. He asked me if I had any thoughts but I've not done any research on the .308s so I was researching a bit online.

He was being picky at first and said it HAD to be American made, not a top loader but magazine fed. He's fine with bolt action but if it's semi-auto even better.

We went through a few rifles but I figured I'd ask opinions. What do you all consider to be the best .308 and why?

If his only requirement is mag fed and not a top loader what would you suggest?

[dflanmod]

What is the rifles intended purpose/use?

[TEA]

not a top loader but magazine fed. He's fine with bolt action but if it's semi-auto even better.

If his only requirement is mag fed and not a top loader what would you suggest?

Do you mean with a detachable box magazine as opposed to an internal magazine?

As dflanmod inquired, what is the intended purpose of the rifle? Hunting, and if so, what kind of game? SHTF? Combination of the two?

If you want a combination of the two (i.e. general purpose rifle) in semi-auto with a detachable box magazine, it is hard to beat an M14/M1A. For a general purpose bolt action rifle with a detachable box magazine, the Ruger Scout Rifle looks interesting.

DISCLAIMER - I have the former (see this thread) but have no experience with the latter.

[BlazeLeeDragon]

Do you mean with a detachable box magazine as opposed to an internal magazine?

As dflanmod inquired, what is the intended purpose of the rifle? Hunting, and if so, what kind of game? SHTF? Combination of the two?

If you want a combination of the two (i.e. general purpose rifle) in semi-auto with a detachable box magazine, it is hard to beat an M14/M1A. For a general purpose bolt action rifle with a detachable box magazine, the Ruger Scout Rifle looks interesting.

DISCLAIMER - I have the former (see this thread) but have no experience with the latter.

Yeah I suppose intended purpose makes a HUGE difference :) He wants a hunting rifle, however he also wants it as an all around SHTF kinda rifle. As far as game he didn't mention, I know he wants to be able to take down a deer with it.

He has his eye on the Scout Gunsite rifle, I think he's looked at the M1A but didn't like the price. I tried suggesting the American Rifle by ruger as well. he's still trying to narrow it down. so I figured get some insite.

[dflanmod]

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Yeah I suppose intended purpose makes a HUGE difference :) He wants a hunting rifle, however he also wants it as an all around SHTF kinda rifle. As far as game he didn't mention, I know he wants to be able to take down a deer with it.

He has his eye on the Scout Gunsite rifle, I think he's looked at the M1A but didn't like the price. I tried suggesting the American Rifle by ruger as well. he's still trying to narrow it down. so I figured get some insite.

The M1A would be ideal for the stated purpose. Hard to find a rifle as versatile as that at a low price point.


For straight hunting I might suggest the Tikka T3 Stainless.
My brother has one.
Benefits.
Light weight, great for carrying. Around 6lbs I think.
Shoots 3 rounds under an inch at 100 yards with factory ammo straight out of the box.
Adjustable trigger down to 2.5 lbs.
Detachable box magazine.
Cost around 600 dollars.
Stainless steel barrel and synthetic stock good for field use.

Cons.
Not made in US.
Light weight, kicks like a mule with heavy loads.180 grain loads suck.
Small ejection port makes single loading at the bench impractical.
Plastic stick though functional feels like shit.
No sights.
Low mag capacity.


I have the same rifle in .223 and Iove it. Use for busting coyotes and ground squirrels. Great to hunt with, not so much for shtf situation though.

[TexJohn]

There is nothing wrong with a Remington 700. Shoots straight right out of the box. They are making the 700 with detachable mags. The deal is, you need an above average (not WalMart) piece of glass on top to really get the full potential. I have an OLD 700 that cost me $375 at a pawn shop. I have a $700 Nikon mounted and it drives tacks at great distances. I also have an M1A mounted with a ridiculously priced Nightforce and it shoots even better. You truly get what you pay for.

Personally, if I were to go out and buy another .308 rifle, I would save up for an AR-10 framed weapon.

[TEA]

Another advantage of a bolt action, aside from price, is that most are a lot lighter than an M14. The main advantage of the M14 is that one can engage multiple targets more quickly than with a bolt action. One can also use the M14 in service rifle competitions, if that is a factor to consider.

[BlazeLeeDragon]

Thanks everyone for the great advice I'm going to pass this along to my brother :)

[MarJoe]

My sorries for the Nerco but the Thompson Con tenter model Ventue is now on the shelves for 499$$. The venture is everything your Brother had asked for in a 308 caliber rifle. If it is half the rifle that the T/C Icon is, he will be very happy. Joe

[wetware]

If he's willing to go bolt, I'd second the Venture. I found a ridiculous deal on a NIB Icon in .308 a few years back and couldn't find one local to handle, but I did find a Venture. Bolt felt like it was on frictionless rails and the Icon turned out to be even better once I received it. Savage was the bolt gun runner up with the Remington 700 a close third for me.

Edit: Wow, that is a necro. Hopefully his brother has a rifle by now.

[BKR]

Another advantage of a bolt action, aside from price, is that most are a lot lighter than an M14. The main advantage of the M14 is that one can engage multiple targets more quickly than with a bolt action. One can also use the M14 in service rifle competitions, if that is a factor to consider.

M14s are select fire too, right ? So extra cool. Good for use against charging deer and man eating hogzilla. The tax stamp costs a bit more, but what the hell...

I've shot a M1 Garand that was converted to .308 Win. for use in service rifle matches. Way out of price range, but one hell of a shooter.

[jnp]

This is a timely necro as I am also looking for a dual purpose hunting/SHTF .308 rifle that is box magazine fed. I would like to keep the price under $1200, but $1500 is my actual upper limit.

I prefer wood stocks, threaded barrels and iron sights, but the absence of any of these items is not necessarily a deal breaker for me.

[goodlun]

Has anyone shot the 308 in the AR platform?
You can get 308 uppers for a reasonable price.

[BKR]

I can say from experience that a .308 Win. in a short, light bolt action has a shall we say, intimidating muzzle blast and noise level. I wouldn't go under 20 inches on the barrel.

Yes, I had one, custom built for me back when I graduated from high school...1981. Synthetic stock, Remington 700 action and barrel cut to 20 inches. It weighed maybe 6 pounds loaded with a Leopold 4X fixed scope on it. Blind magazine

Anyway, I loved that rifle, but so did the assholes who broke into my house and stole it along with other items from my apartment. I killed several deer with it before the theft, though.

It was not a rifle to practice a lot with full power loads, even lighter 150 grain bullets. I downloaded for that (hand-loaded even back then).

So beware of going too short/light. If you don't practice, you won't shoot well.

[Cassius]

The Ruger Gunsite Scout is pretty hard to argue with as long as you're okay with bolt action. If you're willing to go up in price a bit (or can find a good sale), the Ruger SR 7.62 or SIG 716 would be decent choices. Alternatively, I'd absolutely suggest ordering an AR10 stripped lower and piecing the entire thing out as money becomes available.

Final suggestion: For $1500, you could easily purchase a regular AR15 + a 300 blackout upper. .300 blackout is certainly no replacement for .308, but it can do a lot of what you might want.