Looking for gun nut advice

[fastwin]

actually, it's a BM62, only 2000 were imported.

Ooops, thought it was a class III select fire BM59.

[VisceralReaction]

Don't get me wrong. I love shooting the FAL, it's alot of fun.
BUT, I think of it more for supressive fire type of weapon.
My GI parts kit M1A on the other hand, I do Appleseed shoots with it and
regularly shoot expert with it. Just saying accuracy wise my M1A is hands and above
a better shooting rifle.

[fastwin]

Certainly no argument from me. Nothing better than a fine tuned National Match M1A, thousands of military snipers and competition shooters would agree. I don't think the original poster can go wrong with either weapon.

[WarrenJ]

I have a Socom 1 and am very happy with it.  With 165 Grain Hornady SST's, it shoots sub inch for the first 5 or so shots.  Then it opens up a bit with heat but its still way more accurate than a 16" semi auto 308 needs to be.  I have had one FAL of my own and two others that I have first hand experience with that have had no end of trouble - I know they have a great reputation but in my rather extensive personal experience, they have given me trouble.  I have seen no end of trouble with AR style 308's.  Jim Clark from Clark custom guns told me that Knight would give him rifles if he would shoot them in competition but he cannot get them to be reliably accurate enough to win with.  My friend, a Green Beret weapon specialist on an active A-team said he had 10 of the Knight super duper semi auto sniper rifles in Iraq on his last tour and all but one of them was very poor.  They have a very poor reputation with the guys that use them for real.  I would go with a Socom 1 or a Springfield Armory Scout.  I haven't shot the HK's enough to have a valid opinion about them. 

[junior varsity]

I Like Guns - Steve Lee

[Dannyboy]

Depending on your budget and exactly what it is you want to do with it, there is the FN SCAR.  A few of the guys I work with got to play with it before they retired and they loved it.  I would love one but I can't see myself paying that kind of money.

[Kopfjäger]

I Like Guns - Steve Lee

http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=33333.0

[junior varsity]

i thought it would be appropriate here too, that way we could all sing along again

[ducatiz]

Hmmmm

Wants a semi auto .308

I am partial to the M14.  Build it yourself with a double lugged bedded receiver and NM barrel and you have astonishing accuracy.

I also like a FAL.  Plenty of work has been done on them.  If you want to see what a FAL is capable of, read on this:  http://www.falfiles.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=68486

I doubt many rifle systems could deal with that abuse.

is this your only option?  one rifle?  if so, get something you can learn inside and out and have plenty of spares for (or have access to cheap spares)

I don't care for the brace of AR / Stoner style 7.62/308s that have come around.  Most are decent, I just don't think it's a great design for that round. 

If you just want something cheap that shoots that round, the Century Arms CETMEs are fun.  Finish is so so but they click and go bang just fine.  They are fun.

[VisceralReaction]

^ I was just going to comment again on a plus on the FAL.
You can abuse the hell out of them as opposed the the M14 platform.
If it gets nasty and dirty as hell in the battlefield you can crank down on the
gas system and it will keep cycling. To my knowledge building an M14/M1A is really hard
for the average person due to specialized tools needed to attach the barrel to the receiver.
Where as the FAL, that was a pretty easy build with a DRS receiver.

[angler]

Hmmmm

Wants a semi auto .308

I am partial to the M14.  Build it yourself with a double lugged bedded receiver and NM barrel and you have astonishing accuracy.

I also like a FAL.  Plenty of work has been done on them.  If you want to see what a FAL is capable of, read on this:  http://www.falfiles.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=68486

I doubt many rifle systems could deal with that abuse.

is this your only option?  one rifle?  if so, get something you can learn inside and out and have plenty of spares for (or have access to cheap spares)

I don't care for the brace of AR / Stoner style 7.62/308s that have come around.  Most are decent, I just don't think it's a great design for that round. 

If you just want something cheap that shoots that round, the Century Arms CETMEs are fun.  Finish is so so but they click and go bang just fine.  They are fun.

I'm leaning towards building an M14/M1A at the moment.

It would be the first rifle - I want something to take to the battlements when the commie landing crafts come ashore on the Potomac. Or for the zombie hoard that is coming soon.  I figure I'll need to battle my way west at some point in the future.

When I lived in AZ, shooting was a big part of my life, but I pared my collection way down when I moved east and haven't been in the sport.

I don't think it would be my only rifle moving forward, but who knows.  Why do you ask?  Do you have any other suggestions?  I would like an AR in .223 eventually, but felt the .308 would be a better first long gun.

I would build it in the match/sniper direction so that I could also use it to hunt game where semi autos are allowed. 

[ducatiz]

I built mine and had a smith do the barrel and headspace on my bolt.  That's the only part.

I've built a few FALS and yes, you only need a bench vise and a wrench to do the barrel install.  You might have to shim on a rebuilt receiver, but that's not common.  Indexing the barrel is the only tricky part.

I would not say the M14 build is that much trickier outside of that.  Have the smith do the M14 barrel and you're headspaced to go.  With the FAL, you still have to set headspace which requires some knowledge and effort (and headspace tools)

i bought a set of machined dowels for headspacing.  Used them about 5 times, but it wouldn't be cost effective for a single build.

[junior varsity]

is this your only option?  one rifle?

nobody should own only one.

[ducatiz]

nobody should own only one.

i know man, so true.

instead of these stupid bank bail outs, people should have gotten a coupon to buy a rifle.

rofl

[junior varsity]

Perhaps one per caliber. That's a more reasonable limitation (if self-imposed, or dictated by the spousal unit). But everybody should own something small and fun like a 10/22, along with several other semi-auto rifles, some double guns, a kalishnikov patterned rifle, and a bunch of other fun toys. Some modern, some classic (like a Sharps or other lever action). Unlike bikes, they don't really depreciate. Like bikes, they all have strong points and advantages in specific situations.