I want to put a meaner bullet launcher into my safe, and I want it to be all of the things I consider my AR-15 carbine to be: utterly reliable, durable, and reasonably accurate. I'm more concerned with reliability and durability than shooting clover-leaf groups at 1,000 yards.

Some requirements: easy magazine availability, 18" or less barrel length, and a good likelihood of the platform remaining in production or spare parts remaining available for at least the next ten years.

As for price restrictions, while I'm not wanting to throw money out the window for no meaningful return, I'll put whatever is necessary into the weapon to meet my requirements. Buy once, cry once!

So, what say you all? Scar-17? An AR-10? A piston AR pattern rifle? M-1A?

What's your price range?

A SCAR-17 is great, but pricey, with expensive mags too.

M1As and some of the fancier .308 ARs are a bit cheaper at $1500-$2k.

Things like FAL-style, HK91/G3-style, or AR-10-style rifles can be more affordable, with different models available around $1k and under.

A few years ago, the big draw for FALs and was the dirt cheap surplus magazines, but that's not really the case any longer. Now you're back to paying ~$20 per mag, just like a .308 AR or M1A. But HK91/G3 rifles still have cheap surplus mags available at $5-$10 each.

Spare parts are readily available for FALs, HK91s, and M1As. Some SCAR spare parts can be tough to get. .308 AR parts are plentiful, but there's no standard pattern .308 AR, so you have to ensure you're getting parts for that specific style of .308 AR, since many parts are not interchangeable between the various models from different companies.

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:
What's your price range?

My price range is whatever it takes to get the job done, but it will take some real convincing to go beyond $4,000.

I don't mind $20 magazines. I'd rather not pay $40-$50 per magazine, but I will if I have to.


The AR-10 pattern would have been an easy choice if there was standardization. If there's a pattern within the AR-10 field that has wide enough acceptance to be a quasi standard, that might do.

quote:

Originally posted by ShneaSIG:
I'd rather not pay $40-$50 per magazine

Then that's Strike 1 against the SCAR.

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:

quote:

Originally posted by ShneaSIG:
I'd rather not pay $40-$50 per magazine

Then that's Strike 1 against the SCAR.

Sort of - I'd rather not but I will if that's what it takes.

The SCAR17 would be my 1st choice, in fact it was. Others that I considered at the time were LMT, JP Enterprises, LaRue, and GA Precision. When you get into the .308 realm, weight becomes an issue. The SCAR was the lightest and checked all the boxes for a "battle rifle".

Cry once...

FAL

I went through this 10 years ago. Bought a PTR-91 and shot it about 5 trips to the range then sold it.

If i did it again I would buy something like this.

https://www.americanrifleman.o...ponry-src-308-rifle/

I don't know about you - but i have a lot of experience with ARs it doesn't make much practical sense to go with another platform.

If you just WANT another rifle then that's another thing altogether. On the one hand variety is cool. On the other hand standardization is nice too in terms of how the rifle operates, maintenance procedures, etc.

Good luck -

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quote:

Originally posted by Sig209:
I went through this 10 years ago. Bought a PTR-91 and shot it about 5 trips to the range then sold it.

If i did it again I would buy something like this.

https://www.americanrifleman.o...ponry-src-308-rifle/

I don't know about you - but i have a lot of experience with ARs it doesn't make much practical sense to go with another platform.

If you just WANT another rifle then that's another thing altogether. On the one hand variety is cool. On the other hand standardization is nice too in terms of how the rifle operates, maintenance procedures, etc.

Good luck -

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I like ARs. I just want to be able to keep the gun running if I have a failed part in 10 years from now or whatever. The more standardized the platform, the happier I'll be. If an AR-10 pattern gun will fit my requirements, I'll snap it up and be very happy! My hesitation is that it seems like there is precious little interchangibility between AR-10s, and I perceive that as a detriment for long term parts availability.

quote:

Originally posted by ShneaSIG:
My hesitation is that it seems like there is precious little interchangibility between AR-10s, and I perceive that as a detriment for long term parts availability.

That is a legitimate concern I agree. Buy an extra bolt up front maybe??


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Just get the SCAR.

Another vote for the SCAR 17, magazines can be had now for about $32-36 per... buy a stack of them now, and not worry about it down the road! Besides the weight savings over almost everything else, it's accurate out of the box. Get it, throw a good optic on it and you'll be ringing steel at 5-600 yds in no time.

I'm gonna g down the M1A road.

Mags are plentiful...

The design is battle tested and are almost indestructible

Scar 17

If money was not a problem I would go SCAR 17 hands down.

My first thoughts based on your OP are SCAR-17 or LMT MWS as both literally are combat proven "battle rifles."

I'd probably go LMT, but I already own an LMT MRP AR15 and I like the system. Being able to have a 16" carbine battle rifle barrel and swap in a 20" 6.5 Creedmore to really reach out and touch something would be a cool option to have.

quote:

Originally posted by Strambo:
My first thoughts based on your OP are SCAR-17 or LMT MWS as both literally are combat proven "battle rifles."

Add the SR-25 to that list.

The SCAR is going to be the lightest of the three, but if you are well versed in the AR manual of arms, it may be worth it to stick to the MWS/SR-25 controls.

I really like my Daniel Defense DDV5. It is accurate, reliable, and balanced well.

I bought a real AR-10 some years back, from ArmaLite.

At the same time, I bought their spare parts pack, with springs and some of the small parts like the mag release and so on. I also bought several MacFarland ring assemblies for the bolt, and a spare bolt.

I know how to keep an AR-15 running over a long period and lots of rounds; doing the same with an AR-10 is easy. Also, a lot of the springs are interchangeable between the platforms.

The beauty of the AR platform is that it is very easy to work on, and you can do just about everything with just a couple of tools, like an action wrench.

As for the magazines, the ArmaLite Gen II mags are made of steel and will last one day past forever.

However, for you, I would suggest you get the model that have mags from Magpul as the AR-10B has been discontinued and they only make the A model now. Get the spare parts for a few dollars and have fun.

I will also say an AR in .308 is a heavy proposition. Just the nature of the beast.