I bought some 308 Winchester a little while back and have had it sitting around. I’ve always wanted a 308 and I am asking the wisdom of the people here.
You have a $1500 budget, what would you get? If you tell me to build one, I don’t know what to buy or from whom. I would need more info than “go Palmetto “. I do have experience with a M-16 but got out of the Army in ‘91 and haven’t touched one since.
Thanks
@William191 - I have always been on the KISS side of the discussion, sometimes to a fault. Not saying this is what you gotta have, but this is one I have been wanting for a bit.
Mossberg - MVP SCOUT RIFLE SCOPED COMBO. Depending on where you get it, you are looking at the $800 range. It is bolt action and takes standard AR mags. Long eye relief on the scope for super quick target acquisition. Being a bolt action, it is most definitely on the simple side. Chambered in .308 Winchester. 16.25 medium bull barrel. Scope is Vortex 2-7x32mm.
From the “Master Blaster”. 
Model 110 | Bolt Action Rifles | Savage Arms
And still have enough left to buy a good scope.
Bruno
@Bruno You rang?
First, straight out of the gate I’m going to tell you two things.
Second, you need to reload to be anywhere near precision.
Third, good guns can be had cheap(er) but not cheap.
Fourth, there is no room for substandard optics and good optics are worth 2X the cost of the rifle (to start).
You need to define “long rage” are you looking for “out to 500 yards”, “1K and in” or “1K plus”, “Mile and in” “Mile plus”?
IMHO 500 yards is where things begin to get “interesting” anything inside of that is doggone near pistol range. If you want to get your feet wet get a Savage 110 in 308 with a heavy tube, they are one of the few mfg’s that twist their tubes 10 which is the PERFECT twist for 30 cal it covers from 125 to 210 grain pills. Optics, I am seriously considering an Arken just to see if it’s worth a crap. I have scopes that range from $1K to $4K on rifles that range from $1K to $6K (The $4K scope is on a $500 .22LR that I shoot out to 300 yards. The $1K scope is on my $6K rifle that I shoot out to more than … lets just say, a bit)
Determine what you want to do. Check your check book. I promise you will sell stuff to fund this addiction if it bites you.
Cheers,
Craig6
For me I lean more towards wanting one of those scary things AR pattern types. Something that has the ability to touch at 50- 300 yards. I want for home defense and would prefer a semiautomatic, easy maintenance and can take rough handling. Seems like no matter how hard I try to be gentle I beat and bang things around. Something I can take out into the woods.
Palmetto (haha). However lots of answers there, also online. Guns&gear, MAC, WPS & many more.
Don’t mean to pop your balloon BUT…
First, low maintenance and rough handling are not the forte of the semi-auto rifle unless you really go with military grade hardware and that’s not what you are budgeted for in your stated price point. There is a reason the military runs precious few semi-auto .308 and the ones they do are specialty guns that cost multiples of thousands in the civilian market. A decent suitable scope alone for those guns will run you over $2,000.
Second a .308 is about as unsuitable as it gets for home defense, unless you are defending from a horde of zombies attacking your house out in a prairie with no neighbors for miles and you intend to keep the all way out there.
If you are not a hunter .308 is good for target shooting and that’s about it. For that, just about any commercially available heavy barrel (varmint or target contour) bolt action will do to get you started in you budget range if you’re only shooting out to 300 yards. That’s what we call easy shots distance that just about anyone can do.
If you decide to upgrade to a serious precision gun to go past 500 yards (the distance that usually separates the men from the boys) you’re in the $3,000-$10,000 range for the rifle alone.
That being said, you CAN build a pretty decent AR pattern rifle in .308 for about a $1,000 and with a $500 Vortex scope you can put a smile on your face all day long. Just don’t expect it to handle a consistent diet of “beat and bang” and stay hyper/accurate.
Sometimes bubbles are meant to be burst. One reason I am asking. I know some but not enough. I do appreciate your input and guidance. What would be your suggestions? Also I appreciate how you wrote to me. You gave me information which is what I’m looking for.
If needed I can always keep all those 308 rounds to use as barter if Bidden collapses the economy. I’m open to better solutions.
I’m not that rough. Fragile things have a tendency to broke around me. Best description would be, I’m the classic bull in a china shop. Also I don’t need hyper accurate. If I can score expert with an early ‘70s M16 in basic I figure thats about all I need.
Honestly I think I’d buy more ammo/maybe an optic or light for the rifle(s) I currently have.
I couldn’t get a semi auto .308 I trust (me, I’d want a semi) for that much, let alone optics/accessories/mags/more ammo for it.
Or I"d research from a starting point of a Savage bolt action with a fixed power scope (probably a Vortex) and use 1,500 the best way possible there
Ok, you want a semi:joy:
. That’s what I would prefer too. I already have a 270 bolt with a scope(needs to be sighted in badly). I will watch the gun sights and see what comes on sale and grab when the grabbing is good.
I got my Sub2K from them. Super easy transaction, until My Wife found out I bought another freedom seed dispenser.
Brother, I suggested the SA M1A from Classic for another reason
You may only have $1500 but you can finance the rest and get a
Hard Charging .308 w/ a Leopold scope for $3500. Low monthly
payments (by credova I believe). I got my (2) SA Hellions from them.
I put down $2000 and in (5) months paid off the other $1500.
Thanks, I’ll give it look see
Brother WillianOne-ninety-one,
BAM! Found it! Your price range, It’s a SIG ‘Tread’ in .308/ 7.62x51 $1649
MPN: R716I16BTRD | UPC: 798681622207
A lot of questions. What do you want to do with the rifle? Is it for hunting, target shooting or SHTF? Do you want to be able to reach out to 600 yards or 100 yards? If you are hunting, what is your terrain? What weather conditions? How much maintenance are you willing to do?
I asked a bunch of questions about what you what from the rifle for good reason. If you are looking for an all around rifle that will do a lot well but not a precision machine the here is my choice. A bolt action with synthetic stock and a 20" barrel. Decent quality 2-8x40 scope. You do not have to spend a lot of money to get a solid and accurate rifle. Your $1500 budget should get you a pretty good set up. Sure you can blow the whole amount or more on a scope but do you need it? Long range yes but 300 or under no.
I primarily hunted woods. A scope will let you see more than irons or a red dot. Like that deer obscured by brush at 60 yards. My closest shot was 5 yards on a deer which is why I like low power. My longest shot was 70 yards on an elk. Moose was about 25 yards in Alaska.
The primary function I was this to fulfill is when SHTF where I need to defend and I need to hunt afterwards. I don’t foresee any need to reach out past 300 yards. Right now I’m in the rolling lands of central KY but if things get really bad I think I would get back to the mountains of EKY or SWV. In all three of these places we have the full four seasons. Winter is cold and summer is hot and spring, fall are transitional. As for maintenance, I will keep it clean and functional but don’t mind a small amount of dirt. Like I said; I tend to break the less sturdy things around me without meaning to. Close a door to hard an antique flower drops to the floor and breaks, my leg hits the corner of the table and everything falls or spills, knock a coffee cup over onto the keyboard….that kind of crap.
I wouldn’t plan on hunting post SHTF. Literally even Lewis and Clark ran out of animals to hunt within foot travel range of their winter camp. With the population that exists in the US, I’m quite sure that hunting larger game for food/sustenance post STHF is just not going to be a thing. So I wouldn’t get a bolt .308 for that purpose.
And I wouldn’t get a bolt action for self defense, due to the obvious rate of fire and capacity restrictions, as well as length/wielding up close, and lack of general ability to mount defense oriented accessories (and I also don’t generally subscribe to the theory that you get to choose how far away the attacker[s] will be when you defend yourself and you’ll have time to choose the scoped bolt action when they are far away and different firearms when they are closer.
So, basically, my theory of stuff (which is worth what you’re paying for it, of course), is not to invest in a bolt action .308 for SHTF purposes. Put more money into improving/putting glass on/training with your other rifle(s) and pistols.
I own a Savage model 10 with a somewhat heavy contour barrel. She is sub-moa for me out to 300 yards if I do my part. I have a Vortex Strike Eagle 3x18 scope. The whole package around $1200 or so. For the money, it is a great rifle and uses a 10 round magazine.
I just read that Ruger is selling a new .308 AR. I believe it is called the SFAR. I think it is around $1200. It is supposed to be more like the size and weight of an AR15 than the AR10 that it is.
