Most popular SA 7.62x51mm rifles in the US?

[Sayeret Shaldag]

My 7.62mm Fu is weak and I was hoping I could get some insight as to the most popular SA magazine-fed 7.62x51mm NATO/ .308 Win rifles in use by the civilian market. For instance G3 would include any variants or clones like the PTR-91. FAL would include both metric and inch. AR-10 would include SR-25, MK-11 MOD 0, etc. Not sure whether there are some other popular 7.62x51mm SA platforms I am missing and am not certain whether I should consider metric and inch FALs as one group. I probably missed something important on the poll so I will have my flame suit on. :flame

 

[Nwcid]

Well only one of the best. It is even a US gun, the M14/M1A:

There were also many Garands converted, either by adapter or dedicated barrel, to .308.

Keltec has their new bullpup out.

 

[Sayeret Shaldag]

Love the M1A!!!! That is what I chose in the poll but am not sure as G3 clones and such have always been so cheap. Remember the poll is not about what the best is it is about which is most popular.

 

[944turbo]

Sometimes knowing what something is, is knowing what it is not. The AR10, even with the recent DPMS offerings, has always been pretty rare. No suplus parts (extremely few) and very few receiver sources.

I think numerically the G3 is the most popular. The HK91s sold in pretty big numbers and were the cheapest 308 back in the 80's. The Century, PTR and other clones added many to what is out there. Loads of parts kits in recent years for cheap.

Springfield has been making M1As since the 70's but never that many. LRB, Armscorp and others haven't made that many either. Parts kits have been rare and expensive.

FALs were made by Century in pretty big numbers. I can think of at least 4 custom makers that have made 1000's each. Not no mention all the ones made at home. There have been parts sets for sale for many years, down to well under $100 each. Tens of thousands of the Imbel receivers have been imported, not to mention the ones made by Coonan and DSA.

In sum, I would guess they rank from lowest to highest as;

AR10
M1A
FAL
HK and clones

Let me know when the 'which is best' conversation starts. oke

 

[mhpdblue]

M1a...hands down... I used to own four......now I just own one.....

 

[Noah Zark]

IMO and experience, the M1A and FAL would have to be the ranking contenders for popularity in the USA, followed by the CETME/G3/HK91 clones.

Noah

 

[snipertn]

IMHO

I have owned 4 M1A's and as many FAL's. I have a friend who owns an original Devine Tx. M1A. It has never failed him as mine never failed me. In my opinion I think that the M1A is the most popular 7.62X51 in the US.

 

[Sayeret Shaldag]

I probably should not have voted as I really don't have the prerequisite experience to be able to answer the question in an educated manner. Interesting feedback especially from 944turbo and Noah. How much were M1A mags. before Check Mate Industries cam on the scene?

 

[AGG]

Popularity--- G3, FAL, M1A.
Durability/Reliability/Function--- FAL (FN/Imbel/DSA), M1A, G3 (HK/SAR/CETME- MARS).

Tony

 

[prebans]

The most popular in what way? The most common? The most preferred for a specific purpose? Or..?

Mike

 

[Z06]

I like both the AR-10s & FALs…

 

[Vigilante]

Alas, I love the M1A, but I can afford a CETME a lot easier than a M1A. Mags are very cheap at around 3.00 a mag. They are light, and accurate enough for me.

 

[mhpdblue]

before the ban M1A mags were $6-$10....after that around $50.00 if memory serves me right...I didn't buy any during the ban or really after the ban either...

Checkmate has really saved the day for the recent purchasers of M1A's..

 

[944turbo]

I answered based on 'popularity' being the number of rifles in circulation. If you mean popularity by vehement supporters, the M1A wins hands down, followed by the FAL. I tend to be one of those vehement M1A supporters. I have a Smith scope mount waiting for the US Optics SN3 scope to mount on my M1A Loaded. I didn't drop that much on a scope because the rifle can't shoot......

I bought an M1A in 1989 during the Bush Import Ban hysteria. GI mags were like $20, Chinese ones $10. The Chinese ones I had were inferior quality to the GI ones, but did work. GI mags have never been plentiful and as a result not cheap. After the '94 ban $50 was a great price if you could find any. All M1A mags are not created equal. I see a number of unmarked mags that allegedly were made by Promag.

There was a cottage industry during the ban years to add a mag catch slot on M14 mags so they would work in AR10's. That drove the price up further.

I have many Checkmate M14 mags and they work great. 44mag.com has the best price (~$22). Allegedly they are current .mil issue.

AR10 mags are scarce and expensive. I paid ~$50 for new Gen 2 ones. The Gen 2's don't have the M14 tab on the back. The ones I got look suspiciously like the Checkmate M14 mags. I suspect Checkmate makes them for Armalite.

Armalite is back ordered 4 to 12 months on pretty much everything AR10. I was told that 4 months ago. I could see myself really liking an AR10 if I had more than a couple of receivers and a handful of magazines.

 

[cajun 22]

I have an AR10 and love it. With that said I voted for the M1A for a time proven weapon. I agree about the shortage of parts for the AR10 but I got mine two years ago, with the spare parts and mags, before the panic started.

Like the veteran that lives down the road tells me, you can't go wrong with a .308 however you shoot it.

 

[Sayeret Shaldag]

Yes. by 'popularity' I do mean the amount of rifles in circulation. This is all excellent information keep it coming. Much of this information about what was going on in the market during the 80s and early 90s is fascinating to me as I was still attending high school in a communist state during that time.

 

[944turbo]

The best treatment I've read on battle rifles (and others) is in Boston's Gun Bible available from fredsm14stocks.com.

For a fixed stock rifle, I like the M1A. For a folding collapsible one, I'd take an FAL para or an AR10 carbine.

Like someone else said, 308 is tough to go wrong with. I sold my AR15s, AKs and HK93 and bought 308s.

 

[prebans]

Yes. by 'popularity' I do mean the amount of rifles in circulation. This is all excellent information keep it coming. Much of this information about what was going on in the market during the 80s and early 90s is fascinating to me as I was still attending high school in a communist state during that time.

In that case, I'd say that the most popular is whatever was churned out in bulk by Century.

Mike

 

[944turbo]

Numerically the 308 battle rifles pale in comparison to the 'carbines' in 5.56 and 7.62x39. Both have their place and purpose, but some tasks are doable only by a battle rifle.

A good entry level choice into the battle rifle realm is an M1 Garand. Still available along with ammo from the CMP. Rifles start at $495. The en bloc clip isn't a huge disadvantage. I got one in 1988 for $169. It was a fine rifle and worth every penny. These won't be around forever. A fine piece of history as well. My father carried on in WW2 and used it to great effect.

 

[hkfan0866]

Here is a pic of the one i carried in Iraq.

I just got off a 15 day mission, and heading back out after just 2 days rest, man was i tired in this pic.