Posted on 11/09/2004 7:59:30 PM PST by Mulder
lol - I never get tired of that one
Tack-driving accurate, easy to operate, easy to strip and clean.
Only drawback is that rascal is HEAVY. Only took it into the woods once . . . fell back on my Ruger M-77 w/ a 4x Leupold for deer. You can hike all day up and down hill with that and not feel it.
M-14 the choice of more D boy snipers than any other. :-)
FN-FAL...Wasn't nicknamed "The Free World's Right Arm" for nothin'! Mags are cheap, parts (shoushould you ever need them, which is unlikely, are easy to find. Dependable, easy to field strip & service. Did I mention that mags are cheap? ;>)
M1As are nice but not as easily serviced in the field, mags are more expensive, accuracy on stock model not as good as a top quality Belgian FN, match model is much better but at a higher $.
AR10s...current crop not battle tested like the above and mags are big money. (Except the new Bushmaster variant which uses inexpensive FAL mags.)
I got to fondle, but not shoot, the M1A Scout. It will be my next expensive purchase, after filling out my want/need list of a few more less expensive pieces.
I keep telling myself that, but the thing that has me concerned is that the AR10s don't have nearly the following at the AR15s... Maybe there is a reason for that. The AR10s seem to have always suffered from reliability problems.
Look over at Century international arms look for Cetme/G3,metric pattern FN-FAL,& then the M1A1 from springfield armory. Also check out DSA arms for factory new FN-FALs made in the USA on FN machine tools with FN blueprints. Best overall value the FN-FAL from DSA Arms.
Springfield M1A. You will never regret it.
If all else fails, check over at ar15.com. Got whole sections devoted to AR's, AK's, and FN-FAL's. And no shortage of people willing to offer their opinion on anything.
Yeah... prices have really gone up on those. I'll probably just get the Aimpoint.
Look over at Century international arms look for Cetme/G3,metric pattern FN-FAL,& then the M1A1 from springfield armory. Also check out DSA arms for factory new FN-FALs made in the USA on FN machine tools with FN blueprints. Best overall value the FN-FAL from DSA Arms.
XM21 rules!
Supply and demand. Wait until after Iraq is over and the price should come down considerably.
M1 Garand.
Yup one great weapon. FWIW I believe it was what Shugart carried into the Battle of Mog. Anybody wants more info Google it. Tons of info out there.
You may wanna check out EOTech for a sight. For about $250, you can pick up a good one.
Springfield Armory M1A. Absolutely the finest shoulder weapon available today on the commercial market.
Shotgun and Guts, those two beget the other and vice versa.
No weapon will suffice the unwilling or the timid.
TT
M14. What a honey!
I have no idea what the design specs were on the AR-10, but I do know that the basic system design depends on a specific weight projectile traveling at a specific velocity in order to make the whole thing function properly.
I have no proof, but I suspect the majority of the reliability problems with the AR10 series is that folks are putting lots of different bullet weights at lots of different velocities through them and expecting reliable functioning. That's just not going to happen.
The other major drawback I see to the AR10 is that mags and spare parts are scarcer and more expensive than hens teeth.
You said you wanted a decent battle rifle in your original post. Now the AR10 is a well built rifle, but I don't think it's quite graduated to the status of a 'battle rifle' if you know what I mean.
The FN and the M1A are both field tested and proven designs that have functioned all over the world under the most extreme conditions. Both of them are still killing the enemies of freedom. It's hard to argue with that.
If you're really looking for a battle rifle, I'd confine my search to the above types and scratch the AR10 types off my list. Yea, they're cool but they just haven't 'seen the elephant'.
As I said before, this is just my opinion and your mileage may vary.
L
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