7.62x51 NATO | .308 Rifle Recommendations

When I first got my SCAR I popped on a TA11 and took it to the range with some LC M80. I could not get groups under 5" at 100 yards. Was pissed and almost put it on GunBroker, but picked up some match ammo (Norma or Lapua) at Cabelas in Portland. Put up a 1" group on my next outing.

Not bad with a 3.5x scope on a 16" rifle... Working on putting together some reloads that shoot that good and enjoying making brass with the M80 in the interim.

It's a good gun. If AR-10s were modular / followed an industry spec to the same extent that AR-15s do, I'd get one of those. They aren't, and I'm happy with it as my one .308.
 
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peterthefish said:
When I first got my SCAR I popped on a TA11 and took it to the range with some LC M80. I could not get groups under 5" at 100 yards. Was pissed and almost put it on GunBroker, but picked up some match ammo (Norma or Lapua) at Cabelas in Portland. Put up a 1" group on my next outing.
Click to expand...

Why does ammo make such a big difference, 1 MOA vs 5 MOA - something wrong, no?
 
Beats me. Maybe the barrel doesn't like the mild steel jacket? Maybe the FMJ vs JHP. Maybe the bullet weight vs twist rate?

I know the accuracy spec for M80 is like 2.4 MOA. Who knows...
 
I think the biggest variable is twist rate of the barrel, which inturn would make different bullet weights react differently. I guess bullet shape and jacket could effect it but maybe effect it less.. who knows..?
 
Consistency is also a hallmark of match ammo: brass, powder, bullet from one round to the next need to have low sd in order to group tightly.
 
A nice, accurate off the shelf .308 bolt gun is the SAKO TRG-22. I think it also comes in .338 Lapua and 300 WM (TRG-42). Might want to consider reloading if you want better accuracy in general.
 
peterthefish said:
Beats me. Maybe the barrel doesn't like the mild steel jacket? Maybe the FMJ vs JHP. Maybe the bullet weight vs twist rate?

I know the accuracy spec for M80 is like 2.4 MOA. Who knows...
Click to expand...

I think that would be generous..... I lost all my links when my pc crashed but I had the testing method and standards for the military small arms munitions.

The thing is they use a mean radius average for testing that really allows for some not so great ammo to get through.

Also to add just putting match grade ammo through a gun doesn't mean it will shoot great. Plus putting Crap ammo through a nice rifle won't make the ammo any better.
Unrelated fire arm but my standard RRA A2 with 1/9 NATO chamber will shoot wolf to 3-4moa that same ammo through my match rifle is horrible where talking 6moa+
 
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FWIW the weaver tactical 3-15 is awesome for thr price. It still comes in around 700 bucks but its crystal clear and built like a tank. I have one perched on top of my AR10. With noveske barrel and geissele trigger that set me back about 2k, but its a sub MOA semi-auto rifle that weighs 7.5lbs with irons, about 12 as it is setup right now.

Mike

Sent from my cell phone with a tiny keyboard and large thumbs...
 
Now that we are on the ammo topic. What is some good ammo that I can afford in bulk. Not talking the match grade stuff.... Like WWB 9mm but for a 7.62
 
bigblue said:
You still need to pair the ammo to the rifle regardless of quality and consistency.
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Exactly. The combination must be paired to work right.

The reason some stuff isn't real good is poor quality control or lax standards. M80 isn't designed for good accuracy.

ASHDUMP said:
What about federal or fiocchi?
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Just so you know, Federal runs the Lake City ammo plant, at least the last I knew they did.

As to decent, but not great (and expensive) 308, I would recommend Winchester or Federal.

Specifically, these.

They're not real cheap, but they are the right stuff.

Or, load your own is much cheaper, and can still be right.
 
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Nickle said:
Exactly. The combination must be paired to work right.

The reason some stuff isn't real good is poor quality control or lax standards. M80 isn't designed for good accuracy.



Just so you know, Federal runs the Lake City ammo plant, at least the last I knew they did.

As to decent, but not great (and expensive) 308, I would recommend Winchester or Federal.

Specifically, these.

They're not real cheap, but they are the right stuff.

Or, load your own is much cheaper, and can still be right.
Click to expand...

It's actually ATK who runs the plant but they also own
Federal Premium, Bushnell, Savage Arms, BLACKHAWK!, Primos, Final Approach, Uncle Mike's, Hoppe's, RCBS, Alliant Powder, CCI, Speer, Champion Targets, Gold Tip Arrows, Weaver Optics, Outers, Bolle, Cebe, and Serengeti. As of 2013, ATK’s sporting business accounted for nearly 45 percent of the company’s revenue.
They also spun off into another company this year. Xxx outdoors or some shit. So if it's made at lake city it's made by atk. Both military and commercial.
 
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Looked it up, and found I was wrong on the dates.

Remington founded it, ran it until 1985, then Olin (Winchester) took over. ATK picked it up in 2001.

The end result is much the same.

The 7.62 ammo to buy is Remington, Winchester or Federal, with 147 or "150" grain FMJBT bullets. That's essentially M80 Ball.

There is no good cheap surplus 7.62 NATO out there any more. The countries that used battle rifles in these calibers mostly switched to 5.56 NATO for their battle rifles quite a while back.

Or, like mentioned, learn how to reload. Shoot M118LR equivalent for less than what most people pay for M80 Ball.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_City_Army_Ammunition_Plant
 

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