Teasing myself, how much for an M1A? (Thoughts on other .308s)

I know when I was shopping for ARs CMMG basically was a name to avoid, do they still have that reputation? I'm not overly concerned with mag price either (unless they are off the wall ridiculous). Also, I do plan on getting an M1A some day, so I wouldn't mind having some M14 mags lying around. I guess I have a year to do research.

Mike
 
Well I'll chime in since you brought up AR-10s. I ended up building a .308 AR after my return from Afghanistan. I went with a lower that took DPMS/Knight Mags since I live in NH and don't have to worry about stupid laws. This allowed me to use the magpul mags which are very reliable. I put an 18" barrel with a JP freefloat forend since I don't need or like rails or extra weight. A Harris bipod went on the front attached to the JP forend. I also went with a Weaver 2-10x50 scope because of the wide variable of the scope - 5x vs. the normal 3x for scopes. I don't think you need more than 10x with the .308 and I like having a 2x magnification for short distances. It has a BDC reticle out to 500 yards which I would prefer went out to 800 but works fine for me. It ended up running around 10.5 lbs total fully loaded with the scope and bipod, if I had gone with a lighter profile barrel I probably could have gotten it down another half to one pound. Don't know if that info helps but that's what I like.
 
I would be carrying the EOTech over from the AR and throwing a magnifier behind it, and going with a 16 inch barrel. I basically want it as a replacement for the AR, and I am going to be giving that to the fiance. This isn't going to be set up as a long range tack driver, but somewhat of an M4 copy in .308.

Mike
 
The "top tier" .308 ARs from POF, LMT, KAC, Larue, Noveske, are all in the 3K+ range, at least twice what I think I would want to pay, though they certainly appear to be great rifles.

Mike
 
crazymjb said:
The "top tier" .308 ARs from POF, LMT, KAC, Larue, Noveske, are all in the 3K+ range, at least twice what I think I would want to pay, though they certainly appear to be great rifles.

Mike
Click to expand...

The DPMS .308 is actually supposed to be a very nice rifle. They (DPMS) catch a lot of crap for the QC with their 5.56 rifles, but you won't see the same complaints about their .308s.

Plus they take the new P-mags....oh wait, we live in MA..... :(
 
From what I have seen it has definitely been DPMS or Armalite. The things I like about the Armalite are the forged receivers and chrome line barrels. The ability to take pre-ban mags is nice as well. Even with a lot of people loving their .308s from DPMS they really appear to have dropped the ball with the 5.56 which makes me a little hesitant to rely on one of their rifles.

Mike
 
crazymjb said:
I know when I was shopping for ARs CMMG basically was a name to avoid, do they still have that reputation?
Click to expand...

Can't speak as an expert, as I do not own one, but I think if I wanted an other .308 semi auto gun and couldn't wait until I moved out of MA, this is probably the way I would go. The one draw back, is I don't think they have a bolt hold open, but this wouldn't be the gun I would grab if I were fighting for my life. It uses cheap pre ban mags, so I could spend a little more on an upper, maybe a Fulton Armory. You could probably come in under 2k on a build.

There is a thread on the build details in the group buy forum, I will see if I can find it.

Here it is http://www.northeastshooters.com/vbulletin/threads/117023-GROUP-BUY-THREAD-FOR-CMMG-308-G3-STRIPPED-LOWER-RECEIVES-%28ONLY-10-%29
 
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Just doing some perusing it seems like it would be about 1250 for a non-compliant Armalite shipped to an FFL. I figure its about 30 bucks for a muzzle break weld, 90 for the FSC30 so that brings my price up to about 1400 with the transfer. Unfortunately it seems like the only free float handguards are in the 300 dollar range so thats about 1800 with BUIS. Still about half the price of the competition. Maybe they'll come out with some cheaper rail options when I'm gone.

I intend this as a replacement for my AR as my "Go to" gun. The AR will be lightened a bit for the fiance as her "Go to" gun. Originally I was going to build her an SBR but the prices are similar and I like the idea of having a nice compact .308, and since you guys stomped all over my M1A dreams ;)

Mike
 
crazymjb said:
Just doing some perusing it seems like it would be about 1250 for a non-compliant Armalite shipped to an FFL. I figure its about 30 bucks for a muzzle break weld, 90 for the FSC30 so that brings my price up to about 1400 with the transfer. Unfortunately it seems like the only free float handguards are in the 300 dollar range so thats about 1800 with BUIS. Still about half the price of the competition. Maybe they'll come out with some cheaper rail options when I'm gone.

I intend this as a replacement for my AR as my "Go to" gun. The AR will be lightened a bit for the fiance as her "Go to" gun. Originally I was going to build her an SBR but the prices are similar and I like the idea of having a nice compact .308, and since you guys stomped all over my M1A dreams ;)

Mike
Click to expand...

LAR-8 takes Pre-Ban FAL mags.
 
edmorseiii said:
Well I hope I am not to late to the party. I actually have a Sage EBR'd M14. Here is a little back story.

I shopped around looking for a rifle to build, and found an older Armscorp that was in need of some work. Next, I knew I wanted an 18ish inch barrel, so I ordered a Criterion medium weight barrel and a vortex for the end of it. I sat on those parts for a while until I found the NSG (Navy Seal Grey) Sage chassis I wanted. Had a smith re barrel the receiver and then I placed it all in the Sage. I topped it with a LaRue LT608 (not on their website, but they make it specifically for the Sage) and a set of LaRue rings holding a SS 10X.

My thoughts on the gun...I need to do some friggen push ups, this thing is retardedly heavy. It is short, about as long as my M4gery, I am going to put a bi-pod on it, because that is about all it is good for, I am not an operator of any kind. It is super accurate with Fed Match 168's, more then I can notice anyways.

Was it worth it? I think so, because I wanted one. In hindsight, I could have picked up an OBR for the money I have into it and be done. [thinking]
Click to expand...

+ 1. I've shot Ed's M14.. VERY nice rifle. GREAT for a bipod shooting! That being said, I think I got a hernia from running a full mag through it offhanded, and I'd like to think I'm in decent shape. The thing is VERY heavy.. it led me away from the EBR. If I was wanting to make a tack-driver out of an M-14 it would be the way to go.. especially if you live in MA where you can get full-cap mags for it.
Another option to check out for the M1A is this:
http://www.mccannindustries.com/carbonfiberstock.htm
I have not used it, but did some research and they have been getting good reviews. I know they are on backorder, but I don't remember how far back off the top of my head. Let me know if you want the info I got from the manufacture.. I can dig it up. I personally think it is too expensive, but that is just my opinion.
 
I Like my M1A just plain ole chocolate...

M1A.jpg


M1a2.jpg


M1a3.jpg



BRASS
 
whatluck said:
If you want a rifle that looks cool, then by all means spend the $2500 to build that thing.

If you want a good .308 tack driver, than a rem 700 308 is way better suited to that purpose.
Click to expand...
+1

I LOL when I read of noobs asking if the M1A is a good "sniper" rifle.......

Yeah, if you have $3K to burn ON TOP of the rifle itself.
 
Good thing I'm not going for a tack driver with this build then. Although from what I read, the AR-10s are pretty accurate. Enough to serve their purpose anyway.

Mike
 
atmay said:
So, Ed....how do you know?
Click to expand...

edmorseiii said:
Was it worth it? I think so, because I wanted one. In hindsight, I could have picked up an OBR for the money I have into it and be done. [thinking]
Click to expand...

I had no delusions about how much it would cost, or attainable accuracy, and at the time it wasn't that big of deal, but it is super expensive to take an M14 and make it a "sniper rifle" (which I do not believe I have).
 
"Tackdriver" and "M14" don't really belong in the same sentence. You can do everything possible to squeeze accuracy out of one, but it's still going to average about MOA. AR's and bolt guns can get into the 1/2 MOA much easier.
That being said, MOA is pretty damn accurate, depending on what you think you need out of a rifle.
Mine you see me shooting back on page 4, is a Smith Enterprise M14NM I just had rebarreled. It takes M14 accuracy about as far as you can; rear-lugged, bolted and bedded to a McMillan stock, unitized gas cylinder, reamed flash-hider, match barrel, tuned trigger, NM op-rod guide, etc.. With all that, it still averages about 1" groups at 100yds, but that's all I need out of it. It's good enough to hold X-ring, and will put the rounds exactly where the front post happens to be when I pull the trigger.
 
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PatMcD said:
That being said, MOA is pretty damn accurate, depending on what you think you need out of a rifle.
Click to expand...

I'm glad you noted that. I'm probably not setting my standards high enough, but I would consider MOA worthy of the "tackdriver" moniker.
 
I just don't get the obsession with accuracy at 100 yards for people who don't ostensibly compete. I recall a phrase I heard once minute-of-felon to describe accuracy. Just about any mil-surplus rifle will get you minute-of-felon accuracy and we should be ok with that. Most firearms are more accurate than the people using them.
 
Smash05 said:
I just don't get the obsession with accuracy at 100 yards for people who don't ostensibly compete. I recall a phrase I heard once minute-of-felon to describe accuracy. Just about any mil-surplus rifle will get you minute-of-felon accuracy and we should be ok with that. Most firearms are more accurate than the people using them.
Click to expand...
What was it that [strike]Cooper[/strike] Townsend Whelen said? "Only accurate rifles are interesting." [wink]

ETA: I have been corrected by an NES member. Cooper attributed that quote to Townsend Whelen. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Townsend_Whelen
 
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