Tactical Considerations

[Cagemonkey]

I'd get an 6.5mm Grendel with an 18" barrel. 7.62 is great, but to get a good rifle your going into the $1500 plus range without optics. The FAL or DPMS LR 308 are accurate and affordable. AR 10's are finicky and the only way to go is the Noveske. M1A's are nice, but if you want accuracy, the meter starts rolling. A Fulton Armory M1A is going to set you back $1800-1900 min. That will only get you a 2 MOA guaranty. To get 1 MOA or better with a M1A your getting into the $2500 plus range. A good bolt gun is nice, but thats more of a sniper rifle. Not to good up close. LaRue is coming out with a new AR type 7.62. Its going to be pricy though.

[Turnkey11]

Have GA Precision do you up a AR-10 in .260.

[The Zunk]

Probably the most important question would be external variables. You mentioned CQB but didn't advise external terrain. Your question eluded to potential 800 yard encounters etc. In unison I agree with the 7.62 variant, but only if you would be faced with consistant targets at that range. If you only need to extend to that range very infrequently then the 5.56 is sufficient. I say that because we were well on taget in the USMC at those distances. I live in the southeast and it is considered triple canopy in some areas, I personally will probably never see a shot of more than 200 - 300 yards and based on that have taken a likeing to the 5.45 because of ammo availability and accuracy. It is surpisingly accurate! Some will disagree, but alot of people coming back from the sand box have 800 yard mentailities and live in a 200 yard locale. Besides, I'm not humping 308 all over Gods green earth. I can carry twice as much and be lighter with capacity to 500 yds consistently. Just my point of view and opinion. Good Luck.

[gregshark]

Take a look at the DPMS AP4 .308, I have the 16" model with 4 rail and flip up BUIS. I use a 4-14x scope as primary optic. Availability of ammo(7.62 NATO), weight(much lighter than the SA SOCOM series or MIA) and ability to configure it how you want. You have the collapsible stock for tight spaces. All in the $1500 range, w/o optics. With the 16" you will give up about 100fps from the 18", you can run the ballistics in a calculator, not too big a deal. Happy hunting!

[high888]

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[gregshark]

Nice, here is mine with 6x illum. mil dot reticle. Don't have a photo of it with the 4-14x scope yet.

[armakraut]

The 20-LR pmags should make the DPMS/KAC rifles much more viable.

If I was getting a 16 inch 7.62 rifle, I'd just get some kind of AK in 7.62x39. As long as you get a lighter barrel contour and don't overload the rifle, a 20-inch .308 AR is going to weigh less than any other 7.62 rifle in a similar configuration, and mounting optics on it is really simple.

DPMS makes a rifle called the LR-308C, which is a bit like a 7.62 M16A4.

http://www.dpmsinc.com/store/products/?prod=5113

There are only two real downsides to the LR-308C, the lack of chrome lining in the barrel, and the use of a heavy profile under the handguards. Companies like ADCO can recontour a barrel down to a government or lightweight profile though.