Ok.. got Boston's Gun Bible. A big piece of this outstanding refrence work is an in depth comparison of modern battlefield rifles. In it he discusses the relative merits of various modern army ammo calibers and the conclusion is the Nato 7.62x51 (.308 Winchester) is the caliber to 'beat'. Reach, power, penetration.. it's got it all over the 5.56 round now in favor with modern armies. Down tick.. weight, mass, amount that can be carried.
In recent months I've been steadily 'arming' the family. The kids all have their own SKS's & M39's now and we've gone through just under 5,000 rounds on the range.. they have developed pretty comendable rifle skills, and understand fully the capabilities of the weapons. Stage One is about complete. Since we're in an 'urban' enviornment here, the thinking has been the SKS's with their 7.62x39 round at close quarters (200 yards and under) is adequite to the task. But should things get ugly in an urban situation the task switches from 'defense' to 'bug out'. Now, just like a hand gun is valid to fight your way to your rifle, the SKS is valid for fighting your way out of an urban enviornment and into a rural one. Cheap, light, rugged and very compact, it's more accurate than an AK and has more punch than the M-16 clones. Perfect 'trunk guns', and the kids know how to use 'em well.
But once you get 'in the clear' the .308 semi-auto battle rifle comes into it's own. With a much better reach and harder hit than the .223, as one guy put it "It's awfuly hard to hide from a .308". If your facing folks equipped with .223's you want something that can engage effectively thru battlefield cover before they can. I have several 7.62x54 bolt action battle rifles, these have the range and power of the .308 but it takes 3 of them in constant action to lay down the amount of aimed fire a singe semi-auto .308 battle rifle can.
Now off to the available choices for a .308 semi-auto rifle.. in the Gun Bible he reviews 5 of them in detail..
The M1 Garand in 30-06
The M1A (M-14) in .308
The FAL in .308
The HK 91 in .308
The AR-10 in .308
Now, I was pre-disposed to the M1A (M-14) since I'm real familiar with the rifle and it's capabilities. A superb weapon. Very accurate, very reliable. The 20 round mag and the relatively cheap and available ammo make it The Bible's top pick... by a very few percentage points. Coming in a few points behind these two is the FAL with the HK 91 a few percentage points behind it.. and dead last the AR-10.
I plowed through the pages & pages of discussion, the comparisons based on accuracy, controls, ruggedness, reliability, serviceability, parts counts, cost.. the guy was meticulious and detailed in his evaluations. As I probably mentioned somewhere else.. The Gun Bible is an excellent refrence work on modern battlefield carbines and rifles. It's earned it's price back 10 fold or more already..
Finally, I came to a decison based on my own circumstances and needs and feel I've made a good choice. My biggest up front requirement falls right in line with one of the Bibles Maxixms.. "Get as much Rifle as you can afford." Based on up front and on-going shooting (and training) cost as being MY biggest factor, accuracy and reliability being the next two major considerations, I chose the FAL.. to be exact the STG-58C. The STG, 750 bucks; new. The M1A.. $1250, new.. for a crappy springfield regurge at that. The FAL 20 round mags.. 7 bucks. The M1A's.. 35 to 40 bucks. The M1A is more accurate.. the 'stock' FAL not so much but this is easily addressed by the owner with inexpensive upgrade sights. Reliability.. belive it or not the FAL is just about the most reliable of the bunch... and can be improved with a simple forward bolt assist mod.
Now.. I've got an M1 Garand in the works.. no finer battle rifle on the target range is available. It's accuracy is beyond reproach.. but the 8 round clip and increasing scaricty of ammo will relegate it to the status of being a much enjoyed piece of history.. much the same as my old bolt guns, exceptionaly accurate but outclassed in volume of fire and battlefield practicality by it's younger cousins the M-14 and the FAL. I'll have fun 'building' my CMP M1 this winter.. but there will be a ready to go FAL in the closet in the meantime.
Lastly, the HK 91 (and it's clones) just fall flat on their face when it comes to accuracy.. the sights suck, plain and simple. With optics, they are decent performers; but are about as accurate as an SKS over 200 yards on the battlefield sights. The HK 91 got top honors for reliability.. but they just look ugly to me.. all those stamped parts. ungh. I'm pre-disposed to disliking the HK.. it's just me, I'm sure. The bible speaks highly of it.. untill accuracy comes into play.
Parting coment.. the FAL was used by 90 countries.. the Bible makes the point: 'when have 90 countries ever agreed on anything?'
Inexpensive replacement parts abound. Since the Import ban on assault weapons impacted the availability here in the US for 'genuine' FALs, several US firms have been producing FAL receivers for use with 'kits'.. a 'kit' is a stripped surplus used FAL less receiver, commonly available for less than 300 bucks. The two better companies here in the US building American 'FrankenFALs' are Imbel and Enterprise Arms. Average price for a 'Parts Gun' is about $750.. I got mine for $500 used, in astounding condition, all new USA barrel, milled receiver & composite furniture, belgian parts throughout the rest of rifle. A competely legal 'American FAL', for about half the cost of a Springfield M1A in similar condition... new cast reciever with various surplus USGI and aftermarket parts.
Look at it this way.. two FALs for the price of one M1A... Would I rather have an M1A? yah. But I'd rather have two FAL's in the family than one M1A.
Sorry Laz.. my wallet thickness exceeded the bone density of my head on this one. Of course I'll snap up any worthy M1A that crosses my aquistion capabilities.. but the first .308 battle rifle into the inventory here is a FrankenFal.
