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.308 Carbine?

So I had a talk with my GF last night and it seems that my toys, shaving, guns, knives and motorcycles are now out of hand. Im selling off a bunch of stuff I dont use, including most of my rifles. We agreed that I should have one tool for a specific job. Anyhow, Im looking for a .308 carbine to fill that niche. I know there are other opinions as to what rifle should fill the multi-use category and mine is the .308. For hunting game up to moose.
Anyone have any experience with a solid performing .308 carbine?
 
its going to be how much do you want to spend?there are an abundance of .308 carbines on the market.its a good all purpose round like you say,the rifle will make the difference.for me id lean tworad a bushmaster.
 
You say carbine, is there a particular reason you want a short gun? The 308 is a very good round and can be an all a rounder but it will not live up to to its potential in a stubby gun.
 
Mainly for weight. I like the option of backpack hunting when I can. I prefer it but its proving to be easier to bag an elk than it is finding a partner or two to go on that type of hunting trip!
Less that 2k would be preferable, 1k would be sublime.
 
You will get as many suggestions as if you asked which razor to buy.
 
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Ooh, lot of options with the 2k price tag. Those Steyrs that Turtle posted are pretty.

I love classic Winchesters. I don't have a .308, but I have a 1952 Model 94 (.32 spl) carbine. It's great all around. An American classic. A Model 100 .308 in VG+ condition would fit into that price range if you can find one. They had firing pin issues at one point, but Winchester fixes them for free. You can run the serial number to check if it's been fixed. I think Winchester still has a dedicated phone line just for this purpose.

If you don't like the idea of vintage, have you looked at the Savage Scout .308? I keep hearing good things about them and they're definitely going to be in your happy spot for pricing.
 
That Mannlicher Schoenauer in 6.5X54 is very appealing, both rifle and cartridge.

The .308 would be a good candidate for an all-around cartridge. I have a .308 but it's an M1A.

This "talk" y'all had "seemed" to be a bit one-sided with regards to what was agreed on and who was divesting. What happens if a second tool is deemed appropriate in future?
 
What about the new Ruger Carbine. Think it got rifle of the year or some other title in an email they sent me about it.
Or you could go over the top and get a Springfield Scout or Socom. Price tag on those our ouch and Im sure with the weight of the receiver they are still on the heavy side.
 
If you want the semi-auto the rock river LAR series rifles are very nice and they start around $1100. The ruger gunsite is a great bolt carbine with detachable mag. Not sure what the dealer sale price on that one is though. You could also look at a mosin nagant carbine. 7.62x54R. Cheap ammo, good options. Rifle right around $100.
 
If you are backpacking in I would consider overall weight rather than barrel length as the deciding factor. If this is going to be your "one gun" I would not skimp on it at all.
I would put these on my one gun wish list-

http://mcmillanusa.com/mcmillan-rifles-custom-legacy.php


http://www.newultralight.com/

For a production gun this one is doable in your price range and leaves enough left over for some glass-

http://www.kimberamerica.com/rifles/model-84m/montana

If you are primarily after elk/moose size game, you could consider the .338 as an option.
 
If you're intent on going with a carbine, there are better rounds for a shorter rifle. If you're absolutely sold on the idea of a 308 carbine, you might look at the Springfield SOCOM M1a. I don't own one but have fired one many times. Nice rifle.

I like a .30 caliber bullet. If I had to go with one rifle for everything and reliability was key, I'd go with an AK in the traditional 7.62x39. I know they get knocked for accuracy, but I keep all my rounds on a paper plate with iron sights at 200 yards, and that's with a very short Hungarian AMD-65 variant that has a 14" barrel and a 4" muzzle break on the end to make BATFE happy. With the side-folding stock, it is a very handy little carbine. Optics certainly improve the accuracy. The 7.62x39 has roughly the same ballistics as a 30-30 Winchester round. I would consider it a little weak for Elk, but certainly good on whitetail. It's also my favorite hog gun. Further, it's just darn fun to shoot. Having said that, there are better rifles and cartridges out there for every different use. When you compromise, you never end up with the best option available.

Cheers
 
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Are you looking for a rifle built on the AR platform? When you say carbine that is what comes to mind. The .308 cartridge was designed to be ballistically identical to the .30-06. It isn't quite as powerful but the difference is miniscule. Probably 200fps or so out of the same barrel lenght and with the same bullet weight. Both of these cartridges use relativly slow burning powders. That means it needs a longer barrel for the powder to burn efficently. I would reccomend no less than 24". There are alot of good AR style .308 rifles out there. Most of them have a 24" barrel standard. Check out Bushmaster or DPMS for quality, affordable rifles. If you want something a bit better Larue Tactical, Les Baer, or Wilson Combat make some superb AR's, For the money I really like Larue Tactical's OBR rifle. It is expensive but a good value considering what you get. It all just depends on your price range....

Andy
 
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Here are my 2 favorites. I have had them both, gave away the 600 which was just a huge mistake, and sold the BLR, another mistake but needed the money. I will be performing a reacquire at my soonest opportunity.
Browning BLR takedown, about 6 pounds
$100_0219.jpg
Remington 600, no longer made, but around 400 bucks when you find one. Very short and handy.
$W127085T Remington 600.jpg

Modern bullets and powders can extract surprising power from short barrels, and is no longer a real concern, unless you dream of being a marine sniper. Since you already have settled on the .308, you know it will kill anything walking in these States, and do it well up to 600 yards or more, even from a 16 inch barrel.
But these two rifles are spectacular in their ease of handling, lightweight, and killing potential.
Brent.
 
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Take a stand now, you are proceeding down that slippery slope. Trade the gf in and keep the toys, you can always find a new gf.
 
^^^^^ Ha! Might be worth thinking about lr11. Im now living in CA and simply havent been able to play as much I could when I lived in UT.
Anyways, Im more familiar with bolt actions and have little experience with the AR platform. I have no experience with the 7.62 round as mentioned concerning the AK.
I've been looking at the new Ruger and really like it. Comes with lots of goodies. The Kimber Montana that Jim suggested is perfect for me though. Going to do some research on that one for sure. The Remington 600 is something Im always looking for.

Thanks for the info fellas. I teach yoga quite a bit out here now and I must say that gun and hunting talk rarely comes up among my current circles. Glad that BnB can answer even more questions for me!
 
I've got a Remington .308 that my dad gave me last year. Haven't fired it yet - went out to a friend's last month to shoot and the trigger was jammed.
 

garyg

B&B membership has its percs
The Remington Model 7 is a great bolt carbine, it used to come in .308 or 7mm-08 might be better ..

Or Brother Melvin's Ultra Lights from West Virginia are the, well, Utimate in that class rifle .. but they will run well over the budget
 
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