Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Best Current Production CRF .308

A 16" barrel is far more versatile if you're actually worried about SHTF. The more compact you can make a firearm the better, it'll handle in a wider variety of situations especially urban environments and from vehicles. Even with a short 16" barrel a .308 will still be effective well beyond 300m in a defensive situation. However, if you find yourself in a SHTF situation you'll want to be mobile, and again a more compact package improves the mobility.

I’d go with the M70 EW. I have one in 7mm-08 and love it!!

I’ve owned a Hawkeye all-weather and M70 extreme weather in 308. The M70 was far and away “nicer”. Smoother action, metal finish was better, stock wasn’t an injection molded “plastic”. It was also easy to stay at an inch or under at 100 yards with a variety of loads. Bedding it was easy with the flat action and square to the action recoil lug

BUT, the Hawkeye is bomb proof. Got a lower scope ring and mounted a 2.5-8x36 on it. The stock is more trim, even though the gun feels heavier. Its a 1 to 1 1/2 inch gun at 100, which is fine. Since I only used it on the west side of WA, shots were never more than 300 yards and mostly well under that. I didn’t really “develop” a load. I just chose the bullet I wanted.

I am not sure than you can buy the standard Hawkeye all-weather NIB anymore.

Another vote along these lines. As far as the M70, I'd opt for the Featherweight Compact.

Thanks fellers. Lots of good suggestions, but I will be going w/ a CRF. Having never owned a .308 before, I’ve been looking into it more seriously lately and the more I read about it, the more I’m convinced that the .308 would be a excellent choice. I would definitely prefer a custom Mauser, but finding a decent one for a fair price is a difficult prospect these days, but I’m keeping an eye out.

Unless I can find a worked over Mauser, the M70 is currently in the lead and I’m still interested in the Ruger Gunsite Scout as well, but as I stated I’m not too keen on Ruger.

Ken: Somehow I knew you were going to recommend a Featherweight! I’m keeping an eye out, but I haven’t found one yet. The .280 is still in the running, though the .308 certainly has the advantage in ammo/component availability.

I also always wanted to try an FN SPR, but they’re way too heavy and the prices have gotten ridiculous.

Another option on used market would be old ZKK 601. They are bit rough out of the box and hand checkering may not be perfect, but they have some advantages: short action, dovetails for factory scope mounts, trigger can be adjusted w/o taking the stock off, very nice iron sights (samples through early 70s had pop up ring sight in rear base), the weight is correct for caliber.

An FN Patrol Bolt Rifle might be a consideration if you don't mind the weight.

If one, for some odd reason, is insistent on CRF with the fantasy of roaming the apocalyptic wastelands, it would make far more sense to build a rifle on something like a Mausingfeld.

liliysdad: Would that I could.

I am insistent on a CRF because I prefer the Mauser design. I'm simply not interested in push feed rifles. And an AR-10 would be a much better tool for roaming the apocalyptic wasteland - Jeeze, everyone knows that.

Thanks Pappy. Not sure I want a compact, but I will look into it.

Which is most important?

My SHTF 308 bolt is a Ruger Scout with a 16.1" barrel and forward mounted 2-7x scope. It would do for 99% of the game I've taken, if not all, even with the lower MV due to barrel length.

Kimber, m70, ruger, sporterized Mauser, CZ, Montana 1999 (if you can find an older one)

In that order.

For those of you nay-saying CRF: what if the zombies are approaching and you're stuck upside-down in a tree? Don't you want to know that cartridge isn't going to just fall to the ground, where the zombies will pick it up and sell it for $100 on Gunbroker?

(In all seriousness, I prefer CRF for hunting rifles too. I feel like if something is going to break in an emergency, it's not going to be that. My money would be on a plastic detachable mag getting crushed or a cheap blue job rusting away.)

That Ruger Scout would be a good truck gun as well.

I would think it would make a good truck, ATV, off-road vehicle, and walk-about rifle. To me it is seems it would be a functional tool.

Not current production and most people don't realize it but the Savage model 99 is a crf rifle. Plus faster follow up shots and the fact it is a classic dependable accurate firearm. Just saying.🙂

So, what you’re saying is you don’t know what the M70 is today.

What don’t you like about the ruger? It’s not the smoothest, but it damn sure is probably the stoutest.

I've got an 18.7" Ruger Scout in a Ruger synthetic stock. It's a bit heavy but damn sure robust IMO, & handles well.

I smeared the bolt with 800 grit lapping compound cycled it several times. A hundred?
Cleaned it up, lubed it & it feels & cycles really great. The center feed AICS type mag helps with the smoothness & it doesn't scratch & gouge my brass like some do.

Has become a great grab & go rifle. The, IMO, dumb birdcage flash hider is in the parts bin. It's scoped conventionally, & the rear sight is in a stock pouch along with a loaded extra mag.