Home Forums Hunting & Shooting AR and Tactical Rifles Bushmaster .308 or...

I'm deciding upon whether I should go with a BM in .308, or either a DSA FN-FAL Para or a Springfield SOCOM 16. I have two BM AR's in .223, an Argentine FAL, and an M1A Supermatch presently, but I'm looking for a shorter, handier .308 assault rifle than what I have currently. Any and all opinions are welcome. The reason that I like the BM is that it uses FAL mags, of which I have a pile. I also have a pile of M1A mags, but at $30+ a pop I don't really want to modify them for use in an AR10. Thanks.

Mike

There have been problems with bolts breaking on the BM 308s.....in fact, Bushmaster has discontinued them......however, Rock River, who designed the BM 308 and sold production rights to BM, says that the bolt problems were due to improper heat treating of the bolts and Rock River is now in production to build the rifles themselves.......I'm waiting to see if the Rock River guns have any problems before I jump in.....The Armalite AR10T is suppose to be the best right now, but, like you, the FAL mag thing is a big reason I'm looking at the Rock River rifles.

Thanks for the info. I hadn't realized that BM had discontinued the .308. I'm leaning heavily toward the DSA FAL, but the AR system seems to be inherently more accurate.

Mike,

Unless you are a competitively shooting the rifle, the DSA FAL has too many advantages to ignore.

Rock River is a pet favorite of mine, the gang down there do good things.

All the same, the FAL made right, is 100 times the rifle than any jhonny come lately.

DSA makes the FAL right.

Reliability has been addresed through evolution of the design over decades.

It's gotta go "Bang" first, and everytime.

No insult to the good folks at Rock River intended.

My own FAL's were built by Todd Green at Ohio Rapid fire.
The DSA's I have handled and shot have been just as pleasing.

At work there is a closet full of wannabe AR-10's that don't work, and have been abandoned in place.

Accuracy is relative.

3MOA in a worst case scenario involves crawling closer, or unassing the AO as needed.


Inside of 200m, the reality is that the FAL will hold Minuite of Felon all day long with boring reliability, and minimal maintenence.

The thing is established, and old hat.

It works.


Might be short on "Bling" but it works........

I dunno about you, but I'll suffer the "People" magazine artilcle for lack of style after the event.

Stay safe!
E4E

I want them all. I shot a SOCOM 16 and want it, too. Rifles are good; battle rifles in .308 are gooder!

E4E,
Thanks, I'm coming to the same conclusion as well. I checked out the DSA website, and really like the para version of the FAL. I especially like the way they've done the rear sight. How are the triggers on the DSA's? The one on my Argentine is pretty good, but not like the M1A.

Mike,

FAL triggers are relative.

They get better with age and use.

As long as they were right in the first place.

Pull is longer than on an M14 because of geometry.

The M14 and it's trigger ain't nothing to sneeze at.

It's one of those differences between two solid designs that a guy has to chew on.

Triggers can be learned, and it's up to the operator to learn them.

If the thing is reliable and fits, it's all about framiliarization to an intimate level, and the mindset of the operator.

Just thoughts.
E4E

Link to Rock River Arms below.
( somebody show me how to post it in 'short form', please )

http://www.rockriverarms.com/item-detail...FTOKEN=84697097

[img]http://www.rockriverarms.com/pimg.htm[/img]

I didn't know about this either --- because I wasn't looking for it.
I got the AR15.com/ArmaLite AR10 2003 Special Edition Black Rifle.
What I wanted was the Bushmaster 'BAR-10' or '.308' because I already have the XM15/.223 Dissipator and V-MATCH rifles.

While I haven't had any problems with the ArmaLite .308, I may consider taking a long look at the RRA/Bushmaster .308 in lieu of or in addition to the AR10.
The magazine issue is the strongest point.
If I ever got another FAL/L1A1 or had to to use the magazines from someone elses rifle --- I could.

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> Thanks for bringing this to my attention, Gentlemen! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

Heads up.

Ugly Rumor that is circulating....

Bushy .308 Rifles might be a thing of the past.

No, I will NOT elaborate.

Armalite and the good folks in Geneseo are near and dear to me, as are the good folks in Maine.

Stuff happens.
E4E

Thanks for the heads up. I think the DSA is the ticket.

I have two Bushmaster AR's, two Colt AR's, and a Professional Ordnance pistol (all in 223/5.56). I also have a Springfield Armory M1A "loaded package" model in .308, three Imbel/STG 58's I had built, and a DSArms SA58 Paratrooper with the side folding stock.

If I could only keep one of my guns, the DSArms SA58 Para is the one that would be with me to the end. It's a fine weapon! I would highly recommend that you check one out before you buy anything else.

This Rock River .308 looks like a heck of a nice rig and uses metric AND inch FAL mags... Sounds like a great idea as the FAL mags sure seem to be a reliable unit.


I'm wondering though, how it can use both sizes of mag and still be reliable. Won't the metric mags be loose in the magwell and be a potential problem?

I just bought a built from a kit FAL but if I were interested in a .308 on an AR platform this sure looks like the way to go.

RRA/BUSHMASTER .308
What's the difference?
NADA. NOTHING. ZIP.

Right?

I really don't have any information on the Bushmaster .308. Do (will) they use the FAL mags IF they become available? I simply posted the pic above & then saw you had also linked to it a couple of posts before.

After years of shooting (or "playdates" as my wife calls it). . . .

I cannot add any meat to the discussion . . . . .

Except to state that: M1-As are better, cooler, and neater.

Period.. . . . . .(grin).

I just like 'em. Rock solid reliable, accurate, with a good trigger.

Just my dos centavos,

BMT