Best Ranch Rifle (.308)
 

Although I am currently broke I am thinking about getting a ranch rifle when I'm not so broke.

Help me pick a gun. Here are the choices I am giving you. All guns are in the lovely .308 caliber. All data is from the company's spec sheet.

I will probably test fire them and be the ultimate judge before I invest any money but here goes:
Choice #1:
http://www.browning.com/products/cat...es/031001m.jpg

Browning Automatic Rifle (Safari edition)
$831

Richly blued, one piece ordinance steel receiver with scroll engraving • Select walnut stock and forearm • Shown with optional BOSS (scope not included)

Caliber / Gauge 308 Win.
Magazine Capacity 4
Barrel Length 22"
Nominal Overall Length 43"
Nominal Length of Pull 13 3/4"
Nominal Drop at Comb 3/4"
Nominal Drop at Heel 1 1/8"
Nominal Weight 7 lbs. 6 oz.
Rate of Twist One Turn in 12
Wood Finish Gloss Finish
Additional Description No Sights

Choice #2
http://www.ruger-firearms.com/Firear...ducts/160H.gif

Ruger Mini-Thirty
$770

Caliber: 7.62x39
Capacity: 5 Rounds
Finish: Matte Stainless
Stock / Grip: Hardwood
Barrel Length: 18 1/2
Groove: 6
Twist: 1:10" RH
Overall Length: 37 1/4"
Weight: 7 lbs
California Approved: N/A
Front Sight(s): Blade
Rear Sight(s): Adjustable
Other Features: Garand Type Safety

Instruction Manual Standard with every Ruger firearm
Lock 10" Cable Lock (Yellow) - Not for sale in California
Magazine - 5-Shot 5-Shot, 7.62x39mm Caliber Magazine
Scope Rings MEDIUM 1" Matte Rings

Choice #3
http://www.springfield-armory.com/im...A9104Large.jpg

Springfield Armory M1A Bush Rifle
$1529.00 (!)

he Springfield Bush Rifle can get into tight places where a full-size rifle would be awkward. The perfect ranch rifle for a pickup or tractor. The Bush Rifle may be small in stature, but it is full-size performance.

AA9104 Mossy Oak Stock/ Carbon Barrel
Caliber .308 Win.
Barrel 18", 1:11 RH six-groove barrel
Size Weight 8 3/4 pounds, 40 1/2" long
Mechanism: Rotating bolt, gas operated, air cooled, semi-automatic magazine fed rifle
Sights Front: Military square post
Rear Military: aperture with MOA click adjustments for both windage and elevation, 22 3/4" sight radius
Capacity: 5 round magazine *preban 20 round available(!)
Trigger Pull: 5 to 6 lbs., two stage

If those are my only choices, I would go with the Springfield.

Just FYI, but the Mini-30 isn't .308, it's 7.62x39mm. .308 is 7.62x51mm

Out of the choices presented, the BAR is probably the most accurate and best value for the money.

Granted I havent shot any of those rifles, but here are my thoughts:

The BAR has no iron sights. Im not sure I would want to have a ranch rifle that could only be used with a scope.

The Mini-30 would be a good rifle--it cheaper and is supposed to have pretty good reliability--but it isnt the most accurate rifle. Not a problem if you are shooting at a coyote 100 yards away, but something to think about. And like SuperMidget said, its not .308--but .308 is a pretty large round anyways--where are you, and what are you expecting to shoot at? I usually hear of people going with something like a .223 for a ranch rifle...

I dont know anything about the Springfield. Id hope its a good rifle for that cost.

Okay excuse me. I these were rifles that I was looking at in the store. This would be a general purpose gun. Targets and deer would be what I'm shooting at. It's also important that the gun look nice. I am favoring the checkered stocks for that reason.

If you're going to be shooting at deer and targets only, I'd check out the Mini-14 from Ruger. As long as you keep your shots to 150 yds or less, .223 rem is enough for a whitetail.

I picked up a very slightly used one for about $500. It isn't the most accurate gun, but I'll settle for 3" groups at 100 yds with open sights.

WARNING!

Check with your state's wildlife department first.

Some states won't let you hunt with .223.

Good point lebell, I forgot about that. It should be legal for deer and varmints, but nothing larger. However, as aforementioned check with your state and local laws.

If money isn't an object, M1-A is an excellent piece. If I'm buying, I'd go with the Ruger. I have a Min-14 and it's a great lil rifle. Fun, accurate enough for my poor ability with a rifle (great with hanguns, not so great with long guns).

Yeah, like others are saying--look at .223. .308 is a bit overkill for a bush rifle I think (unless you have some serious stuff roaming around your land :lol: Alaska maybe? :D). Your wallet will thank you too.

It's a toss up to me about the last two, but I will never own another BAR. I've had 5 and they are way too ammunition sensitive...they usually like whatever's most expensive! Mine would either shoot great groups and fail to extract or chamber, or function flawlessly and shoot all over the damn place. I kept buying them thinking that I would find one that wasn't a problem child, but never did. Even reloading I was unable to satisfy those damn things....oh well...if you really want to save some bucks, buy something ugly.....like a saiga.
my 2cents (probably worth less!)
MD

The best?? M1A by all means. Battle proven and mags are easy to get. Mini 14's and 30's aren't known to be too accurate. M1A's are still used by US Special Forces.

Get a bubba'd Endfield! They're all over the place for less than $100 and they'll shoot just as good as any of those rifles you've got there!

p.s. Semi-Auto is for Pussies! Real men use bolt actions!

I'd go with the springfield personally. I do have a bias towards them, but rightly so as they're very accurate and rugged, with a lot of room for customization if so desired.

I have a Savage FP10LE thats accurate as hell. You probably dont want somthing that big, but if reputation means anything to you, Savage has a lot of models that you may take a look at.

I vote for the M1 too. Good choice. I had a Mini 14 loved it for fun shooting.

No 2 looks the nicest, plus it holds 1 more bullet than no 1, and no 3 is a lot more expensive. So I would go for no 2, the Ruger, but the telescope sight on no 1 looks cool.

Oh boy, it looks like I'm not going to get my money for a while now. It definitely looks like the M1a is the winner thusfar. (It has to be the most expensive one...)

Oh well it's still so far down the road, although I thought I'd have my 5K by now... (long story and I can't really talk about it).

The Mini-30 is a great rifle for the price, a good choice for a rnch rifle that will take some abuse and keep kicking it. The bar is your typical high powered deer rifle/hunting rifle, if were talking a ranch rifle, not a good choice. The springfield is an awesome gun, I've always waanted one but could never justify the price tag. Btw, whoever said the .223 was good for hunting deer is an idiot!
Go with the Ruger dude, great product, great customer service...good all around choice. They have some great aftermarket barrels for the mini's that wil give you moa accuracy!

Ruger makes a gun called called Ranch Rifle chambered for the .223. I saw one the other day at work and it looks almost exactly like the mini-14. Just my $.02.

LSD

If you go for the Springfield, I'd try to go for a pre-ban, or replace all the new parts with USGI (United States General Issue) parts, as they tend to be a little more reliable (or so I heard).

Anyway... whatever you get, make sure you shoot it a lot, clean it twice as much, and enjoy it!

Get a G3 or FAL. ;)

I don't know if you are still open to checking out other models, but I'd look into Tikka's. They are cut of the same cloth as much more expensive Sako's, and their action is beautiful. You can et them in lovely checkered wood, or ultralight synthetics (<6lbs).

Their action is crisp and very sweet, and they are very reasonably priced.

Good luck in the search!

It's been so long since I posted this. Money comes and money goes. Still no rifle.


However... I will still save my pennies perhaps a new rifle is still in the works. I'll let you know how it goes... (Now price is the biggest issue).

Personally, I'd go with the M1A....

and I wouldnt hit a Buck with a .223, a medium size doe at close range, ok, but .223 is really pushing the limits of a clean kill....

and if you take SatanLvsU2's advice and start looking for a G3 type rifle, look into the PTR-91, 1" at 100 yards... mags are cheap too, and the roller locking action is sweet :D

I DEFINITELY second the FAL...

the M1As are fair. For the money, go with the Fal.

http://www.armalite.com/sales/catalog/rifles/ar10b.htm

might be worth a look. not much more expensive than your number 3 choice.

id go for a mini-14 myself

G3/CETME/clone probably not a good choice if you have any plans to reload the brass as they are pretty hard on it. The guns are cheap though, under $400 and very robust.

soundmotor

Go with the Ruger. Pretty cheap ammo and lots of accesories. Plus you can add a 30 round banana clip. Always nice.

In .308 I'd stick to either the FAL or the Springfield.

If you need inspiration - here's a photo of my FAL:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...coyne/FALa.jpg

great rifle
and good quality 20 rd magazines cost around $8

God the FAL is so sexy. Does anyone know if the DSA "knockoffs" are considered restricted or prohibited in Canada? (regular FALs are prohibited because they're considered "too easy to convert to full-auto", yet AR-15s are perfectly fine :rolleyes: ).

My rifle (pictured above) is a DSA - 18" Belgian Congo SA-58.

DSA is not a "knockoff." DSA actually makes about the best FAL on the planet. They purchased the original Steyer blueprints and make a rifle to higher tolerances and quality than the original rifle. This is not true of Century Arms or Enterprise FALs which ARE knockoffs where the quality is hit-or-miss. If you're going to spend $$ on a FAL you might as well pay extra to get a DSA.

The Springfield is a great gun, very reliable, very accurate, used by SWAT teams and professional military people. The .308 is a far better caliber than the .223 for any big game hunting. Varmits, use the .223, deer, the .308 works well. This is a case where bigger truly is better.

Well that's why I put "knockoff" in quotes. What I meant by that is that the are not made by FN. Knockoff didn't have any negative connotations in this case.

If those are my only choices the M1A is obviously the finest rifle of the bunch. If money isn't an issue I'd get an HK91 Well I guess if money really wasn't an issue I'd get a PSG-1 but that's a bit out there. I guess in your case though you don't really seem to be into black rifles so you're going to go with something with a nice wood stock, so I'm gonna say M1A. Longbough I dig your FAL. By the way I don't think the origonal blueprints for the FAL came from steyr, I believe FN designed the weapon.

While the Fusil Automatique Leger (FAL) was developed by Fabrique Nationale Company of Herstal, Belgium the production of the rifle in its various styles was the responsibilty of the individual countries that adopted this fine rifle for the military. In 1957 Great Britain manufactured the FAL as the L1A1 SLR at the RSAF Enfield and BSA factories. Austria adopted the FAL as the Stg.58 in 1958. These rifles were manufactured at the Steyr Arms factory. DS Arms acquired all of the original Steyr blueprints, parts inventory and machinery for the Stg.58.

Does that make it clearer? (like mud? lol)
But thanks for mentioning it.

Thanks for the info. I should've done my research before jumpin to conclusions I suppose. Sorry about that.

For me the choice would be the Springfield, but then again, if you want it for a "Ranch Rifle" something real handy, I would pick the mini-30. I've had mine for about 10 years and absolutley love the thing. Its very light, rugged, and shoots great. 7.62x39 ammo is cheap too! Keep us posted!!

Don't apologize. All I know is what I read. I confess I had to look up the dates just to sound smart. The only dumb question is one that isn't asked. :D