Best "fighting"rifle?

jmccracken1214

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 12, 2017
Messages
5,751
Location
Thomasville, North Carolina
Rating - 100%
152   0   0
Just looking for something decent but not going to break the bank. Won't get a ton of use but will train with it. Prefer 16" max since I probably won't take it out past 300yards. I no palmetto State makes good stuff and I've always had good luck with them but is there anything around their price point within a few hundred dollars that is better quality?
 
A SOCOM or IWI GALIL would be the best IMHO.

But the not cheap but neither are they awful compared to some out there.

But you are probably talking about 5.56 though correct.
 
To echo @Darkhorse , 5.56/.223? To me a "fighting" rifle or "battle" rifle has a bigger caliber, but I just want to make sure I am tracking.

PSA price point within a few hundred dollars? Colt 6920, Barnes Precision, SIG M400 Tread, just to name three....others will pop on with other suggestions.
 
Marlin in 30-30, smooth, slick and packs more punch than a 5.56/.223.
 
A "Fighting rifle" or MBR (main battle rifle) has a couple of must have characteristics. These are pretty universal among most militaries when they select one.

They must be reliable. They must have a high capacity (at least 20 rounds). Must be select fire (for civilian purposes semi auto is what you will get). And they must be able to shoot at least a 3 inch MOA.

That last characteristic may seem like it's inaccurate but it's based on crunching data from engagements. It is extremely rare to get in a gun fight at over 100 yards and it's usually less than that. A rifle with a 3 inch MOA will still hit center mass. And usually (not always) greater accuracy lends itself to less reliability as the chambers are tighter.

IMO the three best rifles that meet those criteria and in an affordable price range are:

AK-47 variant rifles.

M-4 patterned rifles

HK-G3 patterned rifles

The M-4 patterned rifles are the most ergonomic and have the highest capacity in standard configuration (30 rounds). But the smaller 5.56 caliber is ineffective to penetrate most light cover.

The AK-47 patterned rifles are 20 rounds and a larger caliber but you will need to train on their use to be effective in mag changes with the control configuration.

G3 patterned rifles are also 20 rounds. They are more ergonomic than AK's but will still require some time to get used to the controls and 308 ends any debate. It is also the heaviest of the 3 by a couple of pounds and the most expensive by a couple hundred dollars.

I own all three and I can say that in most situations I would grab an AR just because of the amount of time I've spent shooting different variations of them over the years that my muscle memory for its function is pretty well ingrained and I could focus on the fight and not the weapons function.
 
A "Fighting rifle" or MBR (main battle rifle) has a couple of must have characteristics. These are pretty universal among most militaries when they select one.

They must be reliable. They must have a high capacity (at least 20 rounds). Must be select fire (for civilian purposes semi auto is what you will get). And they must be able to shoot at least a 3 inch MOA.

That last characteristic may seem like it's inaccurate but it's based on crunching data from engagements. It is extremely rare to get in a gun fight at over 100 yards and it's usually less than that. A rifle with a 3 inch MOA will still hit center mass. And usually (not always) greater accuracy lends itself to less reliability as the chambers are tighter.

IMO the three best rifles that meet those criteria and in an affordable price range are:

AK-47 variant rifles.

M-4 patterned rifles

HK-G3 patterned rifles

The M-4 patterned rifles are the most ergonomic and have the highest capacity in standard configuration (30 rounds). But the smaller 5.56 caliber is ineffective to penetrate most light cover.

The AK-47 patterned rifles are 20 rounds and a larger caliber but you will need to train on their use to be effective in mag changes with the control configuration.

G3 patterned rifles are also 20 rounds. They are more ergonomic than AK's but will still require some time to get used to the controls and 308 ends any debate. It is also the heaviest of the 3 by a couple of pounds and the most expensive by a couple hundred dollars.

I own all three and I can say that in most situations I would grab an AR just because of the amount of time I've spent shooting different variations of them over the years that my muscle memory for its function is pretty well ingrained and I could focus on the fight and not the weapons function.

Just curious here but if the AR pattern is best or one of the best, but the drawback is 556, then how come we arent seeing more people suggest an AR10 for a battle rifle? Whats the downside of an AR10?
 
Just curious here but if the AR pattern is best or one of the best, but the drawback is 556, then how come we arent seeing more people suggest an AR10 for a battle rifle? Whats the downside of an AR10?

Reliability and price IMO.

Edit to add everyone I've ever owned or shot was just plain unweidly. I've never found one that was balanced worth a damn.
 
Last edited:
That's a pretty good price. If you could shorten the barrel to make it balanced and work it over to ensure it was reliable that would be an option.

Out of curiosity, is the reliability concern directed to the AR-10 platform intrinsically or specifically in regards to Del-ton?

Btw, I don't own one, but did consider buying an AR-10 at one point so am curious.
 
watching this thread for fun
Considering LEGOing an AR rifle in the next 6 months or so (thanks, mostly, to the CFF lower thread lol)
 
Out of curiosity, is the reliability concern directed to the AR-10 platform intrinsically or specifically in regards to Del-ton?

Btw, I don't own one, but did consider buying an AR-10 at one point so am curious.

I can only base this on my experience with them. And just like anything else someone will be along shortly to tell us about their perfectly balanced, completely reliable tack driver.

I have owned 3 and sold them all. I have fired a few more. All of them were of different manufactures. AR-10's were more designed for accuracy as a general rule and not reliability. Yeah they may be reliable with certain ammo but you're taking a design that was meant to function properly for a much lighter round and upscaling it for 308.

There are accurized match grade AR's in 5.56 with the same problem. I'm of the opinion that if it is your MBR you should be able to feed it whatever you can get your hands on and be assured it will function. Steel case, high end ammo, reloads and dirty south african crap.

None of the ones I have used have been reliable with all kinds of ammo. Plus the ergonomics of it are upscaled for the larger round which leads to muscle memory confusion since its so similar to the smaller M4.

I'm actually better with an AK than and AR10 because of that.
 
A "Fighting rifle" or MBR (main battle rifle) has a couple of must have characteristics. These are pretty universal among most militaries when they select one.
....
AK-47 variant rifles.

....
The AK-47 patterned rifles are 20 rounds and a larger caliber but you will need to train on their use to be effective in mag changes with the control configuration.

....
I own all three and I can say that in most situations I would grab an AR just because of the amount of time I've spent shooting different variations of them over the years that my muscle memory for its function is pretty well ingrained and I could focus on the fight and not the weapons function.

My AK47 is a 30 rounder. Not sure what yours is.
 
How about an AR in 6.5 Grendel. I love the round in my bolt action. An AR version is in my future. Ammo scared me until I shot the cheap Wolf and had a few 1-2" groups at 100.
 
My AK47 is a 30 rounder. Not sure what yours is.

I may have confused that. I was thinking the standard mags were 20 rounders and the 30 rounds were the "banana" mags that are less reliable. Been a long day lol.

I have a 40 round mag for my AR's that is range use only for that reason.
 
Just looking for something decent but not going to break the bank. Won't get a ton of use but will train with it. Prefer 16" max since I probably won't take it out past 300yards. I no palmetto State makes good stuff and I've always had good luck with them but is there anything around their price point within a few hundred dollars that is better quality?

I built an Aero Precision gun when the bits and parts were on sale. Its a great rifle. So far maybe 2-3 k rounds through it without issues. 300 yards the 556 does pretty good. Nothing wrong with an AK
 
LOL, we need to meet up somewhere and let you try it out.

Definitely. I probably have a few things that would peak your interest like a short barreled PTR-91 and Kriss Vector etc.
 
Just for grins. I will let you guys know that I "lurk" in threads about which I know nothing..., especially threads like this one which I consider to be both informative and (hopefully never) useful.

Thanks to all participants. I learn.
 
Yes, 556, ar15.
I dont care for them much, but they're very ergo friendly, ive got 6 years military exp. with one. I am good with one as well, just never really cared much for the plinkin around with little 223. But just to have 1 semi auto for worst case scenario, i feel the ar15 is the most common sense rifle to get. They're everywhere. Mags are everywhere, ammo... etc.. I feel even more so than an AK. The fact that out of all the homes in america with guns, more probably have an AR15 than any other platform.

Im not against psa. I just want a good, quality rifle that will run like a banshee with little worry of anything failing, if needed.
 
I can only base this on my experience with them. And just like anything else someone will be along shortly to tell us about their perfectly balanced, completely reliable tack driver.

Yeah, I suppose I did ask you to cut yourself shaving and then go swimming in salt water. :D
 
Im not against psa. I just want a good, quality rifle that will run like a banshee with little worry of anything failing, if needed.

In this case go with BCM or Premium PSA stuff, just for the better QC.

BCM will be a little more than the premium PSA stuff but excellent track record. Can save some coin by putting a complete BCM upper on a PSA or built lower.
 
In this case go with BCM or Premium PSA stuff, just for the better QC.

BCM will be a little more than the premium PSA stuff but excellent track record. Can save some coin by putting a complete BCM upper on a PSA or built lower.
I believe the PSA premium is the same parts, except the FN barrel. Right? If thats the case, im not sure its worth the extra cost.
 
Good question, back when PSA only had the one product line yes all of it was strict Mil-spec materials and practices which is pretty spot on to BCM material offerings.

A lot of times the difference is in the tolerances of the machining, each company has their own idea of what tolerance is acceptable. Some companies spend more time fine tuning the machine tolerances than others.

I have had both and they were both great upper receivers. I tend to pick companies that stand behind their products and have good track record with their customers, to me that means a lot.

I choose BCM because I have personally ran factory steel, brass, and handloaded rounds through their uppers and feel confident in them and their accuracy. I felt the same with my PSA FN barrel but at the time it was a heavy barrel and was not what I needed for my use. So I moved into SS barrels which were mostly aftermarket at the time, so most of my factory mil-spec uppers have been cannibalized.

Just my .02 cent!
 
Do you want an honest answer or justification for purchasing the cheapest option you can find?

Best and cheap usually aren't synonymous.

Just look to the usual suspects with a proven track record for your answer. Colt, BCM, LMT, Daniel Defense, Knights...

Get a Colt 6920 and don't look back. Standard plain jane rifle from a company that's been in the game for a long time.

JMHO
 
To echo @Darkhorse , 5.56/.223? To me a "fighting" rifle or "battle" rifle has a bigger caliber, but I just want to make sure I am tracking.

PSA price point within a few hundred dollars? Colt 6920, Barnes Precision, SIG M400 Tread, just to name three....others will pop on with other suggestions.

Are we gonna have this convo again lol
 
A good reliable rifle you are intimately acquainted with and use the best.

Me personally, I’m gonna go with my little lighter weight M4-gery. It is not fancy and aside from the basic M4 setup (weight conscious choice on lightweight DD barrel and M-LOK rail especially). It only wears an Aimpoint T2, a set of Troy BUIS and a VTAC sling only ... WEIGHT savings!!! For “fighting” the weight and balance fit my idea of what I want ...
 
Fair warning, set down your coffee cups.

Because it's Friday night, I'll introduce this contender:

lng-m14-c-new-jra_3_web_1.jpg
 
Back
Top Bottom