Decent "hunting" rifle in .308, semi auto. Suggestions?

themarauder

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Gunnutz! I seek your wisdom.

I know nothing about semi-auto "hunting" rifles. My brother in-law is looking for something reliable in .308. Non-restricted, traditional stock, removable magazine, able to take an optic without modification and not a Norico M14/M203. Thoughts and suggestions?
 
You can usually find Rem 742 in .308 but might not be the most reliable option out there. Many reports of jamming. My dad has one in 30-06 and his hasn't jammed in a while. Keep em clean seems to be the consensus. I'm sure others will chime in with better options.
 
Remington 750.

Fit/finish is decent. No, not a Browning, but they run 30% less than the Browning (under 900 bucks for the wood stocked and under 700 for the synthetic - starting price for the Brownings is about 1300 bucks and it goes up from there with the level of finish).

I have a 54 year old model 740 Woodmaster 30.06 (1955-1960), which became the 742 (1960-1980), then the 7400 (1981-2004) and now the 750 (Woodmaster (wood) and Synthetic).

Putting my 1957 built model beside a brand new one that I have in the showcase at work, not much has changed from a visual point of view - in fact, I like the "new wood" better than my old original - a little fancier checkering - otherwise "feels" the same (just can't speak to the quality, but we sell a good few and have never "personally" had a customer come back with a complaint).

Even a magazine off the 750 will fit my 740 (detachable - 4 rounds with one more down the spout).

It does have sights (included) and it's drilled/tapped for a scope mount and is available in 308.

So no, not a Browning, but you can be out the door with a wood stocked model for under 1K (about 800 for a synth) and unless they really tanked the quality mine has taken about two dozen moose and about 30 deer in it's lifetime

Not a "tack driver", but certainly 1.5" @ 100 yard accuracy - and besides, I don't hunt "tacks" :d

P.S. - if you do opt for something used DO stay away from the 740 (my model) - it has a flaw that can leave it un-serviceable - some of the 742's experienced the same issue (receiver rails deform/wear out and then you end up with deformation of the receiver itself - can be machined maybe once and then it's toast with no "off the shelf" replacement - When the issue first starts to show up the magazine feeds un-reliably. Once this started to occur on mine, I decided to retire it) - can't complain though - it cost $134 brand new in 57, I guess it doesn't owe me anything...
 
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I have a Winchester Model 100 carbine. It gave me a lot of trouble in the beginning, but now works great. I love it, and very nice to carry.

DSC06205_zps88b533ab.jpg
 
My choice would be the Winchester 100. It is light weight, shoulders beautifully, tapped for scope and good iron sights. My experiences with the Remington 750 is horrible. The rifle was a complete piece of #### out of the box with jamming, action not cycling, mag refusing to go in when loaded. The 100 is also a far easier rifle to tear down and reassemble then either the 750/7400.
 
Gunnutz! I seek your wisdom.

I know nothing about semi-auto "hunting" rifles. My brother in-law is looking for something reliable in .308. Non-restricted, traditional stock, removable magazine, able to take an optic without modification and not a Norico M14/M203. Thoughts and suggestions?
Sauer Model 303. Great reviews on it..........accurate, great trigger, great workmanship and they look great!
 
Depending on your budget, I'd also vote for the Winchester Mod.100. I found the BAR a little too heavy compared to the Remington and Winchester offerings in a semi .308. I'm not familiar with the Browning Shortrac, and I'm sure it's a good rifle given the Browning name and reputation. I've seen nice older Remington 740's for sale on the EE and from what I've been reading and hearing, I'd trust a well broken in one over a new one.
 
I just got a benelli r1 argo e 20" barrel with sight comfortech stock30 06 i gotta say its one sweet rig, the recoil feels a lot less then 06 and muzzle jump is minimal back on target quick disassembly is a breeze and its one quality piece
 
pretty much everything has been covered. Whichever one suits your fancy and comes along the soonest. Put a WTB add in the EE. I'm still waiting for the right Shortrax, but apparently there are none in Canada and no shipping date can be given.:(
 
A used BAR over either a used or new Remington. I had a BAR in 25-06 and it was not only accurate but flawless in operation. The Remingtons aren't called jam-o-matics for nothing. The firing pin recall should be done on a Win 100.
 
Sauer Model 303. Great reviews on it..........accurate, great trigger, great workmanship and they look great!

Sauer 303 is a little...Don't get me wrong. If you want slick hunting stylish rifle - 303 is all of it. But most people expectations for semi-auto are shaped by military designs. Sauer 303 will require extra steps in maintenance which maybe too much.

Here is the Sauer official video, look for yourself. More disassembly is not advised to say at least.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6IK_MYvdDQ

But when assembled indeed slick and stylish compact piece of kit. Nothing else like it.
 
Lots of good suggestions. The R1 wins, because of the non attached clip of the BAR. Hard to get used to the clip attaching to the floor plate. That being said, they are a quality gun.
 
also the Bar is a paint in the … to take apart and strip down I got the r1 disassembled in less than a minute that and the detachable mag i went with the benelli
 
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