Non restricted designated marksman semi-automatic rifles?

Hey Xiao, I'm wondering, is this going to be your first gun? Methinks you ought to go buy a gun first (highly recommend one of those Norinco M14-lookin' ones) and getting some trigger time in first.

The rifle is not the shooter. Get some trigger time in above all. You'll also want to get some sort of .22 rifle, because that .308 is spendy stuff. Don't forget to budget for reloading equipment.

Toronto, eh? Good luck with that... yup, a couple hours north of there, there's lots of land to shoot; best make friends with the owners first... is ther a law in Ontario regards shooting on private land I'm not aware of?

Less talk, decrease the nerd factor, get a gun, shoot it, as much as you can. This way skill lies. Welcome to the club!!
 
I don't know why you guys have so much trouble understanding what I am trying to achieve here.

Ok, here I go... your questions and enquiry are well thought out, and I can see where you're trying to get, but it's perhaps striking a few people here (like it matters) as a bit... ok, odd, I said it, that, given the current political climate in which you seek to obtain a rifle as much like a military gun, and scope it up all DMR-style, by 'fishing' for info on this webforum.

Do you have any rifles right now? IS this your first rifle? A lot of the info you seek can be had on the 'net, and in Canada your choices in order to fulfill your requirements are quite limited, as you've discovered. Done and done. AND either one's a spendy way to go...

Go shooting, make some friends, hang out at your favourite shop, talk, listen and learn. Good luck in your pursuits.

This has been, my two cents.
 
These are your choices:

The as close as you can get non-res rifles that are semi sporter offerings by the same manufacturer as their military counterparts are:

-Classic Creen, made by SA
-Tavor, made by IWI
-FN2000, made by FN

Then there's the M14/M1A. You can have all the real original USGI parts except of course the receiver (prohib because its a CA).
The Nork receiver is available, cheap, forged and as close dimensionally to GI as it gets. LRB M25 (built in scope mount) is sweet but expensive. I had one built with GI parts on a Polytech receiver, sadly I had to sell it:(

As I said before, the only true original ex-military semi's that were designed as such, saw real service, were actually used in war, that you are allowed to own and hold non-res status are:

- The M1D Garand sniper, US.
- The G43 Sniper, Germany.
- The SVT-40 Sniper, Russia.

All three are very nice rifles, and they are the real thing.
G43 will cost big bucks. A nice M1D about $1500 plus. SVT is most affordable one.
DMR concept is nothing new, even in WW2 scoping auto loaders was an accepted practice.

- Export version of QBU-88 in .223 fails your specs, "not authentic". Chinese use 5.8X42
- ACR is really interesting but is "nerfed' as you put it and has not been adopted as the service rifle of any military.

Unless you have a time machine and can return to the days when we could own converted auto's, That's all there is as far as to what you are looking for.
 
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I don't know why you guys have so much trouble understanding what I am trying to achieve here.

It's not that we can't understand what you are trying to do, it's the why that's the question.


There are plenty of fine military style firearms available. AR's, G36's, SAN rifles, Tavor's, etc. The only difference is the lack of full auto. The fact that the receiver or some other part may have modifications to prevent automatic fire versus the military version just seems an odd thing to be hung up about. It also seriously reduces your options and it means you are likely going to miss out some great rifles.


At the end of the day it's a relatively free country so fill your boots, just don't be surprised when you come on here and ask odd questions and have people look sideways at you.
 
It's not that we can't understand what you are trying to do, it's the why that's the question.

If after reading posts #5, #18, and #40 you don't know why I want to do this then I don't know what else to say. I think I've explained my reasons as well as I can.

There are plenty of fine military style firearms available. AR's, G36's, SAN rifles, Tavor's, etc. The only difference is the lack of full auto. The fact that the receiver or some other part may have modifications to prevent automatic fire versus the military version just seems an odd thing to be hung up about.

There are some great guns on the AR platform that exactly meet what I am looking for. The SR-25 for example is EXACTLY what I want, it is fielded as a semi-auto, it is in current use, it is a great gun. There are several other examples on the AR-15 platform as well, unfortunately they are all restricted.

It also seriously reduces your options and it means you are likely going to miss out some great rifles.

You are probably right. If I had the cash to buy 5 or 10 different rifles I would probably run out of things to buy sticking to the conditions I'm working with right now. However unfortunately I'm not that rich. I am looking for just one gun for now.
 
Hey Xiao, I'm wondering, is this going to be your first gun?

It will be the first military style and the first semi-auto. I have a bolt action rifle and a shotgun. They're both old guns, I got them from my dad when he moved out of his house into a condo. Actually, that's why I got the PAL in the first place, so that I could take his guns, rather than having them sold off. I haven't shot either of them in a long time to be honest, but I used to when I was younger, I grew up shooting them, which is why I wanted to keep them.

For whatever reason I'd like to get back into it, and I'd like to have a reasonably accurate semi-automatic.

That I am looking for a military style rifle, and that I am trying to get something that exactly replicates what's in the field, is obviously more of a "style" question than anything else. As you say, just for shooting, pretty much anything will do.

I would prefer to get just one gun now, and get something I really like.
 
What's your budget?

I'm aware that things like the Swiss Arms are in the $3000-4000 range, and that I would eventually wind up paying that much for a match grade M1A or other M14. So that's about my range.

Obviously I'd prefer to spend less!

If it winds up that the ideal choice is more, I would probably wait and save up for it, and buy what I really want a little later, rather than spend money now for something that isn't exactly what I want.

As I posted earlier, if "exactly what I want" is available for sale in the US and would be non restricted if imported to Canada, I would reasonably consider spending the months it would take to bring it here, and have what I really want.

I'm not in a huge hurry. Winter is coming... I probably have a few months before I'm going to be in a mood to be shooting outdoors ;-)
 
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Good point, I forgot about the QBU-88.

Interesting. I just got around to looking this up. My wife is Chinese. That means she will either love this, or immediately veto the idea. She likes to shoot, more than I do actually, and better than me.

Anyway... what do you guys actually think of QBU-88?

Is it a good gun? Or is it junk? Or what? It does fit my criteria and it is non-restricted.
 
Anyway... what do you guys actually think of QBU-88?

Is it a good gun? Or is it junk? Or what? It does fit my criteria and it is non-restricted.
It fits your criteria according to you so it should be near the top of your list.

Is it a good gun?
Yes

I am not sure where you buy them, however, I am sure you will love it once you get it, guaranteed, I promise. Sometime later on you may change your mind. That is what the EE is for. People sell guns they love, hate, and everything in between.
 
So far it looks like it's a choice between:

-- Swiss Arms Classic Green, modified to DMR

-- National Match grade M1A or DMR modded Norinco M14

-- QBU88

-- SIG SAPR, if it turns out to be non restricted (pending)

It's interesting that people pointed out the .22cal and .50cal alternatives but I think I will stay with either .223 or .308, so that it can be used as a good general purpose rifle. FN FNAR-H seemed interesting but I can't find any evidence that any major military has put it into service.
 
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Don't let politics cloud your judgement. If it is on the market from FN it is past the "laboratory" stage.

It looks like a good rifle. I spent some time last night digging through reviews of it in the US. The conclusion everybody seems to have is that it is a rifle that is being marketed to civilians rather than to the military.

Everybody who used it also really liked it.

So I guess it depends what you are looking for. As a good rifle, it would seem to be a really good rifle. As an "authentic military" probably not so much.

I have similar feelings towards the Bushmaster ACR. It also seems to be a really good rifle. I read the reviews here about it being the most accurate NR in an AR style.

Maybe they're just too new.
 
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