Swiss arms, HK sl8, or an XCR?

emilio613

emilio613

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Hey folks. So I actually did search the forums first before posting, but could not find anything.

The:

Swiss Arms .223 (green or black)
Robarms XCR .223 (although I would prefer a 7.62 for cheap shooting)
HK SL8-4/5/10

(and maybe the Tavor, but that one is a bit $$$)

I was wondering, between those 3 rifles, what is the best "bang for buck" if I were looking for a NON-restricted .223 rifle?

I know the XCR is a hybrid AR/Ak type deal, (that's loosely speaking), and I know the HK is...well an HK and is pretty darn good quality.

But I have not had the chance to try any of them, never even held any of them, so I was wondering if the owners of these rifles (maybe someone has 2 or all 3? haha), could shed a little light on their rifle and tell me what makes each one unique?

NOTE: I WILL be doing online research as to specs and such, but I was hoping more for those little unexpected things that you might find annoying/avoidable, or something that puts one rifle above the other 2?

I was looking at an HK for a while, so that is why I ask if maybe the others are better and worth the extra moula.

I might have missed some details, so feel free to ask me questions if you feel I omitted an important detail or something of that nature.

Thanks in advance!
 
You think the Tavor is a lot$$$ what about the Swiss arms?
Anyways I had a swiss arms classic green and it is probably the best out of the 3.
Never shot a SL8, and a person at my local range brought his xcr and was having problems with it from day one he said, I shot it and every 2-3 shots it would jam or you would have to manually cycle it to rechamber another round(maybe a monday morning built gun). Not very good for a $2500 gun I thought, but other people on this board may tell you different.
I neevr had one problem with my swiss, except that one little scratch got on it and I almost lost my mind,lol.
 
bfiles said:
You think the Tavor is a lot$$$ what about the Swiss arms?
Anyways I had a swiss arms classic green and it is probably the best out of the 3.
Never shot a SL8, and a person at my local range brought his xcr and was having problems with it from day one he said, I shot it and every 2-3 shots it would jam or you would have to manually cycle it to rechamber another round(maybe a monday morning built gun). Not very good for a $2500 gun I thought, but other people on this board may tell you different.
I neevr had one problem with my swiss, except that one little scratch got on it and I almost lost my mind,lol.
Click to expand...

hahaha oh God, don't get me started on scratches.... anything, guitars are my biggest pet peeve. I let my buddy play my guitar once, and he went and carelessly smacked it against the chair getting up, putting a nice chip in it. I went from mellow me, to wanting to rip his head off. Thankfully the 1911 was stored far away. LOL kidding.

Ok, thanks for the advice on that XCR and swiss arms.

I thought the Tavor was like... close to 4G's? I can't seem to load the Canada Ammo site atm, so I can't find out.

I will continue looking at the SL8, and try to find a deal. If a swissarms shows up, I might think about that one too.

They're all so darn expensive! The US is sooooo cheap for firearms comapared to us!

Again, thanks for the Swiss Arms advice!
 
Well, US prices are minus taxes and minus the ~$250 for import license. We have SAN, they have SIG. Their SL8's require a new bolt head and taking a dremel to the receiver before it can accept AR-15 magazines. The cost differences in the guns themselves aren't that big in the long run, especially compared to how much ammo you chew through if you're a real enthusiast.

Frontier has one of the lower new SL8 prices I've seen: $2300 before taxes. For comparison, the local shops sell it for $2500 without taxes. I think Shooter's choice sells it for 2550 (GST incl), and Wolverine sells for 2400 before taxes.

The Swiss Arms I saw was $3500 at Italian Sporting Goods, so they're definitely not a low-priced option.
 
I've been lucky enough to have a go with hundreds of rounds on all three of these platforms, the Swiss was mine (go for a black special target) and the XCR and SL8-4 were a friends. I'd go with the Swiss every time. The HK is the only thing that comes at all close but they feel chunky and don't carry well. They're almost as accurate... almost.

If you're shelling out 2400+ for a new HK you'd be WAY better off with a used Swiss at around 3k,

My .02cents

Mike
 
The Tavor is $2999, the Swiss Arms are around $3249.

I've owned an Ar180b (the $1200 Non restricted black rifle) and sold it to but a Swiss Arms. The SA is the most expensive on the list, but it is worth every penny.
 
I own an XCR. I've never had my rifle fail ONCE in over 1000 rounds. I have however had other quality control problems, such as pieces going missing (but they were replaced free of charge). The accuracy is decent, not as good as the HK or the Swiss Arms, but not much worse at all. I like the fact that you've got rails all over the place for mounting whatever you want. I like the fact that it takes AR mags. I like the fact that it's super quick to reload (faster than the AR). What I DON'T like is that lousy excuse for a stock, and that the fit between the upper and lower aren't very snug. The stock is way too short for me, and it's thin...

I personally don't like the HK. I think it's ugly until you change out a bunch of things... Which cost money. I'm not sure I like the idea of a plastic rail for mounting optics. It also feels bulky in my hands.

The Swiss Arms is a fine rifle with a hefty price tag. I like the feel of the rifle and it's accurate. Beltfed has one and he re-barreled it to a 1 in 7, I don't think he was getting good results with the 1 in 7 though.

That's all I can say about the other two because I don't own them, only handled them and shot them.

Hope this helps.
 
Get a classic green, ilove that gun metal grey colour. And if it comes with black instead of green stock and handguard funrinture i have a second set for sale in green.
 
I own a tavor, a swiss classic green and an xcr in both 7.62x39 and 223. I also owned an hk sl8. They are all in the same price range. I would never part with my tavor or my xcr. It would depent on what you plan on using it for because the tavor is a totally different style being a bullpup. hope this helps.
 
I have the Swiss myself. Only drawback is the lack of a legal 10 round mag. That's where the XCR is better. It's a race between SAN and Robarm to see if the SAPR or XCR-M arrives on the scene first and goes into my safe. I'd take either but would be more inclined to go SAN as I already have one. But barely more inclined. HK would be the bottom of my list for being too much plastic, and generally ugly. Probably shoots like a hours afire though.
 
That's a good point... I should hold off on a SAN until the SAPR comes out. (If it's non-res in Canadia.)

Though, if their price list is any indication, you're going to be paying out the ass for them. (To the tune of $5.5k.)
 
Yea, I have a suspicion that this will all come down to price for me. If I can free up some cash and get a swiss arms, that would be great....I wouldn't mind having something non-restricted, but a little bit shorter... say to the tune of 18.5" barrel but shorter overall length...the Swiss looks SOOOOO long, like an M4 or something.

What I wouldn't give to be allowed to a)have restricted firearms laws loosened, and then b) have HK give us a semi-auto MP5K :p


just a dream
 
Start by helping to get rid of the registry. It's coming down to the wire, and it needs all the help it can get. Write MPs and persuade them to let Bill C-391 pass. This is the first step. Then maybe you can have a shot at other stupid firearms laws...
 
hahah It never ends!

But seriously, Ffynn is right. We need to start coming down on all these dumb laws. As I was laying on my stomach with needles in my back today (accupuntcture), I started thinking of all the reasons an ATT and all these dumb laws are useless.... So maybe I will start writing letters...lots of them.
 
Swiss Arms. You will not be disappointed. Smooth as silk and very accurate. Yes it's expensive. But you're worth it.
 
Tough call.

I own two out of the three, and a buddy has the SL8.

Personally I'm not a fan of the XCR. I picked one up and just didn't like the fit/finish or the feel. but some will like it. Ergonomics are very good. The trigger on the new ones was good. Cost seems high to me for what it is. I like my Stag 2T a lot better. If the AR was non restricted, the XCR in Canada wouldn't even be sold. If this rifle was $1500 I'd buy one. But it isn't.

Swiss Arms. You can pick one up for 3K brand new, or buy one used on the EE for significantly more :p. A very well made quality rifle. Well thought out. I really like my target model. The only negatives are weight, 5 round mag capacity and the Russian style charging handle on the right.

Tavor. Love it. It's fantastic for shooting off hand. I personally love the ergonomics and how it balances. The only negative is the trigger being heavier. If we could get one of these in a varmint bull barreled version with a lighter trigger I'd be all over a second one.

SL8. Love the action, not so fond of the civi style furniture or the price tag. It's hard to justify the price when you can buy a Tavor for not much more (Around the same if you sell the Mepro sight that comes with it). If the price was right I'd buy one. But so far it's always been too high. Also it would be a varmint rifle in stock form. Once you start converting it to a G36 style, well you're at the same price as the stock Swiss arms rifle with all the features right from the factory.
 
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