Need some opinions

[btnh6668]

So for almost a year i have been looking for a Vepr 16" 308 with very little luck. So my question is do i continue my search or do i settle on a New Vepr 16" 6.5 grendel? I have no experience with the 6.5 grendel round. This rifle will be used for range fun only. How is the recoil in comparison to the 308?

Here are my pros and cons on the 6.5
Pros: brand new rifle
steel cased ammo is about the same cost as the 308 (when every availability comes back)
Same size and style of rifle i am looking at
magazines are cheaper than the 308
Cons: Another caliber to deal with
I already have 2 rifles in 308 so the ammo is plentiful
not as many ammo options both locally and online for a MA resident.

What are your thoughts?

 

[citoriguy]

2 different guns. The AR-308 is bigger than a standard AR-15 with larger a larger lower and upper.

It’s my understanding that the 6.5G is really a long distance round that needs a specific BCG, but that upper and BCG should fit on any AR lower.

The 6.5 Creedmoor fits on an AR-10 lower. Is that what you meant? My suggestion would be to build your own AR-10. If you are patient, you can find parts here and elsewhere for good prices. At least that’s what I did. I wouldn’t mind a 6.5CM upper, but really don’t need another caliber in the stable.

 

[btnh6668]

No sir i am referring to the vepr ak's not AR.

 

[citoriguy]

Gotcha.

 

[Deleted member 67409]

Why do you want a .308 Vepr? Let's answer that first.

I owned a 20" 7.62x54r Vepr and it was literally a blast to shoot. I vividly remember taking mine out with Bulgarian "silver tip" 147gr 70s-era ammo one day at Wallum Lake Rod and Gun Club. I start shooting it and the gun's emitting like two foot long sheets of flame from the muzzle because the gun's got no muzzle device on it for import purposes. Lo and behold, RI GOP perennial gubernatorial candidate Allan Fung is there and checks out the rifle. Seemed pretty intrigued by the flame-belching AK. Didn't want to shoot it though

The x54r Vepr had a not unpleasant amount of recoil. The guns are quality pieces and accurate enough for average to above average rifle shooters. That being said, they're not really very good at anything except building a poor man's SVD clone. Basically, you're just buying a Russian receiver, barrel, and gas system and will probably swap out everything else.

Since I owned that Vepr, I've since owned a M1A and a couple FAL clones. I wholeheartedly endorse the FAL over the AK and the M1A for most purposes. Exceptions to this are if you're CMP shooting or trying to own a piece of history, like, say a real select-fire AK or M14, or if a Vietnam-era vet wants to remember the M14 he had.

So, again, what exactly do you intend to do with a .308 Vepr?

 

[btnh6668]

I own both a 16" and 20" vepr in 54R and love them both. My fanboy love of ak's is what was leading me towards the 308. I have a saiga 22" 308 and love it. I tend to lean towards the vepr over saiga for finish and quality. I know the difference is little but of im going to spend similar money id rather have the vepr over the saiga. Not to mention i actually like the look of the vepr thumbhole stock where as the saiga i would need to spend more money to convert. These would simply be used for range fun. Hunting of paper only. I am just getting a bit sour on my search of the vepr 308 in 16". I have found a vepr super 308 and a vepr hunter but not the basic one i am actually looking for.

I would shy away from the M1A only because for the price i couldn't get myself to shoot steel case out of it. Since i am looking for something that eats cheap food. I had a ptr91 that i liked but found it to be a bit cumbersome with my T-Rex arms. All roads keep leading me back to ak's or ar's. I like the idea of an AR10 but again to spend the money on an ar 10 to feed steel through it seems morally wrong to me.

 

[Deleted member 67409]

Oddly enough, I also found the PTR-91 to handle like a club, but I really liked handling of a Century C308 I saw at a Cabela's last month. Go check one of those out and see if that feels better. The PTR's handling soured me on the G3 for years until I recently tried the Century.

If you're primarily shooting steel .308, that eliminates the FAL. FALs should not be shot with steel cased ammo because of the risk of case head separation and resultant kaboom. So scratch the FAL.

I wouldn't be afraid of shooting steel ammo out of an AR-10 clone. The AR-10's combat history included places like Sudan and Portuguese Angola where high end ammo probably wasn't available. The concept of the AR-10 has sort of been polluted yet improved with the SR-25. Eugene Stoner intended the AR-10 to become the new combat rifle of the future. Not a bench queen. A combat rifle means exposure to crap ammo. Of course, if you build an AR-10 into a bench queen, you'll want good ammo.

My philosophy in gun buying is to buy what makes you happy. If you want a 16" .308 Vepr to round out a Vepr collection, then buy that because that's what you want. This is a hobby. Don't shortchange yourself because you can't find what you want today. You'll probably find what you want tomorrow.

 

[btnh6668]

Thanks for the input.