Re: 308 caliber AR vs a 308 Bolt Action Decision Help
First off, thank you everyone for the replies. So I should expand upon the goal for the weapon.
1. AR style weapon for self-defense if needed, and heck semi auto carbines are just fun.
2. Bolt action 308 because my ultimate goal is to learn long range shooting as a hobby. (if I decide to go with a bolt action I would love to find a club and get to 1000-1200+ if I can train myself to be a good enough shooter)
Of the two goals above number two is the more important to me, I have a shotgun and pistol if it comes down to it for defense, and lets be honest I hope I never end up having to use either for that purpose.
So it sounds like I should just go for a nice 308. My budget is between $3000 and $4000, I could go a little higher if I had to, but it would have to be a significant improvement at that point for me to justify it. Ideally if I got a bolt action, I would pickup the materials to load/reload my own ammo since from what I have researched it doesn't seem too hard. To this point in my shooting experience it just hasn't been worth it (9mm,22lr,12g).
I am curious if you don't mind as to the experience mentioned here:
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If you want a 5.56 for self-defense and "just in case", the .308 AR may not quite fit that bill. Its harder to stock up on, doesn't make as good of a plinker, and weighs a ton more. Also if you're going to use FMJs, the 5.56 will have better terminal performance than 7.62 at short-range.
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So in summation a AR 308 wont really meet the goal of number one listed above?
Sev