Much like my list of Top Hunting Rifles, this list is my top picks for battle and assault rifles. Rifles that Civilians in a Free American State can purchase. Lots of questions about two rifles that didn't make this list... the FN SCAR and the Bushmaster ACR... reason being, they are not actually on the market yet regardless of however many articles you read about them. Once they are available, and I get my hands on one... maybe my list will change. Don't piss and moan and get all emo about it... you can't actually buy them yet and that's the criteria I'm going on here. The most important thing... you can buy these. This list is not fantasy. You could, if you had the means, buy one of each or more. So lets get to it:
1.
Springfield M1A. This is a civilian legal, semi auto copy of the classic M-14 rifle as used by the US military. Chambered in .308, this rifle has multiple applications. From hunting to home defense, this rifle can do it. I prefer the standard version with the wood stock. It looks great. The way a fighting rifle should look. While the M1A is more problematic for mounting optics, the upshot is that it has the best iron sights ever invented. This weapon is of course the direct descendant of the M1 Garand, which Patton claimed was the best battle rifle every invented. That was simply because Patton died before he got to shoot the M-14. I think it's easy to say that Patton would have been all over this rifle.
2.
SIG 556. We can't easily acquire the SIG 552... the numbers in the states are quite few and since they are select fire, more difficult to obtain. Well, SIG took their classic fighting rifle, changed the receiver to lighter weight aluminum, and changed the mag well to take US GI M-16 type mags. And of course, made is semi auto only. What we get is a rifle that is leaps and bounds more robust and reliable than the AR-15. Accuracy is acceptable. Above average and when using heavier bullets, very accurate. Another advantage the SIG has, is stability. While shooting quickly, the rifle stays on target. Double taps are fast and the second hits is very close to the first. I also think this is one of the best looking EBR's out there. (Evil Black Rifle)
3.
HK 91. The accuracy is above average, the reliability is solid and the caliber is .308. These factors go a long way to make the HK 91 a top choice for anyone looking for a serious fighting gun. The roller action makes this gun unique. HK takes the design from the Spanish CETME rifle, which you can get for a lot less. There are several companies that make HK 91 clones and some are better than others. If you want one of these, shop around carefully and do not just buy the cheapest one you find. One of the reasons I like this one is the iron sights. I like the dial on the rear and the easy to see front sight post. This makes hitting your target easy.
4.
The M1 Garand. This is the Daddy of Battle Rifles. Chambered in full house .30-06 it can take down most anything, from an elk to the Third Reich. It has a ballistic advantage over the .308, that .308 shooters will argue about. They will say that you can load the .308 up to what the '06 can do and really hot rod it. Same is true for the '06 and you can load it up to levels the .308 can't touch. This makes the Garand the most powerful battle rifle on this list. The only downside to it is the 8 round clip and the loud “sproing” announcement that you've just run dry. The upside is that the Garand can be reloaded very fast. Another downside is this is where we get the term “M1 Thumb” from. If you don't know what that is, you will find out if you spend time with it. You generally will find out what it is, once, and never experience it again.
5.
MSAR STG-556. This is an improved clone of the Steyr AUG rifle made famous by the Austrian military and the movie Die Hard. The AUG was ahead of its time. The bullpup action makes the rifle easy to handle and maneuver. Slower to reload, sure, but I'll take that trade off since it has 42 round mags, integral optics, and a vertical fore grip for added stability. Microtech took the AUG design and cleaned it up... giving us a Flat Top option and a bolt hold open. They also made the gun a bargain compared to an original AUG. Cheaper and actually better... brilliant. Accuracy is fantastic.
6.
FNH FS2000. This is another bullpup rifle, but this one is unlike anything else on the planet. It uses AR type magazines, which is great, but what makes it most unusual is that it ejects spent cases forward. This bullpup actually improves over all other bullpups in that it is truly ambidextrous and can be used left or right handed. Mount any optic you want on the flat top version. The version that comes with its own optic... that optical gunsight sucks quite a bit. Get the flat top and put an EOTech gunsight on it. You will spend some serious cash on this package, but you will have something truly remarkable.
7.
AK-47. Chambered in 7.62x39mm, the AK packs a lot of punch. They are reliable, simple, tough, and easy to use. They get a bad rap for being less accurate, but really that is not quite the case. On some better examples, the AK can be just as accurate (in practical terms) as an AR. One of the reasons of the bad rap is the AK's rudimentary iron sights. They work, but they take some time to get used to. Also the cartridge has a lot of arch to it compared to the 5.56mm... these two factors make guys used to the AR think the AK sucks and is inaccurate. The other downside is that it is difficult to mount a decent optical gunsight to the AK. There are solutions out there, but few sources. However, once you get your AK set up the way you want it... you will have spent far less than on a typical AR. What you get in return however is a weapon that hits harder and is more reliable than your AR. Last downside is of course, the lack of Ergonomics. If you want to know what Ergonomic means, show them the AK and they will get it because of the obvious lack of ergonomics...
8.
FN FAL. This rifle has a long and proud history outside of the USA. While eastern countries picked up the AK-47, the US took the M-14 and Germany took the G3... and just about everyone else took the FAL. It's a big battle rifle to be sure. It's heavy weight gives it some disadvantage, but this is made up by having one hell of a rugged and easy to use action. Accuracy is good, but not quite there with the G4 or M-14... close, but it is 3rd place here. It's also cheaper than the other ones thanks to the fact that there are so many examples out there. I prefer the British version called the L1A1. It has a couple improvements that I like such as cuts in the bolt that move dirt and grit out of the way of the action... and the folding cocking handle that keeps it out of your way. The .308 cartridges are fed from tough, cheap, and plenty 20 round magazines. Lots of aftermarket for the FAL... Lots of love for it. It breaks open like a shotgun without pulling any pins, bolt carrier comes right out, so cleaning takes about 2 minutes if you take your time. Gotta love that.
9.
AR-15. I know I wrote the book on hating the AR, but it has some distinct advantages. The familiarity since its been our service rifles for longer than any other battle rifle in history save for the Brown Bess. There is a whole industry making parts and accessories for the AR. You can dress it up into so many different configurations that this rifle is like a militant set of legos. It is wonderfully ergonomic, comfortable, and easy to use. Hitting with it is very easy and the rifles tend to be extremely accurate. What more could you want? Well, you could want few small parts, easier to clean, quicker to clean, and less sensitivity to a lack of cleaning. Every AR fan always says “they work if you keep them clean”. Sure. But the AR gets dirty fast and is the least reliable weapon tested by the US Military in dusty environments. (The M-4 is just one variant of the same platform. Swap uppers and you go from an M-16A2 to an M-4.... they are all the same to me)
10.
Saiga .308. This is a big .308 AK type rifle. FBMG has 20 round mags for it which puts it on par with other top .308 battle rifles. It also does so at a fraction of the cost. Reliability is there, accuracy is good, and you can get a conversion to a pistol grip and folding stock by Tromix (or FMBG?) or a replacement stock with a fixed pistol grip from Choate. This really is a great rifle for the money. You can certainly do a lot worse. Now, if you want to go all out and get the Tromix conversion with the folding stock, get some rails on it for mounting all your AR type goodies... man, you can build one hell of a serious weapon system out of the Saiga... and you would still be less than a base M1A1.
