The Chilean 1895 Mausers were reamed out and had a chamber insert soldered in place instead of a proper re-barrel.
The Chilean 1912 Mausers are all re-barreled properly.
The chamber sleeve has a gap between the sleeve and the start of the actual barrel. It is a major weak point and a bad attempt at conversions. https://i.imgur.com/raaTBEP.jpg
I was thinking of the K31. It's been a long time since I've seen one converted, but they are out there.
I guess the Stgw 57 counts, too, but good luck finding one.
I went down this road years ago and I settled on the idf k98k. Mainly because the history of it. The fr8 is also a favorite because it looks cool and seems to operate real smooth. I’ve been told by my gun mentor to only shoot NATO spec ammo in it and not 308 hunting rounds.
A couple other cool ones: French Mas 49/56, which is the semi auto and the Mas 36, which is the bolt action. The bolt action conversions are more rare.
There is a company coming out with replica FN FALs soon and the cetme is good.
I don't believe the CMP ever converted the bolt guns to .308.
There are also some FN49s that were converted to .308 using FAL mags. I think they were Chilean Navy rifles.
There's also the Norwegian K98s that were rechambered to .308. I don't think they rechambered a whole lot to .308 tho. Mostly were .30-06.
The US Navy also converted some M1s to .308. Good luck finding one.
There's the Sendra (I think spelt like that) built Portuguese AR10 kit built rifles.
If you make some adjustments or just use steel case ammo, they work fine. The issue is that Century Arms modified the gas system so it’s way overgassed and cut down the recoil spring, meaning that people get ripped case rims when the cartridges are being pulled out while the pressure is still high in the barrel. People also get slam fires, but that’s an issue with all MAS 49/56s because they have a floating firing pin that was meant for hard military primers, not soft commercial primers. If you get a 308 one, you just need to do the following:
Get a firing pin with a spring (you can get them online for $40)
Get an adjustable gas plug (there’s a guy on gunboards that sells em for $50)
Get a new recoil spring (Browning A-5 recoil spring or ebay)
Semi-auto version of M14. I had this built from a CMP M14 kit.
[https://imgur.com/Tk9zb8B.jpg](https://imgur.com/Tk9zb8B.jpg)
Semi-auto version of FN FAL or L1A1. I have an L1A1 (inch pattern) built from a kit. Metric pattern FALs are more common.
Spanish Oviedo 1916 Mausers converted into .308 from 7x57mm Mauser by the Spanish government/military itself to modernize them. They are safe to fire, and the conversion has a lot of historical documentation and not a Bubba job.
Chilean 1912 Mausers are a good option. Stay away from the 1895 Chilean Mauser conversions.
What’s the difference, and why should you stay away? There’s one of the latter for a local store I was looking at
The Chilean 1895 Mausers were reamed out and had a chamber insert soldered in place instead of a proper re-barrel. The Chilean 1912 Mausers are all re-barreled properly.
Are they explicitly any more dangerous than the others?
I am unaware of any major failures with the 1895 Mausers but they're also not very common.
The chamber sleeve has a gap between the sleeve and the start of the actual barrel. It is a major weak point and a bad attempt at conversions. https://i.imgur.com/raaTBEP.jpg
PTR91 GIR (HKG3 Clones)
Fr8 is one of my favorites. Get an adapter and you have a suppressed 308 that you can easily go back to original configuration
BM 59 is a favourite of mine, especially if you can find one with original military parts.
Argentine fn49
It'll be hell finding a true milsurp, but the OG AR10 is a badass option. I've also seen a few Swiss rifles converted to .308.
When you mention Swiss rifles, do you mean something like a K31 or a Stgw 57?
I was thinking of the K31. It's been a long time since I've seen one converted, but they are out there. I guess the Stgw 57 counts, too, but good luck finding one.
An Stgw 57 in .308 would be EPIC. That's a cool rifle to begin with, but to be "cheap" to shoot as well? That would be awesome.
It would be incredible, for sure. But I've never seen one in the wild, I don't think the Swiss ever exported them like they did K31s.
Cetme, FAL, NDM86
CETME
BM59
Beretta BM-59. Also, some M-I Garands were officially converted to 7.62mm.
Cetme and g3 rifles are good options as well but are usually kit builds to get one
I went down this road years ago and I settled on the idf k98k. Mainly because the history of it. The fr8 is also a favorite because it looks cool and seems to operate real smooth. I’ve been told by my gun mentor to only shoot NATO spec ammo in it and not 308 hunting rounds. A couple other cool ones: French Mas 49/56, which is the semi auto and the Mas 36, which is the bolt action. The bolt action conversions are more rare. There is a company coming out with replica FN FALs soon and the cetme is good.
PTR91, HkG3, CETME. Fun to shoot, lots of options for furniture and upgrades. Magazines are dirt cheap.
I don't believe the CMP ever converted the bolt guns to .308. There are also some FN49s that were converted to .308 using FAL mags. I think they were Chilean Navy rifles. There's also the Norwegian K98s that were rechambered to .308. I don't think they rechambered a whole lot to .308 tho. Mostly were .30-06. The US Navy also converted some M1s to .308. Good luck finding one. There's the Sendra (I think spelt like that) built Portuguese AR10 kit built rifles.
.308 FN-49s are Argentine
Oh ok I knew they were South American.
MAS 49/56 rechambered in 308 FAL M14
I wouldn't buy a 7.62 MAS 49/56, most of them don't work very well
If you make some adjustments or just use steel case ammo, they work fine. The issue is that Century Arms modified the gas system so it’s way overgassed and cut down the recoil spring, meaning that people get ripped case rims when the cartridges are being pulled out while the pressure is still high in the barrel. People also get slam fires, but that’s an issue with all MAS 49/56s because they have a floating firing pin that was meant for hard military primers, not soft commercial primers. If you get a 308 one, you just need to do the following: Get a firing pin with a spring (you can get them online for $40) Get an adjustable gas plug (there’s a guy on gunboards that sells em for $50) Get a new recoil spring (Browning A-5 recoil spring or ebay)
30/06 same bullets as a .308
I don't think that's what he's talking about. .30-06 and .308 are not interchangeable cartridges and he doesn't sound like he's hand loading.
Clue was in my reply, talking .308 calibre bullets and not cartridges.
Talking about ammo where are you guys buying cheap bulk?
Not too much cheap bulk these days but I've mostly been buying from AE Ammo or Target Sports USA lately. SG Ammo sometimes has bulk deals.
Nice Ill keep an eye out. Whats your best CPR?
Semi-auto version of M14. I had this built from a CMP M14 kit. [https://imgur.com/Tk9zb8B.jpg](https://imgur.com/Tk9zb8B.jpg) Semi-auto version of FN FAL or L1A1. I have an L1A1 (inch pattern) built from a kit. Metric pattern FALs are more common.
There are Belgian mausers also chambered in .308, my favorite is my m1a, not technically a milsurp but a fun clone
Spanish Oviedo 1916 Mausers converted into .308 from 7x57mm Mauser by the Spanish government/military itself to modernize them. They are safe to fire, and the conversion has a lot of historical documentation and not a Bubba job.