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The Army adopted its battle rifle in 1963 and has spent 55 years looking for a replacement for the M-16 and its variants. They might have found it in Martin Grier’s Colorado Springs garage. Grier, a self-described inventor who has worked at a local bed and breakfast, built the new “ribbon gun” with a hobbyist’s tools. It looks like a space-age toy drawn by a fifth-grader. But goofy origins and cartoon-looks aside, this could be the gun of the future. The Army is studying Grier’s gun and has ordered a military-grade prototype. ... The specifications are incredible, four 6 mm...

For the first time since the M14 was issued in the early days of the Vietnam War, the U.S. Army is giving serious consideration to bringing the battle rifle back to war. According to multiple sources, what started out as a directed requirement for a 7.62 NATO Designated Marksmanship Rifle for issue to Infantry Rifle Squads has grown in scope to increase the Basis of Issue to all personnel in Brigade Combat Teams and perhaps beyond. The genesis of this requirement is overmatch. The troops feel like they’re in a street fight with a guy with longer arms. The 7.62x54R...

Critics said the M-14 was what happened when the U.S. government took many years and spent millions of dollars designing a rifle that was really just a glorified M-1 Garand from World War II. The M-14 was the U.S. military’s last battle rifle. It appeared in 1959—the contemporary of the Pentagon’s first jet fighters and ICBMs. With its heavy steel parts and walnut stock, the M-14 looked positively archaic. It was hardly a Space Age weapon. And it only endured as America’s battle rifle until 1970, when the M-16 completely superseded it—the shortest service record of any U.S. military rifle...

I'm seriously considering purchasing a DSA FAL rifle in 308, but really don't know much about them, so I thought I'd post a thread to learn some more. I want this rifle to accurately reach out to 500-600 yards, but not be too large to preclude it from CQB usage. My main questions are as follows: What type receiver should I get? Type I, II, or III? What is the best method of mounting an optic to this rifle, such as an Aimpoint or Leupuld 3-9X? Are the rail interface handguards worth the $250 price that DSA sells them for?...

I'm looking to purchase a battle rifle next year in .308, and can't decide what I want to get. I love the AR-15 rifles in 5.56mm, but have heard some bad things about reliability of the AR-10s. Also, the recoil is apparently more from this rifle than the other 308 semi-autos. But the AR-10 does have the advantage of having the same manual of arms as an AR-15. Another consideration is the Springfield M1A Scout. The M1A was ranked #1 by Boston T. Party in his "Gun Bible", and has a lot going for it. Finally, there is the FN-FAL....