Info on Steyr .308

jimmy11

Hi lads,
Im looking at buying the father a rifle for his upcoming 60th and am just looking for some info on the attached rifle, steyr .308.

http://www.thegunstore.ie/eu/guns/steyr-308.html

Im not massively into the shooting game myself but he does a lot of target shooting and this is the calibre rifle he wants to add to his collection.

just thought some of you may have come across/used this model of rifle.

Thanks in advance.

Cass

I have owned Steyr and shot that specific model. It's the Steyr SSG 69 in .308. A solid and dependable rifle.

The stock is a composite which feels cheap, but not as bad as some others like the Tikka. However it works, and is comfortable enough. The barrel is 1:12 so suits a lot of target and hunting type bullets/rounds. The action is clean and smooth as you'd expect but some things like the mag, mag well, and trigger guard are plastic and break easily. Very easily in some cases. The rifle is not too heavy at 8.5lbs so would suit target shooting, but with scope, mod, rings, bipod, etc. would be slightly heavy for long days hunting. However it's not a huge factor.

It is a dependable 600 yard rifle. By that i mean it will shoot comfortably out to 600 yards accurately and consistently. Any further and you'd be pushing the limit of the gun and ammo.

For that specific gun you linked to. That is second hand. While the advert says new it must be referring to condition and not status (if that makes sense). A new one would cost more than the entire package on offer. Rifle only. However with such a high shot life because of the Hammer forged barrel second hand would not be an issue once the gun has been well maintained. So for the rifle, mod, and bipod €800 is not a ad price. The scope appears to be a swift so if that's included then it's a decent price.

deerhunter1

jimmy11 wrote: »

Hi lads,
Im looking at buying the father a rifle for his upcoming 60th and am just looking for some info on the attached rifle, steyr .308.

http://www.thegunstore.ie/eu/guns/steyr-308.html

Im not massively into the shooting game myself but he does a lot of target shooting and this is the calibre rifle he wants to add to his collection.

just thought some of you may have come across/used this model of rifle.

Thanks in advance.

Great rifle and calibre

Chiparus

Great rifles, but it weighs a good bit especially with the T8
Check that the magazine works - it is plastic and the weak point of the rifle, and very difficult to get a replacement- you have to get an import license to get one from the UK

also check the magazine well for cracks


http://www.thestalkingdirectory.co.uk/showthread.php/74660-Just-broke-my-3rd-ssg-69-magazine


http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=56125969

leupold90

I had one of those in .243

Very accurate rifle but let down by the cheap feel of the stock. Plastic trigger guard and magazine on mine actually disintegrated due to the action of cleaning fluid (Hoppes) over time. Steyr acknowledged this was a common problem and arranged for a free replacement.

jimmy11

cheers for the replies lads.

From what I have researched so far it seems that steyr in general are fond of plastic stocks/ trigger and magazine. Even the Steyr aug used by the defence forces seems to be a lot of plastic. Im not too worried about that the father just shoots on the range so the gun wont get much hardship...his other weapons all have wooden stocks so I thoughts this may be a change for him.

Are replacement parts hard to come by for this brand of rifle in Ireland...import licences etc was mentioned by someone above.

Is there any good .308 calibre rifles around that some of you may know of?

Cass

What range does he shoot on? I only ask as this may narrow down the type of target shooting he is in to. Or if you know what distance(s) he likes to shoot then that would suffice.

jimmy11

eh I think with his .22 he shoots up 400-500 yards. he wants the .308 to shoot over 600 yards from what the brother tells me. I don't shoot myself apart from the odd day here and there so I wouldn't be the best on the details.

Cass

All .308 rifles with the proper scope, etc. will reach up to 600 yards so you have plenty of choices. If he is not competitive (actively taking part in comps) then any of the 24" barreled rifles will be a good choice including the Steyr you are looking at.

So at this point all you need to consider is cost. what you intend to spend.

A few points to look for:

• Minimum of 24" barrel
• Medium to heavy barrel to allow for multiple shots (a light barrel may cause issues with multiple shots)
• Mag capacity. Most full target rifles are single shot, but some people prefer a magazine. Some rifles have floor plates and others have blind mags. See if he has a preference. Also 5 shot mags are a good way to go as they can be removed, easier to load, and have a higher capacity than the BDl/CDL style mags, most of which have 3-4 shot.
• Good stock. Timber or synthetic is down to personal preference. For target shooting you want a stock similar to the Steyr. Flat enough foreend, and a long bag rider on the butt. This allows the shooter to take comfortable and numerous shots without too much strain on holding the gun. IOW letting th bipod and rear bag do the work.
• Twist rate. A 1:12 is usually the standard and is perfectly good for target shooting and hunting. So nothing to worry about on that end. just watch for any rifles that come with 1:10 or 1:9 twist. In .308 these usually prefer the heavier bullets/rounds and as such can limit your Father in what he likes to shoot (bullet wise).

I'm trying not to fill your head with unnecessary details that would really apply to an F-class type rig, which going by your comments, is not what your Father would like.

The beauty about the "sporting" style rifle is it can function quite well as a target rifle, but on the odd occasion he wants to go hunting it is perfectly good enough to take a fox, deer, rabbit, or whatever he goes for.


Have you, or your Brother, any idea on his preferences?

jimmy11

appreciate all the info cass. Not trying to sound stupid but to be honest I never heard of twist rate before. hence why I came on here looking for some info.

What we are really going on is the other guns he has which:
- both take 5 bullet magazines.
- they have timber stocks.
- both are bolt action.
- both have scopes (not sure on strength/spec).
- one is .22 and one is .243

Hes away on hols at the minute so we hope to organise a day when hes back in two weeks and bring him to the gunshop let him decide which he wants to order. im sure he'll have his own preference in terms of sights etc.

We know he wants a .308 and that he wants it to shoot on ranges. hes uses the .22 for the very very odd time he goes getting a few rabbits haha.

We are prepared to spend approx. 2-3 grand. nearer the 2 if possible haha.

Cass

jimmy11 wrote: »

appreciate all the info cass. Not trying to sound stupid but to be honest I never heard of twist rate before. hence why I came on here looking for some info.

I appreciate that and hence the reason i'm not trying to "baffle you with bullsh*t". There is a line between what's useful and what is actually needed.

What we are really going on is the other guns he has which:
- both take 5 bullet magazines.
- they have timber stocks.
- both are bolt action.
- both have scopes (not sure on strength/spec).
- one is .22 and one is .243

That covers a good array of guns.

The Steyr is a good rifle. Other makes in the category of what you are looking for above would include:

Remington 700 CDL in .308

I have seen three of these in the last week. Prices range from 1450 to 2800. Some were brand new, others were second hand, but all had scopes, etc. on them.




Savage Model 10 FCP in .308

I used to own one of these. They are second to none on accuracy. Unbelievable. Perfect target rifle, great stock, and will shoot any round. The one i seen used to belong to a mate and is in a dealers for sale. Not sure on price, but don't expect to pay more than €1,200 for the rifle, rings, silencer, bipod, and case.




Other makes within the 800 - 1,400 price range include CZ, Howa or Tikka. Some new and others second hand, but fully kitted out with everything you want. Other brands are available, but the cost of the rifle alone would be high. Even second hand with scope the cost could be in excess of €1,800+.

Hes away on hols at the minute so we hope to organise a day when hes back in two weeks and bring him to the gunshop let him decide which he wants to order. im sure he'll have his own preference in terms of sights etc.

The thing you have to think of too is which dealer. There is no fun in bringing him to a few dealers, but it might be needed. Have you a dealer in mind? Which is closest to you? Might know a few guns they have. Have been on the hunt myself the last 2 weeks for something similar.

jimmy11

he bought his last gunn in Tullamore but I think the guy is closed now if I remember correctly. I was told there was a good shop in Kilkenny called connollys?

I just don't want to ring them until I have a fairly good understanding of what exactly im looking for.

The scope and that Im not worried about he can pick that to suit himself. yea I think your right we may need to visit a few shops.. can shops import a gun for you?

is there any benefit of a single shot rifle? i.e. no magazine? ive seen a few of them on the net.

Cass

jimmy11 wrote: »

he bought his last gunn in Tullamore but I think the guy is closed now if I remember correctly.

Not completely, but he is shutting down so his stock is very low. He does still have rifle in stock. might be worth a call.

I was told there was a good shop in Kilkenny called connollys? I just don't want to ring them until I have a fairly good understanding of what exactly im looking for.

Yup. Redmills. Nice blokes. Here is their website.

Here is a list of all online Irish shops - Have a look at what they have. The stock online may not be everything they have so no harm to ring.
Here is a list of all firearms dealers we have got. - See which dealer might be closest to you.

The scope and that Im not worried about he can pick that to suit himself. yea I think your right we may need to visit a few shops.. can shops import a gun for you?

Absolutely. Whether they will or want to is another matter. Any ship will import a new gun for a cash deal. Some shops won't import if you intend to trade a gun as the cost is not worth it or they simply couldn't be arsed.

is there any benefit of a single shot rifle? i.e. no magazine? ive seen a few of them on the net.

I have one, and have owned a few. My current one is an RPA:




They are meant to give more accuracy and be a better rifle because the rounds are manually loaded and do not rely or need a mechanism to feed them and as such less moving parts = better. For target shooting most shooters prefer single shot. I use the above for targets and hunting.