Introduction
What is important to realize is that when it comes to delicate items such as firearms there can be no be-all end-all product. Even though top ten lists and the like are wildly trendy in modern times the harsh reality is that any such list requires real compromises. Anyone claiming their rifle is the best is heavily exaggerating if not outright lying to you: There is no single, perfect semi automatic rifle. There is a huge subjective component in the experience of gun handling, which, at the end of the day, might matter more than most would tend to think. A gun might be just right for your hands, but feel weird and clunky in ours. Moreover, no matter how well intentioned the manufacturers might be, no product can maintain consistent, stellar performances in all roles you might put it into.
All that being said, since there is a need we are obligated to deliver. We have scanned through the semi automatic market heavily and have ended up with two products we believe are solid, versatile and will give you a big buck for your bang. First, we will present you with the parameters we had in mind when performing our analysis and then we will proceed with directly comparing them. Finally, the article will end with our final verdict on which of the two is the most well rounded semi automatic rifle in 2017.
Comparison Analysis
We have weighted the various semi automatic rifles we reviewed on two main aspects. Their performance, how does it fare when you finally put it to work and their ergonomics, how designed for efficiency and comfort they are.
In our experience a gun is as interesting as it is accurate. Or in other words, as fun as it is accurate. If a rifle falls short when it comes to its performance, no matter how budgetly costed, artistically designed or impressive looking it might be you are probably not going to get much use out of it. Efficiency and comfort, on the other hand, is especially important if you are planning for long term use of the rifle. Going for a highly ergonomic product is going to be invaluable if you are planning to go on long hunting trips.
Remington R-25 vs AP4 LR-308
The Remington R-25 is dubbed “the ultimate modern hunting rifle”. It was designed to meet a growing need for big game hunting semi automatic rifles. It brings to the table an extremely nice blend of accuracy, fast follow up and light recoil setting a very high performance and ergonomics standard. Its design is based on GII technology, it is self-reloading and gas operated with a magazine capacity of four rounds. It is currently listed with a MSRP of $1,697, which is a bit on the expensive side, but you are definitely getting your money’s worth with this purchase: You will fully experience what it means to wield an elite level semi automatic hunting rifle.
Panther Arms introduced the AP4 LR-308 to answer a growing need for smaller, faster and lighter rifles that can still pack quite the punch. This is a favorite of competitive shooters and law enforcers, due to its very high accuracy and extreme flexibility. Due to its higher weight – roughly 11 pounds when fully accessorized and loaded – compared to the Remington, it is more suited towards for still hunting. This highly functional model has a twenty round capacity and is an excellent choice if you are ready to get your shooting game to the highest level. It is currently listed with a MSRP of $1,269.
The Final Verdict
Like we said on the opening of the article, it is extremely hard to make a choice for the best semi automatic rifle. The difficulty increases ten fold when you have zoned in on two elite products who both have a record of excellent performance, have been repeatedly tried and stood strong and true. It is anything but easy to make out a clear winner in this comparison, and we honestly wish we did not have to make such a choice.
Ultimately, since we believe it will suit a wider audience, we conclude that our favorite for best semi automatic rifle for 2017 is the Remington R-25. This is mainly due to its lighter weight and in our opinion more ergonomic design, which will allow a broader range of people to experience the art of hunting to the top level fully and for longer periods of time.
