Thats a bit of a misleading title. To the best of my knowledge, you can count the makers of HK roller-lock clones on one hand… it’s not exactly a broad field.
However, I’ve played with Century, HK, PTR, SWF, Fed Ord, Springfield Armory, and a few others over the last thirty years and the PTR has been my hands down favorite, mainly because of the recent addition of the original G3 mag release, adding a rail, and changing the thread pitch on the muzzle.
Personally, I rather like the FAL. But the FAL has a couple drawbacks for me…not the least of which was price. All guns are a give-n-take in terms of good/bad features. For me, the only real options for a .308 were G3, FAL, M1A, and AR10. When I started throwing numbers into the calculator, the PTR wound up giving me, literally, the most bang for the buck when spare factory mags were $1 each.
If you decide you want to get a G3-pattern, I highly recommend the PTR and would strongly advise staying away from the drunken monkeys that do Century’s gun plumbing.
I disagree – I have owned both PTR and century’s recent C308; I have had far fewer problems with the C308 that with the PTR. Also, the C308 has a good rail built in that makes adding optics easy.
It appears the PTR has a rail built in as well.
The PTR I used to own did not have a rail; it also jammed regularly and was VERY picky about ammo – sometimes the case would stick in the chamber and I had to use a steel rod down the muzzle with a hammer to open the bolt and get the case out…
I love mine. They would perfect if there was a bolt hold open. I have Parabellum Combat Systems buffers in my 91’s. Springfield trigger jobs, too. Those are the only mods I felt were necessary. Some guys aren’t too bothered by the recoil. I have some bony shoulders. Felt recoil reduction has yielded good results for me.
I also have a PTR32 with these same mods. The weight is pretty hefty compared to an AK but, it’s the softest shooting .30 cal you’ll ever pull a trigger on. Too bad I can’t get AK mags as cheaply as G3 mags.
Maybe the best thing about the roller locks in general is how they love steel cased ammo. Mine eat that stuff up. Always a plus when shooting 7.62/308 guns. High end brass cased almost seems a waste.
Need some M-Lok handguards now. 1 down, 1 to go. All 3 have Vortex flash hiders. I’ve had them on my AR’s for a long time. I guess I got used to seeing them on the end of my rifles.
I own a PTR91 SC and C308 and gotta say hands down the PTR is far superior. My mods on the PTR include the DMR enhanced heavy buffer, Bill Springfield trigger, rear stock sling pin, and a Meprolight front night sight. This is a seriouly bada$$ accurate rifle- a real joy to shoot. Think I’ve settled on the ACOG TA33-C for an optic. Will need a QD mount cause I still like the irons out to 100yds. Hoping Santa gets the memo about the ACOG this year.
I have a 4×32 ACOG, TA10B, mounted on my PTR91 GI and I love it. It’s very easy to hit targets up close or at moderate distances with it. I did buy one of those cheek rests from RTG parts for it and it is a good product but its not really necessary.
Jonathan:
it sounds like you had one of the batch that PTR put the Target Barrel on. This had a very tight chamber with different gas cuts/slots. It was intended for American made .308 brass case, clean shooting ammo ONLY. Why they did this was never explained. IIRC, this was discussed a few years ago here on CZ’s blog.
No one has put Choate’s folding HK stock on their 91 clone?
Besides the original style, there is a newer version that is slightly shorter. The original ones locked both open and closed, then they became available with “pull to open”. I”m thinking the two way lock is only needed if you intend to parachute with it un-cased. The rubber buffer should be good for a case of ammo before needing replacing.
IIRC, it should fit in a 32″ case folded. That’s a lot easier to lug around, or fit in smaller vehicles. You could look for a discrete case, perhaps.
Will- have you used the Choate stock on an HK91 type rifle? I never saw a need for a folding stock on mine. For me, having an enhanced buffer and solid cheek weld is more important than having a collapsable/folding stock (atleast on a .308 rifle). I’d be interested to hear about your experience with it though. Another concept I don’t get is these PTR .308 pistols- seems like an expensive gimmick.
However, in the unlikely event that I find the need to travel by car or plane with a loaded battle rifle, I’ll grab my AMD-65 with the side fold wire stock.
Yes. Got a buddy with several original HK-91’s with them installed. I haven’t shot the latest stock design he picked up at SHOT, but it seemed to feel ok. Probably a better fit with winter clothing or such. The earlier style has decent cheek rest for the iron sights. He’s mounted some rails for optics, but I haven’t been able to shoot for a while due to a concussion, so no experience yet. Probably need an added rest for that setup. For me, the only noticeable detractor is if you crowd the action, the hinge assembly can bump your nose. Not badly, though.
Choate’s rubber buffer seems to work quite well. It’s a cylinder maybe an inch long. That crash/thwack of the bolt carrier hitting the endcap is gone, and good riddance.
I’ve schlepped those guns around in the long Pelican case, and long soft case, and the short variations needed for the folding stock are much less trouble. Frankly, that is the reason for the folding stock, convenience in transport and storage. Shooting with it folded would be a fools game. Even the 9mm mp-5k is worthless without a stock. BT;DT