| My son, Jake, and I gathered up the STG58C Carbine and took a little trip to the Baggett Ranch in West Texas to I try it out. We packed an array of .308 I ammo, including Black Hills Match, Hornady and Cor-Bon. We spent an afternoon firing about 250 rounds, both at the bench and off-hand. We 1 fired the rifle from sand bags at 50and 100 yards. Though accuracy wasn't stellar, it was certainly sufficient for the intended purpose of the rifle. Previous testing with the Government rifle produced similar
results. We found the STG58C to be quite pleasant to fire, the pistol grip providing a rather comfortable feel. Recoil was minimal, even when firing from sand-bags. Off-hand firing was a cinch and we easily chewed up baseball sized targets at random. The STG58C provided an exceptional functioning performance with all brands of ammo tested; no malfunctions of any type were experienced.
Both test rifles were fitted with adjustable iron sights. The front sight is a small post with protective ears. The sight can be adjusted for elevation with an adjustment tool, with settings up to 600 meters. The rear is a peep sight mounted in a dovetail in the receiver that is adjustable for windage and held fast by lock-screws. The sights functioned well, as most peep sights do, though I would have liked to see a little more height on the front sight. (According to Entréprise, the low line of sight permits the shooter to keep under cover.)
The trigger on both rifles is a two-stage, non-adjustable type. There's a good bit of slack in the trigger, then a short first stage followed by a hard 10-pound pull. The stout trigger pull may have been a contributor to three-inch plus groups shot at 100 yards off sand bags and is probably one of the first modifications I would make on the rifle.
Maintenance proved simple. A switch on the left side of the receiver is pressed, releasing the upper portion of the receiver from the lower, allowing removal of the bolt assembly, which is pulled straight out with the slide rod. This exposes the inner workings of the rifle and clears the barrel breech for cleaning.
My idea of the perfect all around semi-automatic rifle is definitely one chambered for the .308. The recoil produced by the STG5S is minimal and can be handled easily even by non-experienced riflemen. This rifle will fulfill a medley of duties well—as a combat rifle, law enforcement tool, personal or home defense rifle or just a plinking rifle. After handling the STG58s for a while, there's no doubt I would consider them acceptable for any of the aforementioned purposes. The Carbine would be my choice for a handy, hard-punching ranch gun as well.
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