I am going to order a GAP-10 but I am conflicted on the caliber to choose. I currently shoot a bolt action 6.5 creedmoor for PR that I reload for and trying to decide if I should stick to one caliber or choose something different for a change of pace. I have considered 308, 260, and 6mm creedmoor as alternative calibers. I realize I would have to get a new set of dies and brass but thats not too bad. What do you think?
- Thread starter SleepDoc
- Start date
IMHO, stick with the 6.5CM.... it really is a great round.
A .308 is a fun AR... surplus ammo can be very accurate, so you can shot "cheaply" .. but the .308 is slightly limited in its "practical" distance.
The 6MMCM is a ( IMHO ) good round... but not "that" much better then the 6.5CM to warrant a whole new set up.
The 260 is just a slightly different version of a 6.5CM... and really needs to have a fairly long barrel to take advantage of the extra powder capacity over the 6.5Cm...
Just my 2 cents....
A .308 is a fun AR... surplus ammo can be very accurate, so you can shot "cheaply" .. but the .308 is slightly limited in its "practical" distance.
The 6MMCM is a ( IMHO ) good round... but not "that" much better then the 6.5CM to warrant a whole new set up.
The 260 is just a slightly different version of a 6.5CM... and really needs to have a fairly long barrel to take advantage of the extra powder capacity over the 6.5Cm...
Just my 2 cents....
I had mine built in 260 to match the 260 I shoot in my bolt rifle. I went that route to ease my reloading into just the 4 rifle calibers I actually shoot, or have time (never enough) to shoot ... 223/260/308/300wm.
6cm is nice, but expect your barrel to be worth about 1800 to 2100 rounds. If you reload keep your speeds at 3000 ft/s or less.
I get 3300 out of mine before I've had to send them back to GAP. Running 3075 fps. H4350, 105 Berger Hybrids. I start to notice velocity slowing around 2900 rounds, then the accuracy goes at 3300. YMMV.
Good to know...what brand barrel Bartlein? Also, what about accuracy, 1/2, 1, or 1.5 moa, what do you get at 2900 and then again 3300?
I just switched my AI bolt gun to 6cm and am expecting 2500 rounds tops by keeping speeds below 3000 ft/s.
Yes, Bartlein barrels.
Generally well under 1 moa on the GAP10. With 1/2 moa accomplished a few times. 3/4 is very obtainable. That being said, the only time I generally check accuracy (meaning 5 shot groups at 100 yards) is when I first get a new barrel or new load I want to try out, or if I have to do one as a "stage" at a match. So it's not very often. To me, it's just a waste of barrel life. My indicators, as to my barrel going out, are when I get unexplained flyers or my usual "D.O.P.E" isn't working correctly. If I'm still hitting 2 MOA targets out to 1200 yards, then I don't worry about my group sizes.
One trick I did learn from George, was when you start seeing the flyers, switch over to the Hornady 105 bullets. It will give you a bit more extra accurate barrel life. That's what I did at 3000 rounds and it got me to 3300, before I decided to get a new barrel.
What barrel length and powder charge are you using? I'm barely getting 2900 out of my 6mm CM in 22" barrel.
I am looking to buy a GAP-10 and I am going with the 308 caliber. More ammo options and much greater barrel life.
I shoot one in 6.5CM. Matches my bolt gun. This way, I only keep one set of components. I generally shoot different bullets and weights out of each one, but in a bind, I can just grab a few boxes of Hornady 140 ELD and go. That round shoots well enough out of both guns to get anything done.
For me, it makes things much more simple. One super efficient cartridge to cover most things.
For me, it makes things much more simple. One super efficient cartridge to cover most things.
Any issues with feeding with the 105 hybrids? I figured they might be too long and pointy.
I could not get the 110 SMK to feed at all for this reason.
No issues at all with the 105 hybrids. When I ordered the rifle, I asked GAP to chamber the barrel for that bullet. George told me 41 gr. of H4350 and that's the load I've been using since day one. My barrel length is 23".
I haven't tried the 110 SMK's yet.
I guess that's the difference between a custom barrel vs production. My 22" JP barrel is only getting 2950 with 41 grains of H4350. 107 SMK.
I would love to get 3k+.
