Hello all, I currently have a .223 R700 adl with a varmint profile barrel. I want to convert it to .308. I understand the bolt face is the wrong size for .308. Am I better off selling it and buying a barreled action or converting it. I am going for a rough m40a3/5 clone. Thoughts, comments, concerns, advice?
- Thread starter houghtontaylor
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How does the 223 shoot?
be aware - your offer of trade may just well breach the terms and conditions of this forum. sale/wanted/trade are restricted to the PX section, which is "paid for" access.
1/2 - 1 MOA depending on ammo. It doesn’t shoot the heavy stuff well.
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Oh understood. I’ll update the listing. Thank you
Find a short action bolt and build your own switch-barrel. Now you can shoot multiple cartridges and you don’t have to go through the atf’s bullshit
Save yourself the hassle.
I did similar (but the other way) and lucked into a nice 700 bolt with the .223 bolt face, gifted by a friend.
Had that not happened, woulda went Bighorn and just got prefits.
But, local smith is a top end guy and his barrels are lasers.
Either get that thing hammering with 53gr hornady’s or sell it.
I did similar (but the other way) and lucked into a nice 700 bolt with the .223 bolt face, gifted by a friend.
Had that not happened, woulda went Bighorn and just got prefits.
But, local smith is a top end guy and his barrels are lasers.
Either get that thing hammering with 53gr hornady’s or sell it.
Get 7 twist 223ai barrel nut prefit from NSS.
Run 88s. It'll smoke any 308, be cheaper and more fun to shoot, and kill anything you point it at.
After shooting a fast twist bolt action 223 with a good bullet, you'll never want to shoot a 308, trust me.
Run 88s. It'll smoke any 308, be cheaper and more fun to shoot, and kill anything you point it at.
After shooting a fast twist bolt action 223 with a good bullet, you'll never want to shoot a 308, trust me.
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I never knew that was an option. So let’s say I get a switch lug, drop it in to my .223 R700, I could use any caliber that matches that bolt face? I would just buy a r700 prefit in the caliber that fits?
A 24 or 26" straight 223, with a 75 or 80 grain ELD, etc will do really well even with a slight velocity disadvantage. I love 223AI but some don't reload or care to deal with fireforming.
Sell it, or keep it and built something. Not worth the money to switch over.
Yes. The combinations are endless, especially if you have a long action
If you want a shouldered barrel like from the factory you’d need to send the action and both bolts to a gunsmith. The ‘smith would keep all your new measurements on file and just cut a new barrel when you ask, then you’d need the tools to swap barrels. Another advantage to sending everything to a ‘smith would be to have a thicker recoil lug pinned to the action. Otherwise it will require a few more tools to get everything aligned properly
You could most likely get away without sending everything to a ‘smith if you don’t mind the aesthetics of a savage style barrel nut. The term for this is “remage”. It would be a good idea to take some measurements from both bolts and compare them though
If you’re starting from scratch the custom action route is a better value, especially if you’re concerned about resale value. And it’s even more worth it to go this route if you inherit a rifle.
In my case, I’ve had my rifle for several years so it’s cheap enough to justify buying a spare bolt and building a remage setup. And, my father has a 7RM 700 that it makes even more sense to do this to. This rifle was purchased many years ago for probably $150.
And just to be clear I'm suggesting a ~$350 investment.
