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Gunsmithing remington 700 .308 to .243?

balls2elwall

Private
Minuteman
Dec 8, 2008
70
0
36
Tampa, FL
ok so im very new to long distance shooting ive always done 200 yard max shots at the range and whitetail hunting in the closed in bushes of florida and georgia. i currently have a remington model 700 sps sporter short action chambered in .308. the objective is to use my action, bolt and trigger assembly and put them all in a B&C medalist tactical. i have decided i want to work up to 1000 yard shooting. i know the ballistics of a .308 arent up for it so ive been researching and want to change over to a .243. my question to all those that are way more knowledgeable than me is, is it possible with just switching the barrel and stock?
 
Re: remington 700 .308 to .243?

i know it will but ive been told it seems over and over again the trajectory is too wobbly and quickly loses steam out past 600 i would just like to do this project once and not have to start from scratch a year from now.
 
Re: remington 700 .308 to .243?

Another thing to consider is the barrel life of a 243 is far less than that of say a 260 or 7-08 that also have very good ballistics.
 
Re: remington 700 .308 to .243?

I would leave it as a .308 re-barrel it with a heavier contour and your stock of choice. The .308 will do 1k yds.
 
Re: remington 700 .308 to .243?

The only thing that should be required is changing the barrel. The stock change in optional. The .243 will beat the .308, the .260 and the 7mm-08 out to 1K. Low recoil, and great performance. You will need to reload as that is the only area I can see a weakness in the .243 compared to the others... not as much quality factory ammo...

But if you reload, go .243 and don't look back, you are wise to start once, and .243 is a great start. Sure you may have to change a barrel over 500 rounds earlier, but in this sport the barrels are the cheapest link, and you will love the performance of the 6mm. The hardest thing in the game is learning to be on top of the wind, and the 6mm bullets in the .243 case will give you much more forgiveness over the .308

Just my thoughts...

DD
 
Re: remington 700 .308 to .243?

my problem with the .260 is im not a reloader and factory match ammo? cant seem to find it. ( i know its a sin that i dont reload but im a college kid in tampa and i live in a one bedroom apartment for the next 6 years. the 7-08 is doable but expensive especially considering match grade ammo is $40.00 on up.
 
Re: remington 700 .308 to .243?

thanks debosdave my thoughts exactly i was actually just agreeing with you on a trigger thread between timney and jewel about two hours ago.
 
Re: remington 700 .308 to .243?

are you finding any good quality match grade ammo for the .243 anywhere? In the long run as a college student, I would do some reading and get set up to reload anyway, you will be able to approximate the performance of match grade ammo with a much less out of pocket expense (the truth of this matter is that you can shoot more for the same money as match grade factory ammo). If you look at a Lee Kit and then read in the reloading section, there is an excellent write up for beginner reloaders that will get you well on your way. Then you won't be at the mercy of supply or cost of match grade ammo.

.243 is tough to argue against, and I have been more than tempted to build one myself.

Dave
 
Re: remington 700 .308 to .243?

ive considered it alot and maybe it is time i take that leap and just reload in my fathers workshop back home while im there. thanks for the input i really really needed a for sure yes or no and everyone here was a huge help.
 
Re: remington 700 .308 to .243?

Get to reloading for the 308 for now. As stated above, it will do 1000 easy. Then when $$$ alows move to what ever caliber tickles your fancy.
 
Re: remington 700 .308 to .243?

If you don't reload, and don't want to shoot 308, you should be looking at the 6.5 creedmore. Match ammo is available and relatively affordable. Save the brass and when you do decide you'd rather reload, the recipe is right there on the box.
 
Re: remington 700 .308 to .243?

.308 is one of the easiest rounds to reload for accuracy, and once you learn to dope conditions for it you'll be even better with any other cartridge you decide to try.
 
Re: remington 700 .308 to .243?

You can always buy lee's hand reloader as a starter lol!! May take longer to reload tho...
 
Re: remington 700 .308 to .243?

by the time you get your reloading gear, do some load development, and start doing your own personal favorite load....you'll be a better shooter. Factory match ammo will never shoot as good as a load made for YOUR setup...so take the money you'd put into a new barrel and put that into reloading equipment. .308 isn't the best round for 1000k, but it's MORE than adequate to reach that far. Just start reloading, learn better technique, and shoot a LOT. you'll save money in the long run reloading and be more accurate from it as well, it's a win/win
 
Re: remington 700 .308 to .243?

fine people youve beat me down im looking at reloading equiptment as we speak lol. so wish me luck because i have no clue what im doing so i ordered the abc's of reloading
 
Re: remington 700 .308 to .243?

I purchased that book before I bought any equipment also... good book to start with but I also suggest you look through several of the posts here on the hide. The book covers the basics but you can learn a lot of the advanced techniques here. I did and have had no issues with my reloads. Its a fun hobby to get into especially if you want your rifle to shoot the best it can.