Switchbarrel Help (Magazine/Feeding)

[Svendogg]

I am in process of building a .260Rem/.284-Shehane switchbarrel based on a Long Action Defiance Deviant. Stock is a KRG Whiskey 3 Chassis. I am planning on running AI 300WM single stack 5 round magazines, so that I can get the most potential out of the .260 & .284 by running a longer COAL & VLD's. I understand that I would have to have magazines dedicated to each respective cartridge, as I would probably have to bend the feed lips down slightly on the .260.

So my question is, aside from minor tweaks to the magazines, is there any concern of feeding issues with both the .260 and .284 (each fed out of its own modified AI .300WM magazine) for this setup? My gunsmith brought this to my attention, however he was honest that his concern was based simply on the fact that he hasn't done this combination in a switchbarrel, and but did think that everything "should be fine" if you had dedicated modified magazines for each cartridge.

I would like to clarify, because I know the wealth of knowledge and passion that everyone has, that I am not looking to debate what other cartridges are better in performance, there are many threads on the pros/cons of each from a performance perspective (trust me I have researched them all). I appreciate everyone's help in staying focused on are there any concerns of feeding issues with the .260/.284 combo as noted above.

I also understand that a switchbarrel isn't the practical thing (I plan on shooting the .260 primarily, and the .284 on rare occasions), and there are several different ways to make a switchbarrel (I have chosen a Rem-Nut) and again there are many ways to skin a cat and that's they way I'm choosing to.

Again thank you for you help & guidance, I am not trying to sound like a jerk, I just really want to get this resolved so I can get building this gun!

 

[mcfred]

It should feed fine, but like you say each round will probably need its own mag. A 260 in a long action will have a bit of a jump. I don't know what the long action AI mags look like. If it has feed lips long enough that the round won't pop out of the mag before it's started in the chamber it will work.

I am in process of building a .260Rem/.284-Shehane switchbarrel... I have chosen a Rem-Nut

If you're working with a smith, why would you do the nut? The advantage of the nut is you can buy a one-size-fits-all barrel and headspace it on your particular action. If a gunsmith is building this for you, then just have him fit each barrel, then you can swap them yourself. Or do you want to be able to use each barrel on different receivers?

 

[JB02]

There is no need for a rem nut if you are using a defiance deviant. The receiver has an integral recoil lug and the gunsmith will set the barrel's headspace to the receiver when he indicates and chambers the barrel. All you need is a barrel vise and a torque wrench and you'll be all set. The barrel will headspace and timeup correctly each time you install it; you won't even need go/no-go gauges.

I think if you already have a long action that a 260 is a poor choice unless you're already setup with brass, dies, etc. What requirement are you trying to achieve by going with the 260 that you can't attain with a cartridge built for a long action? You would get better performance with a 6.5x284 or a 6.5x55 SE (Lapua brass available for both). If you use the 6.5x284 then you won't have to mess with separate magazines or bending feed lips, or any of that nonsense.

If you're hell bent to make life hard on yourself, get the HS Precision feedlip bending tool and a dial micrometer from brownells to tweak the feedlips per the dimensional specs that come with the feed lip adjustment tool.

 

[Svendogg]

Thanks, that was a concern that I was having too. Below is a link with about the best picture I could find (see post #29) of the various AI mags. including the 300wm. It looks as though it shouldn't be a problem, especially if you added a spacer to the back of the mag to keep them from rattling around too much. Any companies out there producing spacers or products/accessories to modify AI magazines?


http://www.snipershide.com/shooting...announces-110-fcp-hs-precision-338-lapua.html

Regarding the Rem nut assembly, I will probably end up going for the fit barrel approach. Seems to be easier and more consistent, plus you don't have to worry about go/no-go gauges with a Nut. In all honesty, I was just trying to keep a potential side track at bay.

Thanks again,