M14 in 7mm08, .243 winchester? Anyone done it?

KungFooBob

KungFooBob

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Just got back from this thread:

http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=312153

I'm not panicking about cartridge availablilty, but the thread got me thinking about caliber conversions on a Norc 14.

Has anyone here ever done a caliber conversion on an M14?


How hard would it be to convert to .243 winchester, or 7mm08?

Is a barrel swap enough? Is it DIY-able? Share your thoughts and discuss!

KFB
 
It might be doable, I've heard that springfield did sell M1A's in other .308 based calibers like .243.

You'd have to start with an undersized gas port and expand it until the rifle cycles correctly OR using an ajustable gas plug.
 
toya said:
It might be doable, I've heard that springfield did sell M1A's in other .308 based calibers like .243.

You'd have to start with an undersized gas port and expand it until the rifle cycles correctly OR using an ajustable gas plug.
Click to expand...

I think you'd have to have an oversized port and then use an adjustable port, not the other way around. I doubt the .243 with a standard gas port would have too much pressure for the M14, it would probably need to bleed more gas into the system than a .308, not less.
 
.260 Rem would definitely be another candidate. Maybe I'll have to buy a second rifle as a project gun...

Where would you source a barrel?
 
I have a factory springfield amoury M1A barrel chambered in .243 I'm saving for my daughter when she's old enough (turning 4 this year, so I'm thinking two more years to go! Will have to work hard to get buy-in from the wife though!). On this barrel the port size measures 0.095" as compared to the 0.075" of my other factory barrels (spec in the shop manual calls for 0.076" +0.001" (0.077 max").

How I would approach it if I were starting from a barrel blank would be to start with the original .308 factory spec gas port (0.075") and then increase in 0.005" increments until the beasty cycled. A pain in the butt however better than going too big and beating your rifle to death....

Brobee
 
I read that Krieger barrels are already internally finished when they get profiled to fit the M14... so why couldn't they just drop a 6mm blank into the machine instead of a .308?
 
Wow!! that must have been quite a feat! I don't doubt once would have been enough. JUst thinking about it... the action and op-rod both would need to be "stretched".
 
"...chambered them in .243 Winchester and .358 Winchester..." Yep. We had a Supermatch in .243 in the shop I worked in, long ago. The guy who bought it as nearly trampled to death when he walked into a Montreal gun show looking to sell it. Big guy. He lived.
These days, you'd have to find a barrel. I'd almost bet you're looking at a custom barrel.
"...Is it DIY-able?..." Yep. If you have the tools. Barrel vise, action wrench and headspace guages as a minimum. The former are kind of pricey for a one time job though.
 
Not an expert here but was curious if the belted 338 will feed reliably from the magazine:confused:

Anybody knows if there is enough room for the 458wm?

It will be cool that a safari gun built on a M14 / Garand action:D
 
Lee is correct about the BAR mags (military, not the civilian semi auto), I remember that much about it. I'm afraid I don't recall if it was an actual M14 or a Garand receiver. The Garand would certainly be easier, being 30-06 length to begin with. As to the other question, if it would work with 338, it will work with any intermediate belted magnum case. - dan
 
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