Converting an AR10 in 7.62 (.308) to 260 Rem

Soldatlamour · November 23, 2012, 01:20 AM

My AR10 set up works perfectly fine, but I'm reading good things about this 260 Rem.

From what I've read the 260 Rem is built off of the 308 Win cartridge, so would it be nothing more (nothing much more?) than replacing the barrel ?

Any suggestions from y'all would be welcome. I'm sure there is more to it than swapping barrels. Your thoughts?

Thanks!

madcratebuilder · November 23, 2012, 08:15 AM

ArmaLite has .260 barrels and complete .260 uppers. Both are available in .338Federal also. Complete uppers are about twice the cost as a barrel only, but may be a better approach.

Soldatlamour · November 23, 2012, 11:25 AM

I have an Armalite Upper in .308. Do I need a new upper - that is, do I need an entire rifle?

I was hoping that my upper and BCG on my .308 would work with the .260 - that's what I've inferred from other posts, but was looking for more support!

thanks for your advice, mps

Polinese · November 23, 2012, 01:15 PM

All you need is a .260 barrel or if you want to switch between the two a 260 upper.

DubC-Hicks · November 23, 2012, 01:53 PM

Why not buy the complete upper if you can? That way, you're not left with a .308 barrel laying around and you could switch between the two.

Soldatlamour · November 23, 2012, 04:03 PM

I completely misread MadCrateBarrel's response --- that's a fantastic idea ..... Yes, the upper and the barrel ==> complete .260 upper makes much, much more sense.

Thanks guys !

Soldatlamour · November 23, 2012, 04:09 PM

Would I be able to use my current BCG that is on my .308 upper ?

DubC-Hicks · November 23, 2012, 04:34 PM

I believe its the same size, so most likely. Don't hold me to that though. I've never played with .260. But I have heard that a bcg that is already worn from one rifle will cause excessive wear or damage in a new upper since the surfaces won't mate correctly. I've never tried it, but just hearing it made me buy a new bcg when I got a new upper.

tobnpr · November 23, 2012, 06:04 PM

Quote:

Would I be able to use my current BCG that is on my .308 upper ?

Yes. The .260 is just a necked-down .308...
Same as my 7-08 is a necked down .308- just not as much...

madcratebuilder · November 24, 2012, 05:52 AM

The bolt carrier group is the same for .260 and .308.

If you just go with a .260 barrel you would be able to sell the .308 take off. This would be the lowest cost.

You could do a barrel and upper receiver and use your BCG in both the .260 and .308, or buy a complete .260 upper with dedicated BCG.

I want to learn more about the .338 Federal round. The .260 is sort of a hot rod 6.5G and I have that already.

MarkCO · November 24, 2012, 05:08 PM

Yes, just a barrel swap will do it.

I rebarreled an AR10 to .260. Not sure I would do it again. The .260, in a gas gun, does not perform the same way it does in a bolt gun. Different powders and bullets will give better accuracy and the factory ammo is made for the bolt guns too. The pressures are higher at the same point down the barrel so you are even more over-gassed than with the .308. If you do it, you definately want adjustable gas, and plenty of patience working up loads. You will also want to shoot 140s and 142s, but if so, you need even more patience. The 123s and 130 were more accurate with better pressure curves too. Due to these issues, the barrel wear is faster than the comparable cartidges and only slightly less than a .243 in a gas gun.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the .260 Rem cartidge. If I wanted a long range gas gun, I would go with the 6.5 Creedmore or the 7mm-08 instead. The Creedmore is a slightly shorter case so you don't lose case capacity and get better accuracy with the longer bullets. The 7mm-08 is slightly larger in diameter which helps with the gas pressure issues.

The .243, .260 Rem, 7mm-08, .308 and .338 Federal are all based on the .308 Win case.

November 23, 2012, 01:20 AM	#1
Soldatlamour Member Join Date: September 15, 2005 Posts: 49	Converting an AR10 in 7.62 (.308) to 260 Rem My AR10 set up works perfectly fine, but I'm reading good things about this 260 Rem. From what I've read the 260 Rem is built off of the 308 Win cartridge, so would it be nothing more (nothing much more?) than replacing the barrel ? Any suggestions from y'all would be welcome. I'm sure there is more to it than swapping barrels. Your thoughts? Thanks! __________________ Regarding the protection of our liberties, I agree with the Hopi Elders, "We are the ones we have been waiting for." ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

November 23, 2012, 11:25 AM	#3
Soldatlamour Member Join Date: September 15, 2005 Posts: 49	Do I need a new upper? I have an Armalite Upper in .308. Do I need a new upper - that is, do I need an entire rifle? I was hoping that my upper and BCG on my .308 would work with the .260 - that's what I've inferred from other posts, but was looking for more support! thanks for your advice, mps __________________ Regarding the protection of our liberties, I agree with the Hopi Elders, "We are the ones we have been waiting for." ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

November 23, 2012, 01:53 PM	#5
DubC-Hicks Senior Member Join Date: December 20, 2009 Location: Backwoods, Northern MI Posts: 1,031	Why not buy the complete upper if you can? That way, you're not left with a .308 barrel laying around and you could switch between the two. __________________ ”Gun control is like trying to reduce drunk driving by making it tougher for sober people to own cars.” ~Unknown

November 23, 2012, 04:03 PM	#6
Soldatlamour Member Join Date: September 15, 2005 Posts: 49	Doh ! I completely misread MadCrateBarrel's response --- that's a fantastic idea ..... Yes, the upper and the barrel ==> complete .260 upper makes much, much more sense. Thanks guys ! __________________ Regarding the protection of our liberties, I agree with the Hopi Elders, "We are the ones we have been waiting for." ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

November 23, 2012, 04:09 PM	#7
Soldatlamour Member Join Date: September 15, 2005 Posts: 49	New .260 Upper Would I be able to use my current BCG that is on my .308 upper ? __________________ Regarding the protection of our liberties, I agree with the Hopi Elders, "We are the ones we have been waiting for." ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

November 23, 2012, 08:15 AM	#2
madcratebuilder Senior Member Join Date: November 2, 2007 Location: Northern Orygun Posts: 4,923	ArmaLite has .260 barrels and complete .260 uppers. Both are available in .338Federal also. Complete uppers are about twice the cost as a barrel only, but may be a better approach.

November 23, 2012, 01:15 PM	#4
Polinese Senior Member Join Date: September 27, 2010 Posts: 946	All you need is a .260 barrel or if you want to switch between the two a 260 upper.

November 23, 2012, 04:34 PM	#8
DubC-Hicks Senior Member Join Date: December 20, 2009 Location: Backwoods, Northern MI Posts: 1,031	I believe its the same size, so most likely. Don't hold me to that though. I've never played with .260. But I have heard that a bcg that is already worn from one rifle will cause excessive wear or damage in a new upper since the surfaces won't mate correctly. I've never tried it, but just hearing it made me buy a new bcg when I got a new upper. __________________ ”Gun control is like trying to reduce drunk driving by making it tougher for sober people to own cars.” ~Unknown

November 24, 2012, 05:52 AM	#10
madcratebuilder Senior Member Join Date: November 2, 2007 Location: Northern Orygun Posts: 4,923	The bolt carrier group is the same for .260 and .308. If you just go with a .260 barrel you would be able to sell the .308 take off. This would be the lowest cost. You could do a barrel and upper receiver and use your BCG in both the .260 and .308, or buy a complete .260 upper with dedicated BCG. I want to learn more about the .338 Federal round. The .260 is sort of a hot rod 6.5G and I have that already.

November 24, 2012, 05:08 PM	#11
MarkCO Senior Member Join Date: October 21, 1998 Location: Colorado, USA Posts: 4,307	Yes, just a barrel swap will do it. I rebarreled an AR10 to .260. Not sure I would do it again. The .260, in a gas gun, does not perform the same way it does in a bolt gun. Different powders and bullets will give better accuracy and the factory ammo is made for the bolt guns too. The pressures are higher at the same point down the barrel so you are even more over-gassed than with the .308. If you do it, you definately want adjustable gas, and plenty of patience working up loads. You will also want to shoot 140s and 142s, but if so, you need even more patience. The 123s and 130 were more accurate with better pressure curves too. Due to these issues, the barrel wear is faster than the comparable cartidges and only slightly less than a .243 in a gas gun. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the .260 Rem cartidge. If I wanted a long range gas gun, I would go with the 6.5 Creedmore or the 7mm-08 instead. The Creedmore is a slightly shorter case so you don't lose case capacity and get better accuracy with the longer bullets. The 7mm-08 is slightly larger in diameter which helps with the gas pressure issues. The .243, .260 Rem, 7mm-08, .308 and .338 Federal are all based on the .308 Win case. __________________ Good Shooting, MarkCO www.CarbonArms.us

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