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Old August 3, 2011, 10:12 PM   #1
VMI1864
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AR-10 conversion to AR-15

Hey, I've had a AR-10 for over a year now. Its served me well in accuracy and power through last years Deer season. The one drawback I have found was the cost of ammo as it fires a .308. I have thought that maybe I could find a conversion kit to change it into a .223 without having to buy a completely new AR-15 for target shooting and self defense, but I haven't been able to find any information on the availability of such kits. Any insight into my problem would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
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Old August 3, 2011, 10:57 PM   #2
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Not possible. But it is a great excuse to buy/ build a new Ar-15!
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Old August 4, 2011, 06:05 AM   #3
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Again, not possible. The AR10 and 15 use entirely different upper and lower receivers.
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Old August 4, 2011, 06:33 AM   #4
MOshooter65202
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Colt is releasing a SP901 rifle which will interchange 308 uppers and AR15 uppers on the same rifle lower,the rifle is supposed to be released this year no pricing available at this time?
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Old August 4, 2011, 07:42 AM   #5
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Even if you could get a barrel and bolt or upper and bolt, it would probably cost more than a complete AR15. You would need new magazines also. RE spring and buffer. Go buy a AR15.
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Old August 4, 2011, 09:50 AM   #6
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So sell the AR10 and buy two AR15's.
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Old August 4, 2011, 10:22 AM   #7
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I'm not sure how Colt's interchangeable rifle is supposed to work. It's either going to need proprietary mags or a magwell block. Either way, it will probably need different uppers.

May as well just have another rifle entirely for what they're likely to charge for the thing.

The reason you can't just swap a .308 to a .223 AR and vice versa is due to the length of the magazine well; .308 type ARs have a much longer magwell to accommodate the longer round; the lower and fire control group are different and the uppers are longer as well.
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Old August 4, 2011, 10:31 AM   #8
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It's not impossible - FN is touting a conversion kit to do exactly that for the SCAR 17.

What might be more difficult is to find any of the parts particular to it. You'll need a barrel for the AR10 in .223, a bolt with face sized for it, a magazine well block to fill the left over space, and that holds the standard AR15 mags. Possibly a special mag to just load 5.56, but fits in the same space.

Of all the likely vendors, most already sell the AR10, so that would be the place to start. Don't be surprised, but as suggested, there may not be any conversion parts out there at all. It will require reassembly, and if you want to go back, then changing the barrel out again.

Unlike the SCAR, the AR doesn't just swap barrels out in a minute. Some vendors offer a kit to do that with AR15's, but AR10's lack demand for a lot of small stuff.
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Old August 5, 2011, 11:52 AM   #9
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I'd take a different tack, get a 22lr for cheap practice and save the AR-10 for long range work. Unless you are going to compete in High Power or Service Rifle EIC matches you gain nothing from going to 223 other than slightly cheaper ammunition. When you go to 22lr you go to the cheapest ammunition you can buy.

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Old August 5, 2011, 04:21 PM   #10
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Quote:
It's not impossible - FN is touting a conversion kit to do exactly that for the SCAR 17.
There's "impossible" and there's "theoretically possible, but so much trouble there's no reason to bother."

I think you're right that a conversion kit is theoretically possible, but generally, gunmakers haven't bothered. The cost of such a kit would be very near or (more likely*) well in excess of the cost of an AR-15. While the SCAR was designed around that kind of quick change, the AR platform depended on an upper change (even faster, no rezeroing of optics since you'd just leave one on each upper), even though they didn't bother trying to get the two different lengths to play nice.

* I'm sure somebody could make a conversion kit. I don't think the market for them is big enough to produce them in volume, which means a much higher price. It would be easier to make a special upper, a different bolt carrier, and a magwell block. Still, that would probably run at least as much as a regular AR-15.
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Old August 6, 2011, 07:55 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Technosavant
I'm not sure how Colt's interchangeable rifle is supposed to work. It's either going to need proprietary mags or a magwell block. Either way, it will probably need different uppers.
Colt uses a mag well adapter to get the 5.56 mag to fit. You would need the Colt 5.56 upper and I assume it comes with a different bolt head. I don't see how they can make the 7.62 bolt head work with the 5.56 case. Those Colt parts are gonna cost??? A buffer tuned for 7.62 ain't gonna like 5.56.
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