Converting R700 308 to 6.5 creedmoor

[Horsegoalie]

Hi All,
I have read similar threads and done a bunch of searching, but haven’t found a good answer to my questions. First off, the goal:

Shoot to 1000 yards
Be in 6.5 creedmoor

I see two choices…

1) purchase a RPR or Cross
2) convert my existing R700 setup

My R700 is a former SPS in 308 that is now in a MDT chassis. I have AICS mags already.

Would you recommend going new or rebarreling? Is all that needs to be done for the R700 to be rebarreled or would more be needed?

Thanks for any advice!

 

[pmclaine]

I think you have to get a psychologists assessment first before they start you on hormones.

Unless you are under the age of consent..

Then they pull your Man Barrel off and do the transition no questions asked.

 

[XLR308]

I think you have to get a psychologists assessment first before they start you on hormones.

Unless you are under the age of consent..

Then they pull your Man Barrel off and do the transition no questions asked.

Tough crowd, you could easily pull the 308 barrel and do a remage barrel in the caliber of your liking if you have the tools and knowledge.

 

[Supersubes]

I think you have to get a psychologists assessment first before they start you on hormones.

Unless you are under the age of consent..

Then they pull your Man Barrel off and do the transition no questions asked.

 

[XLR308]

View attachment 8110928

What about the new 7.6 Creedmoor ?

 

[Supersubes]

What about the new 7.6 Creedmoor ?

 

[Supersubes]

Hi All,
I have read similar threads and done a bunch of searching, but haven’t found a good answer to my questions. First off, the goal:

Shoot to 1000 yards
Be in 6.5 creedmoor

I see two choices…

1) purchase a RPR or Cross
2) convert my existing R700 setup

My R700 is a former SPS in 308 that is now in a MDT chassis. I have AICS mags already.

Would you recommend going new or rebarreling? Is all that needs to be done for the R700 to be rebarreled or would more be needed?

Thanks for any advice!

The RPR and Cross are substantially different guns. The Cross is meant to be light and handy, not exactly a bench gun. No matter though, having a custom barrel fitted to your R700 will shoot better than both of those rifles.

 

[Partsunavailable]

The hardest part of the whole job will be getting the 308 barrel off, they are torqued pretty tight. After that, it's just screw on a Remage barrel, set the headspace with go, no go gauges, and lock the lock nut. Criterion barrel, nut, and tools from northland shooters supply cost me about $400. If you've already got it in a chassis you like, I'd go that route.

 

[spife7980]

Swap barrels and get a great trigger and still come out money ahead over the first choices.

 

[GIXXER2000]

NEW BARREL!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Rex_Allen]

New barrel new action

 

[LuvDog]

Call up northland and get a Remage barrel. Don’t forget to get your latte and flannel shirt too while you’re at it.

I just got home from the range My son was shooting his R700 with Remage 6.5CM.

 

[stevieb92]

If you go the route of swapping the 308 barrel on your Rem 700 to a Remage setup, purchase a new recoil lug. To help getting the Rem apart, use a hack saw and make a cut across the existing recoil lug to release some tension. It takes a steady hand to avoid cutting into the action. I've done it on a Rem 700 AAC-SD that I had converted to 6.5 cm a few years ago and it made getting the existing barrel off much easier. They are tight and appeared to have threadlocker (loctite) on it from factory. Then get a Triggertech diamond and call it a day.

 

[supercorndogs]

It would be smart to make the relief cut on the barrel side of the recoil lug.

I wouldn't start at making a relief cut on the lug. Most of the barrels I have removed didn't come off very hard. These were on rifles bought by me new. The one that did not come off easy was a gun broker bought 700P in 300wm. I just finally pulled the barrel off my XCR LR 223 the other day, i ended up finally giving up on shooting it out after a decade 7-8k rounds. I got sick of the 1 in 9 twist, and not being able to shoot anything with a higher BC than the 77 SMK.

I would

A. rebarrel the 308.

or

B. Keep shooting the 308, unless it doesn't shoot well.

 

[Rocketmandb]

Why do you think your 308 won't do 1000 yards?

I posted this in another thread, jokingly worried that something was wrong with my new 308 because it scored hits past 800 yards. This was yesterday during barrel break in - 18" barrel with a random load and random seating depth at 950 yards.

As @supercorndogs said, if your 308 is shooting, keep shooting it. There is nothing wrong with taking it to 1000 yards. Assess your other equipment - is the trigger ok? Is the scope working for you? If the barrel is decent and still has life, spend the money elsewhere, shoot the barrel out, then make the decision to move to a different caliber (or not).

 

[DocRDS]

I would buy some high bc 308 bullets in the 175-190 range.

While 6.5 Creed is the 21st century 308, the old boy has some tricks left. 1000 is doable. Just don't use 168 SMK.

It's a lot easier than a new barrel...

I own 2 6.5 man buns, but I have about eleventy-two 308s. The m1a I might go easy on, but the rest slaughter the invisible wall at 800 yards. Big heavy bullets are your friend in 308. 175 SMK, Barnes, berger, Hornady

 

[Horsegoalie]

Thanks for the advice. There are a couple reasons I would like to move off 308. It’s a great caliber and is not what is holding me back from making it to 1000 yards.

For me, shoulder surgeries due to years of hockey and rugby and multiple separations make going to the range with 308 painful. 6.5 creedmoor can get me to 1000 yards with less pain. Recoil is 25% reduced and I just plain feel better after a day at the range with my wife’s rifle than mine.

The second lesser reason is that my wife shoots a 6.5 creedmoor rifle and I reload. One setup is better than two even if each gets a custom recipe. I don’t have to change over the press for a different caliber and stock separate bullets.

I’m sure there are other choices I could make as well between other calibers, other equipment changes, or many other choices. This change just seemed “easy” and inexpensive while meeting my goals on a rifle platform I feel comfortable with.

 

[b6graham]

do you have a brake/can on your current 308?

 

[Rocketmandb]

Thanks for the advice. There are a couple reasons I would like to move off 308. It’s a great caliber and is not what is holding me back from making it to 1000 yards.

For me, shoulder surgeries due to years of hockey and rugby and multiple separations make going to the range with 308 painful. 6.5 creedmoor can get me to 1000 yards with less pain. Recoil is 25% reduced and I just plain feel better after a day at the range with my wife’s rifle than mine.

The second lesser reason is that my wife shoots a 6.5 creedmoor rifle and I reload. One setup is better than two even if each gets a custom recipe. I don’t have to change over the press for a different caliber and stock separate bullets.

I’m sure there are other choices I could make as well between other calibers, other equipment changes, or many other choices. This change just seemed “easy” and inexpensive while meeting my goals on a rifle platform I feel comfortable with.

This is good info - and now knowing recoil is an issue, I might suggest something other than 6.5 (even though you want to have one setup - which may or may not work across two rifles anyway)

I shoot a 6 BRA that I had made for PRS style competitions. I soured on those for a few reasons I won't go into, but the BRA is still the most effective rifle I have for shooting out to well past the ranges you're talking about. Recoil is essentially non-existent.

Since you reload, something like the BRA, which includes any of the short 6's (BRX, Dasher, etc.), should enter your set of choices.

As to one setup - I say it may or may not work for you because chambers may differ from one to another. Just because two rifles are chambered in the same caliber, it doesn't mean that you can use the same reloading setup, or even the same brass. I had two 300 PRCs chambered with the same reamer that I could not exchange brass between (turned on different machines - they had different sized chambers).

 

[Colt45guy]

This rifle started out life as a Rem 700 SPS (lefty) in .308. Since you've already got the chassis/AICS magwell, etc, you're only looking at a barrel swap. If you have the tools, it's an easy option--I went with a Benchmark X-Caliber 'Remage' 6.5 barrel. You'll need a barrel vise, action wrench, and GO/NO GO gauges. Torque wrench is a good idea, and go with the barrel manufacturer's recommendation. While I had my receiver stripped bare, I stuck it in the lathe and squared it up. (Mine only needed about .005") I'll go with a traditional Rem 700 barrel next time, just for the aesthetics. I have right at 2800 rounds through it now. It's sped up about 50 fps but accuracy hasn't dropped off yet so I'll leave it alone.


I made the change to 6.5 because the old factory Rem barrel was a sewer pipe--1.5" was the best I could hope for at 100 yards with any ammo. At the time, 6.5C was the hot new thing that everyone was talking about so I decided to give it a try--I'm glad I did, no matter what the Cool Kids are saying about it now. 600 yards is no longer the challenge it used to be. 1000 isn't difficult and I've made hits at 1 mile. (it took a few shots to walk it in, but I connected on #3)

I'm using an oddball recipe for my handloads: 35.8gr IMR 4064 under a 140 ELD-M gets me about 2650 FPS. I could go with 41.5gr of H4350 like everyone else for another 100 FPS but I don't need the extra speed to do what I'm using it for. I'm just a long range plinker, not a competitor. I like the softer recoil and when I stocked up, it was easier to find 6.5 components than .308.