Rebarreling my .30-06

[tx outlaw]

I picked up a nice Remington 700 ADL on the cheap and I might be interested in rebarreling it. It is currently chambered in .30-06 but I already have another .30-06 and I don't really need two. What should I have it rebarreled to? The only two rifle calibers that I own are .22LR and .30-06, so I want something in the middle ideally. I have really only looked at the 6.5 Swede so I want to hear y'alls thoughts. Factory ammo needs to be available, as I do not currently handload. This rifle will be primarily used for hunting.

Also, who should I send it to to have it rebarreled? I want to be able to ship the whole gun and have it returned to me with a new barrel installed ready to go. Unless it's cheaper for me to buy a barrel separately and send it to someone, then let me know.

Thanks guys

 

[Prophet78]

I think that is a long action. Not sure, but I think your only options are magnum cartridges.

I vote for .300 Win Mag. That's what I'd do.

-JD-

 

[jroberts]

284win is all you got to know

 

[Bear24]

In a long action/non magnum caliber I like the 280win. For a magnum i would go with the 7mm or 300 with a good brake. Or you could go with something like the 7-08 or 260 but you wouldn't get a good advantage with those two without hand loads.

 

[battlestick]

The Swede is the way to go. I went from 06 to the Swede, and it beats all short action 6.5's, without burning up your barrels. I have a smith for you, and if you are in the Austin area you can drop off and pick up.

Pm me if you want more info. Typing on smart phones sucks.

 

[Bear24]

284win is all you got to know

Another great round there but you have to hand load for it

 

[Diablo]

.25-06, .270Win, .284.

Have a smith open the bolt face (or get a mag face bolt from PTG) and you could do a magnum, like a .257 Weatherby, 264 Win Mag, 7mmRemMag, or 300 Win Mag.

Lots of possibles....

 

[kraigWY]

Another Vote for the 6.5X55.

Hornady has good loaded ammo for it.

 

[Hink]

Your options for rebarreling without getting into the boltface are the 30-06 family of cartridges - 270win, 22-250, and so on. You could always go for a shorter 308 or similar family (7mm-08, 243, and so on) with the same bolt. If you want to go with a magnum cartridge like a 300 winmag, you'll need to open the boltface or replace the entire bolt with one that already has the magnum size boltface.

I'd look toward a 22-250 for simplicity of build (relatively speaking) because everything but the barrel should swap right over to the new build. As far as good gunsmiths go, I think you'll do good with contacting Beanland custom rifles(OK), Louisiana Custom rifles(LA), or GAP(MO). All are known to do excellent work.

 

[BoilerUP]

280 Remington...done.

 

[jcm331]

I would suggest a .308. Since you don't handload (I don't either) I would suggest pricing some ammo before you spin the barrel on there so you know what you are getting into financially.

 

[cypriss32]

30-06 since its a 30-06 already. It eliminates the need for a 308. IMHO.

 

[turbo54]

280 Remington is a helluva choice, given the constraints set by the OP. Readily available factory ammo, excellent performance, fits the action with zero mods needed.

6.5x55 is also an excellent choice, though factory ammo is not as prolific as 280.

Still another fine choice is 7mm-08, which EXCELS in a long action where you can really hang the bullets out long if hand loading long range target ammo, or, pick up factory hunting ammo at nearly any Walmart.

 

[tx outlaw]

For those who did not read the OP fully:

1. I need something with readily available factory ammo
2. I need something to bridge the gap between the other 2 rifle calibers I own: 22LR and 30-06

Thanks for the input thus far fellas

 

[jcm331]

.243 with a fast twist? Should be a pretty flexible hunting round for you.

 

[SEREK82]

I would go 223 or 243 those are the only two in between calibers that have plenty of good factory ammo. Personally 243 is the better choice.

 

[GrantA]

I'd stay with 30-06 personally but if you want something different how about 25-06? Then if you ever do start reloading, the 30-06 brass can be used to make 25-06 brass too.

 

[65guys_steve]

Next time I rebarrel my 30-06 it's going to be a 6.5x55 Swede. I'm a huge fan of 6.5 rounds.

 

[billyburl2]

Another vote for either the 280 Rem, or the 284 Win. The 7mm ballistics kick ass!

 

[nchunter243]

The factory ammo qualification is kind of restricting, 308 have the best selection of match grade ammo and is often ran on long actions, however a 280 would be a better long range round match grade ammo isn't as widely available. If you plan to hand load some time then get a 280 if not then get a 308 and buy lots of FGMM.

 

[dk17hmr]

25-06 would be a solid choice for everything from varmints to big deer, I love my 25-06. You could make it a 6mm Ackley Improved, also really like my 6mm AI, shoot factory 6mm Remington and when/if you get into handloading later on you will have already have fire formed brass.

 

[turbo54]

Yeah...great idea. A 6mm-06AI.

Y'all are tripping. OP needs factory ammo, readily available, largely for hunting.

Not F class matches.

284? Lucky to find ANY factory loaded ammo. You'll pay $40+/box for it.
6.5x55 swede? Mail order only, limited choices.

Think what's on the shelf at Walmart:

308, 30-06, 7mag, 300wm, 270, 243, and 7mm-08.

Of those, I'd choose 708, but I'm biased towards 7s.

 

[dk17hmr]

If you are referring to my post I was suggesting a 6mm Remington Ackley Improved....parent case 6mm Remington....factory ammo.

 

[turbo54]

If you are referring to my post I was suggesting a 6mm Remington Ackley Improved....parent case 6mm Remington....factory ammo.

I was.

I've seen just as much 6mm Rem/244 Rem and 6remAI at Walmart as I have 6mm-06AI.

Which is to say, none.

You inadvertently touch on an interesting concept I've often considered:

Can you almost make money (or at least recoup a lot of your ammo cost) by chambering a rifle in, say, 243ai... but firing only 243 then selling the fire formed brass?

 

[dk17hmr]

I was.

I've seen just as much 6mm Rem/244 Rem and 6remAI at Walmart as I have 6mm-06AI.

Which is to say, none.

You inadvertently touch on an interesting concept I've often considered:

Can you almost make money (or at least recoup a lot of your ammo cost) by chambering a rifle in, say, 243ai... but firing only 243 then selling the fire formed brass?

Depends where you are and on what is available locally, which really should determine the direction the OP goes. For me I can pick up 6mm Rem at 2 of the gun shops and one of the hardware stores in town for less than $35 a box, I don't because I load all my own but the ability to shoot factory ammo is there if needed. I wouldn't doubt you could recoup a good chunk of your ammo budget by selling once fired fireformed AI brass, granted the purchaser would need to full length size but still a $25-50 die compared to a $400 barrel is a small investment....sorry OP for getting off topic.

 

[turbo54]

We're not off topic at all, I don't think.

Your point concerning what's available locally is a good one.

OP: Why don't YOU tell US what cartridges are available locally to you at a price you're willing to pay, and we'll help you choose from that list?

 

[Sinus211]

I'd go to a 22-250 to keep from messing with the bolt face. It's a hot little round with minimal drop at 500-600 yards Google Image Result for http://gundata.org/images/22-250-ballistics-chart.png

 

[horsedr]

Since you already own a 30-06, I would make another vote for a 25-06. Large selection of good factory loadings and will kill whitetails and coyotes like a hammer from a long distance.

 

[tylerw02]

I would go 6.5x55 SE or .280 Remington (or even .280 AI). Those are the two best choices in that action without going overboard, maintaining the ability to get good factory ammo, and offer good terminal performance.

The .280 Rem will take any game on the continent.

 

[mlh29]

Ok I vote: 257 roberts ,,, factory loads by rem, fed, hornady, and nosler.. load up or downfor varmints inthe75-85 and deer etc in the 115 -120 range. Pick a decent twist and it will shoot all weights well. If you handload you can take advantage of the longer higher bc bullets seated long... Caliber iseasy on barrels and the shooter.. Good luck

 

[DocB]

tx,

I've seen several folks convert LA actions to the 6.5 x 55. They've all been happy. Factory ammo available most anywhere.

HTH,
DocB

 

[fdkay]

Here in Texas, the .257 roberts is a popular round and would work well in a long action.
The 6mm is another fine choice, ballistically identical to the .243, but if you ever start to handload, it will out do the .243 with the heavier bullets.
I'm very partial to the 7x57, though like the 6.5x55 and 8x57, american factory ammo is loaded to about 3/4 power, which is still enough for the job.

 

[Winny]

I'll be the oddball here.....6.5x284. Load it down to run like a .260 or load it up to run to its potential. With that being said, I'm currently thinking about opening my bolt face to make my 6.5x284 to make a 300 wm.

 

[Hawk45]

You need a SA round and a magnum round.

SA -= .243
Mag = 300WM

Then you would have everything covered. Oh and a .223..

 

[Rustybroadhead]

I own both a 6.5x55 and a 25-06 and have shot several critters with both of them. I would say the deer here in Alabama are pretty close in body size to the ones you have in Texas but our shots are probably shorter on average. I am also debating the merits of both of these calibers as I have a 270 that needs to be rebarreled so I am very interested in everyone's input.....

From my very limited experience.... the 6.5 is a much more accurate round in my experience. My Winchester 70 loved 120 grain ballistic tips (1/2 to 3/4 inch groups), but, every deer I have shot with them has run 75 to 100 yds. All have been good heart or lung hits, but they still run further than I like.

My 25-06 on the other hand is not quite as accurate (1-1.5 inches at 100 typical groups) but most deer don't take a step when they are hit.

I am personally a big 6.5 fan and in a couple of weeks am buying a house that will finally give me enough room to set up the reloading kit I bought about 2 years ago. For this one reason, i am leaning more to the 6.5x55 personally because I know I will be able to load the round to its capacity. Factory ammo for the 6.5x55 is loaded to low pressures and needs a little more velocity to make a really good hunting round in my opinion.

If it were not for my (future) ability to reload.... I would build a 25-06.


Good luck with your decision. I will be watching this thread closely as I am very interested in everyone's input as well

 

[GrantA]

Honestly since you don't reload, I'd suggest spending the rebarrel money on reloading supplies to start up.you can load really light 30-06 rounds to serve as your middleweight cartridge

 

[texote]

6.5-284 can find ammo at cabelas
280ai

 

[RanchhandTCR]

Man some of you dont seem to read the OP's Post, but instead just post! But I think the 25-06 is a great choice, Here I can get ammo for it pretty easy. Good for anything from varmints to deer.

 

[swampbuck]

First I will say that you have gotten some really off base advice and some really sound advice.

Prophet78 although well meaning obviously lacks the experience and knowledge to be giving advice. Even if it is on the Internet.

You have also recieved several recommendations for wildcats and nonstandard chambers.

From the Op I gather the following.

Factory ammo needs to be readily available.

Looking for something between 30-06 and 22lr.

Changing bolt face to magnum is unnecessary and an added cost.

That leaves us with the 30-06 family necked down
280 rem
270 win
25-06
These will have the most ammo selection and availability

Also you can choose to move to a short action standard cartridge. With equally good selection and availability. In the following order with the same bullets.
308 win (little brother to 30-06)
7-mm08 rem (little brother to the 280)
260 rem not the same bullet but almost the little brother to a 25-06 with a .260 bullet vs. .25
243 winchester also a good dual purpose round with 70-90 varmint bullets and 90-100 grain deer bullets.

Also the making the list are however they do have less factory ammo available.
284. Win( least factory ammo.)
6.5 swede

So how do we choose?

First lets narrow our duplicates.

280 vs. 284 win. Same bullet with 280 edging out in velocity and way better in ammo availability.

Next I would eliminate the 243 win. It was designed as a dual purpose round that could do double duty between deer and varmints according to bullet weight. Honestly it is ok at both but is not the best at either. Also it is hard on barrels.

The 25-06 is a great round that is flat shooting for Texas, which the 308 isn't.. Again barrel wear is a concern for me. Also i find that the small 6mm and 25 cal bullets cut through whitetails so fast that they dont deliver a lot of kinetic energy ( knockdown power) As Rustybroadhead has described with his 6.5. That is not a big problem in open fields in Texas, but i hunt in MS swamps and a deer running 100 yards before going down can ruin my day.The 280 and 270 would do the same job with less barrel wear. Of the three the 280 is also the best long range round with the 7mm having the best selection of hunting and math bullets in a wide variety of weights.

For the same reasons the 7mm-08 is my favorite of the short action calibers. Best bullet selection, long range performance, and barrel life. The benifits to short action is lest recoil and a short action which does not exist in your case.

I recommend the
280
7mm-08
6.5 swede if you want something different. It's not so fast that it will cut through and send deer running like the 25-06.

I would be comfortable with any of these but your mileage may very.

I like Hart barrels. They are top tier and will do a full job for you. However everyone has their various favorites. There are several good smiths on the hide that can help you. Accurrate Ordnance, Spartan, Phoenix, gap, sac to barely scratch the surface.

Good luck. Remember the advice on the hide is often worth what you pay for it.

 

[ratton]

I had GAP build me a 6.5x55 Swede "Rock" from my Rem 700 LA 30.06. Awesome wish I had done it sooner.

 

[Matthewb45]

You have lots of options i have the same issue i was thinking 300wm or 7mm but started leaning away because of powder use and barrel life been leaning twords the 280 AI great bullet selection with the 7mm ...high BC and mid powder burns and good range look into it it might suit u