Savage 10 308 to 6.5 PRC

[ktmkaratechips]

308 to 6.5 PRC conversion



Hello all. I’m pretty new to the forum and was doing some digging on the 6.5 prc and what it takes to convert a Savage SA 308. I couldn’t find exactly the information I needed all in one place, though I’d guess it does exist, so I’m posting this as my conversion with all the features I either needed to replace or change.



I have a Savage 10 fcp-sr short action chambered in 308 and have shot that for the last two years while learning the basics of marksmanship and intermediate/long range shooting. I have it in a MDT LSS chassis with a LUTH-AR buttstock, and topped with a Vortex HS-LR 6-24. The gun does great and is a ton of fun to shoot. That being said I was looking to upgrade to a bit more of a wind cheater and decided to go with the 6.5 PRC. I’m a hunter and the game I chase will make this rifle a do-all set up for me.



Here is the list of parts I bought/modified.



Barrel:

I bought an small shank X-Caliber prefit, stainless steel match barrel. 22 inches long in a #5 heavy sporter contour. It weighs 3.01lbs bare for those interested. It is also threaded for a muzzle device.



Freebore:

After a lot of researching, I decided to go with the GA reamer spec and get my barrel chambered for .130 freebore. I chose this over the .188 FB because I will be reloading and wanted the option to play with seating depth and not be limited to mag length with a larger jump. Time will tell if that was the right choice but that’s what I did. X-Caliber were the only company I talked to that would help with this without spending a buttload more money for a ultra top tier barrel. They rented the reamer from 4D reamer rentals I believe, and all I had to do was pay an additional rental fee.



Barrel nut:

My rifle came with a smooth style barrel nut so I purchased a slotted one off of midway to replace it.



Bolt head:

Another thing I needed to convert was the bolthead. My bolt head was a standard and I needed a magnum. I bought one from Pacific Tool and Gauge for $70. I selected it from their general menu, not the custom one.



Go-Gauge:

I also ordered the GO head spacing gauge from PTG and just used the scotch tape on the head to create a NO-GO gauge.



Magazine:

I am using a 308 Accurate 5 round Mag with a max COAL of about 2.970 or so. I had to bend the feed lips a bit accommodate the larger diameter cases. Once bent to the appropriate width, they would stick up and contact the bolt. I ended up cutting a sliver off the lips to regain the free and clear status when cycling the bolt. I can fit 4 in the mag but likely will pack it around with 3.

I’d likely just buy a wsm mag if I had to do it again, although I haven’t seen or handled one personally.



Action Feed Ramp:

I had to remove material from the action’s feed ramp to accommodate the COAL. I used a dremel tool to do this and made it to where the magazine’s bow and the feed ramp’s stern mated up nicely(without overhang) and the bullet nose would not be clipped on the underside of the action when inserting the mag.



I have only shot a 20 shot break-in as of now and the velocities were a little low (2680 average w/52 grains of H4831SC) but were climbing as I fired more rounds so I’m hoping to end up around 2850 or better with 147 eldm once I work up a load.



Hopefully this helps someone looking for information from boots on the ground.

Cheer, ktmkaratechips



P.S.

For any interested parties here are some weights of the original parts:

Action with accutrigger 1 lbs 1 oz

Bolt with modified knob 12.8 oz

308 20in fluted,threaded barrel w/ oem nut 3 lbs 1 oz

Oem recoil lug 0.7 oz