I'm not in the market to change calibers at the moment (just got my .260 Rem and I'm happy with it). But, the discussion has been brought up a few times among friends, and I was wondering what kind of caliber changes could be made during a barrel swap on an Accuracy International AX rifle that started with the standard .308 Win action length?
Obviously it seems like any of the .308 family of cartridges (and similar sizes) would be possible: .308 Win, .260 Rem, .243 Win, 6.5 Creedmoor, etc. But, are there any others that also work on these actions with minimal changes? Can any of the short magnum cartridges be run in these guns? How about things like the 6.5 SAUM? 6XC? Others? I'm guessing that some cartridges wouldn't work because of the case diameter being larger or smaller, or the cases being longer or shorter, but I'm really not very well-versed on this particular subject.
I'm no gunsmith, so I'm just asking for the sake of curiosity. As I said, I'm happy with my .260 Rem choice for now, but barrels do eventually burn out (down the road for me a ways since mine is brand new), and I'm always curious about future options.
Obviously it seems like any of the .308 family of cartridges (and similar sizes) would be possible: .308 Win, .260 Rem, .243 Win, 6.5 Creedmoor, etc. But, are there any others that also work on these actions with minimal changes? Can any of the short magnum cartridges be run in these guns? How about things like the 6.5 SAUM? 6XC? Others? I'm guessing that some cartridges wouldn't work because of the case diameter being larger or smaller, or the cases being longer or shorter, but I'm really not very well-versed on this particular subject.
I'm no gunsmith, so I'm just asking for the sake of curiosity. As I said, I'm happy with my .260 Rem choice for now, but barrels do eventually burn out (down the road for me a ways since mine is brand new), and I'm always curious about future options.