M1A rebarrelled in 7mm-08?

[Risasi]

Anybody ever heard of this being done?

I'm considering putting together some bolt-actions in this caliber, it would be nice if they were the same as my M1A's.

 

[Jim K]

No reason it would not work, but AFAIK there are no barrels for the M14/M1A in that caliber. Douglas makes M1 barrels for 7mm-08, so they might make an M14 barrel in that caliber. You can call them or Brownells and see what is available. Note that Douglas barrels for the M14/M1A in 7.62 run $250-290.

Unless you can find a barrel maker who makes a 7mm-08 barrel for the M14/M1A, it would be a gunsmith proposition.

That means a gunsmith would have to make the barrel from a blank, a pretty difficult (and expensive) proposition with the threads and gas port, not to mention the rear shaping and cuts for the handguard clip. The port size would be somewhat trial and error. I would think the barrel tang would have to be threaded, then the barrel installed and headspaced, then removed and the other threads cut, the rear shaping done, the gas port drilled and the spline cuts made.

You can try to get some quotes from experienced Garand/M14 gunsmiths, but I don't think you will like the bottom line, which I think will be a grand or more.

(Every time I write that something like this is difficult and expensive, I hear from some guy who says his brother-in-law will do it for $2.50 and a case of beer. I eagerly await a similar response, but think this one might require two cases of beer.)

Jim

 

[SigfanUSAF]

(Every time I write that something like this is difficult and expensive, I hear from some guy who says his brother-in-law will do it for $2.50 and a case of beer. I eagerly await a similar response, but think this one might require two cases of beer.)

What kind of beer are we talkin'?

To second what Jim said, we just had a Krag barrel "custom" made to original 30" specs from a blank, which ran well over $500 and all that required was some threading, a front sight base, and an extractor cut. I think Jims $1000 is probably in the ball park of the low end of what that would cost.

All you would be achieving is a little higher velocity out a lighter bullet, and you'd have $2500 to $3000 in a rifle ultimately worth what any other used M1A is going for.

Just my $.02

 

[steveno]

I think when Springfield first came out with the M1A it was chambered in 243 & 7-08

 

[GunTech]

SA made some 243 M1As, but that is the only caliber other than 308 I am aware of. I've been wanting a 260 M1A, but so far have not found anyone to make me one. Weird, since all the tooling except the chamber reamer are exactly the same. You'd think it could be done easily.

 

[W.E.G.]

All you would be achieving is a little higher velocity out a lighter bullet, and you'd have $2500 to $3000 in a rifle ultimately worth what any other used M1A is going for.

No. It would be worth even less than an M1A in the "correct" caliber.

 

[rosco22]

Nice idea , but why ??? Not much Milspec 7mm-08 around ...........an idea worth the thought but thats it .

 

[Jimmy Newman]

If it were available, I'd be pretty interested in a 7mm-08 M1A... I think the 7mm-08 may be my favorite mid-size rifle caliber.

I would want it for a few targets and hunting, not shooting piles of surplus ammo.

 

[nicholst55]

Barnett may make M1A barrels in 7-08; not sure. They at keast used to make them for the M1, so they would be the ones to ask. Otherwise like has already been mentioned, it's a custom proposition and could get real spendy, real quick.

 

[Peter M. Eick]

I would swear that Springfield made M1A's in 243 and 7-08 back in the early to middle 90's.

Anyone else remember this?

If so it might be easier and cheaper just to buy one.

 

[4v50 Gary]

Better check the pressure curve and velocity on it. If they are within 7.62 mm Nato specs, then it can be done. Remember, the action was designed for the Nato cartridge. If the newer bullet causes the action to unlock too fast or too slow, you will have problems. Too fast and the bolt's rearward travel will peen the receiver. Too slow and it can be sluggish and unreliable. The cure would be to change the helix (the cut-out) in the op-rod that controls the bolt to either delay or accelerate the unlocking. Another cure would be to either adjust the gas flow into the piston (smaller/larger hole) or even weight of the piston (lighter = faster, heavier = slower). But that requires an engineer and I'm just a clerk.

 

[Sunray]

"...it was chambered in 243 & 7-08..." Nope. .308, .243 and .358 Winchester only. No 7mm-08's.

 

[GunTech]

The gas system on the M1A is contant volume, so as long as the port pressure is right, you should be OK. 243, 260 and 7mm-08 should be alright, so long as the right powders are used.

 

[10X]

I don't see the advantage in this. The different caliber would make the rifle less valuable than a factory M1A, the customization cost would be high, you couldn't use it in service rifle competition.

Springfield did make some M1As in 243 and 358 back when, they were not popular.

 

[Bwana John]

Ive seen M1-A's in 7mm-08

I have a friend that has one in 250 Savage!?!