What calibers can be used on AR platform without changing mags or BCG?

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I am currently looking into a different caliber for my AR lower. I am going to purchase a new upper without the charging handle and BCG. Looking at a 300 blackout but I am wondering what other calibers might be out there. I want a caliber that will use the same magazines and BCG I have already.
I will be using this caliber for target shooting and possible hunting deer.
 
If you open yourself up to using a different bolt (in many cases keeping the same bolt carrier), you can look at the 6.5 Grendel,.458 Socom and the 7mm Valkyrie.


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I tried a search for pricing on the 7mm Valkarie ammo but did not find a listing.
Looks like a choice between the 6.5 Grendel and 300 blackout. I will do some more research on these rounds.
Thank You for the info.
 
Pretty sure .458 SOCOM needs a modified bolt, FWIW. The 7mm Valkyrie is a wildcat.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_AR_platform_calibers#AR-15_calibers

Without bolt modification AFAIK.
.17 Remington
.20 Tactical
.20 Practical
.204 Ruger
.221 Fireball
.222 Remington
.222 Remington Magnum
.223 Remington
.223 Remington Ackley Improved
6x45mm
6mm Whisper
25-45 Sharps
6.5mm Whisper
7mm Whisper
7mm TCU
.300 Whisper
.300 Blackout
.338 Whisper
 
Some wildcats I've looked at and considered in the past:

6mm-223
25-45 Sharps (not so much wildact)
277 Wolverine

And I'm pretty sure I've seen a 223 Rem case necked up and down from 17 Cal up to the 300 BLK. Dies are around $100 for some.

25-45 Sharps has factory ammo, everything else would require reloading for. If you don't reload I think you're kind of limited to a 25-45 or 300 BLK.

EDIT: got beat with a much better list. I forgot about the tactical/practical.
 
Thanks for all the info. Unfortunately I stopped reloading 4 years ago and sold all my dies and equipment. Stuck now buying ammo for any new caliber I build the upper for.
 
Grendel doesn't use the same bolt - it uses a deep face x39 bolt.

BCG doesn't change for any of the AR compatible cartridges, except for the WSM's, 9mm, 22LR, only the bolt itself.

I wouldn't get too hung up on compatibilities for bolts, barrels, and magazines. Unless you're shooting bargain bin, mil-spec barrels, if you change cartridges in an AR, you'll have $250+ into a new good quality barrel, even if you use the same upper, plus cost of ammo. Buy a new upper, and you have $300-1,000 into a new upper. Adding $75 for a new non-223/5.56 bolt and $50 for a few mags isn't a big deal in the scheme of things. I have or have had AR's in .17rem, 20prac, 204, 223/5.56, 6x45, 243wssm, 25wssm, 6.5g, 6.8spc, 300blk, x39, 450b, 458soc, and 50beo - swapping barrels, bolts, and mags really isn't a big deal as long as you stay away from the proprietary uppers and extensions in the oly/dti WSSM's (only because nothing swaps on those, as the upper is a completely different platform in its own right).

The 7valkarie is an impressive cartridge, and honestly does seem to maximize the potential for the AR platform - with no news on bolt thrust long term effects yet - but as I'm getting set up to build one myself, without any offense intended, if you're asking a question about which cartridges share a common 223/5.56 bolt face, the 7VAR is not for you. Making cases alone is a huge undertaking, so it's really not something for the average reloader and average AR owner to mess with. Even as impressive as it is, and being set up with all of the equipment to fireform, neck ream, neck turn, shorten cases, and many years doing so myself, the 7VAR is a HUGE pain in the butt for what little benefit it brings over some commonly available cartridges for the AR, let alone when you start talking about slipping up to an AR-10/LR-308 platform, where the 7VAR gets smoked by a handloader using standard brass and cheap factory dies, and matched by factory ammo... It's a BIG undertaking for such a small gain. It's a little better than the 6.5grendel, but not so much better the average shooter will be able to tell the difference, other than telling the difference between buying ready-to-load 6.5G brass and spending a few hours building brass for the 7VAR.
 
If you open yourself up to using a different bolt (in many cases keeping the same bolt carrier), you can look at the 6.5 Grendel,.458 Socom and the 7mm Valkyrie.


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To add to this, my understanding is that if you have a machined aluminum lower that you use for your smaller caliber cartridges and you decide to use the same lower for the .458 that it can beat the hell out of it as well as your trigger. To err on the side of caution, I would at least buy a cheap lower for that caliber alone. I may be wrong, this is just some recollection from what I have read/seen on YouTube.
 
Much food for thought here and I see that with the different calibers mentioned and the painstaking effort into making the 7mm Valkyrie along with the beating the lower will take with the 458 Socom, I think I will stick to the 300 Blackout as a likely choice.
Thanks for the good info.
 
along with the beating the lower will take with the 458 Socom
Now that the Hag has lost the election (THANK GOD!), I'd not worry much about any "beating" the lower might take -- replacements are cheap and plentiful with the only inconvenience being the FFL transfer and fee.
 
To add to this, my understanding is that if you have a machined aluminum lower that you use for your smaller caliber cartridges and you decide to use the same lower for the .458 that it can beat the hell out of it as well as your trigger.

I have used my 458 upper on a number of lowers including plastic cavarms and never had any issues, unmodified .223 mags too (just not Pmags, can't have dividers). The bolt is not the same as .223 though.

Pretty silly worrying about the 458 socom in a semiauto when people make 50 BMG single shot uppers that bolt on AR lowers....how immovable is your shoulder?
 
I am currently looking into a different caliber for my AR lower. I am going to purchase a new upper without the charging handle and BCG. Looking at a 300 blackout but I am wondering what other calibers might be out there. I want a caliber that will use the same magazines and BCG I have already.
I will be using this caliber for target shooting and possible hunting deer.
Anything with a rim diameter of 0.378" and an overall length of around 2.26".
 
If you want to go to the store and buy ammo for an "alternative" AR caliber, as mentioned above, the 6.8 SPC is the way to go. IMO, it's worth having a BCG for each upper even if you don't have more than one lower. No issue changing the bolt carrier from upper to upper, but overtime, the bolt DOES wear into the extension and I think it's best to keep a bolt with it's barrel if it's something you shoot a bunch.

We chrono'd some XMGD 90 grains this weekend at 2890 fps. That's a .250 Savage right there, and darn near a .243.
 
my understanding is that if you have a machined aluminum lower that you use for your smaller caliber cartridges and you decide to use the same lower for the .458 that it can beat the hell out of it as well as your trigger.

I've had .450, 50, and 458 uppers on forged lowers for a long time, and thousands of rounds. A quality forged lower or billet will be fine. I've never understood why this rumor propagates.
 
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