M1A super special type

[Minesweeper3433]

Has anyone ever chambered an M1A or M14 in 260,7mm-08, 243. I have an old 7mm barrel that I might try to make into one down the road as a vacation project. I figure the 7-08 would be great as it is so close to the 308's original case dimensions. I just figure it would be interesting to use the 168 bullets for the 7mm in a 308 platform to reach past what the DOD range for the M14 platform is designed.

 

[KevinThomas]

Yep. Springfield Armory used to offer their M1As in both 243 Win and 7-08 as standard items. Wouldn't surprise me to learn that they are now offering them in 260 as well, assuming they're still doing things other than the standard 7.62x51, but I haven't checked their literature recently. Should be no problem at all.

 

[gtl1946]

I see no reason you couldn't do it other than seeing what dia. the gas port size should be so that the op-rod will function with-out battering the gun to pieces or not cycling enough to open/close the bolt properly. Then stay with the proper burn rate for powders and you should be good to go . Powders that work for the .308 should be okay.

 

[Buck 89]

I had two M1A's in rem. 260 and they shoot very well.

 

[Steve Blair]

I see no reason you couldn't do it other than seeing what dia. the gas port size should be so that the op-rod will function with-out battering the gun to pieces or not cycling enough to open/close the bolt properly. Then stay with the proper burn rate for powders and you should be good to go . Powders that work for the .308 should be okay.

M14s use the White patent gas system and are far less prone to the battering effect than M1s. There will be more than enough port pressure to operate the action. As Kevin observed, the M1a has been chambered in a variety of .308-family cartridges.

 

[Minesweeper3433]

Would anybody know who to contact about getting measurements on those barrels that are not 308?
Until I asked this question I had never heard of anyone doing something like this before.
I already have an M1A standard that would be the test bed for this project if I ever got around to it.

 

[KevinThomas]

Minesweeper,

If I'm reading you right, you have a 7mm barrel blank that you want to make into an M1A barrel? Serious work there, I'll warn you that right up front. Fitting a barrel extension on a blank and setting up an AR barrel is child's play compared to what you'll need to do for an M1A, once you start looking at timing it, setting it up so your gas port winds up properly situated in a groove, and any of the dozen other critical dimensions that go into one of these barrels.

Call Springfield Armory directly, and see if there's anything they'll share with you. That, or just go to one of the barrel makers who do this sort of machining as routine, and save yourself a tremendous headache. I'd recommend Steve Satern, from Satern Custom Machining. Makes an outstanding barrel, and does the M1A profiling/machining from the ground up.

 

[Taildrag15X]

I did a search over on the M14 Forums......I remember them being available in both .243 & 7mm-08, there may be a barrel or two out there awaiting you.

"Springfield Armory, Inc. offered M1A rifles chambered in .243 Winchester from at least 1978 until 1994 and in .358 Winchester from 1978 to 1980. Barrel blanks in .22, 6 mm, .25, .270, 7 mm, .30 and .35 caliber were offered from 1978 through 1980. Springfield Armory, Inc. would install one of their barrels into a M1A rifle during this period for a nominal charge, $10.00 to $14.00. From 1990 and later, the M1A was available in 7mm-08. These M1A rifles were sold in the United States and in countries where civilians were prohibited from owning military compatible ammunition, e.g., France. For example, Super Match M1A serial number 088619 was custom built in 1995 by Springfield Armory, Inc. It had a Hart 7mm-08 heavyweight barrel and the receiver was rear lugged. M1A rifles exported to Spain are chambered for .307 Winchester."

 

[Dans40X]

Build it on an ArmaLite AR-10 platform.

Unless you have a drum full of op rods available!!

 

[Minesweeper3433]

I will also be building an AR10 platform rifle from the ground up as a machining project to learn mill work but the purpose of the M1A project is to practice barrel turning and doing mill work on a round object and learn as much as I can about gas systems. I dropped out of college mid way through my degree in engineering for my dream job that I am starting now. So never made it very far into my math courses to work on that. Now I just want to do some challenging projects in my spare time while I have full access to the local machine shop and dont have to pay for any of the tooling. Having an AR10 in 7mm is neat having an M1A in 7mm would be unique at least for the majority of the people I have talked to.

 

[lelongcarabine]

Call Kreiger Barrels! Ask about the .260 Remington chambering option as well as the 7-08. .
Shay is quite knowledgeable! Greg
They may not do a blank from another maker!

http://www.kriegerbarrels.com/M1Garand__M1AM14-c1246-wp3393.htm

 

[Forum Boss]

Build it on an ArmaLite AR-10 platform. Unless you have a drum full of op rods available!!

My Springfield M1A did not work reliably until Fulton Armory replaced Springfield OP Rod with a GI unit, and replaced a half=dozen other critical components with USGI versions. The stuff that came in the M1A from the factory was weak and soft. My factory op rod actually threw off metal shavings!

 

[Minesweeper3433]

I was thinking for a 260 barrel get a straight blank with a gas port hole drilled into the groove and machine the barrel with that hole as the reference point for everything else. I think I could make a device for marking the drill point for my current 7mm blank by attaching a very small roller bearing to a rod and set the barrel in bearings so it could rotate. Then just apply downward presure to the rod as I feed it in to mark the groove using machinest chalk in a fixed scribe above. That would give me one edge and then do same proccess in reverse to get other edge of groove. The just drill were apropriate. Would this work? PS my blank has enough excess that I can locate in general area and trim the barrel back to ensure proper dimensions for hole placement. I just need the hole in a groove in the apropriate range.