(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.)
Once the barrel is worn, as a handloader, a new load can be developed to extend the service life by tuning a new load for this worn barrel. Swedish Mauser 6.5×55 barrels for a variety of factors continue to shoot well even with a worn barrel. I have one such example that still shoots minute of angle (MOA) with my handloads even though the throat is well eroded, or “worn out” by most standards. My best Swedish Mauser has a barrel that is almost pristine so it was sent to a professional to get the full and best work done so it can serve as my 1,000-yard rifle if I ever get enough practice in to shoot that range.
Practical “Sniping” Range?
Take note that most shooters will be shooting at no longer than 500 yards, since that is a practical limit for most shooters. I once asked an Army-trained sniper what was the farthest range that he could hit a man-sized target the first time and every time he pulled the trigger. His answer was 500 yards. Hits count, and misses do not. So I will limit my range to where I can hit the first time and every time so that only one shot is necessary. Whether that limit is 300 yards or 500 yards, I will operate within my limitations.
While I much prefer 6.5mm as it is much easier to make hits with, .308 has many practical advantages. The worst thing that can happen is running out of ammo. As a handloader, I can make more ammo, but only if I have the components. While I do not recommend .300 Savage, as a handloader, I can make .300 Savage from 7.62 NATO, .30-06, and a few others that share the same case head dimensions. It would be far better to have the rifle in .308 Winchester since that round is currently the second most popular in most of the lower 48 states.
As a prepper, if I could afford to have my .300 Savage rifle re-chambered to 7.62 NATO, then I would. But .300 Savage brass is cheap and easy to make by reforming ubiquitous .308 Winchester brass. I will not use 7.62 NATO military brass if I can avoid it, since the thicker military brass has a reduction in case capacity (versus commercial .308 Winchester brass) and the .300 Savage can use all the case volume that it can get, in some rifles.
Around my part of The American Redoubt, .30-06 is more popular than .308 Winchester. However, those who do have a deer rifle in .308 Winchester are likely to also own a semi-auto rifle that shoots 7.62 NATO. They will tend to have lots and lots of 7.62 NATO ammo.
Again, I can make .300 Savage from .308 Winchester cartridge brass. To get the most out of a rifle that would be used out to 500 yards, sub-minute of angle (MOA) accuracy is preferred and handloading is the best way to make that happen. I will also modify the cartridge specification to ring out additional velocity while remaining inside of maximum pressures and use modern very high ballistic coefficient bullets to greatly increase its range.
In my opinion, it is possible to exceed M80 ball performance with careful load development by using the available throat to set the bullet beyond SAAMI cartridge overall length (OAL) specification to increase powder capacity. I will also glass bed this rifle in the hope that it will retain sub-MOA accuracy even as the barrel heats up. It has an excellent American walnut stock that will do the job. My old Swedish Mauser is glass-bedded into a fine walnut stock helps keep it shooting just under MOA.
The 6.5 Cartridges
While I can recommend 6.5 CM, the Swedes refer to as the 6.5 “Cost More”, as it duplicates 6.5×55. But since 6.5 CM has become more widely available it is the better choice for American preppers. However, unless you can afford to stockpile thousands of rounds of 6.5CM, I must recommend a rifle in .308 Winchester or for those who are strapped for cash now and cannot afford to buy thousands of rounds of precision ammunition. If they already own an AR-15, then I would recommend 75 or 77 grain OTM .223 ammunition that can reliably reach out to 500 in favorable wind conditions. For best results, buy a 20-inch upper that is free-floated and fit your rifle with a better trigger.
Palmetto State Armory (PSA) rifles are good, yet more crude examples of the AR-15. I was blessed that a friend built me a high-quality AR. It is a fine machine relative to PSA rifles. There is actually no comparison to be made between the two rifles other than they both shoot 5.56 NATO ammunition. The difference is between the rifle builds is like the difference between a light beer and an expensive wine. This is not to advocate drinking, but you know what I mean.
PSA barrels are known to have relatively shorter acceptable service life. We get what we pay for, but I should add that PSA is a good value nevertheless. I am no rifle snob, they work and we afford to buy my many copies as a result, but I would run hundreds of rounds through a PSA rifle before I could trust it. Its low cost can be an advantage if it fits our plans. It is a good enough platform certainly as a spare rifle for a contingency plan. Or perhaps if it is the only rifle that we can afford, it will work well if we understand that it is a lower-quality example. My good friend provided this very fine and custom AR-15 at no cost to me. He almost cried when he handed it over and only on the condition that I promised never to sell this rifle. To him, I say thank you.
Some AR Disappointments
I do not trust ARs after so many have jammed or otherwise failed to operate in my hands with standard military ammunition. Knowing that this talented and experienced gunsmith who works to uncompromising standards built this rifle is very reassuring. This is why I so much appreciate his gift and will fanatically perform the PM (preventative maintenance) on all AR rifles, including this one. All four of the first AR-15s and one LR308 (an AR-10) I tried to shoot jammed on me within the first few rounds I attempted to fire them. This was certainly a valuable lesson learned with no other adverse consequences attached.
You can tell me that ARs are “super reliable all day long”, but I can not take away my experience that is an empirical fact that without religious Preventative Maintenance (PM), the AR-15 would not be reliable. It is not as reliable as an AK and for myself, given extensive experience with rifles, “That’s the fact, Jack.” The most important function of a rifle is not to look cool, or be ergonomically well suited, or light in weight, but rather to go ‘bang’ every time the trigger is pulled. If you are not well trained or for whatever reason cannot do maintenance on a rifle, then I strongly advise you to get an AK. End or story, because that is the truth of the matter. Most do not know how to properly maintain an AR type of rifle, so consider yourself warned and get the training.
See many of the demonstration videos available on YouTube. In fact, you should see more than one as I have found even those who might be considered experts to be lacking in some way or another. Get many perspectives on your rifle of choice and become as much of an expert as you can. In a post-collapse environment, no one will be coming to help you, and very few people have the high degree of knowledge and skill of a gunsmith. If you do not have any mechanical aptitude then you should have several copies of the same rifle as whole replacements. Even with my experience with firearms, this is what do for myself. I will have at least two if not four examples of a type of firearm. I want an entire replacement rifle in case my primary breaks and I either do not have the time or material to fix it immediately. I can therefore immediately transition to the spare rifle to ensure there is no lapse in my security operation.
Conclusion
In closing, if someone will only have one rifle, then it should be a high-quality AR-15 and it should be fed high-quality 75/77 grain ammo. I would also strongly advise others to learn how to clean and lubricate the AR-15 because failure to maintain this rifle properly can quickly render it inoperable. Get serious training on this maintenance issue. Most do not have what it takes to keep an AR running, including a lack of spare parts and fresh barrels. It is tough to hit past 300 using 55-grain .223 ammo and 75/77 grain bullets are much better for stopping the fight up close and at longer ranges. It is the best all-around bullet for modern ARs with a barrel twist of 1:7″ barrel twists. Arken and others make affordable lightweight scopes designed specifically for this rifle and work.