Hey y’all. I’m the proud owner of a gen 3 PA10. I have the PSA two stage trigger, lightweight profile mid gas stainless 18” barrel. I haven’t gotten to shoot it past 100 yds yet or hunt with it but I’m very happy with it thus far.
I’m interested in hearing from anyone with experience using multiple caliber uppers with their lower and if there were any changes needed to the buffer/spring setup. I’m guessing with adjustable gas blocks on most PA10 uppers this would be a no but I thought I would ask.
i had a gen3 that i had built a while back and it was an 18 inch in 308… i also had built a 18" in 6.5 creedmoore, and i was able to swap the uppers without any change in buffers or springs. no issues. it was built all out of PSA parts as thats all im using when i build a PSA lower, I go all psa parts with it. be it for the uppers or lowers.
Hi everyone. I just picked up a Gen 3 PA-10 in .308 with a 20” barrel. I’m planning to swap it to a 6.5 Creedmoor, either a 22” or 24” barrel. Has anyone here done this before, and which barrel would you recommend?. My goal is to start practicing long-range shooting, so I’m looking for something accurate and reliable rather than lightweight.
first of all, welcome to the forums! we’re glad you signed up! awesome on your new purchase! That 308 can punch out pretty far, distance wise, while not quite as far as a 6.5 creedmoor, it can do a good bit. if you want to you change just the barrel, then you’ll need the barrel, and a new bolt. in the minimum.. i would think.. it may be easier for you just to grab a 6.5 upper complete and just swap upper receivers at your will when you wanna shoot the 6.5 from the 308. so you can go back and forth from one to the other.
Thank you for your response. I am new to range and hunting and make a plan to practice both mid (more in Florida) and long range shooting and hunting.
My plan is this.
Just purchased a PSA PA-10 20" barrel on a 308 in order to have both sides of the equation mid-long range great up to 500 yds and still effective up to 800 yds (practice only). Not optimal but good as a starting point.
Purchase a 18" 308 upper to keep that config with LPVO scope for short-mid range shooting and hunting.
Convert my 20" 308 upper into 6.5 CM 22" barrel with silencer for longer range shooting and hunting (potentially get into competition). I read that the 308 upper is perfectly suitable for 6.5CM conversion with a silencer.
As said, I am new to this amazing sport and will appreciate any advice or recommendation you may have.
My challenges:
PSA currently has 22" and 24" barrels (not in stock), but I can’t get tech info from them for my conversion.
I could use another manufacturer barrel, but then I will lose the lifetime warranty from PSA.
Despite that I will need to make more changes have not found a 6.5CM 22" barrel upper from PSA PA-10
i second doing the multiple upper route, many guys go this route, and many of them have much success doing so. I however did not have that success as my OCD pushed me to making each complete upper into a permanent full complete rifle for another 140.00 or so. lol but thats just me. having another upper is quicker, cleaner, less hassle, and in the long run a much easier option that you may one day choose to turn into a full build. Long word wise like i mentioned all you have to do to make a full rifle out of it is to get a complete lower for it and voila you’re good go.
It doesn’t surprise me their Tech Dept. doesn’t offer any help. I don’t think any would.
That said…. That certainly didn’t stop me from installing other barrels of my choice.
The “conversion” would be fairly straight forward… provided you have the tools.
Just curious… how accurate is your 20” barrel ?
As mentioned, you might just start with a PA10 / 65 upper.
I do suggest, buying a respected barrel… IE, at the least, a Criterion.
My 22” 6.5CM Criterion barrel has been stellar.
Aero / BA / Faxon barrels can be a “hit or miss” ( pardon the pun ) at times.
Buying a better barrel is a money saving way… you probably won’t have to spend more money on ammo… trying to make a “lesser” barrel shoot to your expectations.
