[Afy]

Was ordering the .260 barrel...
Went with a 28 inch, 1:8 twist Lothar Walther.... and wife was peering over the shoulder. And agreed to let me get the 6 BR (Norma) as well...

Now the waiting begins.

I have a vice (Normal), and the savage tool for barrels so what else will I need. I am not buying the wooden thingies... plan to wrap the barrel in styrofoam...

[BFE]

You will need a go & no go gage to check for head spacing and if not in spec you may need a gunsmith to get it in spec.
If it was me I would think about having a smith check the head spacing so you dont have to buy the gages if it's a one time thing.

[Remo-99]

plan to wrap the barrel in styrofoam...

The vice jaws may still bite through styrofoam and marr the barrel, with the pressure required, a barrel clamp guard/adaptor of soft metal for your vice may be better. Line them with leather is another option

[Walkalong]

A barrel vise is the best way to go. You don't want to damage an expensive barrel.

[R.W.Dale]

You will need a go & no go gage to check for head spacing and if not in spec you may need a gunsmith to get it in spec.
If it was me I would think about having a smith check the head spacing so you dont have to buy the gages if it's a one time thing.


completely unnecessary on a Savage. Let your gunsmith starve on this one.

With these rifles the headspace is whatever you choose to set it at and is infinitely adjustable with the turn of a wrench. You can use headspace gauges but I usually turn the barrel in onto a fired and FL resized in my dies piece of brass. This gives an absolute minimum headspace for long brass life but may not chamber factory ammo.

A barrel vise is the best way to go. You don't want to damage an expensive barrel.
___________

You shouldn't be turning on the bbl at all in this operation

I've had the best luck removin savage bbls by using the nut wrench turning against a large cresent wrench placed on the recoil lug. Sometimes the factory bbl nuts are on gorilla tight.

an aftermarket recoil lug is a good investement, factory lugs are stamped and can vary in thickness from top to bottom.

[Walkalong]

Agh, not a screw in barrel huh.....:)

[R.W.Dale]

Agh, not a screw in barrel huh.....:)

oh it screws in but instead of having a shoulder to maintain headspace you have jamb nut. Break this nut loose and the barrel unscrews by hand. That's why all the talk of a Savage wrench, it's a special wrench to fit the bbl nut.

This is why you can buy fully chambered drop in no gunsmithing Savage barrels. Because the nut on a shoulderless barrel allows for adjustable headspace

Like I said the best way I've found to break this nut loose is put a cresent wrench on the recoil lug and the savage wrench on the bbl nut, you can use some tape to protect the finish on the action. Reinstalling your new bbl hand tight is fine or even just a hammer blow on the savage wrench.

Something I should mention. As you tighten the nut down though it will usually pull the barrel with it a few degrees in making headspace tighter. So don't actually have the headspace gauge or brass in the bbl when you lock the nut down. A little trial and error may be required to get the exact headspace you desire

[Walkalong]

Gotcha....:)

[Afy]

Krochus...

Would greatly appreciate all input you have. Since the current barrel is aftermarket... hopefully it wont be on real tight...
At 75 Euro's a go gauge and 75 for a no go... they are really expensive.

I might still get them from the UK where they are about 75 Euros (70GBP) a set...

I really would appreciate all the help I can get on this. My plan is to swap barrels depending on what I want to shoot on a given day...
At least that is the theory...

[R.W.Dale]

I really would appreciate all the help I can get on this. My plan is to swap barrels depending on what I want to shoot on a given day...
At least that is the theory...

While possible it's really much much too much trouble to swap barrels on a savage for it serve as a true on the spot "switch barrel" gun. There's a huge difference in a switch barrel rifle and being able to swap barrels yourself. You're talking about completely breaking the rifle down to individual components each time you change barrels the rifle will need to be rezeroed each time and if you neck size brass the slight variations in headspace from one swap to the next could cause chambering issues with your loaded ammo.

Like I said if you play your cards right you can use a piece of brass to establish headspace but the use of gauges is recommended. You won't really need a No-Go gauge as on a precision rifle you'll set the headspace tight enough to "feel" a Go gauge. A piece of thin printout paper added behind the Go gauge in this case make for a good double check in this situation.

EDIT : You'll need to remove the extractor and ejector to get proper "feel" when setting the final headspace

[The Bushmaster]

Have a gunsmith do it all???

[Jim Watson]

When a friend and I set up to replace the barrels on our Savage rifles, we invested in an action wrench, but you can get along without it**. Once you break the nut loose from the tight factory installation* - which required a hammer against the nut wrench on ours - you need not reinstall it any tighter than hand pressure on the nut wrench.

I agree with Krochus, flip-flopping barrels on a whim is more work than I care for. Murphy's law says that if you have a caliber convertible gun, you will find it set up for the caliber you did NOT want to shoot on any given day.

A Go gauge is good to have but you can set up on a piece of brass if you must. There is no real need for a No-Go on a Savage.

*I saw pictures taken in the Savage factory. The barrel installer had a nut wrench with a handle about a metre long, and he leaned on it hard. That is totally unnecessary for a target rifle.

**If you choose to grab the barrel in your bench vise DO get or make the "wooden thingies". Styrofoam will not do the job, the barrel will slip and be marred.

[R.W.Dale]

Have a gunsmith do it all???

you can pay a mechanic to change your oil too. But some of us like to do things for ourselves

[Afy]

hmmm... i see another savage rifle in my future :)

[R.W.Dale]

hmmm... i see another savage rifle in my future :)

that's the spirit! ;)

[NCsmitty]

It's handy to be able to change calibers, but you will need to rezero your scope each time that you change. That shouldn't be a hassle once you get the procedure down though.
You may develop a "favorite" barrel and shoot it for long periods.
Good luck.

NCsmitty

[The Bushmaster]

Hey Krochus...Read my "profile"...

I have been reading Afy's posts with interest. And after all these readings of his posts, here and other threads, I still (with no offense intended) suggest he have a good gunsmith do the job...

[rcmodel]

Styrofoam vice blocks???

Yea!
I agree with The Bushmaster.

rc

[Walkalong]

This (http://www.sinclairintl.com/product/10924/Barrel-VisesWrenches) won't marr the barrel, but is pricey if you are only going to use it once or twice. I have one for my bench gun. It is a must for that app, IMHO. :)

I obviously don't know how a Savage barrel is attached, so it may be completely unecessary for that app.

[Afy]

Bushmaster.. agree with you.
I would have had a competent gunsmith do it.
However there are two that I know off.
#1. Armeca has a three to four month backlog.
#2. Christian Salva will only work on weapons he sells.

That would then leave my dear friends who did the orginal .260 I had. And even they want 2 months.

I am getting the Vice Blocks on second thought. The Wheeler block to be precise.

[rcmodel]

If you are at all handy you can make your own with a drilled oak block and a saw to split it in half. Hole size doesn't have to be exact since the Savage barrel is not going to slip in the blocks like a welded in Mauser barrel. All you need to do is protect it from vice damage.

rc

[Afy]

RC:

This is what I have ordered:
Barrel Vice (http://www.espfrance.com/outillage//etau-canon-wheeler-p-26611.html?language=en&osCsid=1de1c04e5308e4051e1dcf6d5051a657)

While I am not the handyman around town, I guess I need to start somewhere. At least that way, if the rifle doesnt shoot straight I know whom to blame. :)

All of us need to learn, and hell if I ruin a barrel... I ruin a barrel. At least I will learn something new. And it will help when I do get around to building my own bench gun.