[viking499]

Explain to me how easy this is since everyone says so.....and it's on the Internet saying so, so it must be true....:rolleyes:

How many of you have done it or do it? What tools do you need? What is need to be switched besides barrels?

Is it viable to go from say a 30-06 to a 204 using the same action? Or is there certain calibers that must be used with certain actions?

[TurtlePhish]

You need a barrel wrench to do the changing, fits the barrel nut. If the new cartridge has a different size base, you'll need a new bolt head too.

IIRC, there are long and short Savage actions. I think shorter cartridges could be used in long actions, but it'd be a little strange. Long action cartridges will not fit a short action.

[viking499]

Are the bolt heads easy to switch?

Just need one bolt and and different heads?

This is starting to sound like a possible summer project...........

[TonyAngel]

Check out switchbarrel.com

[docsleepy]

Takes a bit of reading. I've turned a .223 into a 7mm08. MUST understand how to set/check headspace; buy or borrow GO and NOGO gauges. Don't forget the magazine and follower also -- I did, and then realized how unique the mag is for different calibers. Ended up with a great rifle. Not hard to switch the bolthead, but you have to understand how to adjust the firing pin protrusion.

[TurtlePhish]

This is starting to sound like a possible summer project...........


If you have all the parts, it's a less-than-an-hour project.

You'll need headspace gauges for your chosen cartridge, too. Forgot about that.

[rehorne]

Midway has the E.R. Shaw barrel "kits" for the Savage 110 series. It comes with the bbl, bbl nut wrench and Head space gage. Not to hard to do, you will need an action wrench and a 2 or 3 foot length of pipe that will fit on the handle of the bbl nut wrench. They can be tight as a b***h. It's a lot easier to swap the bbls that are in the same cartridge family.

[BoilerUP]

Do a search on Youtube, there are some pretty good videos that show a step-by-step DIY.

Yes, it is very easy to switch Savage barrels & bolt heads; done it myself on my Savages many times.

You'll need a shop vise, some notched hardwood blocks, a barrel nut wrench, a go-gage and a piece of tape. Put the nut wrench on the barrel nut, tighten the barrel down in your shop vise with blocks between the barrel & vice jaws, then whack the nut wrench a few good times with a dead blow hammer or 1lb hand sledge. Unscrew nut, unscrew barrel, you've now got an unbarreled action. Get your new barrel, screw barrel nut all the way on the barrel, insert go gage into the barrel, secure new barrel in vice with blocks, then screw the action onto the barrel until it stops. Hand tighten barrel nut, open bolt, remove go-gage, put 1 piece of scotch tape on the bottom of the go-gage, reinsert into barrel, attempt to close bolt. If bolt does not close, headspace is good. If bolt does close, remove everything and try again (or use an actual no-go gage, $20 is cheap insurance). Use wrench to tighten barrel nut, give it one very light whack with hammer, then go shoot. First time will take close to an hour, after that probably 15 minutes, tops.

Want to change bolt head? Remove big-ass screw from back of bolt, remove bolt handle (good time to change this if you are so inclined), pull all the pieces out from the inside of the bolt, use small punch and remove pin holding bolt head in place, pull bolt head off bolt body. Reverse steps to reinstall a new bolt head. First time takes about 15 minutes, after that less than 5.

Savage built short-action chamberings on a 110 long action for many years including 223s, so there are 110 actions out there with "regular" long action mag wells (270, 30-06, 7RM, etc) and a few with "short" mag wells that are 308 sized. If you have one of these "short action cartridge" long actions, you won't be able to mag-feed typical long action cartridges without milling out the action.

308-based cases will feed just dandy from a Savage long action 270/30-06 blind magazine, but you'd have to run a 204/223/6BR as a single shot if utilizing the blind mag.

I've got a build in progress right now with a mid-90s 110 long action. It started life as a 270 Win, but I traded for one of those rare .378 LA bolt heads as I am planning to run it as a 223 (just to be different). Stock will be a Manners MCS-T, and CDI makes two types of DBM for the Savage long action: one that fits AICS 300WM magazines, and one that fits 308 box magazines. I'm going to install the 308 mag box DBM since I plan to run it as a 223 with polymer AICS magazines. The DBM places the mag in the very front of the action mag cutout, allowing one to utilize the "extended bolt baffle" that Savage puts on 204/223 short actions to limit bolt throw. The end result of this is bolt throw on my 110 long action is only 1/4" longer than my 10FP that wears a 260 Rem barrel. And if at some point down the road I decide to rebarrel to, say, a 30-06 or 7mm Rem Mag all I'll need is a barrel, the appropriate bolt head, a 'standard' bolt baffle and a magazine.

My point - Savage actions are pretty much the SOPMOD of the bolt action world...very flexible to one's desires and needs.

[viking499]

Here is what has got me interested in doing a switch.....

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/976328/e-r-shaw-barrel-savage-10-110-small-shank-65x55mm-swedish-mauser-1-in-8-twist-24-varmint-contour-stainless-steel

[TurtlePhish]

Here is what has got me interested in doing a switch.....


That'd get me interested, too...

[viking499]

Not sure why I need a fourth 6.5........but I don't have a stainless or a bull barrel.....:rolleyes:

[browningguy]

and it's on the Internet saying so, so it must be true

Sometimes the internet is correct you know. You need a barrel nut wrench, something to act as a barrel vise, and a no go gauge, and if you are changing to a different case head dimension you will need the correct size bolt head. I posted a description here with photographs a few months ago when I did mine.

[jimmyraythomason]

Use an action wrench to hold the action not the barrel. It is almost impossible to hold the barrel tight enough with wood blocks in a bench vice. I use both but until I secured the action I made absolutely no progress.

[viking499]

Is there a Savage bolt face that would work with the 6.5x55?

[GJgo]

If you do the 6.5x55 you'll be stuck with Win, Rem, & Fed brass that have undersized heads. The good brass such as Lapua has a proper Swede head size which is (slightly) larger than the standard 308 boltface. For this reason I'd suggest getting the 260 version of the same thing.

[viking499]

If you do the 6.5x55 you'll be stuck with Win, Rem, & Fed brass that have undersized heads. The good brass such as Lapua has a proper Swede head size which is (slightly) larger than the standard 308 boltface. For this reason I'd suggest getting the 260 version of the same thing.


Already got the good brass. Fond of the 6.5. Thought about a 260, but nah. Did I say I like the swede......:D

[Jim Watson]

and a no go gauge,

Strange, I used a Go gauge for mine. The last step was to screw the barrel down against the Go gauge and tighten the nut.

[MErl]

A Go gauge only tells you a cartridge will fit in the chamber
A NoGo gauge tells you if you have too much room in the chamber

To do it right you use both. What if when tightening your barrel there had been something else it bottomed out against instead of the gauge? Or a speck of dirt on it, or a bad thread, or...
The NoGo is a double check that is is being done right.

[jimmyraythomason]

To do it right you use both.While it doesn't hurt to be absolutely certain,a no-go guage isn't necessary to "do it right". I use one myself but have never seen where I had to have it. BTW,I think Jim Watson knows a thing or two about go/no-go guages :)

[joed]

I was going to attempt it 2 years ago but added the parts up and the price was over $400. The good people on this forum set me straight though as the price I got was with an aftermarket stainless barrel which drove the price up. This was from one of the advertisers on the Savage forum.

Because of this I do not visit the Savage forum anymore.

[BoilerUP]

I was going to attempt it 2 years ago but added the parts up and the price was over $400. The good people on this forum set me straight though as the price I got was with an aftermarket stainless barrel which drove the price up. This was from one of the advertisers on the Savage forum.

Because of this I do not visit the Savage forum anymore.

What?

You realize you could have requested a quote for a Savage takeoff barrel instead of an aftermarket barrel...don't you?

[tryshoot]

My Savage 112 is a long action in 22-250, A short action cart. It is also a blind mag.

[jerkface11]

You don't need an action wrench or a barrel block. Get a large adjustable wrench. Lock that onto the recoil lug, then put your barrel nut wrench on there put the thing on the floor and step on it to break the nut loose. Oh and while you are in there you might as well go to an aftermarket recoil lug.

[viking499]

Are the aftermarket lugs better than factory?

[Jim Watson]

They are flatter, being surface ground instead of stamped, and usually thicker.
Much thicker and you will have to widen the cut in the stock.
But the idea is to get more uniform support of the action; best done in combination with glass bedding.

[Gtscotty]

Switching a Savage barrel isn't too hard to do, and it certainly doesn't have to cost $400. I turned a savage 110 30-06 into a 338-06, and then a 35 Whelen using just the $200 E. R. Shaw kits, and an adjustable wrench. While a barrel wrench would be nice, you can make due with an adjustable wrench if you're careful and use some masking tape to protect the finish. I picked that 110 up for $250 at a gun show (in great shape), $450 for a rifle chambered in whatever caliber you want strikes me as a good cheap way to try out different calibers.

Already got the good brass. Fond of the 6.5. Thought about a 260, but nah. Did I say I like the swede......

Undoubtedly, the Swede is a nifty chambering, but if you were to go with a 260 in a long action, you could seat those long 6.5's waaaaaay out there...

[WYcoyote]

I made a home built barrel vise and used a Wheeler barrel nut wrench from Midway.
Soaked the barrel nut with Kroil for a few days prior, and warmed it up with a heat gun immediately before removal. Gave the wrench a rap with a rubber hammer and it came right off.
Set my headspace with a go gage and checked no go with a .002" shim behind the go gage. I then loaded one round, fired it, and full length resized it with my die. I then reset the headspace using that case. The result is my headspace custom fitted to my FL sizing die, which should minimize working of the brass and effectively extending case life.
Barrel is a 6.5-.284 Norma prefit from Benchmark Barrels.

http://i368.photobucket.com/albums/oo121/mjkbpics/Guns/barrelvise001.jpg

[joed]

What?

You realize you could have requested a quote for a Savage takeoff barrel instead of an aftermarket barrel...don't you?
I did and never got an answer with a quote. I do not spend any time at the Savage forum anymore because of this. Was told the person was a straight shooter but couldn't tell it from what I saw. As soon as I asked for a Savage barrel he never even got back to me, sort of like I had the plague.

Ended up selling the gun because I figured for $400+ I could just buy a new rifle. Few months later people on here told me I could have done the conversion for about $200.