Two barrels fits the same old bolt rifle. How hard to switch?

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axxxel

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Hello,

My dad just purchased an old sako bolt action rifle. The seller sold him the rifle together with a barrel of another caliber that had been fitted to the rifle by a qualified gunsmith. The seller had had the other barrel mounted but sold the rifle with the original barrel mounted.

The barrels are only fitted to the rifle, there is no special switchbarrel setup going on. I think the seller was intending on using the rifle in the new caliber and then figured he wanted a whole new rifle altogether.

How hard is it to swap the barrels out now that they are fitted?

The first barrel is in my dads standard caliber .30-06 and the other barrel is in 9,3x62. If you haven't heard of it then read the wiki article on it, it's pretty cool. It was a forgotten caliber until about ten years ago or so when the gun rags started writing about it as a vintage cartridge and now it's a very common cartridge here in Sweden. I very much prefer things to go down that way than having the gun rags marketing a series of new and soon forgotten overbore compact magnums.
 
Both the 9.3X62 Mauser and 30-06 Springfield share the same base and rim diameters and type so the bolt should do just fine without modifications. The added barrel will need to be head spaced and any final reaming done but overall I don't see any show stoppers. I also didn't do all the homework but on the surface it looks very doable.

Ron
 
Any necessary fitting has already been made. The new 9,3 barrel has even been fired and the .30 barrel put back in. How to do the actual swap? Barrel-vise plus some kind of wrench/vise to grip the receiver? Do you have to use headspace guages every time?
 
Most likely it has already been headspaced to the receiver. However, for the first time it is installed, a prudent shooter would have a gunsmith thread it and torque it to the receiver, and headspace it. If all checks out, I would inquire how many times may this be done before headspace is lost. Too, at least on switchbarrel match rifles, 50 lbs per square inch is enough. Some guys like to torque those bad boys on there to ungodly specification. Lastly, get a thread protective cap for the barrel which is not on the rifle. You will be glad you did.
 
axxxel said:
Any necessary fitting has already been made. The new 9,3 barrel has even been fired and the .30 barrel put back in. How to do the actual swap? Barrel-vise plus some kind of wrench/vise to grip the receiver? Do you have to use headspace guages every time?
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Note what stubbicatt has mentioned. Here is what can and frequently does happen. The first time a new barrel is installed the receiver using an action wrench is torqued onto the barrel secured using a barrel vise. During this torquing the threads on the barrel have some thread crush. If I now remove that barrel and try to hand screw it into the receiver there is a good possibility I can hand screw it and get it to index to right where it was. Problem is it will be loose or far from as tight as it should be. This is where a good smith will set the barrel back a little machining back the shoulder about a thread, adding a thread and machining a little off the end. Then recut the chamber and headspace. While this is not always the case it is pretty common. I may have missed a few steps in there but you get the idea?

What you need in my little opinion is a good competent smith to evaluate what you have and then form a course of action. While it sounds easy it may well not be as easy as it sounds.

Ron
 
How hard is it to swap the barrels out now that they are fitted?
Click to expand...

It's pretty easy. A barrel vise and action wrench would be nice to keep from screwing up your finish. If the 9.3x62 barrel was previously fitted and headspaced to the receiver, then you can probably just swap them and everything will be fine.

If it were me, I would spend the $5 rental on a set of headspace gauges from somewhere like Reamer Rentals below to verify that it was fitted correctly:

www.reamerrentals.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=9.3x62.g
 
When in doubt go with a pro. Look up the old Dan Wesson set, it was a revolver with 3 barrels all same caliber but different lengths. Those were not as easy to switch as advertised. Always when changing barrels check head space. Trust but verify always as Murphy's law is working against you. Make sure which caliber you really want then do the switch if needed. Then look into possibly building another rifle, it could be a fun learning experience that you will never forget, plus you still have one to shoot in the mean time.
 
Does the removed 9.3x62 barrel at least have a witness mark? Index mark, witness mark? Anything left from when it was on that receiver?

I don't see this as easy as many would like to believe.

Ron
 
Axxxel, I don't see the barrel change as a problem. The barrel was headspaced to the receiver one time before so a quality gunsmith where you live could replace it in the same position. A gunsmith here in the U.S. charges about $60 per hour for any job and that's a lot cheaper than you trying to buy a barrel vice and action wrench and then for you to try to use them on a one time job. I would think a gunsmith could do the change with a 1 hour minimum charge, if the change goes smoothly.
 
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Bottom line: decide which caliber you want the rifle in and install that barrel. Sell the other barrel or keep it for future use if you change your mind. As has been noted, switching back and forth is not going to be realistic due to the crush-fit effect on the threads.
If you want a rifle that is reasonably priced that you can change barrels yourself, get a Savage 10/110 series.
 
Would it be possible to have a 'smith remove the shoulder, rethread the barrels and use a barrel nut to make the barrels interchangeable?
 
kludge said:
Would it be possible to have a 'smith remove the shoulder, rethread the barrels and use a barrel nut to make the barrels interchangeable?
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Not sure. You are asking a smith to make a Sako into a Savage in a sense. I believe this thread would have fared better in the gunsmith sections of the forums. There are some sharp guys in that section. Maybe PM a moderator and ask the thread be moved.

I still contend you need a good rifle smith local to you to evaluate what you have and what can be done. I may be way off base n my thinking and also would like to know.

Ron
 
If both barrels were fitted to the receiver at one time, and both were properly headspaced when they were fitted??

I see no problem with swapping them out.

It is unlikely either barrel was tightened to the point the threads were stretched, requiring a barrel set-back and re-chambering.

Even if they were?

You would end up with minimum headspace, and the bolt would be hard to close on a loaded round.

No chance at all you would gain excess headspace if they were right to start with.


As already mentioned, you can't do it on the kitchen table with a pair of channel-lock pliers though.

A barrel vice and action wrench is the minimum tools you would need to get one off and the other one back on.

rc
 
FWIW, I have seen rifles set up so that either of two different barrels could be installed simply by screwing out one and screwing in the other. They were not crush fitted; instead a set screw through the bottom of the receiver kept the installed barrel from turning. The situation described sounds like such a solution might work.

Jim
 
Benchrest shooters will have switchbarrel rifles interchangeable with a barrel vise and a short handled internal action wrench. Not many foot pounds tight at all, and they don't seem to come loose.

If concerned, apply chemistry. Loctite will hold it. One rifle maker screws his in hand tight with adhesive so excess torque doesn't deflect anything.
 
There is nothing like being able to measure the dimensions of a barrel chamber to determine the effect it will have on the length of the chamber when installed in a receiver. Upset and crush, then there is removing all the slack between the threads. Tight and torque and the allusion parts get closer together, the incline plain is also a puller, it is possible to pull the threads out or off, so if tight is good tighter could render the project scrap.

F. Guffey
 
Listen to RC. Although I will say a pair of big Ridgid pipe wrenches will do it at the kitchen table. You may not like the result however. :)
 
Houston? The term “I will say a pair of big Ridgid pipe wrenches.....” sounds like something someone form New York City would say, west of Houston the term used to describe a pipe wrench would be 12”, 24”,36”, and 48”, I have two that are are 60”, one is a strap and the other is chain. The problem with pipe wrenches when used on barrels and receivers is the crush factor.

F. Guffey
 
sounds like something someone form New York City would say
Click to expand...

My Wife would get a chuckle out of that. She's always making fun of my Texas/Louisiana accent. I've got a 48"pipe and a 60" chain wrench. That 48" is a chunk of iron to carry to the top of a cooling tower!
 
Benchrest shooters will have switchbarrel rifles interchangeable with a barrel vise and a short handled internal action wrench. Not many foot pounds tight at all, and they don't seem to come loose.
Click to expand...
Yep, tighten them up hand tight and they stay put. I would clamp the barrel vise to the bench and use the action wrench to break it loose, then be careful and keep the weight off the threads as you remove the action/stock. There is a lot of barrel and action against each other with the heavy barrel, more than a skinny hunting barrel. I am sure that helps.
 

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