Barrel replacement cost

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kmw1954

kmw1954

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So I have to say that so far I am not impressed with the accuracy of this used Savage Model 10 223 I purchased. So far I have tried a number of different powder charges and some 55gr bullets and 62 gr bullets and still haven't found anything it likes.

Overall I like the gun to the point I could possible see re-barreling it if not to expensive. Just a stock barrel or maybe a varmint profile. Now I have never done this so I am clueless. Can anyone tell me what a ball park cost would be expected to replace this one?
 
Interesting. I'm dealing with dealing with similar issue with a Remington 1:9 223 5R barrel. It was given to me so I put it on an action and shot it. Best groups are 1.5" with 62 HP bullets. The same load is .5" out of my other rifle.

Sometimes you can find new takeoff barrels on Ebay, etc.
 
Well from searching Savage's website serial numbers it looks like this one was made in 1992. So who know how much it was shot. At 200yds I'm still getting shots that are not finding a 20"X22" target while others are 3" groups yet at 50yds it will shoot 25cent size groups.
 
Before spending the $ on a new barrel I would try a few light bullets. Not sure what your Savage twist is. My Remington varmint came with a 1-12 and loved 40 grain BT and would not hold decent groups with 55 & 62 grain bullets.

Of course rebarreling it with a fast twist barrel may give you the option of shooting some of the heavy high bc bullets that your Remington may not shoot well.
 
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I just ordered a new McGowen Custom Heavy Sporter and it will be about 335. My SPS in 7-08 would never consistantly do better than 1.5 at a 100 and I tried everything including a new bedded stock and the usual other things. It's my first foray into the rebarrel world. In all my years I never owned anything I could not come up with a good combo until now...
 
How is the crown? Are you seeing anything unusual from the spent brass? Any oblong shapes or key holing in the targets? I would definitely give it a good cleaning (I also prefer Sweets 7.62) before ordering a new barrel.
 
I just ordered a new Shilen barrel from Northland Shooters Supply. I also ordered new barrel nut and lug, barrel nut wrench, an action wrench, and go/no-go gauges for my savage 12. Total cost $576.80. Shipped. No threading. Varmint replacement about .80" diameter at the muzzle. 26" barrel with 11 degree target crown in 6.5 creedmoor. I want to say barrel was $375. but I will have to check my receipt.

If you want a threaded barrel. they have McGowin in stock.
 
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Clean out the copper, check the crown, find the twist rate (I have a 1:12 223 that won't shoot anything heavier than 55 worth a durn, but gives me under an inch with a 50 gen bullet.
 
Savage generally makes good factory barrels but folks swap barrels out to built their dream guns for competition. You can find like new factory barrels removed from savage rifles with very attractive prices. I bought a like new 223 stainless barrel for less than $100 shipped many years ago. Savage Shooters forum is a good place to find such. Check if the barrel touches the stock anywhere (free float) and check the crown. ER Shaw makes good barrels at reasonable prices also.

My 1:12 twist Savage/Stevens 223 loves 62 gr HP.

Edit- If I were going to put a new barrel on my 223 Savage, I may go with a 300 BLK!
 
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I would like to add that a precission barrel does offer more than just accuracy as already mentioned.

Cold bore fore example. As good as my factory savage barrel shoots it does have some cold bore shot POI difference than when its warmed up. Not as much as some rifles I have had but enough to notice.

Another thing is the way a barrel is made such as cut rifling vs say button rifling. Button rifling basically swages the rifling into the barrel whereas cutting removes the material.

The advantages to cut rifling over button rifling are that in a button riffling you generally have a barrel break-in process that can take up to a few hundred rounds before the gun starts to shoot well because some spots in the rifling can be tighter or looser. In that process copper will build up and fill the voids. When that happens accuracy usually improves.

Now that accuracy may hold for a period before it drops off. At which point cleaning is needed to remove copper. Maybe not. Depends on the barrel and it can be hard to tell what the barrel is saying.

With a cut rifled barrel there is no tight and loose areas caused in the forging process in button rifling.

Barrel break in with a rifle cut stainless precission barrel differs from shooter to shooter and barrel maker to barrel maker but usually it's just a few shots and a cleaning with some sweets or something similar. Some people just shoot until accuracy drops and give it a good cleaning. Either way accuracy is right out front and generally stays that way if regular maintenance is on par.
 
You're shooting the wrong bullets. I had a model 10fp for a few years. Tried 50 gr federal ammo and got 1.5" groups. 55 gr Sierra bullets got to just over an inch. 62 gr fmj bullets are 1.5" groups.

Want a surprise? Try 69 gr Nosler match with about 26.0 gr of Varget with Fed match primers, groups to just a ragged hole. Mine had a 1:9 twist and came alive with the heavier bullets. This was a load out of one of my Nosler manuals.

And do not fool around trying to get the bullets to the lands, use length in manual.
 
To answer some questions. As mentioned the gun appears to have been built in 1992, it has a hardwood stock that is free floated. Has the Accu-Trigger, Twist is 1:9 the crown is fine and the chamber is tight with no deformations in the shot brass. Overall the rifle looks well cared for.

So my next line of attack will be to try cleaning the barrel and then also try a different scope. I have been able to find a few youtube vids on Savage Barrel Changes. Not sure it is worth the expense of buying barrel tools and bore gauges for a one time use.
 
joed said:
Want a surprise? Try 69 gr Nosler match with about 26.0 gr of Varget with Fed match primers, groups to just a ragged hole. Mine had a 1:9 twist and came alive with the heavier bullets.

And do not fool around trying to get the bullets to the lands, use length in manual.
Click to expand...

I have some 68gr Hornady Match loaded with Tac and Varget to test.
When I first started with the Axis I set it up with Jamb minus fifteen and that worked wonderfully. I have not measured jamb on the model Ten.
 
kmw1954 said:
I have some 68gr Hornady Match loaded with Tac and Varget to test.
When I first started with the Axis I set it up with Jamb minus fifteen and that worked wonderfully. I have not measured jamb on the model Ten.
Click to expand...
I never tried Hornady bullets in the rifle, just Sierra and Nosler match 69 gr. So I don't know how the Hornady will shoot. My 10FP was made in 1992 if I remember correctly. I bought it used from the LGS near me.

I hated to part with that rifle but it had one annoying flaw, it wouldn't feed the next round reliably. Had a few gunsmiths try to fix it but for some reason the bullet tip would miss the bore about 40% of the time.
 
kmw1954 said:
To answer some questions. As mentioned the gun appears to have been built in 1992, it has a hardwood stock that is free floated. Has the Accu-Trigger, Twist is 1:9 the crown is fine and the chamber is tight with no deformations in the shot brass. Overall the rifle looks well cared for.

So my next line of attack will be to try cleaning the barrel and then also try a different scope. I have been able to find a few youtube vids on Savage Barrel Changes. Not sure it is worth the expense of buying barrel tools and bore gauges for a one time use.
Click to expand...

Savage wasn't making accu trigger rifles in 92, those didn't come out until early 2000s...can't actually remember when...
The gun might be an 02, but functionally that shouldn't matter too much unless you're going to change stocks and then there's a few variations that that could possibly fit.

If you do want to go ahead with the barrel change I can loan you the tools to pull off your barrel and nut, but you'll have to get something to hold the action or barrel in place while you do and the gauges, which are rentable.

I also have used 783 barrel that you can have. It had a rust spot dead center of the middle of it, but that seems to have cleaned out pretty nicely.

The bolt depths are supposed to be different between the 783s and Savage series of rifles with a savage bolt depth being a little shallower but It should still work as long as it headspaces properly
 
The Hornady vmax bullets have shot really well in many 223 rifles I know of. They come in various weights 35, 40, 50, 53, 55. I have seen good results with the 53 and 55 weights
 
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