Barrel swap on a Savage???

[22_250]

I am working on a savage 111 in 300WM and want to install a bull barrel. My question is do I have to have an action wrench to break the barrel free? And if so where is the best place to get them, so far midway seems to have the lowest price on them. Advice?? Thanks in advance.

 

[AXEMAN]

Re: Barrel swap on a Savage???

how about....

wait for it...

optics planet had it for $27 when i bought mine. i bought a $3 pack of targets and got over $30 for free shipping. 100 double 3" bulls come in handy...

here you go, i did mine

http://www.snipershide.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1640570#Post1640570

 

[long range dogr]

Re: Barrel swap on a Savage???

An action wrench would make it alot easier,but not totally necessary.

Do you have a barrel nut wrench and some blocks to put the barrel in?

If you search on youtube theres a video of a guy taking the barrel off of a savage with both wrenches.

 

[fdkay]

Re: Barrel swap on a Savage???

You have two routes you can go, an action wrench or a barrel vise.

Cost is very similar.
I swapped the barrel on my Savage 12 with staggered feed. I could not for the life of me, remove the magazine body from the action, so I could not use an action wrench.
I mountd the barrel vise, slipped the wrench over the barrel and tightened it down securely (use some rosin the tbe barrel vise blocks before you put the barrel in) rapped on the wrench a few times and off it came.
What you need to do is prep the barrel nut, stand the rifle up with muzzle poined in the air, apply Kroil around the top of the nut so it soaks down in, repeat two or three times over several days. Believe me, it helps.

Now, if you have the dbm model, not a problem, just buy the wrench, however, sometimes it is a real bitch to unscrew the barrel. My Dad used both, lots of bluing salts in the threads.
I als recommend buying a spare barrel nut before you get to work, it is well woth the 13 bucks to have one on hand.
If you have the new smooth barrel nut, just use a pipe wrench to take it off and replace with a standard nut.

 

[AXEMAN]

Re: Barrel swap on a Savage???

i was scared it was gonna be crazy tight after all the stuff i read. i used my blocks in my neighbors vise and made it so the nut wrench was in the 12 oclock and grabbed a 2x4 and whacked it. came right off. zzwzwwzwwwzwww round in circles. not a mark on the nut, but i did have a new stainless nut as i was going to a stainless barrel. i used a standard torque wrench and a 12" and 3" extension and the hole closest to the barrel in the wheeler wrench to set the nut to 50 ft lbs when i was putting the shillen back on. the two extensions gave enough flex to not hit the barrel, but i had taped it so when i slide the wrench over to get it on the nut, i didnt want a scratch on my barrel. the wheeler is cut so precisely it fit the nut perfectly, like it was one.

 

[Rafael]

Re: Barrel swap on a Savage???

I have done several with a barrel-nut wrench and two blocks of wood. Cut yourself two blocks, 2x4 works fine cut to a 4" length or so. Sandwich them together in a vise and drill a hole through the joint between the two. I made mine from crap-grade pine stud about 8 years ago.....still using the same ones.

You now have two halves with rounded slots in each...perfect for holding the barrel in your vise. The nice thing is that the wood is softer than most decent finishes....does not mark the finish.

The factory barrels can take a good beating on the wrench to get loose, but once you get them loose you can use a lot less torque to mount them in the future. I use a dead-blow hammer to remove and replace those that are not factory tightened. Factory tight can required some sharp blows with a hardened hammer-face.

This is how we do it at my place......and the vise can be mounted to one of the many abandoned cars in the yard.

 

[sinarms]

Re: Barrel swap on a Savage???

How much is your time worth? you can piss around making blocks and struggeling getting a barrel off, or use an action wrench and barrel nut wrench and get it off in 3 mins. I have never had one I couldn't get off that way either.

 

[Rafael]

Re: Barrel swap on a Savage???

An action wrench is a nice thing to have.

A couple of minutes making blocks that cost almost nothing may be of value to someone who does not want to spend the bucks on an action wrench to swap a barrel every now and then. If it takes more than a few minutes to make the blocks and remove a barrel one should question their competence.

Blocks also allow one to R&R the barrel without removing the scope base, if that matters at all.

Use what you like.

 

[4th_point]

Re: Barrel swap on a Savage???

I used an action wrench and barrel nut wrench. Nice to have the action wrench, but the scope and base have to come off in order to use it as noted above. Just adds a couple more things to do.

 

[Dirty D]

Re: Barrel swap on a Savage???

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: sinarms</div><div class="ubbcode-body">How much is your time worth? you can piss around making blocks and struggeling getting a barrel off, or use an action wrench and barrel nut wrench and get it off in 3 mins. I have never had one I couldn't get off that way either. </div></div>

The blocks took less time to make than it takes to log on and order an action wrench and still took less than 3 minutes.

 

[sinarms]

Re: Barrel swap on a Savage???

you can have your action wrench before you even get your barrel and if you swap 10 barrels and break blocks every other time or loose them you will be time ahead with an action wrench. most people that swap a Savage barrel do more than 1 too.

 

[Dirty D]

Re: Barrel swap on a Savage???

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: sinarms</div><div class="ubbcode-body">you can have your action wrench before you even get your barrel and if you swap 10 barrels and break blocks every other time or loose them you will be time ahead with an action wrench. most people that swap a Savage barrel do more than 1 too. </div></div>

Thanks for the tip sinarms, if I have to swap 10 barrels I'll remember your advice.

 

[AXEMAN]

Re: Barrel swap on a Savage???

here is one thing, i bought a set of hardwood blocks and i really dont think i need to worry about them splitting. i can see soft 2x4 stuff splitting, but with plenty of free 2x4s available, thats a way to go. i may end up with an action wrench but blocks and a nut wrench work just fine so far. im ready to bed as soon as i get a gun vise or some way to hold the rifle steady.

hey, next time you finish a roll of toilet paper, flatten the cardboard roll and slip it over your wheeler nut wrench before you smack it. perfect fit

 

[Dirty D]

Re: Barrel swap on a Savage???

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: AXEMAN</div><div class="ubbcode-body">hey, next time you finish a roll of toilet paper, flatten the cardboard roll and slip it over your wheeler nut wrench before you smack it. perfect fit </div></div>

Now that is original thinking.

 

[22_250]

Re: Barrel swap on a Savage???

Thanks for all the info, I will go with the hardwood blocks and the wheeler barrel nut wrench when I swap barrels. Want to make sure the 300WM is really what I want or to go with the 338 edge before I order the shilen....