Best practice for installing a barrel nut pre-fit on a SA Solus action?

[WeR0206]

Hey Everyone. I just ordered a Solus Obsidian action on discount from Midway and Im waiting on an order from NSS for a Criterion small shank Savage 110 barrel nut pre-fit chambered in 308 Win (I also ordered a squared savage barrel nut/wrench from NSS along with headspace gauges).

Note I dont have a barrel vice and criterion doesn’t recommend using one when installing a barrel nut pre-fit. They recommend the NSS action vice. I normally would go that route but when I was ordering the barrel James at NSS had mentioned his standard NSS action wrench won’t fit the solus action due to integrated pic rail so I need to use the internal solace action wrench to secure the action when mounting the barrel/torquing the nut. This makes sense, but the question I’m left with is how do I actually incorporate the internal action wrench into the install process?

I ask b/c according to an Aero rep's post on reddit, if installing a barrel with a barrel nut, simply use the Solus Vice jaws, if installing a shouldered prefit, use the internal action wrench.

When searching online I found this savage prefit barrel install tutorial video by Criterion which is great but they are able to use the NSS action wrench since their install is for a savage action not a solus action with integrated pic rail. The steps they follow are different compared to a Solus action that can't use the NSS action wrench.

Here are the 2 options I'm considering (macro level steps):

1. (Aero rep's method) Clamp the action in a vice (using the Solus Vice jaws), set headspace, torque the barrel nut to spec, check headspace again with go/no-go
2. Or do I incorporate the internal action wrench so that the action doesn’t get deformed when torqueing the barrel nut even though the action is secured in the vice jaw inserts? For example:
   1. Clamp action in vice with Solus Vice jaws
   2. Set headspace, then hand tighten barrel nut, check headspace again with go/no-go
   3. Unclamp action from vice, clamp the squared end of the solace action wrench into vice then slide action onto the other side of wrench fully engaging with the lugs
   4. Torque the barrel nut to spec, check headspace again with go/no-go

Or am I way off and you suggest completely different steps to follow?

This is my first bolt action build so I'm used to following the steps for installing AR-15 barrels (that use M4 barrel extensions, barrel nuts, etc.) that definitely need the upper receiver internally secured (with something like the Midwest Industries Upper Receiver Rod clamped into a vice then slide upper receiver over the rod) before torqueing the barrel nut. In option 2 above I was essentially thinking of using the solace action wrench (after setting the headspace) very similar to how I use the Midwest Industries upper receiver rod when installing AR barrels.

Any help/feedback would be much appreciated, thanks!

 

[spife7980]

Thread the barrel with nut in far enough into the action to chamber the go gauge, continue to screw it down until you feel the go gauge fill the chamber. A little hand tight, lift the bolt and remove, insert action wrench and torque the nut on. Put the bolt back in and verify with go/no go that your chamber is properly located.

 

[WeR0206]

Thread the barrel with nut in far enough into the action to chamber the go gauge, continue to screw it down until you feel the go gauge fill the chamber. A little hand tight, lift the bolt and remove, insert action wrench and torque the nut on. Put the bolt back in and verify with go/no go that your chamber is properly located.

Thanks a ton, this is exactly the direction I was looking for. I will eventually get a barrel vice so I can have access to Origin shouldered pre-fits but the barrel nut pre-fit will get the job done for now.

 

[spife7980]

Thanks a ton, this is exactly the direction I was looking for. I will eventually get a barrel vice so I can have access to Origin shouldered pre-fits but the barrel nut pre-fit will get the job done for now.

Don’t have to justify it to me, I use barrel nuts on my origins as well.

Just ensure that you didn’t spin the barrel when torquing, it may take you a time or two to have it locate properly since you won’t have the barrel, but or action viced in place.

 

[WeR0206]

Don’t have to justify it to me, I use barrel nuts on my origins as well.
View attachment 8557952

Just ensure that you didn’t spin the barrel when torquing, it may take you a time or two to have it locate properly since you won’t have the barrel, but or action viced in place.

Nice looking build!

Yeah the barrel nut approach could also help in SHTF scenario (easier to make barrels that use nuts vs shouldered barrels) which is something Im slightly factoring into my HMR type build —> going with 308 instead of 6.5 creed, prc, etc bc of barrel life/ammo & brass availability, using a chassis (LSS XL carbine) that is all metal & has cross over to some of my AR lower parts, etc..

Thanks again for the tips!

 

[tekmann2377]

I am not sure a barrel vice is required for a barrel nut install. You do need a action wrench and wrench for the nut though. Screw the barrel down on a go gauge, tighten the nut, check go and no-go gauge, and good to go.

 

[supercorndogs]

If you have a barrel vice. All you need is the barrel nut wrench to install a barrel with a nut.

 

[6brshooter]

A barrel vise makes the install easier, it just holds everything solid and 1 less thing to worry about slipping. Spifes approach works fine and usually only need a couple tries to nail headspace. Something holding the barrel and something holding action, from rotating, force is applied to nut wrench. OP, I'd have just got the shouldered origin prefit from NSS, I highly doubt in a "shtf" apocalypse that you'll be swapping barrels in a bolt gun, but you do you. A viper barrel vise is fairly cheap and solid enough to take 100ft/lb AI barrels off, costs about what a trued savage barrel nut and good nut wrench cost.

 

[WeR0206]

A barrel vise makes the install easier, it just holds everything solid and 1 less thing to worry about slipping. Spifes approach works fine and usually only need a couple tries to nail headspace. Something holding the barrel and something holding action, from rotating, force is applied to nut wrench. OP, I'd have just got the shouldered origin prefit from NSS, I highly doubt in a "shtf" apocalypse that you'll be swapping barrels in a bolt gun, but you do you. A viper barrel vise is fairly cheap and solid enough to take 100ft/lb AI barrels off, costs about what a trued savage barrel nut and good nut wrench cost.

Yeah in retrospect (after learning more about pre-fit barrel nut vs shouldered) that’s what I wish Id have done but oh well. At some point down the road if I ever shoot this barrel out I will likely replace it with a shouldered one & get a barrel vice. Headspace is already set, just torque it on with action wrench and barrel vice the verify with go/no-go.

 

[6brshooter]

Make sure to put a little grease on barrel threads and also a little dab on the rear face of nut or front face of action.

 

[FuhQ]

Nice looking build!

Yeah the barrel nut approach could also help in SHTF scenario (easier to make barrels that use nuts vs shouldered barrels) which is something Im slightly factoring into my HMR type build —> going with 308 instead of 6.5 creed, prc, etc bc of barrel life/ammo & brass availability, using a chassis (LSS XL carbine) that is all metal & has cross over to some of my AR lower parts, etc..

Thanks again for the tips!

I'd say shouldered prefit with needing just a barrel vise, action wrench, and torque wrench would be significantly easier in a SHTF situation, than trying to set headspace on a benchtop, and still needing to use a torque wrench and nut wrench, go/no-go gauges, etc... Shouldered prefit you just snap the old one off, pop the new one on. Because you know it's headspaced for your action.

Also, if you need to change barrels in a SHTF scenario, you're highly unprepared... You should have plenty of precision weapons sighted in, loads developed & dialed-in, with known dopes in your head. At minimum, one precision rig, with multiple shouldered prefits that you've already verified headspace, worked up a load for, and have ammo loaded and on-hand for, as a simple swap/conversion.

 

[FuhQ]

Make sure to put a little grease on barrel threads and also a little dab on the rear face of nut or front face of action.

I use TW25B. Works great.