Educate me on switch barrels

[Blue72]

- can they be used as an effective takedown rifle?

- is zero repeatable When removing and reattaching the barrel?

- can this be done on a Tikka action?

- what are the steps, parts, and procedures needed to make a switch barrel platform?

thanks in advance!!!

 

[hereinaz]

Switch barrel rifles quickly become two rifles... that's the pattern for lots of people.

Barrels are easy to swap with a vice and action wrench. Done well, are repeatable within .1 or .2 mil.

Can be a takedown rifle, within its limitations. Something like the Vector, Switch Lug, that don't require an action wrench and vice are "easier" than torquing the barrel tight.

Experiences vary. It is very user purpose driven.

It was easy to switch barrel, but at the range it was altogether more hassle, so I just bought more actions...

I do still switch barrels between hunting seasons, etc, but it is for an extended time usually.

 

[MK20]

Yes.

Buy a Tikka action and drop it in a KRG stock. Buy some Shouldered Prefits with flats for a wrench cut into the ends. Use a wrench to switch the barrels while holding the stock between your legs.
This is the poor man's switch barrel. Read through the Tikka T3 thread here and you will see some of these setups.

 

[JBattles]

I run a Curtis Custom action with a WTO Switch lug in both 6.5CM and 223. In this system, the recoil lug has a set screw that clamps down on the barrel to only 30 in/lbs. You can easily change barrels and calibers at the range with no barrel vise or action wrench needed. You don't need a new bolt or magazine to shoot 308, 6.5CM, 6CM, etc... some of the shorter 6MM cartridge's might require some mag tweaking, but not a new bolt. To run 223, I needed a different bolt, mag, and barrel.

Everything is very repeatable and I know when switching between calibers what to adjust my scope to based on the caliber and it is within .1 or .2 mils.

I use it to shoot multiple calibers out of the same setup with my MPA chassis and nice scope without having to have a different custom setup for each caliber. I don't think you would want to use it as a takedown/backpack setup for hunting or hiking, you could, but doesn't seem like the best fit.

WTO does make a switch lug for the Tikka, but it has to be gunsmith installed, not something you just drop in at home. Also any prefit barrels you buy have to take in account the WTO switch lug dimensions and be cut for that, you couldn't just buy an off the shelf Tikka prefit... not a big deal, but something to consider when looking for a new barrel.

SWITCHLUG – West Texas Ordnance, Inc. | Custom Rifles & Accessories

 

[Harman117]

Yes.

Buy a Tikka action and drop it in a KRG stock. Buy some Shouldered Prefits with flats for a wrench cut into the ends. Use a wrench to switch the barrels while holding the stock between your legs.
This is the poor man's switch barrel. Read through the Tikka T3 thread here and you will see some of these setups.

^ This is one of the easiest/cheapest routes

The key is buying a SHOULDERED prefit barrel with WRENCH FLATS milled in the barrel towards the muzzle (see diagram below)

Wrench flat sizes differ based on who does it and barrel contour. You'll then need a torque wrench to put a barrel on AND a breaker bar to take a barrel off and something like a crow foot extension to the size of the wrench flats. (See pic below) (the crows foot, will slightly skew the torque values because you're adding length to the force. Easy calculation tho FYI)

As stated above you'll hold the chassis with the action in it between your legs, then screw on/off the barrel you want. The only concern is being able to hold the chassis/action tight enough to get an appropriate amount of torque. Some users report being able to get 40-55 ft lbs.. which is on the low end of a normal prefit.

All honesty, you'll most likely rarely need to switch in the field. Easier to just get a barrel vise on your bench and do a more traditional way.

Edit: I would buy a set of Go/No Go gauges on every caliber you plan on using to check yourself on at least the first change for a barrel. Always consult the smith with your plan too and double check the torque range allowed on their barrel.

 

[The D]

You could check into the ARC barloc system. I’ve brought this up a few times and the idea of it sounds great. You don’t need to keep a breaker bar, action wrench, torque wrench in a bag or gun case. Seemingly all you need is an allen wrench, provided spanner wrench, & gauges which will fit in your pocket if need be.

Any first hand experience with this route is welcome. Pros, cons, whatever

 

[Blue72]

You could check into the ARC barloc system. I’ve brought this up a few times and the idea of it sounds great. You don’t need to keep a breaker bar, action wrench, torque wrench in a bag or gun case. Seemingly all you need is an allen wrench, provided spanner wrench, & gauges which will fit in your pocket if need be.

Any first hand experience with this route is welcome. Pros, cons, whatever

that’s kind of what I’m looking for

P.S.....noticed your profile pic, nice to see another rothbardian on the forum

 

[The D]

that’s kind of what I’m looking for

P.S.....noticed your profile pic, nice to see another rothbardian on the forum

Fuck yeah, Rothbard ftw!

 

[brianf]

You could check into the ARC barloc system. I’ve brought this up a few times and the idea of it sounds great. You don’t need to keep a breaker bar, action wrench, torque wrench in a bag or gun case. Seemingly all you need is an allen wrench, provided spanner wrench, & gauges which will fit in your pocket if need be.

Any first hand experience with this route is welcome. Pros, cons, whatever

there are a few threads about the barloc

word around town is that it you bump the barrel pretty hard it looses zero

as far as keeping zero when removing and replacing

in general its close, would i take a shot to save a life or unpack my rifle for a once in a lifetime hunt and not check zero...nope

 

[The D]

there are a few threads about the barloc

word around town is that it you bump the barrel pretty hard it looses zero

as far as keeping zero when removing and replacing

in general its close, would i take a shot to save a life or unpack my rifle for a once in a lifetime hunt and not check zero...nope

I’ve heard the barrel bump argument and what I remember is that, anecdotally, you need to knock the rifle around pretty hard to really see a difference.

I definitely would not take a pile of rifle parts on a hunting trip and screw them together the morning I got into camp. The only scenario I, personally, would do that in is a range trip where the purpose is to shoot multiple cartridges

Some of the arguments against any style of switch-barrel rifle seem to center around fairly unrealistic scenarios and/or ignoring, what seems to me, common sense

 

[brianf]

100% on fictitious scenarios

i must have missed it..

if its just for range trips have at it youll be close enough

 

[f>b25]

Posted this a while back. The two on the left with switch lugs have been excellent.

 

[Kimber.204]

Switch barrel rifles quickly become two rifles... that's the pattern for lots of people.

This ^^^^^ It's what happened to me, haha.

I've got several actions that use Small Shank Savage barrels. I use the ARC Barloc. I have to rezero, but it's usually close.
I like being able to swap things around....but lately, I just want my rifles to be set up and done....so I can grab the one I need for the task at hand and go.

 

[hereinaz]

The barloc is good, but shouldered barrels and a vise or wrench flats is more repeatable and simpler.

To use the barloc with a barrel nut, you have to torque the barloc barrel nut on more than hand tight. The collar has to spread out. Check threads and ARC instructions to see what I mean.

I had a barloc, had to whack the barrel really hard to get a change in poa, like swing a deadblow hard or the barrel against a 2x4 abusively to dent the 2x4 and smear paint on the barrel. And, as hard as I hit it, a regular rifle certainly could have been knocked out of its happy place. One shot and it settled back in.

 

[CMP70306]

You could check into the ARC barloc system. I’ve brought this up a few times and the idea of it sounds great. You don’t need to keep a breaker bar, action wrench, torque wrench in a bag or gun case. Seemingly all you need is an allen wrench, provided spanner wrench, & gauges which will fit in your pocket if need be.

Any first hand experience with this route is welcome. Pros, cons, whatever

I personally have used one on each of my custom rifles for the last couple years and they have worked perfectly with a single exception. That exception was a 30” heavy Palma shouldered prefit that moved when sacked unless it was tightened to the point that most cartridges no longer chambered. Personal opinion is that it needed to be reamed about .007” deeper to allow the barrel to be tightened more and headspace correctly. My two other shouldered prefits from the same company do not seem to have the same issue.

With regular Savage prefits I’ve never had a single problem with the POI moving. The best part is the barrel change is way quicker and easier than tearing the rifle apart and throwing it in the vice. I switched my hunting rifle from a proof prefit to a smokeless muzzleloader in less than 10 min at my kitchen table.

 

[The D]

The barloc is good, but shouldered barrels and a vise or wrench flats is more repeatable and simpler.

To use the barloc with a barrel nut, you have to torque the barloc barrel nut on more than hand tight. The collar has to spread out. Check threads and ARC instructions to see what I mean.

I had a barloc, had to whack the barrel really hard to get a change in poa, like swing a deadblow hard or the barrel against a 2x4 abusively to dent the 2x4 and smear paint on the barrel. And, as hard as I hit it, a regular rifle certainly could have been knocked out of its happy place. One shot and it settled back in.

That’s the situation that I remember, the rifle had to be used like a baseball bat to have a real problem and that could mess anything else up in the system

from what I’ve read, the barloc nut is tightened with the spanner wrench until the gap in the locking collar is the width of the wrench itself then the bolt is tightened 1 1/2 turns. Is this correct and/or are there any quirks you found while using it?

I personally have used one on each of my custom rifles for the last couple years and they have worked perfectly with a single exception. That exception was a 30” heavy Palma shouldered prefit that moved when sacked unless it was tightened to the point that most cartridges no longer chambered. Personal opinion is that it needed to be reamed about .007” deeper to allow the barrel to be tightened more and headspace correctly. My two other shouldered prefits from the same company do not seem to have the same issue.

With regular Savage prefits I’ve never had a single problem with the POI moving. The best part is the barrel change is way quicker and easier than tearing the rifle apart and throwing it in the vice. I switched my hunting rifle from a proof prefit to a smokeless muzzleloader in less than 10 min at my kitchen table.

How old is that barrel? I think I remember reading that a run of some barrels(not sure of the manufacturer) weren’t cut properly so the headspace wasn’t correct even though the barrel/barloc/receiver were all drawn together as tightly as possible

 

[hereinaz]

Yes, tighten nut/barrel till gapped then allen.

Problem is headspacing repeatability on barrel nuts. Never had a prefit barloc.

 

[CMP70306]

How old is that barrel? I think I remember reading that a run of some barrels(not sure of the manufacturer) weren’t cut properly so the headspace wasn’t correct even though the barrel/barloc/receiver were all drawn together as tightly as possible

I ordered it right after the Barloc came out and it’s on one of the first LA Mausingfields so I’m not sure if they were holding the same headspace the later versions are.

 

[Harman117]

What will be really crazy is when LRI finishes their work and offers aftermarket Tikka bolts in various faces. Then you can switch bolt/magazine/barrel and have a multi-caliber setup on a Tikka, which is crazy being a common mass-produced rifle. *And people still wonder why Tikkas are recommended so frequently

 

[MPrimo]

I went the multi-barrel route for about 2 weeks ... ended up with a second action and two nice rifles I don't have to monkey with. It sounded brilliant at first but in practicality, I had no desire to ever switch barrels and re zero. I would never trust it on a hunt or in a match. Re setting zero stops can be annoying. Forgetting which caliber you have dialed up (could happen in a rush) was another concern as both barrels looked similar (my mistake). What I do like is the ability to shoot out a barrel and change it to a new one myself in a few minutes (6mm Creedmoor). Just my experience.

 

[Nathan Gravitt]

Ok, old thread but a question none the less. I have an MPA PMR with the switchlug setup. Will this barrel and lug work on any Curtis axiom action?

 

[acudaowner]

just had mine done it's wonderful to think I now have a new barrel on right up to when I tried to put one of my day old reloads in for the first time and the bolt would not close have to rethink about there sizes or backing out the barrel a bit .

 

[waveslayer]

You can take a look at the new up and coming Hoplite Arms switch barrel system. 1 action for short or long.

Or you can keep it easy and go DT or AI. I know you mentioned Tikka action.

Seems like a lot of work when the DT is 4 Allen bolts and I haven't lost zero.