I'm sorry maybe I asked this question incorrectly, maybe i should have asked how a bolt action rifle is made. I've never seen one apart. I'm not planning on rebarreling, as i've been lucky made good choices of of the rack stuff. I'm just interested in the work involved. I mean a rifle is basicly a simple machine, but to make it accurate takes precision. There are several ways to increase accuracy and in some cases a better (custom) barrel may be the choice.
Lets assume you have an old mauser (like so many that came back to North America after the war at the time these were the best availible correct?), then you decide on a caliber, lets say 25-06. There are many barrel makers out there (and have been for 50-60 years) do they provide stock barrels which simply thread into the action or is there additional machining to the barrel, action or both? Presumably there are barrels which are chambered at the factory or is this wrong? Does the extracter have to fit into the barrel base, is the bolt head surrounded by the barrel or lock up tight to it? With a barrel with no sights is it a simple matter of threading the new barrel on or is the bolt face/barrel made to fit precisely? Sorry I guess this a more complicated question than I first thought.
Thanks, G