Changing savage barrel?

[ginnz]

Hi there... I have a cheap savage axis (22-250) that I want to re-stock. Im looking at getting a boyds varmint thumbhole for the savage model 10, and fitting it to my axis. But first off I wanna change the stock axis barrel for a heavier profile barrel. A member here has a 22-250 heavy barrel that will fit a model 10. So Im wondering how hard it is to change out the barrel? As far as head spacing, can I just use a blank round with a bullet in it to get the headspace correct (The way one would measure COAL with an empty round and a bullet slipped into the throat). Say I find the measurement with the stock barrel to be 2.360 to the lands using an empty round a 50 gn NBT bullet, can I just set the barrel to the same depth +/- .005 and I should be alright?

and I know that the recoil lug is imbeded in the stock on teh axis, I believe i can make it work with a boyds stock, and a bit of creative in-letting... ;-)

please let me know if im on the right track with this idea.

ginnz.

 

[sunray]

"...can I just use a blank round with a bullet..." No. Headspacing is done with headspace guages, only. No bits of tape, empty cases or anything else. Said guages do not measure anything either. They only tell you if the headspace is within tolerance.
"...to the lands..." Nope. Every chamber is slightly different. In any case, changing a barrel on any rifle, means you have another rifle. You'd have to work up the load for the new barrel.
I suspect that you'd very likely be better off financially to sell the Axis and buy another rifle.

 

[ginnz]

thanks, thats what i figured.... go/no go gauges.

 

[haha49]

If you were near a gunsmith I would just suggest taking it to them as they have the gages to check it and the tools to change the barrel there can be challenges when you change a barrel sometimes you have to use a hydrolic press to get it in sometimes you don't you just heat and cool the metal and it slides right in depends on the firearm but buying a new rifle is the cheaper solution. I've spent more then the rifle costs to rebarrel things in the past and I could just buy a new rifle instead but it's what I wanted so I spent it.

 

[17asleep]

Using a sized case filled with epoxy will work, no matter what anyone tells you. I've done it often enough to know. Most things in life are far simpler than 'the professionals' want you to think it is.

 

[woodchopper]

Using a sized case filled with epoxy will work, no matter what anyone tells you. I've done it often enough to know. Most things in life are far simpler than 'the professionals' want you to think it is.

did the same thing with a Stevens 200 and a Model 12 barrel, used a once fired and resized case, no problems.

 

[guntech]

Using a sized case filled with epoxy will work, no matter what anyone tells you. I've done it often enough to know. Most things in life are far simpler than 'the professionals' want you to think it is.

You are not setting the headspace correctly when you use anything other than a steel headspace gauge.

You can get away with using a sized case and it may end up within correct tolerances... and you may not as well. You are basing your headspace on your die and press tolerances... Not all dies are the same, some presses spring more than others, some brass is harder than others... etc...

Nothing is simpler than using a headspace gauge.

 

[Suputin]

Hi there... I have a cheap savage axis (22-250) that I want to re-stock. Im looking at getting a boyds varmint thumbhole for the savage model 10, and fitting it to my axis. But first off I wanna change the stock axis barrel for a heavier profile barrel. A member here has a 22-250 heavy barrel that will fit a model 10. So Im wondering how hard it is to change out the barrel? As far as head spacing, can I just use a blank round with a bullet in it to get the headspace correct (The way one would measure COAL with an empty round and a bullet slipped into the throat). Say I find the measurement with the stock barrel to be 2.360 to the lands using an empty round a 50 gn NBT bullet, can I just set the barrel to the same depth +/- .005 and I should be alright?.

Yes and no. You are misunderstanding how headspace is measured. The bullet and its relationship to the rifling lands is totally irrelevant to headspace. Headspace is the distance from the case head (or the bolt face) to the middle of the case shoulder. That's it.

The short answer is that yes you can set the headspace of a savage barrel using a cartridge case. I have done it successfully and a friend of mine does it all the time. What you will find is that using a brass cartridge makes headspacing a bit tricky because the case is soft and can deform slightly as the barrel is screwed in. The much better way to do it is to use a set of headspace gauges which are cheap and made of hardened steel so you can feel when it touches as the barrel is screwed in.

The concept of headspace is generally a bit misunderstood. The absolute headspace is somewhat irrelevant if you are a handloader because then you can just adjust your sizing die to match your chamber regardless of what the chamber headspace is. The SAAMI headspace value is only important if you use factory ammo.

 

[17asleep]

You are not setting the headspace correctly when you use anything other than a steel headspace gauge.

You can get away with using a sized case and it may end up within correct tolerances... and you may not as well. You are basing your headspace on your die and press tolerances... Not all dies are the same, some presses spring more than others, some brass is harder than others... etc...

Nothing is simpler than using a headspace gauge.

good points. I should have made it a little more clear. Dont do this unless you are using brass from the same press and dies that you will be using to load for this rifle.

 

[ginnz]

Thanks for all the reply's guys, and yeah, I know it prolly would be cheaper in the long run to get a different gun, but its not always the money, I like doing things myself. I will prolly get a local 'smith to do the BBL change over for me, but I'll do the stock re-fit/mods myself.... looking at how the axis recoil lug is, I may even make my own lug, Ill see what will be the best way to go once I get the boyd's stock in my hands. Ill float the bbl, and prolly bed the action. This will likely be a winter project.

 

[Buster95]

If you were near a gunsmith I would just suggest taking it to them as they have the gages to check it and the tools to change the barrel there can be challenges when you change a barrel sometimes you have to use a hydrolic press to get it in sometimes you don't you just heat and cool the metal and it slides right in depends on the firearm but buying a new rifle is the cheaper solution. I've spent more then the rifle costs to rebarrel things in the past and I could just buy a new rifle instead but it's what I wanted so I spent it.

How much does a gunsmith charge to change barrel on Savage?

 

[guntech]

I would suspect $10, maybe $20. Depends on scope removal, stock removal, etc... just take in the barreled action and it should be cheap.