Put together a rifle a few weeks ago and thought I'd share. Last year I purchased a Savage 10fp in .308win. It came with a big ugly choate stock that I, still to this day, haven't changed. I finally bit the bullet and ordered a 28" shilen match grade barrel chambered in .260 rem with a 1:9 twist. I went with the 1:9 because the 1:8 wasn't exactly available at the time and I was a tad impatient. I ordered the barrel from Juanvaldez, owner of North Shore Barrels. He does excellent work and has an assortment of barrels on hand (no wait time). I ordered the barrel nut wrench from brownells along with a forster go gauge to headspace the rifle. I made a barrel vice out of oak block that I drilled a 1" hole into. It worked great. I simply put the blocks around the barrel, in a vice, near the barrel nut and used a dead blow mallet to aid in breaking the nut free with the barrel nut wrench. Keep in mind, I had sprayed the barrel nut with penetrating oil (liquid wrench) for 24 hours prior to removing the barrel. Put the new barrel on with virtually no hiccups and headspaced it using the forster gages I purchased from brownells. Now the rifle is ready and waiting for the overpriced scope I ordered. A leupold Mark 4 8.5-25x50mm with a tmr reticle. I would have gone nightforce but I got this scope for a very good price so I couldn't turn it down.
Here is the rifle after I took it apart.
Sorry I didn't get pictures of me actually doing the work. That may come in the future. Here is the rifle after being built and bedded.
This is hopefully going to be my long range competition rifle and I will be upgrading as I go. The stock will be the next upgrade to something with an adjustable cheekrest. I plan on, if things go well, be competing in F-class events by spring. I'll be doing load development and practice shooting out to 800-1000 yards until then. I can't wait to take it out and shoot it. I've developed a few loads and am currently using Nosler brass. I will be using the brand new .260 Lapua brass whenever it arrives in Canada but for now the Nosler will do.
This was an awesome project. It's like a grown man's Lego. I like to do things myself and I learned a lot with this build. There is a certain sense of satisfaction when you do things yourself and this is no exception. Feel free to comment and thanks for reading.
Here is the rifle after I took it apart.
Sorry I didn't get pictures of me actually doing the work. That may come in the future. Here is the rifle after being built and bedded.
This is hopefully going to be my long range competition rifle and I will be upgrading as I go. The stock will be the next upgrade to something with an adjustable cheekrest. I plan on, if things go well, be competing in F-class events by spring. I'll be doing load development and practice shooting out to 800-1000 yards until then. I can't wait to take it out and shoot it. I've developed a few loads and am currently using Nosler brass. I will be using the brand new .260 Lapua brass whenever it arrives in Canada but for now the Nosler will do.
This was an awesome project. It's like a grown man's Lego. I like to do things myself and I learned a lot with this build. There is a certain sense of satisfaction when you do things yourself and this is no exception. Feel free to comment and thanks for reading.
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LOL. Just busting your chops. 
