If one has the right tools, how difficult is it?

What about chambers and headspacing—are some barrels for common cartridges screw on and go? I know that some rifles are made to permit switching barrels quickly and easily, but I’m referring to the more common type like a Tikka, Remington, etc.

I don’t need to change one and I realize it would be a lot easier to have a qualified ’smith do it, but that’s not my question.

Right tools like a lathe? Or right tools like what's in your garage at the moment?

Yeah, no powered tools like a lathe. Barrel vise and action wrench or ...? It's a subject about which I don't even know what I don't know.
So what tools are required?

May depend on brand, I think Savage just requires a barrel nut wrench, some kind of vice, go, and no-go gauges.

At the minimum, you need...

Savage actions (same for Remington 700 with savage style barrel nut from Northland Shooter's Supply):
-action wrench
-barrel nut wrench
-headspace gauges
**if barreling a Remington with a Savage style barrel and nut, you still need a barrel vise to remove the old barrel**

Remington and all others:
-May need a lathe to adjust case-head and bolt lug spacing
-headspace gauges
-Action wrench
-barrel vise
-chamber reamer

Tony.

For those with experience, what barrel vice do you recommend? I briefly looked into this a while back, and there are a wide variety of options out there.

I have recently changed my barrel on my Savage from a .308 to a 6.5 CM Mcgowen barrel. did it my self with a barrel vise and a nut wrench and a headspace go gage. Than I reset it again when I installed a surface ground precision kick lug, the savage one was a joke. Than bedded the rail for the scope to the barrel with epoxy.

It's the difference between an AR15 and an AK47. The AR has a barrel nut which holds the barrel in the upper, the barrel itself has a pinned barrel extension which is how the headspace is set. Savage copied that which makes assembly a breeze and changing barrels a homeowner level job. Browning did the same with the BLR IIRC, barrel held in with a nut.

The AK is very traditional - the barrel is pressed into the receiver, same as a Rem 700 etc. At the same time headspace is checked and it's a skilled gunsmith job with a lot more expensive tools and more than a gun bubba level education. It's close to being a machinist to get it right.

Stoner did us a huge favor designing the M16 and the barrel nut is actually the major improvement in gun design, it's literally a game changer. Goes to: How popular is it to build an AR vs AK? 100x more. I can count on two hands the number of AK assembly threads I've read in the last ten years, on some forums there is a complete subforum on assembling AR's, with more forums on Pistols, alternate cartridges, M16's by model, etc.

Pressing a barrel into a trunnion or reciever is about the level of a machine shop boring and honing engine cylinders - so those gunsmiths are naturally a bit condescending about those who just screw an AR together. And, BTW, you don't "torque" an AR barrel nut, you turn it to at least 30ftpds, and don't exceed 85 - a 50 pound range - just wherever you can pass the gas tube. It's not rocket surgery, I do it with a pair of 18" Channelocks. A lot of people like to glorify their skills when it's no more complicated than an oil change.

This is for my F-TR Match Rifle.

When I buy barrels, I get them in pairs and then I get them chambered identically and at the same time.

I get a little witness mark on them at fitting time.

I have an action wrench and a barrel vise with a pair of large C-clamps. When I travel to a match like the Nationals or the World's, I bring the extra barrel, wrench, vise and clamps. I can change the barrel in a few minutes if needed.

It's good to have some anti-seize compound when vou install the barrel.

This is a last-ditch measure. I am much happier to have a local gunsmith do it for me.

I have what I think may be my last pair of barrels on order and will get them chambered together later this year.

If you have a pickup with a trailer hitch, I have seen people setup the bottom of the vise on it to do the work. Not a bad idea.

I'm quite happy with my Brownell's barrel vise. I change the bushings for different barrel shanks.

Tony.

Thanks for all the informative replies.
Now I have a much better understanding of what's involved.

I think benny6 perhaps simplified the problem a bit too much. There are a zillion different bolt action types. And many of the tactical types are designed explicitly for quick barrel and even caliber changes. AI and Barrett comes to mind as easy examples, but there are many more.

Here's a video I did on Savage barrel changes.



Tony.

First off - there are two types of pre-fit barrels for the do-it-yourselfer; shouldered and non-shouldered. The shouldered pre-fits are for actions that are NOT technically for "mass" produced factory actions. Actions like the Zermatt Arms Bighorns and Origins, Impact and some of the other later custom type actions are made with action threads so precise that headspace can be accounted for and a shoulder cut. Typically you can choose from different contours but you have little to no control over freebore if you are looking for something other than SAAMI spec chambers. These pre-fits are just screwed until the shoulder bottoms out and then, using an action wrench, torqued in FT/LBS to your desired torque. Mine are all torqued to 75 ft/lbs

Actions like the Savage, Remington and Tikka are not made as precise so the pre-fit barrels offered DO NOT come shouldered and therefore NOT headspaced; the end user has to perform that task when installing the barrel. It's easily done by holding the barrel in a vise, holding the action in an action wrench and using a headspace gauge inserted in the chamber and against the bolt face to determine the depth adjustment of the barrel's chamber. Once the correct headspace is achieved, you tighten down a barrel (jam) nut against the recoil lug, torque the barrel nut down per the manufacturers instructions (usually 45-50 FT/LBS), double check the setting of the barrel's chamber and bolt with the "go-gauge" AND confirm the setting with a "no-go-gauge".

When the correct headspacing is achieved, the bolt should drop freely with the "go-gauge" and not drop at all with a "no-go-gauge". With experience, you can headspace a barrel in one or two attempts. After doing the process a couple of times, installing a barrel only takes 5-10 minutes.

I would suggest that if wanting to attempt this type of installation that you learn how to disassemble your firing pin assembly from your bolt and if possible, learn how to remove the ejector plunger and spring. Doing this will allow the bolt handle to fall freely when installed in the action and give you a base line for how it should feel when using the go-gauge. Also, DO NOT get the go-gauge and no-go-gauges confused. The no-go-gauge is 0.004 LONGER than the go-gauge, this is why the bolt should not close on this gauge.

Let me also add; there are shops and gunsmiths that can do pre-fits with custom chambers. These barrels are usually shouldered but non-shouldered type, like Savage and Remage, are usually cut with a fairly common freebore and not available is custom chamberings; of course, the custom stuff is going to add to the final cost of the barrel. Northland Shooters Supply is a good resource for pre-fits as is Proof Research (their stainless stuff). There are others out there that offer barrels as well so a little research will help with making a decision.

Hope this helps...

quote:

Originally posted by sigfreund:
If one has the right tools, how difficult is it?

What about chambers and headspacing—are some barrels for common cartridges screw on and go? I know that some rifles are made to permit switching barrels quickly and easily, but I’m referring to the more common type like a Tikka, Remington, etc.

I don’t need to change one and I realize it would be a lot easier to have a qualified ’smith do it, but that’s not my question.

to answer your question,

If one has the right tools, how difficult is it?,

not very hard at all given the parameters you listed (as in have the tools)


granted that is a vague and generic answer to your question, simply because as the other folks that posted have said, there is a great variation of methods and types of barrels, actions, etc etc,

I've done most everything uncle sam used milsurp wise from 1903 up the AR, and each is relatively easy, with the proper tools, if you know what you are doing,