Setting a Rem 700 up with a barrel nut.

[AJ Peacock]

I have a .243 Win on a 700ADL. How hard would it be to set it up with a second barrel and a barrel nut? I'd like to have a 338 Federal (same boltface) that I could screw onto it.

I understand that the tough part is getting the old barrels off. I have an action wrench (internal and external).

Would I be able to occasionally switch back to the .243 barrel by simply screwing back in like it is now? Or would the threads stretch and cause the headspace to change with repeated tightening/loosening without the flexibility of adjusting each time with a barrel nut?

I understand that I would need to inlet the wooden stock a bit to fit the nut.

Any experience and info on where I can get the barrel nut etc. would be great.

Also, I'd like to do the entire thing without need of a smith (like I do with the Savage's). Is it easy to order a pre-fit barrel for this type of configuration from one of the barrel mfgers like Pac-Nor?

Thanks, and sorry for all the questions.

AJ

[NesikaChad]

In benchrest, barrels are to guns what tires are to race cars.

What your wanting to do is totally feasable and quite common. It's called a switch barrel gun.

There's no need for a barrel nut (assuming you mean like Savage does) for a Remington.

Just have another barrel fitted to the receiver (with an identical contour) and then you switch them out.

A few points to consider.

In bench rest, guys typically don't screw a barrel on with a crazy amount of force. Some don't go much past hand tight.

This is fine when all your after is group size. You have sighters in competition that will allow you to get the scope timed up again.

Rifles for other applications however depend on group center as well as group size, so the barrel should be tightened pretty well otherwise your zero is likely to change on a continual basis.

A barrel vice is great to have along with some steel mandrels for your cylinder OD. To prevent boogering up the barrel, a thin piece of leather rubbed down with some rosin works pretty good when sandwiched between the barrel and the mandrels.

If you ever get a sticky barrel, soak it in Kroil and then warm up the action with a hot air gun till its smoking and stinking up your shop real good. They'll usually break apart after that.

If your wanting a barrel nut to fascilitate rapid barrel switching in the field then I guess a barrel nut is the way to go, but I would still encourage someone doing this to use some sort of vice. One slip with a spanner wrench (which is way too easy to do) and the nut gets goobered up and/or the barreled action goes flying.

Good luck.

[AJ Peacock]

Chad, thanks for the info. However I was wondering if I could order a pre-fit type barrel and use a nut, thus eliminating the need to have the barrel fitted to the receiver? I assume your answer is yes.

Thanks again,
AJ

[Eaglet]

Nice info. Good questions!
IN a Savage using the nut, doesn't the head space change every time you change the barrel? Even when you use a Go and NO_GO gauges, would the changes in head space mess up your accurate load?
Just some more questions.

[AJ Peacock]

I've re-installed the barrel on my 300WSM several times being careful to headspace it the same everytime and have never noticed a difference in POI etc.

AJ

ps: Do you really need a knife THAT bad? You don't have to answer.

[KRP]

PacNor sells what you want. They build the nut so a Savage wrench fits. Price was $50 for the nut last I checked.

[AJ Peacock]

KRP,

Thanks, I'll have to give them a call when I'm ready.


AJ