Colt45_13
Active Member
Have you assembled or have access to the tools you will need? You will need a barrel nut wrench, some way to vice the barrel. Not saying you need a barrel vice but the old and the new barrel are going to have to be vised, you may or may not need an action wrench depending on how much locktite from the scope screw holes and other junk got in the barrel threads and you will need headspace gauges for your cartridge selection. When you order or buy your barrel make sure you can get a good not overly priced stock or the one you have as it may need inletting. I've found that each manufactures contours vary a little bit'. I would go ahead and replace the barrel nut with one that has been trued. I generally replace the recoil lug to one that is ground true and a bit more square. Both these items can be had very reasonably but will pay big dividends later. Under no circumstance use an AXIS as a donor. As far as later stock options either center feed or stagger feed will not cause you issues but if you intend to use a detachable box magazine or even if you want to keep that option open definitely go with a center feed. The receivers are milled out differently than a stagger feed. I don't know how much you know about SAVAGE rifles that's why I mention all this. If you already know all this then I apologize.
turk8r1,
My plan was to purchase a wrench, but rent the headspace gauges. I am not using an AXIS as a donor, however it wasn't in my plans to replace the barrel nut and the recoil lug. However, you sound like you know what you are talking about so I will install an aftermarket nut and lug. Regarding the vice, I have some options... I can use a vice and outfit a jig for the barrel or I may buy, rent, or build a barrel vice... Haven't really chiseled that plan in concrete yet.
Random question I forgot to ask earlier. How do you take the barrel off of the actions on the Savage rifles that have the smooth barrel nut? Do you just use a pipe wrench to get it off then replace it with a grooved barrel nut? I found a decent donor rifle but it had the smooth nut.
No apologies required, any and all advice is welcomed... I'm here to learn!
CTL