Questions/tips for first time barrel change

[Sundo]

I have a new 116 FCSS .30-06 and an E.R. Shaw .308 barrel (yeah, I know the .308 is a short action cartridge and the 116 is a long action). I've been preparing to do the barrel change. I'm looking for any tips for doing a first-time barrel change on a new rifle. I've read that the barrel nut is on pretty tight from the factory.

I've ordered the smooth barrel nut wrench from Sharpshooter Supply (SSS?). I have the Wheeler barrel vise, but don't have it mounted to anything, yet. That leads me to my first question: Is there any advantage to using an action wrench instead of a barrel vise, especially for a first-time barrel change? It seems to me that an action wrench and barrel nut wrench will put less stress on the barrel than a barrel vise and a nut wrench. I've considered getting an action wrench, but realized that I'd have to take off the scope base every time I use the action wrench. I wonder if the wear of repeatedly unmounting/remounting the scope base is worse than the stress of a barrel vise. For the first barrel change (when the barrel is tight from the factory), should I consider using an action wrench instead of the barrel vise?

I've read about using Kroil and/or heat to unlock the threads before the first barrel change. Will this do any damage to the surface? Is it easy to thoroughly clean off the Kroil once the barrel is off? Does a standard hair dryer produce sufficient heat, or should I go for a real heat gun? Or, preferably, can I get away with not using heat at all? I'm looking for the barrel change method that will put the least wear on the parts.

When I install the new barrel, how beneficial is it to use the "competition recoil lug" from SSS? Does the competition recoil lug produce a measurable improvement in accuracy over the factory recoil lug, or is it just a gimmick?

Answers to these questions, and any other tips, are highly appreciated. FYI, I did do (at least a cursory) search, and didn't find any obvious relevant thread results. If I missed a relevant thread, please accept my apologies in advance and help me find the right threads. Thanks!

[barrel-nut]

I use the Wheeler barrel vise, action wrench, and barrel nut wrench to change out mine. That said, there are many different ways to accomplish this, as I'm sure others will point out. You should be OK with the barrel vise and the wrench to get the nut off; I use the action wrench in order to have some "back up" to hold the action steady as I tighten the nut when I'm installing the barrel. I wrap 1 layer of masking tape around the front portion of the action before I install the action wrench to prevent scratches. If you have the instructions that came with the Wheeler barrel vise, just follow them; they are excellent. I strongly recommend using a headspace "GO" gauge and NO-GO gauge to be safe. Don't worry about the barrel vise stressing your barrel; just use the appropriate sized wooden blocks that came with the kit to clamp the barrel, and only tighten it enough to keep it from slipping. I would be much more concerned about clamping my action in that vise, if that's what you were considering. It's a lot easier to bend or crush the action than the barrel. You shouldn't need any heat with a new rifle (not rusted) in order to get the nut loose; I've not used the new wrench for the smooth nut that you have, but with the old style square groove wrench that I use I've never had any problem getting them loose. Use a rubber or plastic mallet and whack it good and it should come loose (remember- righty tighty, lefty loosey). Don't be afraid of the Kroil; it is great stuff and will not harm anything, and wipes right off. I have some rifles with the competition lug and others with the factory lug; they all shoot great. It's one of those things that falls into the "it can't hurt" category; it can't hurt anything to remove one more item where factory sloppy tolerances can potentially foul things up, but it's hard to say if that one item will appreciably improve accuracy. It can definitely help with aligning the barrel in a more concentric fashion to the action, assuming that your action face is square and true, which if it hasn't been done by somebody like Fred at SSS, it probably isn't. But that doesn't mean your rifle won't shoot well; just putting on a quality aftermarket barrel usually helps a lot. Install yours and go shoot. You should be pleased.

[guhunter]

I have taken factory barrels off of 4 actions at this point and the only one the I had to fight with some was also the only blued gun (as opposed to stainless). Your model # suggests it is stainless so I would guess you shouldn't have too tough a time.

[Nor Cal Mikie]

I ran into a problem with my action wrench a few years back. (That's the reason I don't bother to use one anymore ;)) Got the nut loose but the barrel was still snug and it "squeaked" as I turned it. :o Come to find out the wrench stressed the action enough to bind the threads. Loosened the action wrench and the barrel spun out real easy. Keep that in mind as you start your project.
New recoil lug? If the barrel is off you might as well replace it. Does it make any difference in the accuracy of the rig? If "you" think it does, go for it.

[JCalhoun]

Sundo;

Everything you need to know about barrel swapping.
http://savageshooters.com/index.php?articleview=Savage%20Barrel%20Swapping

The idea behind the SSS recoil lug is that it is perfectly flat. The ones from Savage are warped as they are stamped.