Used savage I bought without a barrel nut question

[greyling]

So several years ago when I was young and dumb I bought a used semi-custom savage 110L in a pawn shop. It had been rebarreled to 257AI and came with a fancy stock, reloading dies, brass and was a steal. I've enjoyed it over the years and the other day it hit me: This savage has no barrel nut! How have I missed this over the years. The barrel appears to be threaded directly into the receiver like a remington or one of the shaw mkvii rifles.

The only marks are "257AI" on the top and "5 28 69 ES" on the bottom (may 28, 1996 ER Shaw?) Is there any way to figure out what happened to the gun or where? (I have no paperwork from the shop and it went under anyway) Could I, if I so desired, still buy a savage barrel, nut, and thread a new barrel onto the receiver? (understanding that the stock would either need to be inlet for the nut or a new stock acquired)

a couple of pictures are posted here:

http://i.imgur.com/VXkk0.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/7OU1Z.jpg

[thirty06]

Nice rifle. Looks like they just installed a shouldered barrel. There's a few guys on here that do that, not a big deal.
Should be able to get a nut and barrel and be good to go. Unless it's an old model with the old bolt. Post a pic of the bolthead and someone
will let you know.

[greyling]

here's the bolt head. if the barrel is a 69, then the gun is probably even older than that. serial# 68**3

http://i.imgur.com/MQ2Vr.jpg

[LHitchcox]

Nice rifle. Looks like they just installed a shouldered barrel. There's a few guys on here that do that, not a big deal.
Should be able to get a nut and barrel and be good to go. Unless it's an old model with the old bolt. Post a pic of the bolthead and someone
will let you know.

The original design used a totally different bolt design. There is a nose on the bolt that recesses into slots cut into the barrel ala Remington 700. To swap that one out the bolt and barrel would have to be changed. Not cost effective on the early model. I have one set the same way with a .25-06 barrel. I will leave it alone and swap barrels on my other 110s.

[greyling]

but, if I eventually wore out the barrel, in theory I could buy a new barrel, barrel nut, complete bolt and modify or or restock the existing rifle?

[geargrinder]

but, if I eventually wore out the barrel, in theory I could buy a new barrel, barrel nut, complete bolt and modify or or restock the existing rifle?

Correct. In order to turn this one into a swapper, you'd need a barrel, nut, complete bolt, magazine, and follower. In the old actions, the standing ejector is part of the magazine.

Unless you got it very cheap, or have extraordinary desire, the old actions aren't worth converting.

[ellobo]

I am willing to bet your barrel is not shot-out unless it has had a very large no of shots through it. Give it a thorough cleaning with copper remover, several doses. If the patches come out blue then it is copper. Keep up the process until they come out clean. Too nice a rifle to give up on. That stock is a Fajen stock (no longer in business) and I used that same design in a two pc. stock to redo a model 99 over 20 yrs ago.. An added bonus is that it is left handed, fairly rare. To my way of thinking the conversion would be worth the effort and expense just to keep the stock.

El Lobo

[greyling]

nah, the barrel is not shot out in any way. I was just exploring my options. Speaking of options and the lack thereof with this old action, can the trigger on these be adjusted, replaced or altered to give a better pull? It's a little creepy and about 5lbs right now. I see the adjustment sticky in the FAQ's, and they talk about polishing and sear adjustment, not a problem. What about pull weight? I'm always leery of changing sear angles.

here is a picture of it. the sear looks different. http://i.imgur.com/HXdDA.jpg

[LHitchcox]

The info is on the FAQs page:

http://www.savageshooters.com/content.php?129-Early-Savage-110-Trigger-Adjustment

[greyling]

right, I saw that, but it doesn't seem to address pull weight, which is my biggest issue, only polishing bits (which will smooth it up some and maybe take a little off the weight, and a vague "this is a sear adjustment screw". Screw in or out to decrease engagement? If pull weight can't be adjusted, will an aftermarket trigger work? I would assume I would need a new sear to go with it, or maybe the jard trigger that comes with a sear.




The info is on the FAQs page:

http://www.savageshooters.com/content.php?129-Early-Savage-110-Trigger-Adjustment

[LHitchcox]

The only simple adjustment is to turn the sear screw in as far as it will go. Most of the other screws are hidden. I have an old NRA gunsmithing book that shows a schematic and talks about where to polish. I looked on the net for a diagram and struck out.

[americanstrat98]

To original post.

In School, when using a Savage Action for a Custom build we are not allowed to use barrel nuts, reason being, we need the practice at forming shoulders and gauging screw depths. The Stampings of the caliber on your barrel are indicitive of a Custom Rifle, along with the Furniture it's wearing and what seems to be a lack of sanding pattern on the barrel. I'm sure you now know its a custom build.

Alot of gunsmiths that I know prefer to apply barrels this way for customers who want custom savage actioned rifles. THere is nothing wrong with this method and alot of time it is more plaeasing to the eye for the not so savage savvy.

If you ever get to the point that your barrel starts shooting out, then dress the crown. A lot of times there isn't a need to rebarrel the action but simply re surfacing the crown where the gas pressures have eroded the crown surface. good Luck