savage barrel swich to marlin XL7 & XS7

[Blue Avenger]

I have a fantastic idea. Why not use Savage parts with Savage rifles and Marlin parts with Marlin rifles? ;)


Because I want to use aftermarket parts. Douglass, brux, Bell & Carlson, Rifle basix, Burris ...Savage has not made a scope in years!
I don't own one , but I can afford to pay attention ( Barley :) )
Ya, I know what you meant. But with a little Afro mouse engineering we will survive! http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v675/gcidso123/funny%20pic/animaniacs.gif

[darkker]

JS223,
I believe the same as you. What we are seeing is merely tolerance differences in production.
There are a couple of us who have switched barrels between Marlin and Savage, without any bolt mods needed for correct headspace.
Dangerous Dan has pics of his posted on the marlin site. Another gent has begun tackling the stock issue. Essentially you get a Model 70 stock and do some bedding, you can even change to a hinged floor plate.

[EFBell]

kinda difficult to compare a 223 to a 243.

[sharpshooter]

If the depth of the bolt head on the Marlin is .140", that means the chamber is shorter than on a Savage barrel.


Except that he's comparing .378 and .473 bolt heads. The rim thickness is different and extractor groove is of a different depth between the .308 and .223 family of cartridges. That "comparison" demonstrates nothing.

The depths of the bolt heads are the same for all calibers on a Savage rifle. I don't know for a fact if it's true for a Marlin, but I'd say so just for production reasons.

[js223]

JS223,
I believe the same as you. What we are seeing is merely tolerance differences in production.


I want to clarify that when I'm talking production tolerances, I mean Savage .473 size compared to .378 size. What I was saying is, the .473 and .378 bolt heads from Savage have basically the same depth of bolt face as each other. My info was to clear up the misconception that the .378 size Savage measurement was an invalid comparison. As you can see by my measurements, it's quite valid. I was only talking about the Savage parts, not Marlin ones.

[PEI Rob]

If the depth of the bolt head on the Marlin is .140", that means the chamber is shorter than on a Savage barrel.
So that would mean you can't properly headspace a Savage barrel on a Marlin unless you lathe some material off the chamber face. The Marlin bolt hood would hit the Savage barrel before it headspaced properly. The Savage can utilize more chamber ramp for better feeding.

Big thanks to Bruce, nice pics. The measurement of .140" depth, is that within .001" or .010" ?
The Savage depth is approx .115" There is a slight dish shape from tumbling and I find the ones that measure deeper often have more dish, hence the deeper measurement. Say .115" - .117" normally.

[bcp]

First, an apology. A corrected photo has been posted.

Using a Starrett depth micrometer, I got new measurements.

To the nearest 0.001, my two Marlins are 0.130 deep. My Savage is 0.115 deep.

I need to retire my old dial caliper. When the depth micrometer is set at 0.130, the caliper measures it at 0.140.

Bruce

[bcp]

Safety on these barrel swaps is easy to check.

Before interchanging barrels, people need to measure cartridge protrusion from the chamber. That measurement must be greater than the bolt face depth.

Bruce

[Smokepole]

Are the extractors interchangeable? If so, it looks like the Marlin might be a little better. The claw is a little more curved.

[Smokepole]

Anything on the extractors?

[bcp]

I received a new Adams & Bennett Savage barrel finish chambered for 250 Savage.

Five new Remington 250 Savage cases protrude from the barrel 0.120(2), 0.121(2), and 0.122, measured with a depth micrometer. Savage bolt faces measure about 0.115 depth, which would allow several thousandths clearance between this barrel breech and a Savage bolt nose, when this barrel is screwed in until it is tight on a case or gauge. A GO gauge should be slightly longer than a case.

Headspace measurements I have for the 250 Savage are:

(GO 1.5792)
(NO GO 1.5852) = GO + 0.006
(FIELD 1.5892) = GO + 0.010

If this barrel is screwed in until it barely touches a Marlin XS7 bolt nose, there will be about 0.008 to 0.010 free space between the case and the XS7 bolt face, which is 0.130 deep. This makes the chamber between NO GO and FIELD size, not dangerous but not good for a new barrel installation.

Note that the barrel CANNOT be screwed in until it is tight on the new case, or tight on a GO gauge. The barrel will jam against the bolt nose first.

Bruce

PS Five new Winchester 243 cases protrude from the Marlin XS7 barrel 0.138(2), 0.139(1), 0.140(2).