My First Build

[romad97]

Well it took me a little over a year to finally complete my first ever build to my desired end state. I was nervouse about trying this but with all the encouragement and help from members on this board I decided to go for it. I am very happy with this rifle. The final peice came in today and I put her on and here she is. Forgive my picture taking skills, they are not the best.

Savage 10 SA purchased from NSS
26" SS Shilen Select Match Varmint Contour 1 in 8 twist chambered in 243 win
Stockade Woodchuck Stock with adjustable cheek piece and anschutz rail
Harris Bipod
Weaver scope base
Burris Signature Zee medium rings
Vortex Viper HS-LR 4-16X50
SSS Fishnet Fluted Bolt
2 Peice Tactical Bolt Handle
1.5 LBS Accutrigger spring replacement
Precision Ground Recoil Lug and Nut from NSS

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p173/romad97/IMG_3646_zpsb610d614.jpg (http://s128.photobucket.com/user/romad97/media/IMG_3646_zpsb610d614.jpg.html)
http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p173/romad97/IMG_3647_zps466bd1f3.jpg (http://s128.photobucket.com/user/romad97/media/IMG_3647_zps466bd1f3.jpg.html)
http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p173/romad97/IMG_3648_zps8571f8e7.jpg (http://s128.photobucket.com/user/romad97/media/IMG_3648_zps8571f8e7.jpg.html)

[cowtownup]

Very nice.. Can you give me idea of how challenging this project was? I am just curious if head spacing was easier or harder than you expected? Was barrel removal difficult? Any other highlights you could share with someone that was in your shoes a year ago? Thanks...

[romad97]

Very nice.. Can you give me idea of how challenging this project was? I am just curious if head spacing was easier or harder than you expected? Was barrel removal difficult? Any other highlights you could share with someone that was in your shoes a year ago? Thanks...

Sure. When I first started this project, I had the idea of saving money. I purchased nothing but the basics and tried to put it together using only a friend of mines barrel vise. After a few futile attempts, It became very apparent to me that short cuts were not a good idea when it comes to rifle building. I ended up purchasing a barrel nut wrench, a barrel vise, and an action wrench, all of which made life easier. Also, once you build your first rifle, its addictive so having the tools for future builds is well worth just spending the money up front and accepting that your first build is not going to be as cheap as you initially anticipate it. I also ended up purchasing a dremel and a small torque driver that proved to be invaluable tools during this build. The head spacing was intimidating to me at first. After I did it once though, it is so easy that I don't know why I was ever worried about it. One thing I would suggest though is don't skimp on the no-go guage. I had several people tell me that using a peice of tape was sufficient. Although it may work, I tried it just for grins and sure enough, with a little force I could still close the bolt everytime. This just did not give me a warm fuzzy so I went ahead and purchased a no-go guage, its a really inexpensive piece of mind to have. I mean why chance a piece of tape to protect your face? I just decided early on in this build that I was not going to skimp on stuff, especiallly anything relating to safety just to save a few bucks. Another lesson I learned was not to get impatient. I made an initial purchase of an action to build this rifle which was a newer style with the trigger guard release. After several weeks of trying to find a stock that I wanted, I quickly learned that I really prefered a top bolt release. I eventually found someone on this board that wanted one so I traded him for a brand new top release purchased fron Jim at NSS. I would advise that once you know what you want, be patient and don't compromise, what you want will eventually pop up for sale on one of the many gun boards on the internet. Also, don't be afraid to give guys like Kevin Rayhill and Jim Briggs a call, they are a great asset to the savage community and they will guide you in the right direction, even if you arent purchasing anything from them they are still more than willing to help you out. Lastly, just have fun with it. That is ultimately what this is all about, the joy of shooting, hunting, etc...

[B52buff]

Very nice!

[DanSavage]

Very nice build! I bet it will stack the bullets on top of each other. What twist does it have? Need to see some targets ASAP lol.

[romad97]

Very nice build! I bet it will stack the bullets on top of each other. What twist does it have? Need to see some targets ASAP lol.

Oh I forgot to add that. I put a 1 in 8 twist barrel on it. I am planing on shooting the 105 berger VLD's. I actually have everything I need to start developing my load I just havent gotten around to it. I have only shot 1 box of factory ammo so far just to test fire it. I am planning on getting this thing out to the range and doing my load development in the next couple of weeks or so.

[shovelheadave]

Lookin good

[drybean]

Outstanding

[eddiesindian]

nice................

[03mossy]

That turned out fantastic! So j bet your planning your next build already....

[Hotolds442]

That looks pretty dang good for a first build. Can't wait to see the second one!

[romad97]

That looks pretty dang good for a first build. Can't wait to see the second one!

I have my second one about half way done. Its not going to be a complete build though. I am basically doing a stock upgrade with a pillar bedding job. I will post pics when the project is completed. I do however have a new SA that I am planning on doing a really nice 223AI build on. That one is going to a really nice build though which means expensive. It will be a while til I can get that one completed.

[wiliamr]

Very nice. I Like

[Luke45]

Oh I forgot to add that. I put a 1 in 8 twist barrel on it. I am planing on shooting the 105 berger VLD's. I actually have everything I need to start developing my load I just havent gotten around to it. I have only shot 1 box of factory ammo so far just to test fire it. I am planning on getting this thing out to the range and doing my load development in the next couple of weeks or so.
I have the exact same barrel as you, withe the idea of doing load development with 105 vlds as well.couldnt get them less than .6moa or so. they were pretty picky on seating depth and i couldnt really find the sweet spot, so i tried the 95 vlds and man the groups shrunk in half or even less no matter waht amount of powder or seating depth they were tack drivers(.25 or less moa at 100 5 shots consistantly) so if you dont get the results you want with 105s dont forget about the 95s!

[223 4 me]

Congradulations Romad97, Well done Sir!

[romad97]

I finally got a load that I am happy with for this rifle today. It took a whole lot of trial and error but this is what I came up with. 40.8gr of IMR 4831, win brass and win large rifle primer, 2.76 COAL, 105gr beger VLD, 3 shot group was right at .235 at 100 yards at 2857 fps. I cant wait to get out and shoot it out to 600 now that I finally have a good recipe for it.

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p173/romad97/IMG_0346_zps01e31137.jpg (http://s128.photobucket.com/user/romad97/media/IMG_0346_zps01e31137.jpg.html)