Ream chamber to index iron sights?

[Chris in Idaho]

I want to switch barrels and I want to run iron sights. A barrel is available to me that previously had irons. Can I screw it on to the point of correct headspace and then screw it further on until the sights are in the correct position and then just ream the chamber back to correct headspace? Is there a limit to how far I can go? I imagine at some point I'd have too much barrel sticking into the receiver, but I've never messed with this.

Thanks!

[CAPTBEACH]

IIWM...(If it were me) I'd head over to Numrich, see if the sporter barrel I wanted was in stock...buy it...Head space it, drill it for sights...you'd probably come out cheaper in the long run...unless your gunsmith had a reamer for that caliber (vs renting it, paying shipping to and fro and then charging you for the work) and was able to just kiss the chamber enough to make it right...

[Nor Cal Mikie]

When it comes to getting things "the way you want it", It'll cost you $$. If you've got your mind set on doing what you've mentioned, I'd say go for it. You "may" luck out and get pretty close. Or, you'll end up parting with some $$. What ever you decide, It'll be what "you" had in mind. Folks have spent BIG $$ on a build and when they got done, it was still a Savage. Do what you want, be happy and enjoy the finished product.
When it comes to $$, you can't take it with you unless you can change it into Travelers Checks!

[Chris in Idaho]

Thanks guys. I must be missing something (which is exactly why I came to this forum!), because I don't see where the major expense of this is. A new ER Shaw stainless barrel in the caliber I want (375H&H) is $247 and I would have to level it in the mill and drill and tap for the iron sights, no big deal. The Savage Safari Express stainless take off barrel I just ordered from numrich was $106 and will have already been drilled and tapped for sights as well as it will have caliber and name and all that stamped on the side. I could just screw it in until the headspace works and call it a day but then there's a 359/360 chance that stuff won't line up where it's supposed to. I could just live with it but it would bug me. To do it right I would need to screw it in past the point of correct headspace until the sight holes and roll marks are where I want and then fix the headspace. It only costs $33 to rent a reamer and another $5 for a go gauge which I would have needed anyway. So I'm at $144 to have a factory stainless barrel on my rifle and indexed properly, which is still $100 cheaper than getting a new barrel and having to machine it for the sights myself. What did I miss?

My question really boils down to: Can I screw the barrel into the receiver up to a full turn "too far" without causing any other problems? I haven't taken off a savage barrel yet or looked at a bare receiver to know how much room there is between the bolt lugs and the end of the barrel.

Thanks!

[Nor Cal Mikie]

My guess is, there's probably enough threads to take care of the amount you'll have to turn the barrel to get the sights to line up. Not like setting the chamber back and cutting more threads. Running a reamer in and cutting the chamber face is all you'll have to do.

[KRP]

You'll most likely need to face the breech end to maintain bolt head to barrel clearance. No big deal since you'll have it in the lathe and dialed in to ream it anyway. I'd personally set it back far enough to completely clean up the old chamber.

[Nor Cal Mikie]

If you set the back the barrel to completely clean up the old chamber, you may have to add more threads for the nut. And that depends on the taper just in front of the chamber area. Like I said, it's only $$.

[sixonetonoffun]

Deans mentioned milling a recoil lug down. Imagine that would easy enough since they are available in a few thicknesses. Probably could be done with a belt sander in a pinch.

Never mind doesn't make sense.

[Nor Cal Mikie]

Not very accurate but it could be done. Better to get the thickness you're after and do it right the first time. I've had issues with lugs. Too thick and not enough threads on the barrel for the nut to set headspace. Takes a little thought to get it right.

[drybean]

the lug on savages does not have anything to do with headspace
Remington's yes

[Nor Cal Mikie]

If the lug is too thick and you don't have enough threads on the barrel to set the nut in the proper position, you can't set the headspace. Found out the hard way and had to use a factory lug.

[nhkuehl]

I had a Remington take off barrel with iron sights and just for the heck of it set it back and turned the diameter down and threaded it for a Savage small ring action. I had to do a little trial and error to get the bolt nose clearance and head space exact. I used a string stretched across the scope mounting holes on the action and across the iron sight holes on the barrel to line everything up. At the range I was 2" off on windage at 100 yards and could easily adjust for that. With the chamber set back and barrel re-crowned accuracy was acceptable and I only had my time invested.

[Chris in Idaho]

Thanks everybody. Thanks to your input I have a pretty clear picture of what I need to do now. I'm not planning to set the chamber back any further than is needed to get the iron sights indexed at the top. IIRC savage barrels have 20tpi threads so an entire turn on the barrel would put it back .050" at the most. What I was wondering about was the clearance between the bolt locking lugs and the face of the barrel, but what I hadn't thought of was possibly running out of threads for the barrel nut (thanks for bringing that to my attention Nor Cal Mikie). I was planning to ream the chamber by hand like is done in this video (start at 3:00): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6y54CcDri44 but I do have access to two lathes if it becomes necessary to face off the chamber end of the barrel for bolt lug clearance.

It looks like these two questions will be answered when I receive the barrel and can test fit it. First, can I screw the barrel on that far without bottoming out the nut against the recoil lug, and second will the bolt then close (empty chamber) or will the lugs hit the chamber face.

Thanks again for everybody's input. Savages are awesome!

[Nor Cal Mikie]

I'am very interested in how you make out and how close the new (to you) barrel is to lining up the sights. Please keep us posted.
Iron sights with see thru mounts? A "perfect" combination!

[nhkuehl]

You want 0.005 to 0.010" clearance for the bolt nose. Run the barrel into the action with the recoil lug on and run the nut up snug and make a pencil mark on barrel where the nut ends then turn the nut back until it stops and mark again. Remove the barrel and barrel nut and measure the amount of thread you have to work with between the marks.

[Chris in Idaho]

Well the barrel showed up last night. I thought I understood from the description that this was a take off barrel, however it looks like it has never been fitted to a rifle so there are no screw holes for the sights and no marks other than a small C inside a circle. Looks like I could just spin it on like any other new barrel. What it does have on it however is a bunch of RUST! It's completely covered in bright red freckles. I've never ordered from Numrich before, but the description says "New Factory Barrel" and I didn't expect it to show up rusted. I'm reconsidering options at this point. It has a bunch in the bore in the last 2 inches before the muzzle.

At this point ER Shaw is looking better.

[Savage6x284]

Numrich is on Long Island NY which means sea salt and they don't store their stuff very carefully. I've been there and was appalled by how little they cared about the condition of their stuff.
It looked like a scrapyard to me.
Send it back and get the Shaw.