Ditch the barrel nut?

[freediver111]

I'm getting a new barrel for my Savage, but I've been talking to a smith and contemplating taking it to him and getting a new barrel installed by him. He suggested a Benchmark since he's a dealer and can get them a little cheaper. It will be lathed to go on the action without a barrel nut. I'm thinking about that option or about keeping it with the barrel nut so one day I could do it myself.

I'm curious and know very little about the benefits of going this route. I always assumed you should stick with the barrel nut and get pre-fit barrels so you can swap them easily enough at home.

That being said, I have no tools or go/no go gauges, so my initial investment putting a new pre-fit barrel would be the same as taking it to a smith and having a custom lathed barrel put on (around $600). Maybe a little cheaper doing it myself, but after buying the tools and gauges, it's not far off in price. The smith would also do some extra work, including cerakote the action for very cheap since he's doing the work.

So my questions are: Are there any advantages ditching the barrel nut and going with a barrel lathed for the action? If you get a barrel made for the action by a smith, can you go back to a barrel nut/pre-fit barrel down the road or does the smith modify the action so that is no longer an option?

Sorry if these are dumb questions. I'm new to the Savage world and also new to gun mods. Mostly been an archery hunter that now has the long range bug pretty bad!

[gbflyer]

Nothing wrong with going without the nut, looks better if you ask me. It will not affect the ability to use a barrel set up for a nut down the road. If you plan on switching barrels a lot some day, having a shoulder is faster than having a nut as long as you’re using the same bolt and receiver.

[olddav]

The first problem I see is this. If you need to change the bolt head or bolt body for any reason, you will need to return to the gunsmith and have the headspace set again. Spend the money on the tools and swap the barrel yourself.

[Steak n eggs]

My vote is to stay with the barrel nut. There are more advantages to it and basically no negatives outside of subjective appearance value. Buy a set of gauges, they will last you a lifetime.

[Evlshnngns]

The first problem I see is this. If you need to change the bolt head or bolt body for any reason, you will need to return to the gunsmith and have the headspace set again. Spend the money on the tools and swap the barrel yourself.

Only the bolt head would make a difference, and they can be repaired in most cases. But you do have a good point.

I want a shouldered barrel because it has more meat on the bone and surface area to keep it cool. And it does look better. BUT until I have a lathe or buckets of disposable income, I'll use the nut.

[olddav]

One additional point or opinion, the less time I spend hiring/waiting on someone else the happier I am.

[Robinhood]

If you plan on changing barrels or cartridges often keep the nut. If you are building a hunting rifle for the ages. Loose it. If you are building a precision rifle loose it.

[OLEJOE]

Blasphemy!!! Someone talking about denutting a Savage on the Savage forum. LOL �� Seriously it’s your rifle. I dropped the nut on a 783 Remington and it shoots great. Put witness marks on the barrel and receiver and you can change it out as often as you like. But you will still have to have a barrel vice and an action wrench and gauges. I know I didn’t help a bit.

[geargrinder]

I agree with what everyone else has said. The advantage of nutless is that it is perfectly mated to that single action and bolt head. Take it off and on to your hearts desire. It will always be spot on.

Going with a nut has the advantage of being compatible with any action with Savage threads. The barrel won't be married to that specific action and bolt head.

[freediver111]

My goal is accuracy and hunting. Long range specifically. I love to plink long range, but keeping hunting shots inside 6-700, which is actually pretty common here out west.

I picked up a barely used XLR Element for a good price, which really swayed me to go for a new barrel and customize it a little more.

I’m definitely leaning nutless. For the price, it’s about the same after buying parts and gauges. Yes, the gauges and tools will last forever, but a barrel should last me at least 5 years if not more. I shoot a fair amount in the winter/spring, but not enough to burn a barrel that quickly. If for some reason I find myself swapping barrels more frequently, I’ll consider going back to the barrel nut. Sounds like it’s not a very expensive experiment to go this way.


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[Nor Cal Mikie]

The "disadvantage" of going without the nut? Like you said, no lathe so it has to be done by someone that knows what he's doing. That means, waiting in line and spending more $$.
The advantage of keeping the nut? It's a DIY job. If you don't like that caliber OR just curious to try something else, brake the nut loose, spin on another barrel in a different caliber, swap bolt heads if needed and go shooting. Not one of my Savage rigs has the same caliber barrel it started life with. And I've done it all myself.
Lets see:
20 TCM Wildcat,
20 VT,
20 VT "short",
.221 Fireball,
.223,
.223 with a brake,
6 BR,
22 BR,
6.8 SPC,
6.8 BR Wildcat,
.308 and am working on a few more that may never make it to the finish line but I'am not waiting in line for my smith to swap barrels with the nut.
No nut DOES look cool but not enough to make me switch. Maybe just one so I can sat I did it?? :p

[freediver111]

What about any appreciable accuracy gains? Will say a Bartlien lathed and installed by a smith be appreciably more accurate than a criterion I spin on myself? Keep in mind, I’ve never done a barrel swap in my life, but I’m pretty handy and it looks easy (based on online videos). Watching internet tutorials makes me a certifiable expert I guess!


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[Nor Cal Mikie]

Factory Savage, Pac Nor, Douglas, Bartlien, pick a name and more than likely you'll end up with a good barrel. All of my barrels have ended up as bug hole shooters.
Wanted to try "another caliber" but didn't want to spend BIG $$$ ($300.00 to $400.00) and not like the final results so someone turned me on to a couple of Wilson barrels blanks that were for sale. Bid on both but only got one. ($125.00) Was told Wilson barrels were CRAP but I got mine anyway. Had it chambered in my 6.8 BR Wildcat, spun it on and went shooting. Turned out to be ANOTHER bug hole shooter and ended up as one of my better barrels to clean. When I say "bug hole", I'am talking about a 5 shot group that can be covered with a dime, from the bench @ 100 yards.
So much for "outside opinions". Go with what you feel is a good deal. It just may be.:cool:

[mnbogboy2]

Nut-less headspace can only be increased with a reamer or new recoil lug or decreased with a lathe, surface grinder, recoil lug change or a combination of all of these. Once a machined adjustment is made it takes the same time and associated costs to reverse it.
With the nut, fine adjustments to headspace can be made in any direction in just a matter of minutes with only the initial cost of the installation tools. These fine adjustments can be made to match sizing dies or other actions that use the same dies. Barrel changes from my range to my garage and back shooting at the target can be done in less than an hour.
Time and money is what it is all about for me. The targets and game can't tell the difference if struck from a nutless or nutted barrel.
My .02,
Randy

[tobnpr]

I have built them both ways on factory actions, no differences in accuracy which could be directly attributed to shouldered/non-shouldered barrel.
Its really about aesthetics, IMO.

If you want the smith to do a shouldered barrel from a blank, you really should go full monty (or just stick with a quality spin-on prefit).
True the the receiver face, true/cut receiver threads ten thou over, cut the new barrel tenon to fit- just as you would with an M700 action.

You're not going to realize any accuracy gains from a shouldered barrel for the extra cost incurred unless you go the extra yards. Once you go that route though, you'll always need a custom barrel.

If you like the aesthetics of the shouldered barrel, you can still change it out- just use the witness marks on the barrel and receiver. You'll need an action wrench and barrel vise instead of just the vise and nut wrench.

[Nor Cal Mikie]

If you pull that "shouldered barrel" and try fitting it on another action, my guess is the head space may be off? No two actions are the same.
That shouldered barrel was machined to head space on only one action. I see the need to "plan ahead". Mo money, mo money, mo money.
The nutted barrel can be set where YOU want it.:cool:

[tobnpr]

Delete

[tobnpr]

^^^
I never said he could install it on a different receiver- I said he could change it out, just like a prefit (on the same action) using simple witness marks instead of a headspace gauge. Some like to be able to shoot different chamberings from the same rifle with a barrel (and maybe bolthead) swap, and it doesn't require a barrel nut system to do it.

[Robinhood]

All of the pro barrel nut people base their opinion on swapping barrels on a regular basis. I see no need to put that barrel on another action. If you want a different cartridge you can still use that action for another barrel, shouldered or barrel nut. As long as you use that barrel, that recoil lug and that bolt head you can take it off and put it back on 1,000,000,000 times(as long as you still have threads). No head spacing, just tighten and go. You also have no need for a trued barrel nut.

[Nor Cal Mikie]

If there's a difference between two different "actions", say .015 from one to the other, something may need to be adjusted. Got a lathe in your back pocket to change the shoulder position?? Sure that shouldered barrel can be moved from one action to another but the head space better be right on OR, more $mith work will be needed. And you have to remember, you're dealing with a Savage action. So, if scope mounting holes and action screw holes can be off, just maybe action length can be off too?? Different thickness of machined recoil lugs may help but be prepared to make adjustments moving that shouldered barrel from one action to another. All the witness marks in the world won't help if the action lengths arn't the same.

So if you want to keep that shouldered barrel on one action, you've got it. Just be prepared to do some machine work or have it done by someone that knows what he's/she's doing if you plan on moving it to another action.