Small shank WSM [Archive] - Savage Shooters

parkj5

05-20-2018, 06:22 AM

I fond a small shank wsm barrel i would love to have. I know savage wsm barrels are large shank . Would it be any issues with the small shank barrel ? Thanks

olddav

05-20-2018, 12:27 PM

yobuck

05-20-2018, 04:19 PM

7 or 8 years ago I found a used lefty model 11 in 243 for $280.
A gunsmith I know talked me into turning it into a 6.5 wsm.
Short version story is, it was without a doubt the biggest gun mistake I ever made.
When single feeding the gun it shot very well, and there were no issues after 320 rounds,
EXCEPT, getting the magazine to work well was a nightmare.
When I finaly did, I couldn't wait to find the gun a new home.
Id personally pass on it and get a short mag action if you want a short mag.

parkj5

05-21-2018, 11:28 AM

Sorry for not adding all my info . I have a 112 single shot action so feeding will not be a issue..

geargrinder

05-22-2018, 12:32 AM

Just an uninformed opinion, Using a small shank barrel chambered in a WSM results in a smaller margin of safety. That is not to say it is unsafe, and Savage built rifles chambered in WSM using small shank barrels in the past, so there's that.

I agree with olddav.

In terms of the smaller margin of safety, I feel like the difference between large/small shank WSM's is similar to the safety margin of wearing 3 condoms compared to only wearing 2.

yobuck

05-22-2018, 09:31 AM

Unless your familiar with the barrel, Id be having the chamber job checked out by somebody who knows what their doing.
The original chamber job in my gun had a pretty tight neck, which I didn't want to begin with.
It caused me to turn brass which I didn't want to do, or have pressure problems with the hotter loads.
Not much point to having a 6.5 wsm, if its loaded to 260 performance level.
I ended up taking the gun to a different smith to open the neck some and fix the magazine.
After that, it was an entirely different gun.