Barrel remove and replace accuracy?

I know we all love the fact that we can have one action with the same trigger pull and same stock and have it in a bunch of different calibers. However, how many do swap barrels back and forth every few weeks or months? My plan was to keep a barrel on for summer varmints then maybe change it to a lighter sporter for winter hunting. But that plan seems to have slipped.

I put a LW 243 barrel on my Stevens action and man does that thing shoot! Now I have a McGowen 308 and I don't want to change the 243 barrel out for fear it may not shoot as well once it is reinstalled. So I did what any red blooded gun loving American would and should do, I bought another Savage for the 308. Problem solved.

It does still have me questioning about r&r accuracy. Has anyone swapped barrels back and forth and did it affect the accuracy after reinstallation? Also, if you are a reloader, did your loads have to be fine-tuned after the reinstall? Thanks in advanced for any information or experiences.

I have yet to experience this myself since I have not had a chance to go to the range since the new buys but everything I have read indicates that not only the accuracy is retained, in some instances poi is also retained which kinda makes sense if you look at the way a barrel and the harmonics work together in order to deliver the shot. I was planning on trying this tomorrow but house responsibilities has shut down my chances one more time...

This is the question I wanted to ask too. I'm interested to know the answer. Great question.

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Originally Posted by SEshooter

It does still have me questioning about r&r accuracy. Has anyone swapped barrels back and forth and did it affect the accuracy after reinstallation? Also, if you are a reloader, did your loads have to be fine-tuned after the reinstall? Thanks in advanced for any information or experiences.

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I have swapped dozens of barrels back and forth, and it in no way affects accuracy, or loading. The question is why would it? The loading aspect is controlled by the chamber in the barrel, you are not changing the anything inside the barrel, the shoulder is still going to be in the same place, and the neck is still going to be the same length, and the bullet is still going to be the same distance to the lands. Now if your setting your barrel up the same way every time you install it, why would anything change? If the barrel is properly headspace, then it is set up the same. You may have to adjust the die, a tiny bit to push the shoulder back properly, but you have to adjust the die any way as the brass gets older regardless if you have changed the barrel or not. Now I will throw this out, I have also found that you can run a barrel on different actions, and this still doesn't affect accuracy, or anything else. Again why would it? A barrel that shoots good on one action will shoot just as good on another action given that everything is right on ignition in both actions.

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Originally Posted by Nandy

everything I have read indicates that not only the accuracy is retained, in some instances poi is also retained which kinda makes sense if you look at the way a barrel and the harmonics work together in order to deliver the shot.

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POA will change with a barrel swap, all barrel have a bow in them, and this bow can/will be located in different directions. You also have different harmonics with different calibers which also affect POA. Case in point I have Bat, and Panda actions which I don't have to take the scopes off, to change barrels. (One problem with a barrel nut on a Savage.) I have multiple barrels for them in the same caliber. So if I have a barrel zeroed out , and I change to another barrel, I have to change the scope settings. Now if I record the settings of how I moved them, and I go back to the original barrel the POA will go back to the same, but I have never see two barrels that had the same POA.

I play musical barrels on a regular basis. If the wind direction changes I may try another caliber. As long as I have a load worked up for a particular barrel, it'll work over & over again.
I may have the do a slight adjustment on occasion but it stays pretty constant.

If the rain ever stops I can finish working up some .308 loads then, on to .270. Again...

Great info, thanks! I feel better about swapping the barrel out now. With the savage action I was not worried about poi change as I knew the scope was going to have to come off to do it. There is a club match tomorrow then I will probably pull the 243 barrel.
fgw_in_fla, I will be starting the 308 brake in tomorrow as well then on to load development. Thanks again for the info.

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Originally Posted by 82boy

POA will change with a barrel swap

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Correct, but if you use an optical bore sighter to record the scope setting(s) prior to removing the barrel you can re-install it then return the scope to the recorded setting(s). Typically I'll be within an inch or two of the POI.

It another one of those Rem switch barrel tricks!

Bill

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Originally Posted by 82boy

POA will change with a barrel swap, all barrel have a bow in them, and this bow can/will be located in different directions. You also have different harmonics with different calibers which also affect POA. Case in point I have Bat, and Panda actions which I don't have to take the scopes off, to change barrels. (One problem with a barrel nut on a Savage.) I have multiple barrels for them in the same caliber. So if I have a barrel zeroed out , and I change to another barrel, I have to change the scope settings. Now if I record the settings of how I moved them, and I go back to the original barrel the POA will go back to the same, but I have never see two barrels that had the same POA.

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Err, that is what I said, you just used better English! lol!

I have action 1 and action 2 which are both similar actions, mounted in similar stocks and have similar hardware. I also have barrel A and barrel B, barrel A is a LA magnum cartridge and B is a SA cartridge.. I install barrel A in action 1 shoot and set the scope, then work a load that is a constant .1 submoa. Then I take barrel A and put it on action 2, shoot, set the scope and the accuracy of the loads should still be .1 submoa. Now I can swap barrel A between those 2 actions and my poi should not change neither the accuracy of barrel A.
Now I install barrel B in action 1 and the poi will be different from barrel A (for sake of simplicity lets say horizontally there is no change on poi but vertically barrel B is 2 inches high at 100 yds) and I work a load for barrel B that is .1 submoa. Then install barrel B in action 2 and accuracy should till be .1 submoa and the adjustment for the scope will be similar. Now if I install barrel A in action 1 then all I need to do is adjust my scope 2 inches down and I should be in the bulls eye and retain the original .1 submoa. You should be able to make these changes all day long...
I have read that for some people the poi does changes but my suspicion is that the problem is due to either scope movement or fail to keep the rig set up constant.

However, none of these are my experiences as I still have to try it myself. It burns me to have 4 barrels, head spaced properly, each with it's own barrel nut loctite to specs looking at me every day and not finding the time to play with them....