Pinning the barrel nut

Csiebert · 04-10-2012, 06:40 PM

I want to pin or lock the barrel nut on my FTR rifle so can switch out with a .223 barrel to practice with. Anyone got some pics of how they did it. I was thinking about drilling thru the nut and into the tennon and then tapping and installing a set screws. I know I can headspace it but switching barrels with shoulders is so much easier.

Thanks Corey

**Blue Avenger** · 04-10-2012, 06:46 PM

Whole lot easier to use red locktite and then heat it to remove it some day. Won't leave thread damage or barrel marks that make some one wonder what and why you did that.

nsaqam · 04-10-2012, 07:38 PM

Originally Posted by Csiebert

I want to pin or lock the barrel nut on my FTR rifle so can switch out with a .223 barrel to practice with. Anyone got some pics of how they did it. I was thinking about drilling thru the nut and into the tennon and then tapping and installing a set screws. I know I can headspace it but switching barrels with shoulders is so much easier.

Thanks Corey

BA gives a very good solution.
I've been using regular shouldered barrels on my Savages for a long time and your reason for wanting a shouldered barrel is one of the advantages of using one.
Not to mention how much better a shouldered barrel looks, to my eye at least.

Csiebert · 04-10-2012, 11:04 PM

I would like something more permanent don't care about how it looks, pretty is as pretty does. Don't really care about ruining the barrel either I will make tomato stakes out of them when I get done.

**xj4me** · 04-10-2012, 11:20 PM

i have a buddy who drilled and tapped his barrel nut for a set screw and hasnt had any problems. So id say if thats what you want to do go for it.

**frank1947** · 04-11-2012, 10:18 PM

what do you mean by a shouldered barrell and why pin the barrel nut I am not following this, and like to learn new stuff or maybe im not understanding something here.

Nandy · 04-11-2012, 11:27 PM

He is wanting to make a switch barrel out of his rifle. The head space on savage is set by screwing the barrel in the action with the gauge in the chamber and the bolt locked closed. Once that is set the barrel nut is tighten against the action and it is what keeps the barrel from moving. So if you can somehow can lock the barrel nut into the barrel after it has been properly measured then you dont need the gauges to set the head space every time you change your barrel. Rifles like the remington dont use the barrel nut, what the gunsmith does is to shave the barrel where it meets the action until the desire head space is achieved. The savage advantage is that the user dont need special machinery to fit a barrel since all it takes is to turn the barrel to the desire gap the locking it with the barrel....

**frank1947** · 04-11-2012, 11:36 PM

ah ha, thanks , was not sure but i thought that was what he wanted to do, I guess I just think gauges are pretty simple, but understand screw on and off much easier, i have one savage like that, no nut, but it cost about $250 to chamber and do that, as you said to keep trimming until headspace is obtained.

nsaqam · 04-12-2012, 05:13 AM

Originally Posted by Nandy

He is wanting to make a switch barrel out of his rifle. The head space on savage is set by screwing the barrel in the action with the gauge in the chamber and the bolt locked closed. Once that is set the barrel nut is tighten against the action and it is what keeps the barrel from moving. So if you can somehow can lock the barrel nut into the barrel after it has been properly measured then you dont need the gauges to set the head space every time you change your barrel. Rifles like the remington dont use the barrel nut, what the gunsmith does is to shave the barrel where it meets the action until the desire head space is achieved. The savage advantage is that the user dont need special machinery to fit a barrel since all it takes is to turn the barrel to the desire gap the locking it with the barrel....

Well, that's not exactly true unless you're starting with a long chambered barrel in which case the shoulder needs to be cut like you say. Along with the breech and the bolt nose counterbore on the Remington 700.
If you instead use a short chambered barrel you screw the barrel tight, shoulder to recoil lug to action face, and never need to touch a lathe. You then use a HAND TURNED chamber reamer to deepen the chamber approximately .010" (just for clarity that is the thickness of four sheets of notebook paper) until the GO gauge goes. It takes all of about ten minutes to deepen the chamber BY HAND until proper headspace is achieved. The cost of renting the reamer is about the same as a set of GO/NO GO gauges.
Once you've set your headspace with a shouldered barrel you can sell your gauges and screw and unscrew the barrel at will with proper headspace assured every time.