First barrel swap

Thumper76 · 03-26-2016, 11:58 PM

Well, as the title says, I finally got to do my first barrel swap today on my 12 bvss...and I must say, it was fairly straightforward and simple thanks to everything I've learned from this site. I've been lurking here for what seems like forever, soaking up as much info as I could before I headed down this road....so, a big thank you, to everyone here! I also have to give a shout out to Jim at NSS for the new Shilen tube in 6.5 Creed, and all the necessary goodies to complete the swap. Their CS is top notch, and he's a heck of a nice guy to shoot the bull with! Anyway, I figured that I've been here long enough now that I should at least make my first official post. Again, thanks guys!

**Russmerle** · 03-27-2016, 02:36 AM

Good to hear it all worked out. NSS is a good company and Jim really is helpful

**scooterf79** · 04-05-2016, 01:33 AM

You can't post this stuff and not have pics and details.....😉. Seriously though, glad it went well. Jim is really good to deal with, have dealt with him several times.
Scooter

Thumper76 · 04-05-2016, 09:02 PM

Haha!! Sorry, it really isn't anything spectacular...just a bone stock 12 bvss with a new barrel. Heck, I haven't even had a chance to shoot it yet...it's softball season for my youngest daughter, so free time is almost nonexistent. In the meantime, I'm still trying to decide what I want to do in terms of a new stock, or chassis....when I figure it out, I'll definitely post some pics!!

**scooterf79** · 04-06-2016, 05:58 AM

Sounds good! and....targets!
Scooter

**Dean2** · 04-09-2016, 01:12 PM

Congratulations on your first swap. Really is fun to be able to try a whole bunch of different cartridges for not much money. Try that with a Blaser R9, the barrel alone costs 3 times what most complete Savages sell for.

Thumper76 · 04-09-2016, 09:53 PM

Yeah, I've already been bitten by the bug for sure. I've been looking at other potential rounds to play with. Heck, I think my dad is starting to catch the bug too...he was making a little noise about building a 6 Creedmoor after seeing how easy it is to swap a barrel.

**Wayne Nixon** · 04-09-2016, 10:12 PM

My barrel vise, wrench and go/no go gauges will be here Thursday so I will be doing my first as soon as I get things set up. Have done a lot of reading in the last couple of months and am ready to give it a whirl.

Thumper76 · 04-09-2016, 10:24 PM

There's nothing to it, Wayne. I've read of instances where people have had issues with getting the nut to break loose because of pookie in the threads, but mine came right off with two whacks of a small mallet. Hopefully yours will go just as smooth!

**scooterf79** · 04-09-2016, 10:30 PM

^^^What he said! Unless you run into a nut thats a little tight, theres not much to it. Being able to change them out yourself adds something to it for me. Good luck and keep us posted Wayne.
Scooter

**Wayne Nixon** · 04-10-2016, 10:26 AM

I hope it all goes as intended, I have a Axis in 308 and have extra barrels in 243, 7mm-08, 270 and 30-06. I am a deer hunter and like to use different calibers so my plan is a swap barrel setup. I am retired so have time to swap barrels while I rest up after a few days of hunting. LOL Still looking for 25-06 and 22-250 to finish my collection.

Thumper76 · 04-10-2016, 11:54 AM

The barrel I just pulled off my 12 bvss is a 22-250. I'm kinda like you Wayne, I want to start collecting barrels too....it's definitely cheaper than collecting complete rifles!

**Wayne Nixon** · 04-10-2016, 05:06 PM

You want to swap your 22-250 for a 308 that came off a model 11? What part of Texas, we are coming to Houston in June?

**Hotolds442** · 04-10-2016, 05:07 PM

Originally Posted by Wayne Nixon

You want to swap your 22-250 for a 308 that came off a model 11? What part of Texas, we are coming to Houston in June?

Guys, take it to PM's so nobody gets a time-out.

**Wayne Nixon** · 04-10-2016, 05:11 PM

OK, sorry was not thinking.

Thumper76 · 04-10-2016, 05:36 PM

Sorry Wayne, I plan on keeping it to switch back and forth to. It's been a pretty decent shooter...well, better than I can shoot anyway. If for some reason I change my mind here in the near future, I'll shoot you a PM!

Thumper76 · 07-04-2016, 12:17 AM

Trying to post pic

**RC20** · 07-04-2016, 11:12 AM

Originally Posted by Wayne Nixon

My barrel vise, wrench and go/no go gauges will be here Thursday so I will be doing my first as soon as I get things set up. Have done a lot of reading in the last couple of months and am ready to give it a whirl.

I would put it differently. There is a lot to it, but it is also very straight forward.

I also did my research though in my case it was an armorers DVD on the Savage. I hate to have to work on things, classic car mechanic type, I work on equipment all day and I even hate to work on dishwasher (I do but not any faster than I have to!). This has been actually fun, very seldom is anything that good without a steep learning curve, there is one but its a well trod road and its been well trodden and good tools to do it with.

Once I was familiar with the process I recognized the right tools when I saw them.

1. NSS Receiver Wrench: I was obvious to me that a barrel vice you have to fight both the nut and barrel threads. Action wrench just the nut.
Also NSS has done extras to theirs that make it very workable, lug cutout as well as setup to clamp directly in a vice and barrel can just float, sweet.
An adder for the mechanic types was a torque spec for all the action fasteners (3) and a torques spec for the Savage nut (as well as lube which is important to know when torqueing)

2. Wrench: That I was unsure of, I watched videos of guys beating theirs loose with a hammer and it was ungh. Heresy to a mechanic.
Again NSS has the long wrench that gives you 7 inches more leverage if you use a 1/2 breaker bar in the 1/2 cutout on that far end.

Granted I was ahead of things with the breaker bar and torque wrench. Low cost breaker bar would work fine. It seems the nut torque is not critical as long as its firm, I like the figure so the torque wrench is optional but I was a lot happier having it.

While you want work around it, I would also go with at least the go head space gauge, I got the set so I don't have to fiddle with tape on the back.

One of the few setups that was as straight forward as it was reported to be.

I went ahead and got a 308 barrel to put on the long action so I could shoot it while the 30-06 bull was being built.

I bought a plastic box 10 l x 5 w x 5 high and have built up the kit for the work with all the wrenches in it for doing action work so they are in one place. Includes a couple of wood blocks for a barrel clamp (once the nut was loose the barrel was sticky but it only took a light clamp and the action wrench had the grip to loosen it up) a set of soft jaws for the vice so the action wrench does not get burred up by the teeth.

Thumper76 · 07-19-2016, 04:48 PM

Okay, finally got some pics of a couple of groups out of the new barrel. The first one really isn't anything to write home about. I was actually a little bummed out...http://

After doing a little wood removal under the tang, I was tickled to death!
http://

Both of these groups were shot with factory Hornady 143gr. ELDX ammo.

**Iowa Fox** · 07-20-2016, 12:53 AM

Nice group after you relieved the tang. Maybe I missed it in the thread but what did you use for lube and torque spec on yours. Thanks

Thumper76 · 07-20-2016, 03:34 PM

Iowa Fox, I ended up using a little bit of the aluminum anti-sneeze on the threads. I looked around for some of the nickel based stuff, but didn't have any luck. As far as torque specs, two whacks with a hard rubber mallet.....which is pretty much what it took to break the factory nut loose. I didn't lay into it like Thor or anything, just two firm whacks.

Yeah, I was really amazed that floating the tang would have that much effect on accuracy. I was always under the impression that as long as the barrel is floated, all would be good. I had read several times about floating the tang, and the effects of pressure being placed on it, and thinking it was a bunch of hooey........lesson learned there!

**Iowa Fox** · 07-20-2016, 05:08 PM

Originally Posted by Thumper76

Iowa Fox, I ended up using a little bit of the aluminum anti-sneeze on the threads. I looked around for some of the nickel based stuff, but didn't have any luck. As far as torque specs, two whacks with a hard rubber mallet.....which is pretty much what it took to break the factory nut loose. I didn't lay into it like Thor or anything, just two firm whacks.

Yeah, I was really amazed that floating the tang would have that much effect on accuracy. I was always under the impression that as long as the barrel is floated, all would be good. I had read several times about floating the tang, and the effects of pressure being placed on it, and thinking it was a bunch of hooey........lesson learned there!

Thanks Thumper.