Very early 110L gets new barrel?

[mikebritton]

Hey guys, Mike Britton here.
Been forever since I was last on, Life,cancer, grandkids...
I'm going to sell an AR to finance rebarreling my 110L lefty from .30-06 to 6mm Remington. We may have had this conversation months ago, lots of chaos at my house so please bare with me.
The 110 in question is a very early, I'm guessing 1958 110L lefty, 4 digit serial number. That means the barrel doesn't attach and headspace like a modern 110.
My question to you guys is....Is there something I can tell gunsmiths about how this barrel mounts that will relieve some of their anxiety about the fact that this action is different from a modern action? I've had local gunsmiths categorically tell me "I don't work on the early model Savages!".
Something like "The barrel mounts like a Remington", or "the barrel faces off to the front of the receiver". I'm struggling finding gunsmiths in the area who know anything about the early (old) model 110's.

I went on ER Shaw's website and they seem somewhat vague, but I get the impression that they know what's going on as they say that on "old models" they square the face of the receiver. That tells me they know the difference.
I'm tempted to let them do this job, I've had several of their barrels, and they are accurate. But I'm not keen on sending the barreled action off in the mail.
I'd like to change this old fellow from the factory lightweight .30-06 barrel to a varmint weight 6mm Remington, something I might actually shoot on occasion.

At 76 and dealing with bladder cancer my hunting days are over, but I still enjoy punching paper at 100 yards, and a varmint 6mm would be awesome for that.
I'd like your thoughts on how to explain to gunsmiths, many whom weren't even born when this rifle was made how to work on it.

Thanks a bunch, glad to be in a spot where I can get back to you guys! I've missed the conversations! Mike

[pdog06]

Welcome back and sorry to hear about the issues you’ve been having but glad to see you’re meeting it head on and still living life in the process!

My opinion would be to just buy a newer used donor rifle and then you could buy a prefit barrel in whatever caliber you want. It May be cheaper in the long run and you don’t have to worry about a gunsmith you’re not sure about messing up the barrel install on what you have now.

I have not messed with the older model but a few guys here have. Hopefully Phil and a couple others see this and give you a better idea on how to proceed.

Keep us posted.

[PhilC]

Sorry to hear of your health issues Mike but happy to see you back!

Yours is indeed an early 110, like mine, also a 4-digit SN. The pre-66 models still use a barrel nut and headspace the same as later models but the unique bolt design required the chamber be machined to match.

EABCO used to sell barrels for pre-66 110s, I don't know if they still do.

Best wishes going forward.

[mikebritton]

Thanks for the come backs.
No, I don't want to sell the rifle, if that was the case we wouldn't be having this conversation.
I could much easier sell this rifle at a gun show and go looking. But then you research left handed, 6mm rifles and you get into some serious money.
I have this rifle, I really like this rifle. The stock makes most Savage stocks look like fence posts.
So...my incentive is to rebarrel this rifle.
Thanks, Phil! Now I'm beginning to understand the difference between pre 66 and post 66. That tells me that the majority of independent gunsmiths simply just don't want to go to the trouble.
Beginning to look like I'll be going to ER Shaw. Doing this rifle will put me in the cost level of a new lefty 110, but with a vintage high blue action in a sweet wood stock instead of plastic.

[big honkin jeep]

Maybe some help maybe not but some lightweight bullets like the 125 SSTs and Hodgdons 60% of max reduced load formula for H4895 would give you a dramatic reduction in powder consumption, recoil and muzzle blast and let you keep and shoot it as a 30-06 very comfortably.
Starting to think I missed my calling as an H4895 salesman but h4895 is an amazing powder with the widest range of safe charge weights and potential velocitys I'm aware of.
Just thought Id throw it out there cause there is .ore than one way to skin a cat and H4895 has completely changed my way of thinking about some of the more potent cartridges. Looks like a 30-06 with a 125 can safely be reduced to about a 32.2 gr charge. Oughta be plenty for killin paper


Good luck

[mikebritton]

Jeep,
I shot a pickup full of 4895 in my Palma rifle when I was shooting in competition. It is excellent powder.