Barrel Swap Complete

[JoeJoe]

My Criterion swap is complete......though I'm no photo-journalist, I attempted to snap a few photos along the way. I'm fairly mechanical, but have never attempted something of this sort......I'd say this was a fairly easy project, overall, especially when you choose to purchase the proper tools.


Here is the "before" pic. This is a 10 FCP-SR in .308 Win. I've put this rifle in a Bell and Carlson M40. Below the rifle is my Northland Shooters Supply delivery....Criterion 26" bbl with a varmint taper, action wrench, recoil lug, bbl nut, bbl nut wrench and GO-NO/GO gauges.


Here's the package after opening....NSS delivery was quick, and the staff was quite helpful over the phone.


Here's my one and only snag, stuck screws.....T10 screws suck in my opinion.....but, a forum member suggested I give each screw a smack with a flat punch (it worked like a charm). I ended up twisting off 2 bits.


Took only a minimal effort to remove the smooth barrel nut (used a pipe wrench). At the suggestion of NSS, I "tossed that think right in the trash where it belongs".


New bits threaded in nicely.


Here's the finished install. I was a bit unsure on the GO-NO/GO process, so I called NSS and they walked through the process I followed and things look to be correct. Ultimately, I'd describe it like this....moderate pressure on the bolt to close the GO gauge......NO/GO will not close......full-length resized brass allows the bolt to close like a dream.


Finished rifle...... re-installed the scope base, now I just need to decided on a new scope and get to the range.

I really appreciate all the insight and quick responses from everyone here......and I'd really recommend NSS if you decide to do a swap yourself.

[Apollo117]

Very nice! I'm glad the project went well. Thanks for posting pictures.

What does the rifle weight without ammo and scope?

[JoeJoe]

10 lbs 13oz

[Bill2905]

That's a nice looking rifle! It feels good when you accomplish something that seemed a bit overwhelming when you first approached it.

[Orezona]

Great work sir!

[JoeJoe]

Got out to the range this morning.....was hoping the 26-degree temp would keep a few folks away (didn't work). Anyway, the 100 yd range was free, so after a quick bore-sight and a few shots to get zero, I put about 25 rounds through the tube. All functioned well, and no signs of pressure....I'm thinking this all went really well. One thing I did notice, this barrel currently doesn't appear to like 150gr or 155 gr Hornady ammo. I have a couple boxes of SMK 168s for handloads, so hopefully I can work up a load with those.

Anyhow, I put an older Crossfire II on this rifle to get some shooting in, I'm currently trying to decide on a new optic. I call this a 1 MOA rifle at the present, with potential to be better.

[GrenGuy]

Perhaps it is My ineptness, but I can’t find where You told us what Your new barrel is chambered in ?

Thanks

[Orezona]

I didn't see it either. For fun, I guess, .308.

[JoeJoe]

.308 it is......I really, really contemplated 7mm-08, but decided to stick with .308 since I had reloading components......plus, gives me a good excuse to buy a 7mm-08 down the road

[Fotheringill]

Well done.

[JSH]

NSS are great folks to work with.
Jeff

[Texas10]

Try some Federal Gold Medal Match in 168 gr. SMK's to get an idea of the ultimate accuracy potential of your new barrel. That ammo will produce tiny groups out of my Shilen barreled 308 as well as my stock Savage 308.

[JoeJoe]

Try some Federal Gold Medal Match in 168 gr. SMK's to get an idea of the ultimate accuracy potential of your new barrel. That ammo will produce tiny groups out of my Shilen barreled 308 as well as my stock Savage 308.

I picked up a box last week . I also realized I had a lb of H4895, so I worked up some loads with the 168 gr SMKs as well. Hopefully one of them shoots awesome!

On a side note, after crunching the numbers on a "per round" basis, reloading these rounds will only save me $0.02/round......if component prices go up, I might have to place a bulk order of Federal GMM.