design and alloy

Tomme boy

Tomme boy

Well-Known Member
Get one of the Remage barrels.

I remember when they did that limited run of the 700. I wanted one but just could not force myself into buying a Remington. That was the whole reason I switched to Savage.

Heck I had the supposedly two best Savage smiths out there build me complete rifles and they were no better than what I put together in my basement. One of the rifles I had over $4.2K into it and hated it. Sold it to just get rid of it.

Tell you what, don't go to Kevin Rayhill for a Savage build. He will come up with all kinds of fees and charges that he does not tell you about until the gun is done and is ready to ship. SSS, they won't answer the phone or emails after they have your money.
 
Ian

Ian

Notorious member
I'd dispute anyone being a "Savage gunsmith" regarding the barrel-nut bolt guns. There's nothing to smith. screw together, allow for thread stretch (1/8" distance turn of nut), whack the wrench with a mallet, recheck headspace, install stock screws, done. The big problem with the pre-fit barrels is the threads are typically cut too small, so the barrel literally wobbles around inside the receiver.
 
Tomme boy

Tomme boy

Well-Known Member
Ian, neither barrels were prefits that Keven and SSS did for me. Keven did a Mike Rock 5r and SSS did a McGowan. Both were blanks I sent in.
 
V

VZerone

Active Member
Ian said:
'd dispute anyone being a "Savage gunsmith" regarding the barrel-nut bolt guns. There's nothing to smith. screw together, allow for thread stretch (1/8" distance turn of nut), whack the wrench with a mallet, recheck headspace, install stock screws, done. The big problem with the pre-fit barrels is the threads are typically cut too small, so the barrel literally wobbles around inside the receiver.
Click to expand...

Haven't ever run into pre-fit barrels being loose and there is much more to know about installing a Savage barrel then you noted. I suggest to talk to the guy down in Florida that Savage refers you too for re-barreling especially the older 110 models. There is a different barrel nut tightening procedure depending on what application you are going to use the rifle for.
 
Ian

Ian

Notorious member
Not really much more. Add a bench-mounted barrel vise to hold that part while you pull the nut wrench and action wrench together. Use a torque wrench if you think you can come up with a valid spec that's better than a 16 oz dead-blow hammer or just feeling the thread crush when pulling the two wrenches.

I think it actually may be the receivers that are the fit issue, so far I've done about ten barrel installs on Savage rifles and every single one of them had a pretty decent fit with the factory barrel that was removed, and the aftermarket ones without fail have a stupid, sloppy, "is this gonna hold????" fit, even though they were cut to or just larger than the 1.055" spec. The factory barrels have a significantly larger pitch diameter. The Rock Creek 5R prefit in my model 11 was so loose I had to re-torque it a few times to get the receiver and barrel concentric to one another, and I could feel the threads stretch a bunch. The best way to change a barrel on a Savage is to actually measure the pitch diameter and make your own threads to fit, same as with any other rifle action.
 
V

VZerone

Active Member
Ian said:
I think it actually may be the receivers that are the fit issue, so far I've done about ten barrel installs on Savage rifles and every single one of them had a pretty decent fit with the factory barrel that was removed, and the aftermarket ones without fail have a stupid, sloppy, "is this gonna hold????" fit, even though they were cut to or just larger than the 1.055" spec. The factory barrels have a significantly larger pitch diameter. The Rock Creek 5R prefit in my model 11 was so loose I had to re-torque it a few times to get the receiver and barrel concentric to one another, and I could feel the threads stretch a bunch. The best way to change a barrel on a Savage is to actually measure the pitch diameter and make your own threads to fit, same as with any other rifle action.
Click to expand...

I believe I would have made a phone call to Rock Creek about that. If you're going to do a swap barrel setup it's best to torque them at a specific value like 40 foot pounds. Like on the AR's I build I vise both the receiver and barrel. If you don't do that the barrel may turn especially when you don't use the grease you are supposed to on the flange. If not and it turns it'll divet the slot in the thread tongue and put the gas port off of the 12 o'clock position. Not so critical on the Savage barrel as it doesn't have the pin locator system.
 
Last edited:
Tomme boy

Tomme boy

Well-Known Member
Thing with Savage is almost all the 10 and 110/111/112/116 actions are warped. That is why one action is really smooth and the next is not. AND why one the scope base is straight one the front ring and the rear ring is twisted.

Yes Savage has a floating bolthead, but it does not hurt to have the action and boltface trued. I also had thicker and trued recoil lugs installed.
 
Ian

Ian

Notorious member
Yup, a $15 recoil lug, fresh $5 barrel nut, untwist the action (had to do that one a number of times, and also squeeze the rails back together across the ejection port area to have uniform bolt head clearance, check the work with a T-bore gauge), block-sand and polish the steel-grit blasted bolt raceways, cold-blue them, turn a barrel tenon to fit, re-true the receiver lug recesses with a shop-made tool, polish the gouges out of the ramps for the lugs, face the receiver, all takes about two hours. You're right on that even if the bolt head floats it needs to be square to the chamber under load, and the only way still do do that is some truing operations. All the floating does is ensure even pressure on each side, not that the force vector is linear with the bore.

ARs are best done with a tool that engages the barrel extension lugs, and if you aren't using moly grease on those you're nuts. Thing about the ARs is the damned things never align at anywhere near the correct torque, so you either crank on it a few times to "seat" the threads and hit your mark, or just do it once and then lap the receiver face with a special tool until it does within the very wide torque value spec. One AR will have 75 lbs on the nut and the next one on the rack will have 35.
 
fiver

fiver

Well-Known Member
they were designed that way.
I never could figure why someone hasn't cut slots for the tube to go through instead of a hundred little holes so the torque could be in a 10-15 lb. window.
 
Ian

Ian

Notorious member
I've been known to bob off a tooth from the GI "sprocket" with a chainsaw-sharpening stone before, just so I could hit the middle of the spec after a light thread-seating and not have to lap the hardcoat off the front of the receiver.
 
V

VZerone

Active Member
Ian said:
ARs are best done with a tool that engages the barrel extension lugs, and if you aren't using moly grease on those you're nuts. Thing about the ARs is the damned things never align at anywhere near the correct torque, so you either crank on it a few times to "seat" the threads and hit your mark, or just do it once and then lap the receiver face with a special tool until it does within the very wide torque value spec. One AR will have 75 lbs on the nut and the next one on the rack will have 35.
Click to expand...

Ian you sure have a knack for over complicating things! :headbang::headscratch: That tool you speak of for the tenon face is to make it square with the centerline for the accuracy freaks. As one of our famous forum writers would say "I've done bajillions of AR's" and I've yet to see one that torques as high as 75 the first time. Y'all must have a tumbleweed breed of AR's down thar in Texas! :rofl: I don't believe MIT and NASA together, throw in the Swiss and German machinist, could make an AR and parts that let's the gas tube hole align on the given torque value which by the way doesn't really exist. Too many variables for that to happen. Here's one for you to ponder. Mark Weston , who was the previous owner of Arma-Lite, torqued the barrel extensions on the barrels at 200 foot pounds. A leading manufacturer that supplied him barrels hollered at him for that.

Contrary to popular internet myths the AR's are not plug n play as many think it is.
 
F

freebullet

Guest
I help remove one that was factory assemble @150ftlb for some reason.

I kinda like them around 50-60
 
V

VZerone

Active Member
fiver said:
hey were designed that way.
I never could figure why someone hasn't cut slots for the tube to go through instead of a hundred little holes so the torque could be in a 10-15 lb. window.
Click to expand...
On the original design, speaking of the AR10, that gas tube wasn't where it know it to be today. ;)
 
V

VZerone

Active Member
Mega Arms has a free float forearm that has a barrel nut independent of the gas tube. So there you go Lamar you don't need any slots or anything else. BTW what they are an integral forearm to the receiver and were Key Slot, now they are M Mod.
 
Tomme boy

Tomme boy

Well-Known Member
RRA uses rocksett on their barrel nuts. So that might be one of the reasons for the excessive torque to remove the barrel nut.
 
Tomme boy

Tomme boy

Well-Known Member
Thats what one of the guys that works there told me. Lots of AR's are made real close to me. Within 40 miles anyway. RRA, LMT, Armalite, Springfield, Les Bear, and about 4 others that supply others with most of the parts
 
You must log in or register to reply here.