Hate to ask this but I don't want to ruin a new barrel. I've changed several steel savage barrels for myself and a few others. I have always put the barrel in a vice to hold it and used a receiver wrench to hold the action while torqueing the nut. From what I've read, I can't hold the barrel in the vice because it could break the bond between the steel and cf. I want to install the barrel on a Nucleus action. I have an action wrench for the Nuke but can't come up with a way to hold the assembly while headspaceg and torquing. What would be the best way to do this?
- Thread starter proff49
- Start date
When I headspaced my barrel nut pre-fit on a Nucleus action I simply clamped the action in a vice, screwed the barrel down onto what I was headspacing against, then gave the nut wrench a good pair of whacks with a rubber mallet per the instructions of the nut wrench.
Check that headspace works with go/no-go gauges (or a go gauge and tape) and you're ready to roll. As long as the headspace is good once you've finished tightening the nut down it'll be fine.
Check that headspace works with go/no-go gauges (or a go gauge and tape) and you're ready to roll. As long as the headspace is good once you've finished tightening the nut down it'll be fine.
Asked the same question and here's the response I got from Proof via e-mail: "Please use soft jaws or a piece of leather to protect the CF. "
Personally, I'm installing it with Barloc so I can get away with needing to clamp the barrel.
Personally, I'm installing it with Barloc so I can get away with needing to clamp the barrel.
I see no reason why you can’t clamp the barrel at the shank area that isn’t wrapped. As long as you have enough room to do that without touching the Carbon wrap with your barrel vice your fine. Especially since the action will be secured as well, you shouldn’t need a lot of tension on the barrel vice to keep it in place.
That said, I’ve done probably a dozen Savage barrels so far and up until recently I never had a barrel vice (only bought one because I sold all my Savages for Bighorns with shouldered barrels). I’ve been the using Northland Shooters supply action wrench which can be clamped and fixed into a vice. IMO it’s not absolutely necessary to clamp the barrel as well as the action. Just hand screw the barrel on to the go gauge while the action is in the vice/wrench that you have, then loosen it a CH, then tighten your nut down and proceed to torque it to proper specs. As previously mentioned as long as the bolt closes on the go gauge and won’t close on the no-go you’re absolutely fine.
That said, I’ve done probably a dozen Savage barrels so far and up until recently I never had a barrel vice (only bought one because I sold all my Savages for Bighorns with shouldered barrels). I’ve been the using Northland Shooters supply action wrench which can be clamped and fixed into a vice. IMO it’s not absolutely necessary to clamp the barrel as well as the action. Just hand screw the barrel on to the go gauge while the action is in the vice/wrench that you have, then loosen it a CH, then tighten your nut down and proceed to torque it to proper specs. As previously mentioned as long as the bolt closes on the go gauge and won’t close on the no-go you’re absolutely fine.
With it headspaced there isn't enough shank left to stay off the carbon. I have the big, heavy Brownells vice and I think the bushings are 3" long. A bench vice wouldn't get much bight on the Nucleus action wrench, not enough that I would be comfortable with it. Clamping the barrel just enough to hold it while tightening the nut is what I had considered.
I didn't clamp the action wrench. I clamped the action itself and screwed the barrel on from there. Clamping on either side of the ejection port with some soft jaws kept it from spinning while I screwed the barrel on and tightened the barrel nut.
