Am going to cut the sporter barrel on my Savage 308. Any suggestions? Hacksaw or cutoff blade on 4" grinder? Dremel or drill to recrown? Anyone done this themseves?
Thanks for any tips.
Eric
Thanks for any tips.
Eric
- Thread starter Cserv
- Start date
hatchet 
He's goofy looking but the videos aren't bad
Gunsmithing - How to Shorten and Recrown a Rifle Barrel with Hand Tools - YouTube
or you could do it how these guys do it.....
GPS Performance Package Sniper Modification - YouTube
Good luck and wear eye pro.
Gunsmithing - How to Shorten and Recrown a Rifle Barrel with Hand Tools - YouTube
or you could do it how these guys do it.....
GPS Performance Package Sniper Modification - YouTube
Good luck and wear eye pro.
How short are you planning to make it? Why?
I wouldn't use anything high speed for the recrown because of wobbles, chatter, etc. Maybe a large round head screw in a drill on low speed with JB bore paste or jewlers rouge. I saw larry potterfield do that to a .22 in one of the midway videos. Seemed like it would work... sort of. Short of a lathe I can't think of anyway to get a really square cut, but eyeball is probably fine if you're just wacking it off (pun intended).
I wouldn't use anything high speed for the recrown because of wobbles, chatter, etc. Maybe a large round head screw in a drill on low speed with JB bore paste or jewlers rouge. I saw larry potterfield do that to a .22 in one of the midway videos. Seemed like it would work... sort of. Short of a lathe I can't think of anyway to get a really square cut, but eyeball is probably fine if you're just wacking it off (pun intended).
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Want to statt at 18" to see if I like a short barrel before committing with my heavy barrel. Think it will make for a handy hunting rifle with a short sporter barrel
Eric
Eric
Send it to me and I will cut and crown it for $50 if you want a machined finish.
Do NOT use the cutoff wheel, use the hack saw. Your getting the barrel hot unnecessarily with the grinder, and leaving nasty crap in the bore.
Crowns are over rated. We've all seen the article, but I've done a lot of testing on my own. When I was a kid my dad built me a 96 Mauser in .250 savage for my first deer rifle. He made the stock short, but the barrel was too long, so he cut it down, filed the end square, set it up in a drill press and ran a 3/8" bit down the muzzle about 3/8" deep. It will hold 3/4" with 117g game kings whith me shooting, and slightly better with him shooting. One of the things I found detrimental was to sand on the muzzle. Your better off having a less than perect surface finish. And contrary to popular belief, with patience and know how, you can get the muzzle square with a file. Remember, a bastard file cuts one way, don't trag it backwards across the part, and clean it out often.
Of course, I have a lathe so I use it to crown my barrels, but you can do a good job without one.
Crowns are over rated. We've all seen the article, but I've done a lot of testing on my own. When I was a kid my dad built me a 96 Mauser in .250 savage for my first deer rifle. He made the stock short, but the barrel was too long, so he cut it down, filed the end square, set it up in a drill press and ran a 3/8" bit down the muzzle about 3/8" deep. It will hold 3/4" with 117g game kings whith me shooting, and slightly better with him shooting. One of the things I found detrimental was to sand on the muzzle. Your better off having a less than perect surface finish. And contrary to popular belief, with patience and know how, you can get the muzzle square with a file. Remember, a bastard file cuts one way, don't trag it backwards across the part, and clean it out often.
Of course, I have a lathe so I use it to crown my barrels, but you can do a good job without one.
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Am thinking I will set up and square/level in a vice. Cut off with hacksaw, claen up with file, and maybe touch bore with a fine dremel bit chucked in a variable speed drill. I don't really care if I screw it up, I already have a replacement barrel. Just want to see if I can and how it turns out. Worst case, I have it taken another inch shorter by a pro. Two tears in a bucket, f#@k it. Should be ok though.
Eric
Eric
Anyone know if a Savage model 11's barrel is 22"? To get 22" I have to measure back into the reciever, just before the vent hole. I know I should be safe only going to 18, even if I am off an inch. Was just going to take 4" off the end.
Thanks.
Eric
Thanks.
Eric
Eric....
Simply insert a cleaning rod into the bore with the bolt closed. Mark the rod at the muzzle remove and measure from the end of the rod to your mark. That is your barrel length. Once the barrel length is known just deduct the amount needed for the new desired OAL. I hope I explained it where you understand it clearly.
Simply insert a cleaning rod into the bore with the bolt closed. Mark the rod at the muzzle remove and measure from the end of the rod to your mark. That is your barrel length. Once the barrel length is known just deduct the amount needed for the new desired OAL. I hope I explained it where you understand it clearly.
EG2,
Thanks, clear as glass. Put that way, I thought
to my self" Duh!! Dumbass."
Thanks again.
Eric
Thanks, clear as glass. Put that way, I thought
to my self" Duh!! Dumbass."
Thanks again.
Eric
I cut my savage .243 sporter down to 18" I cut it with hack saw and gently turned it on a bench grinder to face things up roughly, buffed muzzle with fine disc pad, then I crowned it using a very fine grit dremmel. I used the ball shape one bigger than the caliber and let the ball center it self in the muzzle bore. The barrel shoots just as good as before if not better.
So far I love the length. Haven't finished yet, but it looks and feels like a whole new rifle. Glad I started at 18". I may be hooked on short barrels.lol
Eric
Eric
I've been recrowning barrels with a round head screw head 2X bore diameter, slow battery drill, and auto valve grinding paste for 30 years. Just rotate the drill around, so you don't wear a notch in the screw head, and new grinding compound is worked in. Got to LR Master Highpower, before my eyeball went bad with one of these barrels.
I've heard this is an old gunsmith trick and that some actually still prefer to do this today, just using a lathe and not a hand drill. It's a round carriage bolt you want, I forget the exact size that's preferred or if there is one.
I cut down a .303 barrel years ago with a hacksaw and a cleaned it up with a file. My buddy was a budding machinist, and got me proper chamfering tools that I used by hand to get it as good as I could.
I'd say it shot about as good as it did before being sporterized (not saying much, the bore was worn well) and it weighed a hell of a lot less. I'd do it again, but only on a cheap surplus bolt gun. And there aren't that many $50 decent bolt guns laying around anymore for fun projects like that.
Don't use anything that'll generate a lot of heat. Not cutoff wheels. And you wanna be anal about being straight, etc. If the weapon has any value at all, get a gunsmith to do it instead, the right way.
Its my $400 Savage, turned out pretty good. It is not perfect, but it still shoots a 1" group at 100, so it will work until I have this barrel treaded and my heavy barrel cut and threaded. It was a fun little DIY project.
Eric
Eric
No pictures? Lame!
