Gunsmithing gunsmith said not to build my own rifle

[ilcoalminer]

hey guys i'm new to this site and long range shooting. i'm looking at building a 308 with a savage action, mcgowen barrel, stock is yet to be determined. i chose the savage action because i would be able to do the building myself. not for saveing money but i love to work with my hand and have the satisfaction of doing things myself.

i was at a local gun shop today, they were really against me building a rifle but thought it best i buy a rifle and have a gunsmith do the work. they said getting the headspacing right without any training would be imposable.

so i'm guessing what i'm looking for are some words or encouragement that it is possible to do if i take my time and fallow though with the work untill i'm close to perfection

 

[bohem]

Re: gunsmith said not to build my own rifle

If you do it yourself, they don't make money on the job.

I replaced the tube on my first Savage by trying to read the directions, getting confused to what the heck they were talking about, and then just throwing them in the trash and just thinking about it for 10s. Impossible my keister.

Take your time, read, read some more, ask questions on here after reading, do it. Get a go/nogo gauge set and check it several times before pulling the trigger the first time.

It's not rocket science by any stretch.

 

[LRI]

Re: gunsmith said not to build my own rifle

Headspace is a simple task for anyone with a reasonable level of mechanical aptitude.

It's the distance from bolt face to cartridge datum line on the shoulder for 99.9?% of rimless cases out there in gun world.

For belted magnums, there's a couple options. Use the belt gauge or go one step further and buy a shoulder gauge.

For a rimmed case it's basically the thickness of the rim plus a "red one" for clearance.

Regardless of where the case qualifies here's the procedure for a Savage action that uses a spanner nut to tighten the barrel to the receiver:

you strip the bolt of anything that has a spring and plop it into the action. You drop your GO gauge in the chamber and screw the barrel into the the action till you feel it just start to stick. Your bolt handle should have a touch of resistance on it. (just a smidge) When it does crank on the "jesus nut" locking the barrel onto the reciever and attempt to open the bolt. (talking factory Savage actions) If it opens as if there's nothing there, plop in your NOGO gauge. The bolt should lock up tight before the handle ever starts to close.

If it does close on the NOGO you goofed. Loosen the nut and try again.

What you really want to concern yourself with is ensuring the barrel you bought was chambered to a depth that completely captivates the case forward of the web. The web is the backside of the cartridge that transitions from skinny wall to the solid portion of the cartridge head. Exposing this will almost certainly lead to a violent case rupture. The one Achilles heal to a Savage (or any action for that matter) with "drop in" barrels is that if your not familiar with this "little" detail you could very well screw the barrel into the action and have the chamber headspace perfectly. -yet still win yourself a trip to the ER when the thing blows up because there is insufficient support of the case body.-AKA excessive <span style="font-style: italic">breech clearance.</span>

We all gotta learn sometime and there is absolutely no reason not to figure it out. Just be safe and double check yourself.

Good luck and be safe.

Chad

 

[crumpmd]

Re: gunsmith said not to build my own rifle

If you have the tools and the knowledge I say go for it.

I started amateur gunsmithing a couple of years ago. I bought a Grizzly lathe and started learning machine work from local machinists. I worked with a couple of smiths just on Rem700 rifles. Then I got a donor rifle and went to work.
Setting headspace on a rifle that is already chambered can be done easily. Knowing how to correct a mistake, for instance if you chamber too deep, can be hard if you have not delt with it before.

Good luck

 

[sobrbiker883]

Re: gunsmith said not to build my own rifle

Its doable, and I applaud you wanting to do it.

Why the f'ck would you take anything "the guys at the gun shop" said-that's like going to a homebuilder and saying I'd like to build a house, what do you think?

 

[bohem]

Re: gunsmith said not to build my own rifle

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: C. Dixon</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
...
For a rimmed case it's basically the thickness of the rim plus a<span style="font-weight: bold"> "red one"</span> for clearance.
...

Chad </div></div>

Hahahaha, I just noticed this...

 

[jrob300]

Re: gunsmith said not to build my own rifle

If I didn't do all the things in my life the "experts" have told me not to do or couldn't be done, I'd have led a very boring life. My life has been far from boring.

Go for it.

Make sure you rub it in really good when it's a shooter. It's always important to make new friends.

John

 

[snipedogg]

Re: gunsmith said not to build my own rifle

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: sobrbiker883</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Its doable, and I applaud you wanting to do it.

Why the f'ck would you take anything "the guys at the gun shop" said-that's like going to a homebuilder and saying I'd like to build a house, what do you think? </div></div>

This is exactly what I thought as soon as I read his post. Most people at gun shops are idiots to begin with when it comes to bolt actions and being precise about anything. There are plenty of guys here that have experience changing the barrel on their Savages. If you run into any troubles you can easily be guided by the people here.

 

[geargrinder]

Re: gunsmith said not to build my own rifle

C. Dixon is dead on(as usual). It's really just that easy.

You can even check the excessive breech clearance easily. Before you install the barrel plop you go-gauge into the chamber and measure the amount the gauge protrudes.

It should be .125" +/-.005".

 

[maccrazy2]

Re: gunsmith said not to build my own rifle

It's very easy to put together a savage rifle. Go for it. You can always take it to a gunsmith if you feel uncomfortable with assembling it once you get into it. However I think you will find it is quite simple. Just get a go/no go guage set the nut wrench and a barrel vise and go to town. If you need any help let me know and I will talk you thru it.

 

[ilcoalminer]

Re: gunsmith said not to build my own rifle

thanks for all the great advice i'm sure it will go smoothly. between me being handy and not stupid and all the cool people here that will let me probe their brains it shouldnt be a problem.

 

[DedicatedShooter]

Re: gunsmith said not to build my own rifle

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: sobrbiker883</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Its doable, and I applaud you wanting to do it.

Why the f'ck would you take anything "the guys at the gun shop" said-that's like going to a homebuilder and saying I'd like to build a house, what do you think? </div></div>

First of all, I work at a gun shop and that is hilarious. I agree that they OBVIOUSLY wanted you to buy a rifle from them so they told you not to build a rifle.

Second of all, at my shop, we are all serious shooters and compete regularly with rifle, pistol and shotgun. We all have custom built firearms and we always support someone who wants to do a custom build. It really is the only way to get exactly what you want. And though it may cost more or you might have to do some of the labor, it is well worth it in the end when you helped create your one of a kind rifle.

 

[Furtaker_.223]

Re: gunsmith said not to build my own rifle

I say go 4 it. I have not gotten into the savage bolt yet, But after xmas I will be buying the right tools I need to do this same task. As for the gun shop, if it was me, I would probably think twice in patronizing them, nmaybee to stop in and show them what you did along with a kick ass target.

I have though been building AR-15's and they are quiet easy. there again, I did alot of reading and watching videos. I have built 6 to date. One kick ass tack driver.

So, with this said, please share your task when complete if you do decide to do it yourself.

 

[gunnergirl81]

Re: gunsmith said not to build my own rifle

If you're planning on building your own then your on the right path with a Savage. My first build was on an old K.Kale Turk mauser action (same rifle I still shoot) and was a LOT more involved than what you'll be doing. Of course I have the advantage of my husband being an armorer/smith.

All you'll really need to do a Savage in 308 is a spanner wrench, vice block/action holder, and a set of headspace gages. I'd bet the hardest for you will be getting the lug to index. Good luck and have fun!

 

[dogmessiah]

Re: gunsmith said not to build my own rifle

I did a stevens with a mcgowen. My advice is get a stevens and an aftermarket trigger instead of a savage with the accutrigger. The aftermarket trigger will be a lot nicer, and there isn't a significant difference in the actions.

 

[gunsnjeeps]

Re: gunsmith said not to build my own rifle

The best part of a Savage other than it's out of the box accuracy is the fact that you can buy bolt barrel combinations and swap them your self. Midway even sells kits with barrels, go-no go gauges, and wrenches. If you buy bolt heads you can even change case head sizes.

 

[mdesign]

Re: gunsmith said not to build my own rifle

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Kenda</div><div class="ubbcode-body">...All you'll really need to do a Savage in 308 is a spanner wrench, vice block/action holder, and a set of headspace gages. ... </div></div>

Wish the R700 was that easy.

 

[AXEMAN]

Re: gunsmith said not to build my own rifle

i did mine with no prior experience. i bought a rifle in the stock i wanted, swapped barrels and bedded it. its only seen one smith and that was to time and true the action. everything else i did myself

 

[bcr229]

Re: gunsmith said not to build my own rifle

You may also find a smith who is happy to show you what he's doing and how he's doing it. Not all smiths are anti-social curmudgeons.

Of course, you'll still have to pay the guy for his work.

 

[dcskater602]

Re: gunsmith said not to build my own rifle

do you have the machines to do this?

you said you were new to long range shooting... why not buy a factory gun and just go shoot, rather than spending all your money on a custom gun

 

[6BR_Sniper]

Re: gunsmith said not to build my own rifle

C. Dixon is right on the money. You can do it yourself. All you need are the gauges and tools.

 

[AXEMAN]

Re: gunsmith said not to build my own rifle

one thing i always hear is that the best gun in any shop in the one he has in stock. its better that anything he has to order for you or anything you can build. its really not so much better, but he as a dealer has already paid for it and needs to move it. same with scopes here. they think they carry the best until they get rid of it, lol. not one store carries anything close to a MK4 let alone the quality of S&B or USO or anything in this range. i actually just saw a guy that travels the gun show circuit and he just started carrying USO. at the same show i saw a used S&B too. my first look thru quality glass. there was also an IOR there too. nice stuff.

and the rifle i re-built was a savage.

 

[former naval person]

Re: gunsmith said not to build my own rifle

For what it is worth...use your old savage stock for practice in bedding before you try bedding your new stock. Get a pound package of Devcon Steel for the main build up,and some gray MarineTex for skim bedding. Do a bedding job and skim bed then rip it out and re-do it a few times. You'll wind up not gooping up, scratching or chipping the new stock or barrel. JMHO

 

[duke308]

Re: gunsmith said not to build my own rifle

ilcoalminer;

Read and heed, all the advice above. Take your time use the go-guage and all should be good. I built up an old Savage 110 last year, swapped the barrel out with a McGowan pre-fit and restocked it in a Choate. Remember that you may need to adjust on the seating depth when you are working up loads.

Duke 308