DIY: Replacing a Rifle Barrel
Now for something completely different.
For awhile now I've had an older Savage 110 in .243 win with a pencil thin 22" barrel. Recently I bought a new barrel from eabco.com, one of their own barrels, 26" varmint contour 1:8 twist. I did not want to pay extra for installation AND be without the rifle so I bought the go & nogo gauges to install myself.
Eabco.com's barrel kit comes with bore paste and oil as well as the wheeler barrel wrench set. I didn't buy a barrel vise because I figured I should be able to rig something up with a bench vise. The instructions that come with the barrel are sufficient and anyone who has common sense should be able to safely install the barrel. But if you're in doubt have gunsmith do it.
Now, I tried using junk wood lying around but it all cracked and wouldn't bite down onto the barrel. I bought 4'x.75" plank of red oak from Lowes and made my own bushings. Cutting 2 pieces out of the plank 4" long I glued them together and waited 24 hours then drilled a 3/4" hole and cut in half. I read a review where someone bought powered rosin for their homemade bushings. *Light bulb* Pine tree sap. I found a few drops of pine sap that had dried completely, crushed it with my fingers and rubbed into the bushing groove. Once clamped tightly into the bench vise and a solid whack on the barrel wrench the nut was loose. Unfortunately, the bushings still cracked. The barrel looks great and I can't wait to shoot.
Real quick, a parts list:
New barrel from eabco
Forster go gauge
Forster nogo gauge
Wheeler barrel wrench
4'x.75" red oak plank
dried pine sap
Bench vise
For awhile now I've had an older Savage 110 in .243 win with a pencil thin 22" barrel. Recently I bought a new barrel from eabco.com, one of their own barrels, 26" varmint contour 1:8 twist. I did not want to pay extra for installation AND be without the rifle so I bought the go & nogo gauges to install myself.
Eabco.com's barrel kit comes with bore paste and oil as well as the wheeler barrel wrench set. I didn't buy a barrel vise because I figured I should be able to rig something up with a bench vise. The instructions that come with the barrel are sufficient and anyone who has common sense should be able to safely install the barrel. But if you're in doubt have gunsmith do it.
Now, I tried using junk wood lying around but it all cracked and wouldn't bite down onto the barrel. I bought 4'x.75" plank of red oak from Lowes and made my own bushings. Cutting 2 pieces out of the plank 4" long I glued them together and waited 24 hours then drilled a 3/4" hole and cut in half. I read a review where someone bought powered rosin for their homemade bushings. *Light bulb* Pine tree sap. I found a few drops of pine sap that had dried completely, crushed it with my fingers and rubbed into the bushing groove. Once clamped tightly into the bench vise and a solid whack on the barrel wrench the nut was loose. Unfortunately, the bushings still cracked. The barrel looks great and I can't wait to shoot.
Real quick, a parts list:
New barrel from eabco
Forster go gauge
Forster nogo gauge
Wheeler barrel wrench
4'x.75" red oak plank
dried pine sap
Bench vise