remington swap a used factory barrel

[oldscot3]

I have two 30 06s, one is an older 700 ADL recently acquired. I don't really need two so I'm thinking of picking up a used factory take off barrel in 270 to fill a gap in my safe. I also have nice cache of 270 Nosler solid base bullets bought on close out after they were discontinued. It makes sense if I don't get upside down on the gun, I'm wondering what a smith might want to do the swap, anyone have good idea?

[4V50 Gary]

A gunsmith will certainly swap the barrel and insure that it is properly headspaced. The question is the cost.

[Doyle]

Remington barrels tend to be screwed on VERY tight so sometimes it takes heat in addition to a good barrel vise. Unfortunately, that tends to remove it from the garage gunsmithing category and it ups the price at a real gunsmith.

[Slopemeno]

Remington barrels come right out with the right tools, and no heat.

[Clark]

I swapped out a Rem700 barrel for another, and the sight dovetail was on the bottom.

[oldscot3]

So would a thinner or thicker recoil lug correct that? How does the factory set headspace? Do they ream the chamber after the barrel is mated to the receiver?

[Scorch]

Remington factory barrels are "indexed", i.e. they are produced so that they will screw into any Remington receiver for the same kind of rifle and the sights will line up on top, the barrel markings will be in the right spot, and headspace will be pretty close. When they are produced at the factory, they are hammer-forged (complete with chamber), ground to profile, polished if needed, then roll marked. In production, they grab a barrel, screw it into a receiver, torque it in place.

Winchester used to do the same with their barrels. Springfield Armory used to turn out 1903 Springfield barrels chambered and with the front sight in place, all the armory guys had to do was line up the witness marks. It is not an uncommon thing. An unmodified Remington 700 barrel removed from a Remington 700 rifle will screw into another Remington 700 action and be very, very close. Still check the headspace, but it will be close.

Now, if some gunsmith cut the shoulder off of the barrel shank so he could unscrew the barrel, that is another story.

[oldscot3]

Now that helps! Thanks, that makes my decision much easier.

[Clark]

Scorch
Remington factory barrels are "indexed", i.e. they are produced so that they will screw into any Remington receiver for the same kind of rifle and the sights will line up on top

The Rem700 barrel swap I did, did not line up. It was a 1971 22-250 I got in 2001 for $180.
It had shot out throat, and looked like it have never been taken apart to me.
It had the factory white goop still on the threads.
The barrel that went on upside down was a recent factory parkerized finish .243 take off barrel that does not look like the breech was ever altered.
I used the same original 0.185" recoil lug for both.