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Old August 12, 2005, 09:45 AM   #1
William_IV
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Join Date: March 4, 2005
Location: Phoenix AZ
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New Barrel Installation

Thanks for all the responses in my thread "pitted SS Barrell"

Now that I'm looking for a new barrel, I was wondering is this something I could install myself. Or Should I have a gunsmith do this. What's involved?
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Old August 12, 2005, 12:11 PM   #2
James K
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Sorry, but I forget the rifle involved. Unless it is something like the AR-15 where the barrel is (or should be) a "drop in", rebarrelling is not as easy as some folks make it sound.

If it is a sporting barrel (it has no sights or gas port that has to be at a certain point), the process is fairly easy. You put the barrel in the barrel vise, put the action wrench on the action and tighten up. Basically plumbing. Then, if the barrel is chambered, you check headspace. Since a new barrel is short chambered, you need to use a finish reamer to set the headspace in a "cut and try" operation, or use a pull through reamer. If the barrel is not chambered, you need a roughing reamer to make the first cut, then a finish reamer to complete the job. Obviously, you need GO and NO-GO headspace gauges.

If the barrel is military with a gas port, splines or installed sights, you have to first make sure the barrel lines up when it is properly torqued down. If it doesn't, then the shoulder has to be taken down or "rolled" so the barrel goes tight with everything in alignment. In the worse case, you might need to shim it. Then comes the headspacing. If the barrel is used and fully chambered, but has too great headspace, then you have to play around with bolts until you find one that will bring headspace in spec.

So what does all this tell you? Unless you want to buy a whole lot of pretty expensive equipment, or you plan to do a lot of rebarrelling jobs, take the rifle to a gunsmith.

Jim
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Old August 12, 2005, 02:29 PM   #3
cntryboy1289
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Smith

Without having the knowledge of how to do the job, I would suggest you take it to a qualified smith. If you get lucky and find a pull off barrel from Remington, this will save you a lot of money since it won't have to be chambered. I just checked The Sportsmen Guides, they don't have any pull off barrels in now. Check with the smiths around you, if one has done a good number of rebarrel jobs, he might have a pull off barrel for you to use. Ask the folks at Pac-Nor and Douglas, if they have barrel they have pulled for you to use.

If you want to buy a premium barrel, I would suggest Pac-Nor or Douglass. Pac-Nor will fit the barrel to your action for you for a very reasonable price. Douglass sells a chambered barrel that only needs the smith to cut the shouler to the correct Headspace depth and they are exceptional barrels. Most smith's will be fair about the charges, but I would call 2 or 3 just to make sure. Good luck with it. I would swap out the stock if I was you as well. Boyd's has as good of a deal as you can find. Here's a link for them and the others I mentioned as well.

http://www.boydboys.com/default.htm
http://www.benchrest.com/douglas/chamberings.html
http://www.pac-nor.com/

Good luck.
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