05-02-2024, 03:55 PM
The hardest thing in building these bolt guns is mating the barrel to the action. In this case, since it is a prefit barrel, went into a barrel vice, and used a reaction wrench from the action manufacturer, to torque it to 90 ft/lbs. After that, hanging the trigger is 2 pins, mating to the chassis is 2 bolts, and then put on the scope like any other pic rail setup. If I did it all in one go, less than an hour. Advantage with a shouldered, prefit barrel is that it should be headspaced by the maker, this requires them having the exact specs of the action, cartridge reamer, and SAMMI info, when I got mine from Preferred Barrel Blanks, it was absolutely within headspace spec.
Depending on the action you use, you can use the Savage Barrel nut, and I have done this on 3 other actions (2 Savage donor rifles and an American Rifle Company Archimedes). I bought the action wrench that attaches to the outside of the action to hold it in place, then screwed the barrel into position, and torqued the barrel nut (lock nut tech) into place at 35 ft/lbs. This version requires using headspace gauges, the action wrench, and barrel nut wrench. Can still be done in less than an hour. This requires you setting headspace, and takes a little trial and error, but gives the advantage of setting really tight or a little open for headspace. When I did this on my 17 Remington and 204 Ruger, I set as tight as I dared, basically, so that the bolt would close with the Go Gauge with almost no resistance, a "tick" tighter and I would feel resistance in the bolt handle when trying to close the bolt. Should go without saying, to you do not want the bolt to close with the No-Go Gauge, and that would be for setting max headspace.
All in all, the bolt gun went easier than building my gas gun.
Depending on the action you use, you can use the Savage Barrel nut, and I have done this on 3 other actions (2 Savage donor rifles and an American Rifle Company Archimedes). I bought the action wrench that attaches to the outside of the action to hold it in place, then screwed the barrel into position, and torqued the barrel nut (lock nut tech) into place at 35 ft/lbs. This version requires using headspace gauges, the action wrench, and barrel nut wrench. Can still be done in less than an hour. This requires you setting headspace, and takes a little trial and error, but gives the advantage of setting really tight or a little open for headspace. When I did this on my 17 Remington and 204 Ruger, I set as tight as I dared, basically, so that the bolt would close with the Go Gauge with almost no resistance, a "tick" tighter and I would feel resistance in the bolt handle when trying to close the bolt. Should go without saying, to you do not want the bolt to close with the No-Go Gauge, and that would be for setting max headspace.
All in all, the bolt gun went easier than building my gas gun.
from a fortune cookie, "The raindrop does not blame itself for the flood"
from a coworker, "You are testing the limits of my medication"
from a coworker, "You are testing the limits of my medication"