Savage Model 10 Barrel Swap Question

Ok you Savage lovers. I have a question. The other day at the range, I got to shoot a Savage model 10 in .308 with the accutrigger. Not that I really care for that safety jobby thing, I am the type of person I want to feel trigger and nothing but trigger, anyhow, this Savage belongs to jd30cal a new member of the forum.

I really want a .308 in the savage platform. Originally, I had thought about converting my Rem 700 from a .270 to a .308, however, the thought of turning a nut, pulling a barrel, and sliding a barrel in, well, that just seems way to easy... Is it that simple? There has to be something else about it...

Anyhow this is what I am wanting to do. I am not sure if the bolt face will match up or not. I want to purchase the savage model 10 in .243 for my boy to use during hunting season. I then would like to purchase a Savage .308 barrel to swap out for range time when I want to shoot a .308.

Other than the barrel, would the bolt face need to be changed out as well? Also, another person that I know, well we all know him, he had a "special" build in the works. Never heard much more out of it tho. He had told me that the build he was doing back in the day, he had to change out bolt face. He told me that to get just the bolt face, it would have to go through an FFL. Is this also true??

Could someone with expirence or knows about these all too well, please explain the steps with me??

Thanks

Here is your answer DW.

All you need is a 308 barrel, a barrel wrench and make some wood blocks to hold the action in a vice. The 243 bolt is the same as the 308 bolt...and no, you don't have to go through a ffl to get a new bolt...just the serialized receiver/action.
I would also get headspace gauges...a no-go and a go gauge. Use the "go" gauge to set headspace. Just snug down the barrel with the "go" gauge in the chamber with the bolt closed...then tighten the barrel nut. The bolt should not close with the "no-go" gauge in the chamber. If it does...go back through the previous steps.

I have heard of using a new empty case to set headspace...but is not as exacting as gauges and I would not trust it to be correct.

Yes...it is as simple as that!

I received my headspace gauges back from a friend I loaned them to, to do a 6.5 Lapua barrel swap...So now I can swap my 223 barrel out... once I get a 308 faced bolt head. Then If I get some 223 gauges, I can swap back and forth depending on my mood or what I am using it for.

Daywalker wrote:Ok you Savage lovers. I have a question. The other day at the range, I got to shoot a Savage model 10 in .308 with the accutrigger. Not that I really care for that safety jobby thing, I am the type of person I want to feel trigger and nothing but trigger, anyhow, this Savage belongs to jd30cal a new member of the forum.

I really want a .308 in the savage platform. Originally, I had thought about converting my Rem 700 from a .270 to a .308, however, the thought of turning a nut, pulling a barrel, and sliding a barrel in, well, that just seems way to easy... Is it that simple? There has to be something else about it...

Anyhow this is what I am wanting to do. I am not sure if the bolt face will match up or not. I want to purchase the savage model 10 in .243 for my boy to use during hunting season. I then would like to purchase a Savage .308 barrel to swap out for range time when I want to shoot a .308.

Other than the barrel, would the bolt face need to be changed out as well? Also, another person that I know, well we all know him, he had a "special" build in the works. Never heard much more out of it tho. He had told me that the build he was doing back in the day, he had to change out bolt face. He told me that to get just the bolt face, it would have to go through an FFL. Is this also true??

Could someone with expirence or knows about these all too well, please explain the steps with me??

Thanks

Swapping from a 243 to 308 would only require a new bbl seeing as the 243win cartridge is a 308 necked to a 6mm/243 cal.
so it can be done, but interchangeability isn't really there like i think you're referring.

you don't just change the bbl by unscrewing a nut then think you can change it back like say swappin a bbl on a T/C prohunter... the nut has to be set for headspace by a competent gunsmith every time. the nut is just an easier way for gunsmiths to "get it right" and a component of the rifle that lends to savage's ability to turn out affordable tackdrivers

DW...If you can set up swag dies to kick out the bullets you want...you can swap the barrel on a savage. There is no magic recipe that is passed down from generation to generation to get it just right...either it's right or it's wrong...and that is what the gauges are for.

It is easier than swapping a barrel on a AR...if that tells you anything.

That makes a good case for a person to buy a savage. Though I'm sure they're not giving the barrels away.

Versatility is nice!

That is one of the big things right now that is selling me on the Savages. The ability to swap out barrels so that you can have a 2 in one. I was kinda wondering if I was at the range. The boy wants to shoot is .243. When he is done and I decide to swap it out and shoot the .308, how would that go? I guess it would go ok if I had a vice with me at the range and all the gauges. Even if it isn't that friendly, still would be worth it to me to be able to have 2 calibers in one rifle.

Now to find the barrels and see what the prices are. If the price of a barrel is just a hundered less than a whole rifle, might be worth just getting 2 savages and be done with it LOL...

Thanks Guys

Look at this!

308 barrel <------- click here

Most barrels I have seen are $150 and up

look at the costs and compare...

Barrel -- $150( guess)
gauges -- $50 ($25x2)
Wrench -- $30

That would be the minimum invested ($230)
The plus side? The gauges work for both 243 and 308.
The down side? A Stevens 200 can be had for not much more.

If you find a good deal on a barrel...I'd go for it. Savage barrels used to be dirt cheap until everyone learned how easy they are to change. Heck...Midwayusa used to sell a barrel kit that included the Barrel, gauges and wrench for about $150 .

Also... another gun means you have to purchase another scope base, and maybe even another scope and rings( but you may want that anyway).

True... I have been looking at a savage edge. I was told that the only difference was that one had accutrigger and the other did not. That they were still Savage quality.

Honestly, how much better is that accutrigger? The reason I ask, if it does not make that much more of a difference, then I may be abliged to go with one that does not have the accutrigger to get away from that second trigger that takes away from the feel of the main trigger to me. May just have to learn and get used to it I guess..

I want to learn more....

Also, would the Edge, or whatever the new name is since they had to change it, swap barrels out as easily as the model 10 and others??

The Edge or whatever it is now uses the same idea on the barrel/nut, But is a completely different action design. The edge is the cheapest(inexspensive) bolt gun Savage makes. Next in line is the Stevens 200, which is almost the same as the savage 11 with out the accutrigger, then the model 10 is next in line followed by the 16(stainless version of a 10) the 12 has many variations and can run from middle of the pack to top of the line F CLASS with the high grade target action. Add a "1" to the beginning of the number and it is a long action version.

As far as I know the Edge doesn't have many ubgrade parts available.

Ah thanks, the edge is out of the picture at this point. Believe I will stick with the quest of the model 10 FPX that Walmart sells and get the extra barrel and other items and be golden...

the Edge/Axis was put in place to compete with the Remington 770 and entry level marlins and mossbergs.

It does still use the same high quality barrels as the other savage lines do...

i say just buy your boy a new savage Edge/Axis in 308 and go to town i scoped one for a 11 year old last friday and he said it kicked less then his dads 243 so i shot it it was a dream to shoot. has for the edge being cheap they are but we sell the hell out of them. and you should b able to find one for around 300 to 350 i can tell you cost on that rifle is 234 (dealer cost)

The cheapness in price does not bother me. The cheaper the better. What I am looking at is swapping barrels for different calibers. In the end, I would not mind owning a few barrels and then switching out to whatever mood I am in. The dealer here said he would sell me an edge complete with a scope and rings for 309.00 tax and all. That would be great if the swap out was just as easy as that on the model 10 and others....

Daywalker wrote:The cheapness in price does not bother me. The cheaper the better. What I am looking at is swapping barrels for different calibers. In the end, I would not mind owning a few barrels and then switching out to whatever mood I am in. The dealer here said he would sell me an edge complete with a scope and rings for 309.00 tax and all. That would be great if the swap out was just as easy as that on the model 10 and others....

I'm pretty sure it uses the same barrels as all the other Savages, excluding the magnums and Target action barrels...which have a bigger thread diameter.

Ah, I think I misread your post about the edge....Man, this can scramble your brains worst than drugs....

Hey Tommy i have a savage model 11 243 that im thinking about selling.

Guitarfreak189 wrote:Hey Tommy i have a savage model 11 243 that im thinking about selling.

When the time gets close let me know. If the money situation here is better and I don't have to wait till tax time, we may do some talking....

Thanks

Daywalker wrote:

Guitarfreak189 wrote:Hey Tommy i have a savage model 11 243 that im thinking about selling.

When the time gets close let me know. If the money situation here is better and I don't have to wait till tax time, we may do some talking....

Thanks

Its in the gun cabinet waiting. I got a killer load for it too. If you just want to shoot the 243 for a while

My Savage 10 started life as a .308 and is now a .300 WSM. I am not all that enamored with the trigger either, but it works and makes a decent trigger.

My local 'smith said that redoing the Savage rifles is really easy. Originally we were going to bore out the .308 stock barrel but decided to go to a custom barrel because of the major increase in power.

The barrel on my Savage 10 is a 28" med-heavy Lilja with a 1-9" twist throated and hand lapped designed to shoot 180 gr bullets.

It took Fred about 45 mins to pull the old barrel and install the new even with minor adjustments to adjust head space. He said the Savages are some of the quickest and easiest rebarrel jobs.

All told the conversion took a little over an hour and half and most of that was taken up watching Fred mill the bolt face wider to accept the large .300 WSM round.

First rounds out the new barrel clover-leafed at 100 yards and I can hit the 10" 300 yard gong with boring regularity. Magazine only holds one now - 2 total in the gun with one in the chamber. I rarely shoot more than 2 at critters, unless I decide to chase something like Cape Buffalo where if it is still standing you are still shooting!!

EA Brown sells replacement barrels for the do-it-myselfer or they will swap a barrel for you for a reasonable fee. They offer some different calibers so that you have more options.

http://www.eabco.com/savagebarrels.htm

I have been considering swapping out my Savage Accutrigger for one that EA Brown sells. I have also been looking at their scope mount for the Savage.

If I did another 10 I think I would do it in 6.5x284 which is one of my favorite rounds in my Encore. Even better than another fav the 6.5x55 Swede.

My Savage 10 wears Leupold rings and base but has a crappy Vortexx scope that I picked up at a swap meet when my old Tasco scope failed its end-of-sudden-flight test from on top a horse in Texas.

Savage barrel swaps are just that easy as long as the bolt face cartridges are the same as they are in your case.

The other gents that you mention was not only changing caliber but going up from a standard cartridge to a magnum. That is why he had to get a new bolt face and those have to be fitted by a gunsmith according to Savage, which is why those items must go through a FFL. The firing pin and extractor had to be re adjusted during the swap as well.

Ah, he never explained that to me. When I asked him about the FFL he just told me that he did not know. If and when I get to do this, first I need to purchase the boy's 243 in the Savage model 10, then I will be looking at getting the .308 barrel. I won't be going to any magnums....

Thanks for the explination...

your welcome

Umm, Algun, unless I am missing something, the only part of a Savage that has to go through an FFL is the receiver.

The bolt and bolt face are not seriel-controled parts and can be ordered from Brownell's, Numrich, etc. I have a recent Midway catalog and while I have not come across any Savage bolts or receivers, there are several Savage parts in there like replacement bolt handles.

Difficulty comes because Savage does not usually like to sell bare receivers and bolts, that way it encourages people to buy whole rifles is my guess.

I think rifle manufacturers should sell bare actions, and I miss the days that my 'smith could order bare Rem 700 and Win 70 actions from Brownell's. At least we can still get commercial Mauser 98 actions fairly easy.

Much like fans of the Rem 700 and Win 70 will buy a whole rifle and tear it apart just to get the action, I guess a Savage fan can do the same.

I see Savage model 10s for sale all the time at the gun shows and on the on-line auction sites. If I trip across another 10 in decent condition for the right price I might grab it for a project down the road.

I would love to get another .257 Bob AI, and I think a light Savage 10 would be a great platform for one. Last rifle I had in that caliber was an old Argentine Mauser 96 that started life as a 7x57.

For the most part you are correct. However there are some parts that are only sold to FFL's especially when it deals with the function and reliability, High Standard is one of these companies. Some companies will even make you send the gun back to them to have certain parts installed for this very reason. According to Brownells, it was still the that way when they put out their catalog back in August, (look for the triangle) and has only recently, very recently like under 90 days, changed for most companies. There are still however some hold outs and require some non-regulated items to be sold only to FFL's.

The Federal government is the one that requires that regulated items sold, through a dealer, to be logged and paperwork completed. The companies themselves can dictate which of their parts can go directly to the public and what will go through dealers, FFL's.