Remage vs. Short Chambered

[jpfrog]

I'm thinking for my next rifle I'm going to try to do the barrel install myself. I already have a barrel vise and go/no go gauges, and I have an action wrench on the way. I'm torn between the options though- remage or short chambered. I have no bias either way, really.

Aesthetically, I like the non-barrel nut option, but not enough to make a huge difference. I have a 6.5x47 remage from Criterion that I actually had my smith install for me while he was truing up my action, and it is great. I have experience with short chambered barrels, too, and have a Shillen on my .270win currently that is lights out. My best barrels have been from blanks that my smith has done for me, but I don't have a lathe so blanks are out for this project.

So, what it's boiling down to, I think, will be the cost of the tooling that can be used without a lathe. I need a barrel nut wrench for the remage, and I need reamers for the short chambered options. The latter is going to be more expensive, but does it offer other benefits? I'm not the type to be changing the barrels out more than once a year, if that...I prefer to have one barrel per serial number so I don't have a bunch of barrels sitting around that need to be installed before I can use them. I'm the same way with my scopes...find what works, install it, and have it at the ready if I want to pick it up and use it.

For those that have done both, which do you prefer, and why? Or should I just keep going with blanks and have my smith do the work?

 

[dmoon]

Tagging in

 

[JSHKS]

I have a couple of Remington actions waiting on barrels. I will go the Remage. This is after playing with savages for quite a while, though there will be both in my stable.

Just my thoughts on short chambers. Barrel is already chucked up and indicated in (or should be). Finish the chamber on the lathe. I know the short chambers have been offered for years. Just my thoughts.
Barrel nut wrench, it's like any other wrench. You use it a lot of on occasion. My buddy has one and I have no idea how many times it has been used, a lot. It shows no signs of being worn, and he is or can be pretty heavy handed.
Go, no go gauges are the pricey side of things, though some work with a lot of cartridges.
I won't go into how I headspace mine. Some guys are OMG, others are, why didn't I think of that.

Only thing I dislike about the nuts, they are BUTT ugly on a sleek rifle. If it's a shooter or field service rifle I could care less.
Jeff

 

[tbrice23]

I dont think the remage nuts

looks that bad.

 

[CaptnC]

Well I have done both without a lathe.

I have bought short chambered barrels and rented reamers and Go No-Go's (cuts cost). I hand reamed the barrels while they were in the actions. Most likely not the way most do, but it worked perfectly. 6.5 x 55 and 308 in mauser actions...go's go and no-go's don't! Then....the bonus...they both shoot sub moa@100yds without much load work up.

Now the Savage action is almost too easy...I have compared it to building AR-15's ...snap the parts together and go shoot it! The mauser are more like build AK-47's, they are a lot more work.

I do this in my garage at home with basic hand tools. The AK's you do need a decent press, but that is it. I have built one AK on a 80% receiver...took 3 months working on it nearly every night after work. I also don't own a drill press...need to get one but been working around it for so many years it hard to spend the money on one.

My Savage shoots better than the mausers, but I built them and stuffed them in the safe. So no loads have been worked on like my Savage.

Speaking of Savage I just received the stock tonight for latest creation.

Savage Axis action, Savage model 111 24" pull off 6.5-284 barrel, installed a spring kit in the trigger and polished all contact points. The stock is Zombie thumb hole laminate. I have a 0MOA EGW rail on it too.

It needs a little inletting because it used to be a 30-06 and the stocks come ready for short magazines. So it is just sitting in the stock in the picture.

Hope for some range time with it this weekend.

 

[CaptnC]

Forgot to mention...
Tools;

I have the barrel nut wrench.
I own my 264wm go no-go
Mauser action wrench works on both but not that good on the Axis action (no recoil lug).
Barrel vice I made my self, but most of the time I "chuck up" my barrels with my wood blocks in the vice. It's quicker and bolted to my table. The barrel wrench is heavy!

The rest is nothing more than basic hand tools and cordless drill!

This is my 308 mauser. I put a ton more work into it than just head space'n the barrel.

 

[RT2506]

I was looking around the internet the other day and I think it was Criterion were I saw it that has a barrel nut that you can use a regular open end wrench on instead of the special wrench. Might check it out.