Savage Switch Barrel.

[kdog70]

I have a Savage Target Action that is currently wearing a 260 AI Shilen barrel. I would like to make it a switchbarrel 338 class rifle. My gunsmith is a bum and would like to do the work myself. would the proper steps be?

Order a pre fit Savage barrel in 338 edge or 338 Norma.
Get go and no go gauges with nut wrench and barrel block
Follow proper steps for installation
Reload some 300 SMKs and send them down range.

Thanks for the help.
Kdog

 

[geargrinder]

Sounds like your on the right path.

You'll also need a short action magnum bolthead and firing pin.

Do the Edge. The Norma uses the bigger bolthead.

 

[kdog70]

Thanks for the help, so a 338 Edge 10 Twist barrel I was thinking no contour for added weight because I wasn't thinking a break is that a bad idea?

 

[geargrinder]

Sounds fine if you don't mind the weight.

Why no brake?

 

[406pat]

If you're going from .260 to .338 EDGE you will still need to replace the bolthead with a magnum one. Not a big deal I think mine was about $25.00 from Midway. Be careful because there's a Controlled Round Feed magnum bolt head as well as a Push Feed magnum bolt head.

It's a fairly simple and extremely rewarding conversion to do yourself. If you can change your oil and read English you should have few qualms about being able to change a barrel on a Savage!

 

[kdog70]

Do I want push feed or controlled?

I decided to not go break because I dont really want to pay for someone to put a break on and my gunsmith is an idiot so. Avoiding it all together.

 

[LongRangeJunkie]

Who is your idiot gunsmith, so we all can avoid him/her? I was trying to be politically correct.........did you notice?

 

[acloco]

A - YOU will need a brake on any 338 pushing 300 gr SMK's. (I know...I fired 15 shots from the rifle that I built my hunting partner - I am NOT a small guy either).

B - Go price brass. You can get everything out of a 338 RUM than the Norma or the Lapua. Lapua brass is $3 each. They last the same as Rem....go find people that are shooting AND reloading their Lapua. Then ask how hard they are pushing them.

With a 32" Rock Creek barrel, 300 gr SMK's at 2950 are a phenomenal round. Longest one shot deer to date....1868 yards. Our goal is ....as far as this will reach. Believe it will go to 2400..but that will be it. 7200 feet....just shy of 1.5 miles.

 

[406pat]

I haven't played with the Control Round Feed savage actions but if they're anything like the Mauser derivatives I'd stay away for a single shot. The reason is that most CRF actions are designed to be loaded from the mag and not one at a time. Most won't engage round UNLESS it comes from the mag.

For you in the target action this would mean that every time you wanted to chamber a round you would have to remove the bolt, slide a round up onto the bolt face and then replace the bolt. Getting a fired case out would be the same process in reverse, as the ejector is separate from the bolthead on a CRF (unlike the plunger on the push feed) so it wouldn't spit out cases unless you modified the receiver.

I believe this is the one I used when converting a .270 to .300 RUM
I used a long action for mine. Not sure why this couldn't be used on a short action bolt but I haven't looked into the specifics of it either.
Savage Arms Bolt Head Long Action Model 110 to 116 Push Feed Small Firing Pin Hole Right Hand Magnum 7mm Remington Magnum, 300 Winchester Magnum - MidwayUSA

It's just a stripped bolthead so you may want to also get a second set of the internals for it, unless you want to swap all the parts from bolthead to bolthead with each barrel swap.

 

[mopar440]

in the process of doing the same in 338 edge their is alot of info on the savageshooter website people have used a push feed bolt so im i when savage did it they used the control feed with sep ejector will need the mag bolt head sharpshootersupply has all the parts for complete bolt should be fine feeding it single shot they make single shot mag followers if want a mag feed will have to heavly mod the box u can get a old stag 300rum box but its still a little short on oal i think 3.65 most edges are 3.700+ with 300smk should beable to eject fired cases but not full ones going to ordered my barrel form northland shooter supply 30" shilen with threaded for brake then just order a threaded brake any compent person with lathe can fit it then just ream for cal i think its cal +.040 and index but im no gunsmith

 

[geargrinder]

For you in the target action this would mean that every time you wanted to chamber a round you would have to remove the bolt, slide a round up onto the bolt face and then replace the bolt. Getting a fired case out would be the same process in reverse, as the ejector is separate from the bolthead on a CRF (unlike the plunger on the push feed) so it wouldn't spit out cases unless you modified the receiver.

Target actions are not CRF. They don't have provisions for the standing ejector. They are all push feed.

Even then, loading single shot would be just fine. The CRF actions still had the sliding extractor same as the push feeds. The extractor would just snap over the rim as usual. You wouldn't have to slide the case rim up the bolt face. Removing a loaded round, like you said, may be a little more involved.

 

[406pat]

Right that target actions aren't, I just wanted to make sure that the OP knew that most boltheads advertised for the RUM and WSM rounds are CRF. I used a standard Magnum push feed head for my build and it worked great.

Looking at it closer, there is no rebatement for the case rim as I initially thought so push feed will still work.

Not to hijack but Geargrinder, do you have any experience with these actions (CRF)? How's the function?

 

[geargrinder]

Yes and no, I had a small shank long action CRF in 300win. It worked very well. If it were left-handed I probably would have kept it for my Edge.

CRF didn't fix most of the stagger feed problems. Going to centerfeed sure helped a bunch.

I've built all of my Savages on long actions. Doing so let me avoid the bolt spacing, firing pin length, and bolt head swap issues.

 

[acloco]

If you are using a single shot action, as I did for the 338 RUM build, I bought a CRF bolthead from Midway....and did not install the CRF parts. Just need an extractor...