Well, like everyone else I'm homebound for a while. As luck would have it, i ordered a switch lug from the folks at WTO and 2 new barrels back around Thanksgiving. I wanted to get back to a switch barrel gun like i used to use when i shot BR. I used to unscrew one barrel to shoot light varmint class and screw on another to shoot heavy varmint. I still have one switch barrel with a 6 BR Norma and a 6X47 barrel, but it is a Nesika BR action and they are expensive.
I've been retired for about 12 years and mad money is scarce. Why not try the WTO switch lug? That way you get a new barrel, have it chambered and threaded, and you have another rifle without a new stock, action and glass cost. So i did!
My smith did a great job. Each of my 3 barrels screw in and out relatively easily without having to use a barrel clamp and action wrench. You simply screw the barrel in until it hits the shoulder and allign the witness mark the smith put on the action/barrel and you're good to go. All you do then is torque the lug on the barrel. Headspace is correct and brass is unchanged from firing to firing.
Their video shows you can remove a barrel, then screw it back on, and the gun shoots back to the dame POI. I tested this. The rifle printed about 2 inches out of the original group for the first 2 shots, then returned back to the group i had started! I was impressed!
When you change barrels/caliber, you still have to re-sight the gun by bore sighting. Mine were off to one side about 16-18" and about 4" high or low. Guess its the difference in the threads? I don't know. I'm not a gunsmith.
Overall I'm thrilled. Got 3 new rifles for the price of barrels!
One thing i didn't think to do was record how much i had to move the scope for each barrel. I hope it is repeatable like my bench guns were. If so, when you change a barrel, you just correct X clicks horizontally and X clicks vertically and you're back on target.
That's a test for another day
And before the hordes jump all over me, no I have no connection to the folks at WTO. I'm just an old guy who loves rifles and wants more to play with at an affordable price
First photo is a sloppy group. Note the 2 shots high/left. Those were first 2 after barrel change. Rest went back into the cluster.
Second photo is rifle with 3 barrels
I've been retired for about 12 years and mad money is scarce. Why not try the WTO switch lug? That way you get a new barrel, have it chambered and threaded, and you have another rifle without a new stock, action and glass cost. So i did!
My smith did a great job. Each of my 3 barrels screw in and out relatively easily without having to use a barrel clamp and action wrench. You simply screw the barrel in until it hits the shoulder and allign the witness mark the smith put on the action/barrel and you're good to go. All you do then is torque the lug on the barrel. Headspace is correct and brass is unchanged from firing to firing.
Their video shows you can remove a barrel, then screw it back on, and the gun shoots back to the dame POI. I tested this. The rifle printed about 2 inches out of the original group for the first 2 shots, then returned back to the group i had started! I was impressed!
When you change barrels/caliber, you still have to re-sight the gun by bore sighting. Mine were off to one side about 16-18" and about 4" high or low. Guess its the difference in the threads? I don't know. I'm not a gunsmith.
Overall I'm thrilled. Got 3 new rifles for the price of barrels!
One thing i didn't think to do was record how much i had to move the scope for each barrel. I hope it is repeatable like my bench guns were. If so, when you change a barrel, you just correct X clicks horizontally and X clicks vertically and you're back on target.
That's a test for another day
And before the hordes jump all over me, no I have no connection to the folks at WTO. I'm just an old guy who loves rifles and wants more to play with at an affordable price
First photo is a sloppy group. Note the 2 shots high/left. Those were first 2 after barrel change. Rest went back into the cluster.
Second photo is rifle with 3 barrels
