savage 111 rebarrel questions

[nlpro]

I have a savage model 111 with the detachable box magazine in 300 win mag . i have read that savage rifles are fairly easy to re barrel but the only barrels i have seen for sale online are for the savage 110 do the 111 and 110's take the same barrels ?. i would like to re barrel it down to 30-06 if that's at all possible for a little less shoulder punishment lol .how hard would this gun be to re barrel ?


thanks for any help in advance 

[LaOtto222]

First off 2 letter designations are short action like a model 10 or 12. Model numbers with 3 digits are long actions like 110 and 111. With that said even though Midway lists their barrels for the 110, they also have short action barrel under that category. If you have a long action, you can put short action barrels on it. You have stated that you want to re-barrel to 30-06. This should not be a problem. One thing to look for is large and small (standard) shank size. I know the 30-06 takes the standard shank, not sure on the 300 Win Mag, but it may be too. Then there is the magazine. You will need another magazine for your 30-06 as the case diameter of the 300 WM is not the same. As far as changing out the barrel, you will need a barrel wrench and an action wrench. Some make home made action wrenches or a padded vice to hold the action. You put the action, sans scope and mounts and the use the barrel wrench to loosen the barrel nut. Once the nut is loose, you can screw out your old barrel. Take the barrel nut off the old barrel and thread it on to the new barrel. Then turn the new barrel into the action until it bottoms out on your head space gauge (or dummy case). Back it off about 1/32 of a turn and snug down the barrel nut. Recheck to make sure that the head spacing is correct. You are good to go, unless the barrel turned a little while tightening the Barrel Nut. If you did, loosen it back up and adjust your head space again. You can put an index mark on the barrel and action, on the bottom side to make sure the barrel did not turn while you tighten the nut. I use a barrel vice, action wrench and a Barrel nut, with this set up the barrel does not turn While the barrel nut is tightened. You really do not have to torque on the barrel nut a lot, to keep it into place. I use anti-seize grease on the barrel to action fitting and for the barrel nut. It will make it much easier to change in the future. It is not really all that complicated, I have changed barrels several times on my 2 Stevens 200's. Good Luck and Good Shooting

BTW I have changed out barrels on a Remington Model 700 with the same barrel vice and action wrench. I got a short chambered barrel and finished clambering it by hand.

[squirrellluck]

Umm, Bolt face? Magnum to non belted? Isnt the diameter different. Have to change the bolt won't you?

[ncsurveyor]

Not the whole bolt.  The bolt head is replaceable.  Easier than the rebarrel job.

I went from 300 WM to 30-06 on my 116 in about 30 minutes total.

[squirrellluck]

Ahhh, I don't own a savage nor have I ever handled one but it is sounding more interesting. Never messed with anything except mausers in bolt guns.

[yorketransport]

Like others have said, changing barrels is pretty easy. I actually have a video of how to do it posted on Youtube.
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There are excellent instructions on changing the bolt head here. The whole process actually takes longer to explain than to actually do.
http://www.switchbarrel.com/BOLTHEAD.htm

Unless you want to do a lot of barrel swapping, it may not be worth it to buy the tools. Here's a breakdown of what it might cost to do the conversion:

Barrel= $50-$350 depending on used ($50) or high end new ($350)
Bolt head= $20 if you just change over the extractor and ejector from your current bolt, if not add $20 for the ejector, extractor and all necessary springs and such.
Barrel nut wrench= $35-$40
Action wrench= $55 (this is optional, but works a lot better than the oak blocks for removing factory barrels)
Barrel vise= $65 for a Wheeler complete barrel vise, or just $20 for a set of oak blocks which can be used in a good bench vise
Headspace go-gauge= $20 (you don't need this, but it's more reliable than a piece of brass)
Magazine= If it's an older staggered feed mag, $45. If it's a new centerfeed mag, you'll need to call Savage to get a price since I can't find them listed anywhre else.

Honestly, you could probably pick up 30-06 for under $300 and that might be easier. But if you really want to get into barrel swaping, just buy the tools. If you get really into it you can get a port entry action wrench so that you can change barrels on the range. That's always fun to do. If you happen to live in WA, let me know and we can get together and I can help you out.

Andrew

[yooper77]

Too much trouble, the barrel change from probably a magnum contour to standard, plus a new bolt face.

You would be better off to sell the 300 Win Mag and buy the 30-06 Springfield.

yooper77

[nlpro]

well the rifle is in a custom stock made by my grandfather for me just before he died so that's why i chose to re barrel the action. i actually tried to find another model 111 action in 30-06 but had to luck locally so i turned to re barreling .are their any models other that 111's that would fit in a stock made for a savage 111 ?

[ncsurveyor]

Any 110 or 116 should fit that stock, BUT since it was a grandpa made custom, I assume its older, in which case, the newer centerfeed, or accustock models probably will not fit it.

What state are you in?

[yooper77]

well the rifle is in a custom stock made by my grandfather for me just before he died so that's why i chose to re barrel the action. i actually tried to find another model 111 action in 30-06 but had to luck locally so i turned to re barreling .are their any models other that 111's that would fit in a stock made for a savage 111 ?

Understood, well I would then not even touch it.  I'd look on gunbroker.com for a Savage 111 in 30-06 Springfield.  I did and I found some good deals less than 30 seconds.  Also 270 Winchester and 25-06 Remington.

yooper77

[nlpro]

the rifle is from around 2002 2003 if i remember correct .i am in northern California close the the oregon boarder for those who asked  trying to convice my wife to move out of cali and back to oregon where i came from no luck yet lol . I am starting to lean away from re barrel towards just another barrel and action that will fit the stock or just picking up a stevens bolt action 30-06 that a friend of mine has for sale for 300 dollers never fired new in box .The300wm  does have stagger feed magazines .

[yorketransport]

I'd just buy the Stevens if that's an option for you. $300 is the average rate for a new Stevens around here. Sometimes you can get them for a little less. The Stevens may be a newer centerfeed action. It will still fit in the older stock, you'll just need to find a way to secure the centerfeed magazine. It's pretty simple to do, so don't let it deter you from buying the Stevens if that's what you'd like to do.

Good luck!

Andrew

[ncsurveyor]

The stevens sounds like a deal and it solves you're concerns.

If you were closer to Carolina, I'd tell you to get a barrel and bolt face and stop on by. We'd spend more time typing and reading about it, then just swapping it out.