Caliber Switch- 30-06 to 260 rem

[jakes10mm]

As most of you know, the Savage 110 action design makes it easy for the Home Gunsmith to change a rifle from one caliber to another.  I just finished my first conversion.  I started with a "unserviceable" 110 action in 30-06.  The previous owner tried to remove a broken scope mount bolt with a drill press.  He removed the broken screw...and drilled right through it into the barrel's chamber.  Instead of replacing the barrel, he dumped his "ported" rifle with my dealer and created the perfect starting point for my first custom rifle.  After ordering a factory OEM barrel from Savageparts.com,I know have a Long Action 260 Rem hunting rifle.  Total cost with a donor scope from a safe queen rifle is $270.  I have function fired the rifle, but not sighted it in yet.  I still have barrel floating, action bedding, and a few stock modification left before I call it complete.

Anyone interested in making their own custom rifle should look at the Savage action and browse through SavageShooters.com.  There are plenty of custom barrel manufacturers out there that will pre-thread and chamber for Savage.  I think my next project is going to be a 6mmBR with a Kreiger barrel for benchrest/varmint shooting.

[azmike]

That is a project I intend to do one day, but WAY down the road for me, yet (I have a list , and the Savage is in about sixth place right now).  

Used to own a 110 in 30-06, wish I still had it.  It would shoot circles around the ruger I have now :cry: .

As far as the rebarrel goes, I am thinking either going with a 338-06, or maybe going with a short action, and rebarreling to 338 Federal.  

Curious how a short action cartridge functions in a long action, especially in a rifle that is not controlled round feed.  Please keep posting with your field experience with this conversion.

Regards,

AZmike

[Lone Star]

Before they developed the short actions, Savage used the M110 action with short action cartridges for many years.  They functioned perfectly with .223, .22-250, and .308 among others.  I believe they used a magazine block and perhaps a bolt stop.

[kiwi98j]

I'm currently working up a 35Whelen off a Savage 110 action from a pawn shop 30-06 donor for an elk rifle this coming fall.  Sold the wood stock, trigger and barrel to recoup some of the cost.  Bought a Boyd's hunter stock, threaded and chambered and crowned 24" 1-14 Pac-Nor barrel, Fred Moreo comp trigger and recoil lug.  Net cost will be right at $650 with dies & caliber specific tools. I'll finish & pillar the stock, bed the action, install the trigger, time the bolt and install & blue the action & barrel.  This will be the 6th rifle I've built this way and all have been acceptable shooters at well under 3/4".  Other calibers include a 308, 243, 6.5-284, 25-06 and 6mmbr.  The 6.5-284 was a barrel burner and really didn't have a place in my safe so I pulled the barrel, sold it & rebarrelled to a 25-06 as a gift to my son, the 6mmbr was a bench experiment and the rifle was sold to a friend.

Good, high quality parts, bolt heads, and such are readily available from Brownells, Numrich, Midway and 1 or 2 others.  Comp level parts, triggers, stocks, lugs are available from Fred at SharpShootersSupply.  Premium, match and super match barrels threaded, chambered,  contoured and crowned in white and SS barrels are offered by Douglas, Pac-Nor and Lothar Walther maybe others.  Standard, lesser priced barrels suitable for hunting from ER Shaw and A&B.  Savage also offers OEM barrels in factory contours and twists for many common calibers through the Small Arms Shop.  Take-off actions, barrels and stocks are available from Northlander Shooter Supply.  

Short action cartridges in a long action receiver with magazine block will most likely require some tweaking of the magazine lips / follower to make a repeater feed well.  

The 6mmbr was a single shot as the cartridge will not feed from the magazine but wasn't a problem as it was a bench queen anyway.  I suspect the wssms will be the same and not feed from the magazine either - too fat.

I'd recommend investing in an action wrench, barrel nut wrench, barrel vice and headspace gauges for each caliber.  Headspacing is set with a go headspace gauge and barrel nut.
     
Buying an old beat up, abused rifle and converting it to a good shooter is a rewarding and satisfying experience and well worth the investment in time and money.  I highly recommend it.

[jakes10mm]

Found this old post and thought I'd through in an update.  The Savage 110 action sported a 22" SS 260 Rem barrel last year with a slightly modified Savage wood stock.  I loaned it to a new hunter for Deer season.  No shot opportunities, so it is still unbloodied as a 260. 

After last season, I tore her down again to prepare for this coming season.  My oldest is now Hunter Safety trianed and holding his first hunting license.  The stock was cut down to Youth length and a Limsaver pad installed.  I layered thin strips of Walnut on the butt stock to create a cheek pad for him.  The beavertail forearm is thinned for smaller hands.  My local Gunsmith let me use his lathe, so the barrel dropped 2" down to 20".  I cut a recessed crown for my new hunter to protect the muzzle.  Our first trip to the range went well.  We were just sighting in the scope at 50yds and he did well; groups weren't tight by "seasoned shooter" standards, but they were well within the needs of short range hunting.  Next trip, I'll verify that accuracy and let him spend more time working on bringing his groups in tighter.

My next junior hunter is two years away...debating if I'll go with 260 Rem again or maybe go with a 243 Win.