Best "Switch barrel" gun for my purposes? NEW YEAR PROJECT

Suavegato

Suavegato

New member
Ok, this is kind of PART II to my original post: http://www.predatormastersforums.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=52218005&page=0&vc=1&PHPSESSID=#Post52218005

I guess what it seems I am looking for now is a "Switch barrel" gun System What I want to do is be able to easily change out BBL's to different caliber’s. I am looking to cover my shooting spectrum from varmint to Elk. It looks like I will have to build two weapons… One long action and one short action as well as have 2 or 3 bolts. (or one WSSM & one WSM)?

Some caliber’s of interest to me are: (.204, .22-250, .223, .243, .25-06, .270, .30-06, .300 Win Mag.) Or similar that will get the job done… Also considering going with WSSM’s & WSM’s in: .223 WSSM, .25 WSSM, .243 WSSM & ,270 WSM, 7mm WSM, .300 WSM & maybe a .325 WSM?

I found this article on Midway’s line of Adams & Bennet Barrels for the Savage 110: http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3623/is_200301/ai_n9187250
This may be a good way to go? Any thoughts?

And also found this link to Kafaru: http://www.kifaru.net/switchbar.htm which would be nice but VERY expensive… One thing they did have though that sounded great was the ability to change BBL’s and then adjust the scope by clicks back to zero for that BBL without the need to re shoot it! That would be a great advantage!

Does anyone know of a simple, moderately priced solution for this? I DO NOT NEED BR ACCURACY, JUST HUNTING ACCURATE. 1” or less @ 100 yards is fine for what I do.

(I think) My criteria are: affordable, “hunting accurate”, quick & easy to change BBL’s,
Light weight would be a plus too, since I hunt a lot on foot, two actions with numerous BBL’s to cover my hunting spectrum, Bolt action (no Single Shot).

I know that I am asking a lot here for someone to answer, so if any of you know of anywhere that I could find the answers… a book, a website etc… I don’t mind doing the research and I would appreciate it. This is just the only place that I know of to start?
Thanks,
Happy New Year!
 
Are the Encores just single shot though or do they also have a bolt action? Also, does the scope mount on the BBL or the action? I need one that mounts on the action, so when I switch BBL's it stays on.
thanks,
 
You are looking to do a lot here. The only way to go in a bolt-action and save money is Savage. They offer interchangeable bolts.

If you go with a Rem rifle system like I have you will have to build 2 short actions, .378 and .473 bolts and 2 long actions with .473 and big mag bolt. Also to get the WSM/WSSM you will have to open up a big mag bolt and so on. This will be expensive but worth it in my opinion.

The Encore will be your cheapest and easy route.

Mike Bryant at www.bryantcustoms.com can help you.
 
Yes the Encore is a single shot, but you will find that if you need a second shot you will have time if you put a shell sock with a few rounds on the butt.

Usualy the only way you get a good second shot is if you nock the animal down with the first.If you miss a good second shot is unlikly.
 
Quote:
Go with the TC Encore


If it were me, I wouldnt even consider anything else, and I dont own one! but its the way to go if I had to make the same decision. IMHO

Yea the scope is on the barrel, but the money you save on all the gunsmithing will buy a couple of very, very nice scopes. If you want 3 different calibers it will buy you 3 very nice scopes, 4 calibers, 4 nice scopes get the drift? Plus if you did a switch barrel job, you need to resight it in when you change barrels, With the TC all you need is a screw driver, you just switch the barrels grab a box of ammo and go. While your at it order a 22 Hornet barrel with open sights, I think that would be fun!!

Make the first shot count, so the second wont be needed /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif

Switch barrel jobs are expensive, trust me I know! come spring I will have a completed bench gun in 6ppc/6X284
 
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The smith doing work on my 375 H&H right now makes a swap barrel that is easily switched out with minimal tools but you really need to stay inside the same family of cartridges. Like a 25/06 and a 35 whelen, or a 243 and a 308 and a 358, maybe a 257 weatherby, 300 weatherby, 375 weatherby. The actual work to make it a takedown can be done for as little as 500 dollars, then depending on barrel extra barrels can run 250+. Its not very practical to want to switch cartridge families in a swap barrel bolt gun.
 
for all the work and $$$ for doing this to a bolt action it sounds like you could just buy 2 or 3 different guns!! if you want to use one gun with different barrels the only choice is the ENCORE i have one in a .204...more than "hunting accurate" and you don't have to resight it in everytime. also like trickster said if you put a shell holder on the butt, and practice and shoot the gun enough you can get pretty darn fast at reloading the thing.
 
Well if you're serious about a switch barrel bolt action, then you'll need to pay serious money.

The Sig Blaser R93 is the only way to go in my humble opinion.

You can get one for about $1700.00

Additional barrels cost about $800.00
Bolt head $200.00 (if you need one)
 
I guess sayin Encore again is pointless. Yes a second shot is about a second away, but then again just do it my way and drop em with the first shot. If not a few extra rounds on the stock is a must have. With the wide stock of an Encore I used a wristband shell holder (6 rounds) I think it's better than a standard stock shellholder cause it stretches and fits the stock better, IMHO.

t/c223encore.
 
Don't mind me saying this Suavegato your getting alot of good advice and you need alittle better handle on case head size,case lenght, magazine and followers. H&S makes a take down rifle that you can buy extra barrels and bolts for same as afew other manuafactor of that type rifle they aren't cheap base price for the H&S is $3800. I don't own a savage rifle and know nothing about them. You can buy a custom action and depending on what you finally settle on get an extra bolt etc but those actions start around 1K. You can build a switch barrel rifle on a rem action to handle a 30-06 and other barrel for a 300mag. You need to have the recoil lug pinned get an extra bolt and magazine and follower, depending how you set your rifle up as to headspace. Depending on how good of a bore sighter you get for the scope may need to sightin. Most guys who build a switch barrel rifle pretty much stay with the same type case like 308,260,7-08 etc just save trouble having to change everything.
It cost money to build a good switch barrel rifle one of the reasons I never did one was you will have to lay the rifle up for rebarreling and you have nothing to shoot if you put all your egg in one basket. I know you don't like the encore but if you figure the cost on a new barrel for an encore it's alot cheaper that having a rem rebarreled couple barrel would more than pay for the extra scope need for each barrel. I don't own an encore but if it was me I'd sure look at those again. Just my .02
 
Quote:
I guess what it seems I am looking for now is a "Switch barrel" gun System What I want to do is be able to easily change out BBL's to different caliber’s. I am looking to cover my shooting spectrum from varmint to Elk.



Another TC option is the TCR83 and TCR87. These guns are no longer in production but can be purchased on some of the auction sites, etc.

These rifles will litereally switch barrels in less than 30 seconds /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

I had one for many years in .223 and 45-70. Both barrels were excellent shooters. Used barrels can be found as well and there is an outfit called Virgin Valley something or other that makes barrels for these guns.

Then there are the NEF Handi Rifles for really cheap but accuracy is a crap shoot IMO.
 
Well Hmmm…
I REALLY appreciate ALL of the great info. & Advice! Thank you, that is what I was looking for, to find out whether this was going to be feasible or not without spending an arm & a leg. So far it would appear that I can do nearly everything that I want in an Encore, except it’s a single shot and the scopes stay on the barrels… That isn’t really going to suit my purposes, so this whole thing just may not be in the cards for me?

As for the caliber choices I listed, those are just the calibers that I am familiar with and would cover my needs… I.E. just suggestions, I can use whatever will work for my purposes. I guess what I need to do is find some information source that will list the different bolt sizes for the different calibers so that I can pick calibers that will share the same bolt. For instance, I believe these will all work with the same bolt? .25-06, .270, .30-06. then maybe just get a second bolt for the magnum (.300 Win Mag.)? For the low end of the spectrum maybe there are 3 – 4 calibers that would also use the same action, bolt etc. if I just swapped barrels? I’m not married to any specific calibers, whatever will do the job and suit configuration? Any group of calibers that will work in the same action & bolt etc. that will take me from low end up to where I would need a long action would be fine… .22-250? .223? .243? etc. or maybe just the WSSM’s? .223WSM, .243WSSM?

Does anyone have any thoughts, experience, comments etc. on these? http://www.kifaru.net/ramblrif.htm
They aren’t cheap either but will give me everything that I am looking for.

Or maybe I just need to buy a smithing book on the Savage 110 and the Rem 700 and see what all would be involved and if I could do it myself? Maybe the Rem. 700 DM (detachable magazine) models would work better for this? So that I could have different magazines for each different caliber, along with Barrel and or bolt switch? (and I already have 2 of those weapons…)

What it seems I really need to do is see if I can find 2 groups of calibers (one at the low end, or shot action range and one at the high end or long action range) and build two actions, one for each group… IF I can do that, then I might be able to pull this off?

Heck, I already have a matching pair of stainless / synthetic Rem. 700 BDL DM’s in .25-06 & .30-06. Maybe I can change one over to .300 Win Mag and or other caliber’s in that same family, and then I’d have the other one with the .25-06 & .30-06 BBL’s and could add other BBL’s that would still work, feed etc with that bolt? Maybe .270? And then just get another one in short action for lower end… and keep within the same “family” of cartridges… Which would bring me back to my original question? How hard is it and how much is involved with switching out BBL’s on a Rem 700? Assuming I had the proper tools etc… Just unlock, unscrew; reverse… set head space and go?
 
Just to bring up something that I don't think has been touched on yet...

I've got quite a few switch barrel rigs. What I don't hear too many people that don't own them talking about, is that having a switch barrel rifle really isn't very much like having more than one rifle. If that makes sense. I mean, you still only have one barrel installed at any one time. And even though it actually is somewhat feasible to switch barrels in the field on some of mine, it's enough of a pain in the neck that I quit doing it a long time ago. What I've found, is that I either end up with a "favorite" barrel that I really don't want to take off, so the other barrels go unused. Or, I have more than one barrel that I want to use often, maybe even on the same trip, but I can't do that, so I end up having another rifle built.

Anyway... Not meaning to sound like a wet blanket or anything. Having more than one barrel for an action can be pretty neat and work out well at times. But, in practice, I've found that more often than not, I'd rather just have complete separate rifles.

Of course, having said that, I should confess that I'm having another custom switch barrel built on a Nesika action right now...

- DAA
 
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