...of a .375 AV barrel from 1986 screwing onto a 1984 AV receiver and have everything line up and headspace? I keep reading of bolt switches between rifles and having them headspace correctly, so it was only a short step from there to my question. Eh? Stephen
I have been able to swap bolts between L46 rifles and screw a .17 barrel from an AI onto a L46 action with headspacing staying within specification. Also have swapped bolts between a AII and L579 without needing to adjust headspacing. As such I believe it would be worthwhile checking to see. There is a risk the barrel indexing might not line up when the barrel is swapped between actions but you won't know unless you give it a go......
Beings headspace tolerance is .004" the chances of another barrel screwing in without issues is remote. The chances of it screwing in and being indexed where the stampings & extractor relief are lined up properly is near impossible. It's not that big of a deal to have a smith index & headspace it, so your concern is inconsequential. Bolt changes you can luck out with. Barrel changes are a different animal. If you try it, let us know!!
Just picked the newly barreled action. My friend/gunsmith indicated removing .0075" from the barrel shoulder allowed him to index sights and headspace without touching the breech. Very pleased with how quickly all this transpired. Forty-eight or so hours, not too bad. Stephen
So, your saying that when the sights indexed the headspace was also within spec & no chamber reaming was needed?
Apparently the chamber was not touched. The breech was not machined, the 375 stamp and bluing intact. Pretty cool, eh? I did stick a fired case in the chamber and all seemed good with bolt, extraction, and ejection. Stephen
Phenomenal!!!! Would have never guess that could happen. That's a matter of the screw threads starting in almost the exact same place on the receiver, the face of the barrel being machined the same, the bolt recesses being the same & the bolt being the exact same length. Sako just made my jaw drop!!
PC, Mine too. When I bought the AV and discovered a bulged barrel my thoughts immediately slipped into the pond of despair. Where and am I going to find another .375 Sako barrel? Did usual searches of barrel makers, and was in the "checkout" line when, on a simple fluke, I gave Gunbroker a look. Stunned to find a Sako .375 barrel in Alaska and purchased same a few days later. Screwing a barrel from a year later than the action on and having all index was not in my thinking at this time. I understand machining and most of what is required to re-barrel, and only on the 15 minute trip to my GS friend's home did I slightly entertain a vision of what occurred actually passing muster. Well, it did, and now you all have the denouement. Thanks all for reading and or commenting. Stephen
