Ok, I am showing my ignorance, but what is involved with swapping a barrel on a savage rifle? Can any mere mortal do this or do you have to take it to a gunsmith? I assume the cartriges must be close to the same so you dont have do work on the bolt face.
Please enlighten me. I like to tinker and this appeals to me.
Dan

http://www.savageshooters.com/

Look around here on the forums and they can answer many questions.

To start, yes mere mortals can swap out a barrel on a savage with some simple tools. An Action wrench and barral nut wrench will get the job done. If you stay within certain calibers you will not have the change out the bolt head but that is not hard either.

Dan:

Do you want to do it right? If so you will need the following:

1. Savage barrel nut wrench, available, Midway, Brownells, Sharp Shooters Supply, etc.

2. An action wrench either the type sold by Brownells or Midway. It can be clamp on type or rear entry type.

3. Wood blocks for vice or barrel vice.

4. High temperature molly grease or anti seize.

5. Chambered barrel with .120-.124 case head
exposure.

6. Case Go and No-Go headspace gauges for the
case you are chambered for.

7. Get a precision ground recoil lug if you
don't have one.

Some will say you don't need all of the above. They may be correct, but take it form someone who does it day in and day out. The aforementioned will get it done and done right.

After removing the old barrel clean up the action including the threads. Get all the gunk out of the action threqds. I also reccomend lapping your lugs if they have not been lapped. This takes a special tool and lapping compound.
I also reccoment you remove the ejector before lapping or trying to set the headspace. Before you screw on the new barrel liberally apply the grease or anti seize to the threads. Screw on the barrel nut as far as you can get it. put the recoil lug on the tenon with the alignment screw set to align with the alignment cut in the action. Put the go gauge in the chamber, screw the action on the barrel with the bolt closed. When it bottoms out onto the Go gauge back it off 1/16 of a rotation.and tighten the lock nut. Remove the Go gauge and replace it with the NO go gauge. The bolt should not close on the No Go Gauge but close on the Go Gauge.

There is a Blog on WWW.SavageShooters.com web site that goes into great detail about switching barrels.

Good Luck

Nat Lambeth

not going to dispute Nat's experience...

I am just getting into this...

after receiving my first barrel, for a stand alone single shot action I purchased, it was not that hard...

all I did was screw the barrel on by hand, chambered a sized case in there ( dummy round, not loaded ammo.. for those who can't figure that out) hand tightened the barrel over that until it was snug...

tightened the barrel nut down with the barrel wrench from Brownell's that a good friend gave me....

that was pretty much it, except for changing the bolt face.. it was in 223, and I changed it to a 308 sized bolt face....378 to .473