Posted this on a couple other forums, but never really got a difinitive answer:
OK, here's the story, I've been looking at a new rifle, the prime motivator being that we now have an overabundence of coyote on the area. I've looked at and like the Savages (with some drawbacks), was originally looking at a .22-250.

HOWEVER, due to the fact that its relatively easy (with the proper tools and gauges) to change out the barrel on the Savage's I got a bug up my butt to see if I can create a "do everything rifle".

So, I keep the action, and get a new stock, that I really like, as well as a good scope to put on it. Then all I have to do is re-barrel, checking the headspace carefully. (and re-sight of course)

Now, I'm pretty sure if I start out with a "short action" that'll cover alot of different calibers, from .22-250 up to to maybe .308.

BUT, If I start with a long (30-06) length action, can I still use short action cartridges (say .243 or .308) from the magazine?

The calibers I'm considering MIGHT be:

.22-250 (and maybe AI)
.243
6.5x284
.270
.284
.308
8x57-I have others in this caliber
30-06
8mm-06 (and AI)-I have others in this caliber
Maybe .338-06

These all have a .473 bolt head, but that could be changed(I'm told its also a simple modification), as well, if I wanted to expand the list. Now I KNOW some of these wouldn't feed without modifying the magazine, but "single shot" is OK, in many instances (I'll probably be shooting alot more paper than anything else.)


P.S. befor any one else goes off on the tangent, I don't want/can't afford a Blaser.

I did the switch-barrel thing with a Savage 11F in 243. I bought A&B barrels from Midway in 22-250, 257 Roberts, and 260. Although the A&B barrels shoot good groups, with the 22-250 being particularly accurate, I think that the whole switch-barrel thing looks better in the abstract than it does in the practical world. By the time that you buy additional barrels and scopes, unless you are going to burn ammo to re-zero every time that you switch barrels, you are going to have a lot of $$ tied up.

Of course, your experience might be 180 degrees opposite what I have found after doing it for myself, but everybody is different.

Jeff

Yes you can switch to short calibers from the long action. I have an original long action that I routinely swap barrels from 22.250 to 243 all the time, with no feeding issues.

You can swap boltheads out to the .532 size in about 1 minute and <$30 worth of parts.

The only problem that I see is that unless you mount the scope really high the barrel wrench can't get past the end of the scope. I have to take my scope off to change barrels but some guys are modifying wrenches to get around this.

Check out www.savageshooters.net they have all the information on this.