As I understand it most new barrels are chambered a little short to allow for reaming to get correct headspace when rebarreling. My question is that if you get a take off barrel from a finished rifle and you install it on another action of the same make and size with the same size recoil lug will you have to finish reaming it to get proper headspace.

The only barrels chambered "a little short" are those advertised as short chambered barrels. Some companies sell long chambered barrels to allow you to trim to fit without a reamer.

Taking a barrel off of one action and putting it on another is a crapshoot. It may or may not headspace correctly and the sights will probably end up anywhere but 12 o'clock. Even if it has no sights, you'll want the lettering to read properly. Old Model 70's seem to be the exception to this, but I wouldn't count on it either. There is always the exception to the exception.

I boughta 6.5 X 55 new take off barrel from Mr. Jim Kobe for my featherweight. I will tell you one thing that Winchester screws their barrels on tighter than anyone in the industry. When I finally got the old barrel off I screwed the new 6.5 barrel on and took it to a smith to check the headspace on and test fire it. Things worked out just fine but my smith said I was extreamly lucky. He said that worked about 10% of the time.

quote:

Originally posted by STexhunter:
My question is that if you get a take off barrel from a finished rifle and you install it on another action of the same make and size with the same size recoil lug will you have to finish reaming it to get proper headspace.

This would be a very poor assumption

quote:

Originally posted by vapodog:

quote:

Originally posted by STexhunter:
will you have to finish reaming it to get proper headspace.

This would be a very poor assumption

That was a question not an assumption.

More often than not they don't headspace. Manufactures tollerances are all over the place.
Could be long or short, and every now and then right on.

I put a new 7mm08 varmint barrel on a 1971 Rem 700 action and it turned out to be the most accurate rifle that I have ever shot. Lucky me.

quote:

Originally posted by Dwight:
I put a new 7mm08 varmint barrel on a 1971 Rem 700 action and it turned out to be the most accurate rifle that I have ever shot. Lucky me.

great.....but what does this have to do with headspace?

The question was concerning switching factory barrels and head space. I did it with out a headspace problem. Very related to the topic.