The .460 S&W Magnum Bolt Action Rifle Project: Part 10: Barrel Installation

The barrel has arrived! So it is time to get the old barrel off and the new one on. But first, I have 2 admissions to make.

First: In the past 2 parts I’ve talked a lot about the magazine modifications. I had to make one more easy modification. I received some 240 Grain .451dia XTP-MAG projectiles. They have a huge hollow point. You’ll notice that I was previously testing feeding with the 200 grain FTX projectiles that have a pointed tip…those feed very easily. The XTP-MAG and their big hollow point? The 460 fed fine, but the 454 would hang up sometimes with the bottom of the hollow point’s ridge hanging on the front of the receiver just after the magazine and just below the receiver’s feed ramp. Solution? The barrel wrench I bought came with a brass shim to place between the smooth barrel nut and the smooth nut wrench. I have a slotted nut so won’t be using that brass strip. I cut 2 chunks off from that brass strip and slipped it under the front of the magazine in the stock. That tilted the front of the magazine up just enough to make the .454 Casull loaded with the 240gr XTP-MAG feed 100% reliably. On to the new barrel!

Second: I have had no idea how a rimmed cartridge was going to extract properly while also headspacing on the rim this entire time. I’m accustom to rimless cartridges that headspace on the shoulder and leave the extractor grove perfectly in the bolt head. In fact, I was so dumb I didn’t even realize I didn’t know how that was going to work. Thankfully, McGowen put a boss on the chamber end of the chamber. Larry from MidwayUSA has a great video that walks you through the concept of the extractor for a rimmed cartridge on a Rolling Block rifle. Because this is a Savage action and not a Rolling Block like Larry is working on, the location of the extractor is not obvious so I had to headspace the barrel first to find what parts of the boss I needed to cut. Then I made the cut big enough to accommodate the Sharp Shooter Supply Extractor in the PTG Magnum Short Action Bolt as it rotates 90 degrees in the Savage Action when it opens and closes. Once the cut was complete I reinstalled the barrel and tested with GO and NO GO Gauges. But, to put the new barrel on I had to take the old barrel off. There-in lies more difficulty. I locked the barrel in my vice and attempted to torque off the barrel nut. No go. Cheater Bar? Negative Ghost Rider. Savage nuts are notorious for being difficult to pop off new from the factory, so I wasn’t shocked. Since my free time is limited I gave up and took it to a gunsmith. I figured he could pop it loose for me or turn the barrel off in a lathe if he had to. I’m glad I took it in, as he errored on the side of not putting too much torque on the receiver; he ended up turning it in the lathe. Once he did he found a very little bit of corrosion on the threads. Remember: I traded for this, so it is a used gun. The guy I got it from said he had it for a while and didn’t really shoot it. It checked out as very clean and well-kept when I made the trade, so I don’t fault the previous owner. Luck of the draw? Oh well….I suppose….maybe I was being a pussy and a gunsmith took me for $107? Maybe. Would I have had this trouble if I bought a Savage HOGHUNTER new? Probably not… I’m documenting this project so that others can learn from my mistakes…and you guys have a lot of learning to do with all the mistakes I’m making…

I won’t bore you all with the details of the headspacing and generic installation process, as there are many videos on YouTube that cover how to rebarrel a Savage. I’ve never rebarreled a bolt action rifle before, but from what I understand the Savage is very, very easy to headspace compared to other types of rifles as long as you have the GO and NO-GO gauges as well as a barrel nut wrench. On a Savage Action, the barrel screws into the receiver to set head space, and then a nut screws down the barrel to lock against the receiver and lock the barrel into place. You (overly simplified) remove the ejector pin, detent, and spring from the bolt face, insert the GO Gauge, screw the barrel in until it stops on the GO Gauge and then unscrew it just a hair, and lock down the barrel nut. Then, test to make sure the NO-GO gauge doesn’t close, but the GO gauge does.

You know that feeling when you extract and eject your first dummy cartridge from your newly head spaced and extractor cut barrel on the first try? No? Well, chucklefuck, what are you waiting for? Start a project! Anyway…yeah…that feeling…pretty awesome.

Big Bore Savage Parts	Price Estimate	Real Cost
Savage Base Rifle	$500.00 new	Traded a Basic M4Forgery with TN Arms Lower ~$500 for a used 10P
Bolt Face	$150.00	$78.25
Slotted Barrel Nut	$15.00	$-
Bolt Body and Screw Fuck Up	$-	$40.40
Whole new Bolt because I'm a Complete fuckup	$-	$104.98
Sharp Shooter Supply Extractor Kit	$-	$24
.223 Remington magazine and follower	$-	$39.95
460 S&W McGowen Barrel	$450.00	$460.81
Old Barrel Removal	$-	$107.00
GO/NoGO Gauges	$95.00	$83.32
Barrel Wrench, Rosin, Misc	$75.00	$50.38
Total	$ 1285	$989.09 and an AR15 I had built from leftover parts.
So, I bet you all want to see the end result of a stainless barrel on a black Savage Bolt Action, eh? You know that whole “pressed for time” thing? I managed to take a picture quickly after I got it all together. It isn’t great, the color sucks, and I took it with my new Samsung Potatoe S8+ on our guest bed. It should give you an idea of what a 16” Stainless barrel looks on a black synthetic stock with a black receiver. This is Thumper. Say “Hello” to Thumper.

I’ll get you guys some sexy outdoor photos at the test firing. I’m going to test with various rounds as I work my way up. Starting with a .45LC loaded with Trailboss, up to a full power 460 S&W with H110.

Part 1: The Beginning

Part 2: Proving the concept and making the parts list

Part 3: Rifle Acquisition

Part 4: Modify Magazine for rimmed cartridges

Part 5: Ordering the custom 460 S&W Chambered barrel

Part 6: New Bolt Face

Part 7: More Fuckups and a Completed Bolt

Part 8: Fine tuning

Part 9: New Magazine

Part 10: Barrel Installation

Part 11: Test Fire

Part 12: Iron Sight selection and installation