Gunnit Rust: The .460 S&W Magnum Bolt Action Rifle Project: Part 13: Lessons Learned
I’m a terrible person because I haven’t found the time to take the Iron Sights and Thumper into the gunsmith to get them installed. I would do it myself, but when it comes to installing sight bases on a rifle I want an expert to do it. However, with the scope I have a fully functional rifle. She’s pretty sexy. To see all of the progress on the project I point you to the “Chapter Index” at the bottom of this post. You’ll find all sorts of pictures as well as major fuck-ups along the way.
Speaking of those major fuck upsI learned a lot from this project, which is what I set out to do, how much did they cost me? I want to examine this here, because not only did I set out on this project hoping to learn something for myself I hope that you all learned something along the way and I hope I’ve inspired some of you to do something like this on your own. Putting together an AR15 is one thing, but this felt really intimidating to me before I started and along the way I found out that it wasn’t so much more difficult once I did my research….the things I did just weren’t as common of knowledge as an AR15 build, so putting the thoughts together were a little more difficult.
What did I learn?
- I should have bought a new cheap Savage (non-Axis or Axis II) to start from. Really any thick barreled savage would do just to accommodate the bigger barrel I ended up going with (see Part 5 on why I ordered the barrel the way I did). In trading for a used one I had a couple problems with rust(Fucking Ironic since I am putting this into the Gunnit Rust competition. I should get a literal participation trophy just for the irony), and that’s what ended up costing me the most, by far.
- I should have started with a .223 magazine. I found the .223 magazine to be MUCH easier to modify and more accommodating than the .308 Magazine I started out with. A .460 S&W cartridge is just about the same OAL as a .223.
- I really wish PTG would have had the 460 bolt face when I started. I’m glad they made one by the time I finished!
When all is said and done, here’s my final cost table. I’ve also added a few extra columns to help you figure out how much this project would cost you given all the things I learned for you :p
| Big Bore Savage Parts | Initial Estimate | My Real Cost | Your Cost | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Savage Base Rifle | $500.00 new | Traded a Basic M4Forgery with TN Arms Lower ~$500 for a used 10P | $500 | You could easily find a new Savage HOGHUNTER in .223 for < $500 in today’s market |
| Bolt Face | $150.00 | $78.25 | $- | You’re going to buy the 460 Bolt Face Below |
| Slotted Barrel Nut | $15.00 | $- | $15 | The Savage you are going to buy has a smooth nut. You’ll want to buy a slotted nut. |
| Bolt Body and Screw Fuck Up | $- | $40.40 | $- | You’re going to buy new, so rust won’t be a problem with your bolt screw. |
| Whole new Bolt because I'm a Complete fuckup | $- | $104.98 | $- | You’re buying new so you won’t be a complete fuckup |
| Sharp Shooter Supply Extractor Kit | $- | $24 | $24 | I bought this because I thought it would help with the first bolt face I tried. You won’t need it with the 460 bolt face below, but it sure is nice! |
| .223 Remington magazine and follower | $- | $39.95 | $- | This comes with your new rifle |
| 460 S&W McGowen Barrel | $450.00 | $460.81 | $460.81 | Let’s assume you think I’m smart and will buy this same barrel. |
| Old Barrel Removal | $- | $107.00 | $- | Your barrel won’t be rusted on |
| GO/NoGO Gauges | $95.00 | $83.32 | $83.32 | You like safety |
| Barrel Wrench, Rosin, Misc | $75.00 | $50.38 | $50 | Let’s assume you don’t have these tools already |
| PTG 460 S&W Bolt head | $- | $80.25 | $80.25 | Just shut up and buy this. |
| New Ejector Retaining Pins (Qty 3) | $- | $19.40 | $- | You won’t break these when you’re fucking around trying to get the bolt to work |
| Iron Sights | $- | $96.17 | $100 | You’re either going to need irons or a scope, and those cost $ |
| Total | $ 1285 | $1184.91 and an AR15 I had built from leftover parts. | $1315.38 | Not too far from my original estimate, but you’ll make a lot fewer mistakes than I did! |
If you have any questions about doing this yourself do not hesitate to reach out to me here or via PM!!!!!
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 Sights
Part 13: The Conclusion and Lessons Learned
Posted Sep 28, 2017, 1:42 PM UTC · edited