Indexing a fluted barrel????

[bbarnet]

This is my first barrel change-out. I have a Remington XP-100. I built a barrel wrench out of aluminum and got the barrel off without marring anything! The barrel was tight...it had a lot of red loctite by whoever rechambered factory 7BR to 7mm08. The barrel I want to put on is a stainless steel barrel in 7mmBR. I checked shoulder to face dimension and it was within 0.005" of the barrel I removed. The problem is that the ss barrel is fluted. To get the barrel "indexed" properly I need a recoil lug that is ~0.020" thicker" for everything to line up correctly. This is a center grip XP so it has the goofy lug that mounts the trigger. Do I have to have a custom lug made and milled out or.....I can sandwich 0.020" ss shim stock between some aluminum and bore and turn it out so I have a precision "washer" to be used to set dimensions? I have access to a lathe, but I do not have a milling machine. I realize headspace might be off some, but I can neck up and then reform brass to fit the chamber dimensions. Thanks, and I realize that these may be somewhat stupid questions, but it is a really cool barrel that I am trying to salvage to use as a low buck project....

 

[Dennis Sorensen]

The important thing is the headspace... if you index with a 20 thou thicker lug, I think your barrel will be out to far ... too much case out of the chamber.. and your headspace excessive as well...

Why not machine the barrel to fit with the flutes aligned the way you want, and then chamber to the correct headspace? That's what I would do...

 

[crb]

I would just screw the thing on there and go shooting. In a month or so you won't notice that the flutes don't 'line up'.