Barrel Setback Question

K

Kimberguy2004

Guest
Like many others, I have one ofthe Remington .308s witht he long throat. I'm still trying to decide if I want to live with it, sell the gun, or have the barrel set back and rechambered. if I go with the latter, what is the customary price I could expect to pay for this?
 
Tough Job

The problem with setting back Factory Barrels a short distance, (ie, trying to save most of the chamber), is that hardly anything runs true with anything else.

Besides, since these throats are so long,you will be taking as much as 1/8 inch off of the tenon length after you establish the new throat. That means you have to re-catch the thread, etc.

I would suspect that a good Gunsmith would just about charge you the cost of a barrel job to do this.

Probably a waste of time.........jackie
 
The least work if you just want it shortened 3/8's or 1/2 inch and the chamber cut to the correct headspace with no thought of trying to make it true to the bore... just simply following what is already there... if you want the printing or sights to line up ...

the shoulder has to be cut, the rear of the barrel re machined, the thread needs to be picked up and cut a bit farther and the barrel indexed within all these measurements... and then the chamber needs to be head spaced. That is more work than if one was to fit a new barrel blank using more accurate methods of establishing the chamber.

I suggest you seat your bullets out, shoot it single shot and wear it out and then put your money in a good barrel made the way you want it... or like many do pull the factory barrel and sell it (there always seems to be a market if you price it right)

.
 
Kimberguy2004 said:
Like many others, I have one ofthe Remington .308s witht he long throat. I'm still trying to decide if I want to live with it, sell the gun, or have the barrel set back and rechambered. if I go with the latter, what is the customary price I could expect to pay for this?
Click to expand...

Go for it!

Put a new, sexy, precision benchrest bbl on.

$200-$300 plus bbl cost as a guess.

Ben
 
Butch,

I would think you would want to at least setback the length of the neck. It's unlikely his reamer would have the exact same neck dia as the remington? If the new reamer neck was smaller, you would have a step in the fired brass?

Otherwise, it would be easy, take one thread off (.062)

Ben
 
That's true if it is a smaller neck, but it doesn't have to be rethreaded to make it safe. 4 or 5 threads should be plenty.
Butch
 
Butch Lambert said:
That's true if it is a smaller neck, but it doesn't have to be rethreaded to make it safe. 4 or 5 threads should be plenty.
Butch
Click to expand...


Oh, I see what your saying....cut an undercut between the recoil lug and where the threads start.

Ok...duhh.. I just woke up and need some more coffee..

Ben
 
Butch Lambert said:
Why do the threads need to be picked up? What would it hurt except your ego to have a .300 thread relief?
Butch
Click to expand...

You're right... it would be for looks only and no one is going to see it... it's just ugly when the next guy takes the barrel off.. 3 threads will hold a barrel on...
 
Dennis,
I don't think I would do it as it ain't that hard to pick up the threads. I had a barrel set back by a one of the best BR gunsmiths and it had only a few threads. This was about 10 years ago, before I started doing my own work. It shot like a ball of fire. I still think that he is one of the best.
Dwight Scott told me to indicate the face of the shoulder. If you do that, I'll bet your chamber is dialed in.
Butch
 
Here is a Plan...

...hiring the setting back a Remington barrel is an exercise in diminishing returns. We no longer will set back a factory barrel; the labor is the same as fitting a new barrel except you are using something more suitable as a tomato stake for a work piece.

I would have to recommend that you not sell your rifle, another exercise in diminishing returns.

Why don’t you try to find some bullets that work with the longer throat? If your barrel is a 10 twist you are in luck because it will stabilize those longer bullets better that the 12 twist. You might have to shoot single shot style because of magazine restraints. Work up some loads, develop your shooting technique, learn to read the wind flags and save up a few bucks for a new barrel. When the two curves: skill and funding intersect you will have a new barrel and the skill to make the most of it. In the mean time you will not have to worry about “using up the barrel” developing your skills.

Nic.
 
Unless this factory barrel is just so good that bullet holes can't help but cling to one another on the paper, I have to agree with others that you are just polishing a turd at this point.

The only thing a GS isn't doing is cutting a new crown. As mentioned it is more work if he has to time up sights, flutes, or factory stamps/engraving than to just put a new tube on it. Your paying the money regardless so why not get a premium stick on it set up to do what you really want/need?
 
This is the perfect example of what a beginner could do on his new lathe. That would be the only reason to do it, for the practice.
 
Setting back Remington..

The factory Remington recoil lugs are usually .187 to .188. Most 5R milspec barrels are throated .100-.140 to much. Most aftermarket precision ground lugs are .249( PT&G) and .300(TANNEL) . Doing what Butch suggest just moving the shoulder back to accomodate a .300 lug. Doing the math .300-.188=.112,this is not enough to set back the barrel enough to use magazine fed case loaded to SAAMI spec 2.80" and have it touching the rifling.

Assuming the threaded portion of the tenon is .700 and the threads are 16 tpi. You are looking at approx 11.5 threads. You remove .112 you are taking away aopprox 2.5 threads.

Knowing the quality of factory barrels and the cost of a set back, my advice is to use a new high quality aftermarket barrel. You and your gunsmith will be happier.

Nat Lambeth
 
I guess this will sound silly? Who wants to shove a perfectly good reamer into a fire hardened chamber with a throat like glass? Not with my reamers! The only way I know to avoid that is by cutting off the chamber end of the barrel to get to new meat. What do you have left over to chamber?:confused:
 
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