Easy to rebarrel factory rifle

[H80Hunter]

Hey guys,

I’m looking for a factory 6.5 PRC (bolt action) and I plan to shoot it enough to eventually have to rebarrel it, assuming 1,500 rounds of life. I don’t personally know a gunsmith in southwest Wisconsin, but I’m sure there is one. That said, are there any brands that will make things easier? I don’t want to get a rifle that turns out to be a PIA to rebarrel when the time comes and have to struggle to find someone to work on it. I’m assuming Tikkas are easy because they sell prefits.

What are the top choices for ease of replacing the barrel, and what are the brands to avoid if any?

 

[Miflatlander91]

With out a gunsmith tikka is the easy button

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[wind gypsy]

Tikka is the easy choice.

 

[ID_Matt]

With out a gunsmith tikka is the easy button

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Until it's not, and your headspace is off .008". Seems for every person or 2 you find happy with a tikka pre-fit, you find one ready to burn down the barrel manufactures facility.

I do agree tikka is the best choice, but when it came time to re-barrel I would be finding a gunsmith to chamber it to your action.

 

[tt_johnsclist]

Savages are the easiest for DIY work. Tikkas are but as ID Matt noted. Any decent gunsmith should be able to work on whatever bolt gun you choose, but Remingtons are pretty standard fare for most smiths.

 

[gbflyer]

Recommend ordering your barrel well in advance of when you’re going to need it. With parts in hand, there is more than one smith who can turn a project in a decent time frame. Shaen did a full barrel/chamber/bed/assemble job for me and with shipping to and fro I still had it back in hand ~30 days later. Wait…I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone

 

[H80Hunter]

I’m definitely not going to do the work myself, I guess I just don’t to end up with something more complicated to rebarrel (for reasons I don’t understand, and that very lack of understanding that maybe they’re all the same to work on is why I won’t do it myself).

 

[ARK_Ginger]

Until it's not, and your headspace is off .008". Seems for every person or 2 you find happy with a tikka pre-fit, you find one ready to burn down the barrel manufactures facility.

I do agree tikka is the best choice, but when it came time to re-barrel I would be finding a gunsmith to chamber it to your action.

From what I've read, that's likely more due to the barrel manufacturer/pre-fit work than due to tikka. Some of the more expensive vendors for tikka prefits don't see to have the same reputation. And since this is 6.5prc he's likely able to grab a factory take-off.

To the OP, if you're able to operate a vice, ratchet, and a torque wrench, I doubt you'll have any issues barreling yourself. If you're happy with the factory barrel setup you should be able to find an unused take-off barrel fairly easy.

 

[TAArrowood]

If you have any thoughts of doing the work yourself (feel confident and have the where with all to do it) then Tikka is probably the best choice. If in doubt or don't want to do the work it really doesn't matter which action you choose( other than available parts), although the cost of doing one action over another might be more... If you're thinking factory guns The Tikka and Savage would probably require less gunsmithing.( = less cost). The Rem 700 is a great action, but if truing is required the cost can be higher.(and if you're doing that go ahead and put in a Sako or other proven extractor = cost and probably a new trigger). Just my 2 cents, but based upon my experience.. Another thing to consider might be the possibility of caliber change.. Again, Tikka might give you more options based upon initial choice. (since they make one action length) With the Tikka a replacement bolt (if head size changes) new/modified bolt stop and magazine change and your shooting a different rifle . Just talking out loud.. Good luck with your choice..

 

[XLR]

Like what was said above it is always easy to do the tikka (besides taking the damn factory barrel off). If you have a little extra cash it is always easy to do the custom route and ensure the longevity and feel of the action. I did a Rem 700 build and it shoots lights out! Guys always told me to get into a custom but I was pretty stubborn because of how accurate the rifle was. In the long run when you shoot a lot you will have appreciation for the fit and function of the custom action over the factory options. I still have my 700 and it shoots just as well as my custom action builds do but how the action runs just makes me cringe after running my Fuzion the last few months.

 

[BigSky]

You also need to take into consideration the costs of tools/gauges, etc. to do the swap and compare that to the cost of having a gunsmith do it. Does one think he will spread the cost over years and multiple barrel swaps or will one do only one foreseeable swap. That's just something to consider.

 

[gbflyer]

You also need to take into consideration the costs of tools/gauges, etc. to do the swap and compare that to the cost of having a gunsmith do it. Does one think he will spread the cost over years and multiple barrel swaps or will one do only one foreseeable swap. That's just something to consider.

Exactly. Takes a pretty good vice for a Tikka not to mention action wrench and go gage. No way it pencils for a one time deal. Then there’s people like me that are tool - crazy and do it anyway.

 

[SouthPaw]

Just don't get a Browning.

 

[Tdonat]

Seekins will rebarrel one of their rifles for you for $550. Just gotta send it in and they get it taken care of.
I personally just purchased my first Seekins PH2, definitely won’t be my last. Awesome guns for the money with a fantastic warranty.

 

[LRI_Chad]

Hey guys,

I’m looking for a factory 6.5 PRC (bolt action) and I plan to shoot it enough to eventually have to rebarrel it, assuming 1,500 rounds of life. I don’t personally know a gunsmith in southwest Wisconsin, but I’m sure there is one. That said, are there any brands that will make things easier? I don’t want to get a rifle that turns out to be a PIA to rebarrel when the time comes and have to struggle to find someone to work on it. I’m assuming Tikkas are easy because they sell prefits.

What are the top choices for ease of replacing the barrel, and what are the brands to avoid if any?

Short of something off the path, such as Blaser, Steyr, Feinwerkba, SeeHuber, Hammerli, or Grunig/Elmiger stuff, hanging a new stick on a receiver (especially anything made here in the US) is pretty straightforward.

"Gunsmith" is a lot like "lawyer." The title might imply something, but some people have no business doing it. Do your research. Mailing a rifle is easy,

Good luck.

C.

 

[H80Hunter]

I hadn't considered mailing. Does anyone have a good midwestern gunsmith they can post, or PM me?

I'm leaning toward Tikka for ease of rebarreling, but there's not much within a couple hours of me so it may be just as easy to ship. How do you usually ship a firearm for service?

 

[HandgunHTR]

I hadn't considered mailing. Does anyone have a good midwestern gunsmith they can post, or PM me?

I'm leaning toward Tikka for ease of rebarreling, but there's not much within a couple hours of me so it may be just as easy to ship. How do you usually ship a firearm for service?

LRI_Chad is a very good option. He is in SD and I have used LRI to do work on a couple of Remington actions and bolts for me.
Karl Kampfeld is another very good option, as is Shaen Rifles (Shooter71). Southern Precision (bugholes) would be my other recommendation.

As for mailing a long gun, it is pretty straight forward. Pack it up well in a box. I use the long, rectangle boxes that the Post Office sells. If you are just having it rebarreled, take the bolt out, remove the trigger, wrap the bolt and barreled action in bubble wrap and put it in the box. Fill the voids with bubble wrap or packing paper and then tape it up with good packing tape. Take it to the post office and send it off. I always use Priority Mail and insure it for the full replacement value of the firearm.

 

[aschuler]

One option to consider is Howa and the "howage" prefits with a barrel nut. I picked up an inexpensive Howa barreled action from Brownells, put it in a B & C stock and shot it for a while. Then eventually got a prefit from Preferred Barrel Blanks and installed it just like you would do a Savage. Pretty clean and easy