What is the "change barrel" rifle concept?

[chronoblip]

Since it seems like we're trying to build a knowledge base across a broad range of experiences, I wanted to ask a question that feels obvious but it'd be nice to have on the record here:

Exactly what do people mean when they refer to having a "change barrel" rifle?

At one level it seems like a Savage (1X/11X/Axis) would have potential due to the way the barrel, action, and barrel nut can be used to set correct cartridge headspacing without machining. While not quite as quick a process as with the TC Contender/Encore style single-shot rifles/pistols, that it can still be a fairly quick process.

So when someone has a "change barrel" rifle, is it just that they have collected the relevant tools (go/no-go, vices, wrenches) and parts (barrel, nut, bolt face) to swap the barrel out quickly and efficiently on some regular basis for different shooting applications versus someone just selecting one cartridge and retaining that barrel mated to the action till they've shot it out and replace it entirely?

Secondarily, for folks who do have a "change barrel" setup, how does one account for or mitigate shifts in Point of Impact versus Point of Aim between two different barrels? Does it require re-zero'ing, or is it similar to "takedown" rifles where the idea is that the barrel comes off and can be reinstalled easily without needing to worry much about such considerations?

Thirdly, what might be a benefit for a "change barrel" setup versus just having separate rifles? Is it actually less expensive, or better for folks who might have restrictions on what they can purchase, or something like that?

Thanks for your time and inputs to clarify something that seems like it's obvious, but I'd rather ask the question out loud and get clarity for myself and any others who may come along and not know.

 

[K9TXS]

When I bought my first Savage I didn't have any intention on changing out the barrel unless it needed to be changed. When I got my second Savage, the same thing. However, after buying the third I decided to use it as a true switch barrel.

I have a Savage 110 PCS handgun in .223 caliber. For the same handgun, I also have 2 additional barrels, a .20 Practical and a 6 BR. I also have 2 bolts, one for the .223 & .20 P, one for the 6BR.

When you have the right tools, it's easy and fast to change out a barrel. Having Go/No gages is a must as well as a barrel nut wrench. Some people don't use a torque wrench when tightening the barrel. I had one before I bought my first Savage so I use it when changing out the barrels. My barrel vise is setup to work off my trailer hitch.

There will be a shift in the POI. My .20 P shoots much flatter than my 6BR. When I got my 2nd barrel, I made several notes regarding the POI change. I can usually dial it in from prior notes and will not be too far off the mark.

When a new barrel cost around $450 (+-) as compaired to a $1,000, you can quickly see the difference.

 

[ONE-TEN]

From my understanding, a Change Barrel Rifle allows quick barrel change without need of setting headspace. And typically, minimal, or no tools required.

The Desert Tech Bullpups are TRUE Change Barrel Rifles. The barrel is inserted & rotated 1/2 turn until it “clicks”, locking the index. Then 4 screws are torqued to 70in.lbs. No Headspacing gauge or specialty tools needed, besides a torque driver/wrench. Below is a video showing the process. Now, I hate to post this guy’s videos. He is about the biggest DOUCHE BAG there is! This guy is a huge gear snob from Sniper-hideout Forum. He nit only HATES Savage, but has claimed over & over that even owning a Savage makes the person “lesser than”. In other words, he truly believes he is a BETTER person than those with Savage Rifles. But his video shows the procedure quickly. And since I’m not a SCUM BAG who thinks I’m better than anyone, for whatever reason”gear” I have, I’ll still post his video.

 

[Josh06]

For me it was about having multiple cartridges on one rifle "system" and not having to purchase more donor rifles and upgrade stock and glass across multiple cartridges. At one point I had 3 different barrels, 2 different mags and 2 bolts heads for one gun with .223, 7.62x40wt and 308 barrels to use in a variety of hunting situations. I had a pure precision stock (~$700) and sig whiskey 5 (~$1000 when I got it) on the set up. Switching out barrels on the one platform was much more cost effective for me at the time than investing in 3 complete rifles. I have since built a complete rifle for the 7.62x40wt and got rid of the 308 barrel. It would take about 10 minutes for me to change from .223 to .308 and would require sighting in scope.

 

[bulabula]

I've always heard, and used the term "switch barrel" for Savages rather than change barrel. But yeah, OP has it correct on the hw/technical side.
This was the reason I bought my first savage years ago. A left hand Axis 270 win. I never saw many lefty's, and had no need for the 270, so I invested in the tools and barrel and did my first switch. I now have 5 Savages but have only switched 2 of them.

Edit: I don't switch my Savages out on a daily or weekly basis, but I understand some guys do, and may switch while at the range. I can do it quickly, but the juice isn't worth the squeeze to me. I never thought about my TC Contender being a switch barrel as I do my Savages, but it is for sure - and much easier. Prior to getting into my Savage, I looked at the Blaser R8, and that's a mighty fine system. Its very nice but also very pricey, hence my diving into the Savage barrel nut realm.

 

[ONE-TEN]

By all accounts we could call the AR15 a Switch Barrel Rifle. Easier to swap an AR barrel than a Savage even. Still, it’s not considered a true Switch Barrel setup. The main feature to be a true Switch Barrel is the ability to swap barrels with simple tools. Any rifle needing a special tool technically disqualifies it from being true Switch Barrel.

 

[chronoblip]

That's probably been part of the confusion on my end at least, very close synonyms being used, along with modularity in the designs, kinda muddied the water. But, if a good chassis is thousands, and a good optic might be multiple thousands on top of that, then being able to swap calibers and re-zero would be a lot less expensive than parallel independent rifle setups.

 

[kelbro]

With a Savage Model 10/12, I can change from a 223 to a 308 in less than 10 minutes. Yes, the bolt has to be swapped too. I have the notes for the scope re-zero and am usually just a few clicks away from being on target.

 

[ONE-TEN]

With a Savage Model 10/12, I can change from a 223 to a 308 in less than 10 minutes. Yes, the bolt has to be swapped too. I have the notes for the scope re-zero and am usually just a few clicks away from being on target.

Yes, it’s not really about the time a person can learn to change out the barrel. It’s the ease of changing that is key. Also, to be considered a True Change Barrel, it must be able to be accomplished with common tools available. No proprietary tooling like the Action wrench, what not.

 

[CFJunkie]

I would suggest that a SAKO Quad is an better example of a change barrel or a switch barrel concept design.
Mine came with 4 barrels - 22LR, 22WMR, 17 HMR and 17M2.
There was one screw to remove a barrel and replace it with another, and, amazingly Burris sold a 3-9X scope that had a reticle adjustment with 4 parts, one for each caliber, that could be set for each barrel.
I have the scope also.
Amazingly, the zero scope setting for each barrel would remain correct with each barrel change.
Incredible engineering of the rifle mount to be able to do that, and the rifle was very accurate too, even with the 17M2 barrel.

 

[ONE-TEN]

I would suggest that a SAKO Quad is an better example of a change barrel or a switch barrel concept design.
Mine came with 4 barrels - 22LR, 22WR, 17 HMR and 17M2.
There was one screw to remove a barrel and replace it with another, and, amazingly Burris sold a 3-9X scope that had a reticle adjustment with 4 parts, one for each caliber, that could be set for each barrel.
I have the scope also.
Amazingly, the zero scope setting for each barrel would remain correct with each barrel change.
Incredible engineering of the rifle mount to be able to do that, and the rifle was very accurate too, even with the 17M2 barrel.

Definitely, that is a switch barrel setup!

 

[Paddyd]

Since it seems like we're trying to build a knowledge base across a broad range of experiences, I wanted to ask a question that feels obvious but it'd be nice to have on the record here:

Exactly what do people mean when they refer to having a "change barrel" rifle?

At one level it seems like a Savage (1X/11X/Axis) would have potential due to the way the barrel, action, and barrel nut can be used to set correct cartridge headspacing without machining. While not quite as quick a process as with the TC Contender/Encore style single-shot rifles/pistols, that it can still be a fairly quick process.

So when someone has a "change barrel" rifle, is it just that they have collected the relevant tools (go/no-go, vices, wrenches) and parts (barrel, nut, bolt face) to swap the barrel out quickly and efficiently on some regular basis for different shooting applications versus someone just selecting one cartridge and retaining that barrel mated to the action till they've shot it out and replace it entirely?

Secondarily, for folks who do have a "change barrel" setup, how does one account for or mitigate shifts in Point of Impact versus Point of Aim between two different barrels? Does it require re-zero'ing, or is it similar to "takedown" rifles where the idea is that the barrel comes off and can be reinstalled easily without needing to worry much about such considerations?

Thirdly, what might be a benefit for a "change barrel" setup versus just having separate rifles? Is it actually less expensive, or better for folks who might have restrictions on what they can purchase, or something like that?

Thanks for your time and inputs to clarify something that seems like it's obvious, but I'd rather ask the question out loud and get clarity for myself and any others who may come along and not know.

Usually, a change barrel system is a custom type rifle people pay BIG money for. I like my 2 Savage rifles because I now have two rifles that I can swap out barrels and caliber in 10 or 15 minutes at home. I consider a Savage to be my poor man's change barrel rifle.

 

[ONE-TEN]

Usually, a change barrel system is a custom type rifle people pay BIG money for. I like my 2 Savage rifles because I now have two rifles that I can swap out barrels and caliber in 10 or 15 minutes at home. I consider a Savage to be my poor man's change barrel rifle.

That is a good way to look at it. LOL!

Although, some, like myself, love our Savage 110’s enough to build it into a custom setup. So my once inexpensive model 10, is no longer “inexpensive”. Actually, more than a couple have questioned putting any money into a Savage. But it’s the Action I’ve enjoyed making better.




Still, you are somewhat correct. Even with all the money I’ve put into BOTH configurations of this rifle, it STILL isn’t as much as buying ONE Desert Tech rifle. This is a TRUE “Switch Barrel” rifle and costs $6,000. And another barrel/bolt to swap to another cartridge is between $1,700-$2,000 EXTRA! Not to mention, it’s about as FUGLY as a rifle can get! (I hate Bullpups!, LOL!)

 

[Paddyd]

That is a good way to look at it. LOL!

Although, some, like myself, love our Savage 110’s enough to build it into a custom setup. So my once inexpensive model 10, is no longer “inexpensive”. Actually, more than a couple have questioned putting any money into a Savage. But it’s the Action I’ve enjoyed making better.




Still, you are somewhat correct. Even with all the money I’ve put into BOTH configurations of this rifle, it STILL isn’t as much as buying ONE Desert Tech rifle. This is a TRUE “Switch Barrel” rifle and costs $6,000. And another barrel/bolt to swap to another cartridge is between $1,700-$2,000 EXTRA! Not to mention, it’s about as FUGLY as a rifle can get! (I hate Bullpups!, LOL!)

Actually, despite all the many parts that make up the Savage, the bolt is actually an engineering marvel in that the bolt head floats a few thousands in all directions which give a more even lug lockup than say a M700 or M70. Those actions require squaring and lapping on a lathe to achieve that. The main 2 shortcomings on most Savages are the stocks and barrels. While lots of Savage barrels "can" shoot, they just won't shoot as consistently as a good stress relieved, lapped barrel will. I always had cold bore fliers until I started changing barrels. The old multi screw triggers like on my 1990s 110FP are very good too in my opinion since they are adjustable for sear engagement as well as pull weight. Ive owned Remington, Winchester and Savage, but my 2 shooters are my rebarreled Savage 110FP and 12 LRPV.

 

[chronoblip]

This phenomenon is why I have changed how I look at the Axis and the 1X/11X in the same way I changed how I looked at early 90's Honda commuter cars.

Sure, they aren't necessarily the nicest or greatest performing from the factory, but if you know what you're doing, you can get a lot of performance with a few intentional changes. A lot of GunTubers are like Top Gear - testing factory stuff only and not really evaluating the platform overall.

Sat down in the early 00's with a racing shop to talk about how to select a "track car", and was told that it was smarter to go out and buy a Civic for $2k and put $15k into parts than go out and buy a BMW, Porsche, or Corvette for $17k. Sure, the car would ride horrible on the street, but everything that mattered would be refined for the track. Sure, all those other cars were better performing from the factory, but were also tuned to be comfortable and reliable on the street and not maximum performance on a track. And folks wouldn't drive them hard to extract the most they could because of how much it cost just to get into the car, as well as spare parts.

Likewise, if the barrel and stock are the weak point for Savage? New shooter probably wouldn't actually be able to tell the difference either way, but by the time they've shot their first barrel out, they can upgrade and keep the action and trigger and make changes from there. Shame it can't seem to work that way.