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I bought a new stainless barrel chambered in 243 and decided to put it on an old Savage 110CL that I bought 25 years as a 243 but converted to 22/250 15 years ago.
I got the old barrel off with no problems and installed the now SSS stainless recoil lug and nut. (tight fitting threads, I had to use the nut wrench to get it started). I got the barrel in the action, lined up the lug and put a fired case in the bolthead and screwed the barrel in until it felt solid and tightened up the barrel nut.
I then opened the bolt and pulled the fired case out and then decided to drop it on the magazine carrier and feed it in again. I closed the bolt and then opened it up and there's no case. I looked in the chamber and could see the cartridge head so I shut the bolt again, opened it and still it wouldn't extract the case. Using a cleaning rod, the case pushed out with no problem.
I pulled the bolt out, examined the extractor and decided that it looked worn. So I changed it out with one off of a spare bolthead that I had on hand. I clip another case in the bolt head and the extractor held it firmly. I reinstalled the bolt, dropped another case on the follower, fed it into the chamber and closed the bolt again. I opened the bolt and the case was still in the chamber. Now I'm swearing at it as there is obviously something wrong with this barrel.
I loosen the barrel nut, re-checked the headspace re-tightened the barrel nut. Open the bolt and there's no cartridges case again!
Obviously there is a difference in the old 110 bolthead and the newer barrels so since I was going to order a new stock for this gun anyway, I decide that I'll have to send it in to Sharp Shooter Supply (Fred) to get this thing assembled correctly.
I tape the bottom metal, action bolts and magazine release to the barreled action to get it ready to ship and decide that I better include a couple of fired cases that my dies are adjusted to to give Fred a reference point.
I took another fired case from the plastic box and shut the lid and then noticed that the cartridge box said "22.250" on it.
Yes, I had just spent an hour trying to headspace a 243 barrel using fired 22.250 cases!
I got the old barrel off with no problems and installed the now SSS stainless recoil lug and nut. (tight fitting threads, I had to use the nut wrench to get it started). I got the barrel in the action, lined up the lug and put a fired case in the bolthead and screwed the barrel in until it felt solid and tightened up the barrel nut.
I then opened the bolt and pulled the fired case out and then decided to drop it on the magazine carrier and feed it in again. I closed the bolt and then opened it up and there's no case. I looked in the chamber and could see the cartridge head so I shut the bolt again, opened it and still it wouldn't extract the case. Using a cleaning rod, the case pushed out with no problem.
I pulled the bolt out, examined the extractor and decided that it looked worn. So I changed it out with one off of a spare bolthead that I had on hand. I clip another case in the bolt head and the extractor held it firmly. I reinstalled the bolt, dropped another case on the follower, fed it into the chamber and closed the bolt again. I opened the bolt and the case was still in the chamber. Now I'm swearing at it as there is obviously something wrong with this barrel.
I loosen the barrel nut, re-checked the headspace re-tightened the barrel nut. Open the bolt and there's no cartridges case again!
Obviously there is a difference in the old 110 bolthead and the newer barrels so since I was going to order a new stock for this gun anyway, I decide that I'll have to send it in to Sharp Shooter Supply (Fred) to get this thing assembled correctly.
I tape the bottom metal, action bolts and magazine release to the barreled action to get it ready to ship and decide that I better include a couple of fired cases that my dies are adjusted to to give Fred a reference point.
I took another fired case from the plastic box and shut the lid and then noticed that the cartridge box said "22.250" on it.
Yes, I had just spent an hour trying to headspace a 243 barrel using fired 22.250 cases!
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