Savage/Bugnut - 1.25" Tenon Barrel Pic Request

[MikeMcCasland]

Gents,

Long shot I know, but any of you guys ever build a savage with a bugnut system, using any barrel with a 1.2-1.25" tenon? If so, can you share any pics? I know a few folks have done shouldered Savages, but looking for something with a nut, just for reference.

I'm in the process of obtaining all the parts I'll need for a build off a small shank action, and I can't find anyone online who's built such a monstrosity.

Thanks in advance!
Mike

 

[Dusty Stevens]

So the barrel will be turned down at the back to accomodate a nut then have a shoulder and go to 1.25? What would be the purpose in that? Seems that hinge point wouldnt be worth the gain just to have a bigger barrel

 

[MikeMcCasland]

Dusty,

I'm trying to make sense of it myself. The main benefit of the bugnut is that you can supposedly have 1.20-1.25 tenon blanks pre-threaded and chambered vs the usual 1.060 varmint contour blanks. The nut ends up being .050 larger than the tenon.

What I can't seem to wrap my head around is how the system doesn't end up creating a shoulder, when the action can only accept 1.060" of material on the breech end to begin with. Does the barrel nut just cover up the shoulder that gets created?


I don't have a lathe, so my end-goal here is to have a rig where I can get high-quality, F-T/R ready .168/.170FB .308 barrels in a matter of weeks, and can swap at home. SPR already has the reamer I want to use, they've always have bartlein blanks in stock, and I've got a spare trued up savage action just laying around.


The concept seems appealing, but I'm having a hard time making sense of how it works. Hence why I'm asking for pics

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Youd have to have a nut bigger than the action diameter, thick on the thread end and thin over the barrel and the barrel would have a shoulder. Creative machining/planning the nut would cover up that step but it would be huge in the stock- probably need to modify any one piece base you have that overhangs the front

 

[urbanrifleman]

There are pictures on the website at Southern Precision.

 

[Ggmac]

Gents,

Long shot I know, but any of you guys ever build a savage with a bugnut system, using any barrel with a 1.2-1.25" tenon? If so, can you share any pics? I know a few folks have done shouldered Savages, but looking for something with a nut, just for reference.

I'm in the process of obtaining all the parts I'll need for a build off a small shank action, and I can't find anyone online who's built such a monstrosity.

Thanks in advance!
Mike

Pm sent

 

[MikeMcCasland]

Uploading some pics Ggmac emailed to me in the hopes it'll help others. While not the bugnut system, I believe it shares the same concept. Basically a shoulder is created, but doesn't come into contact with any part of the lug/action; the nut covers it cosmetically.

 

[ssv1761982]

What is the advantage over the basic old Savage nut?

 

[Shawnba67]

What is the advantage over the basic old Savage nut?

You can use a heavier contour blank. Some folks like the MTU contour.

 

[granite1]

And the bugnut uses a wrench that can put in place without having to be slid over the barrel. Also there is the possibility of not having to relieve your stock for a barrel nut if you are changing that to.

 

[MikeMcCasland]

I'll also add, that SPR has a bunch of reamers in stock. Turns out he has a .170 freebore .308 reamer, so he can turn out 185gr/200gr cut-rifled F-T/R ready barrels for ~$550, with a 4 week turn-around. If you can get past the aesthetics of the nut system, it's a very appealing option for those of us without a lathe/machining skills.

 

[granite1]

I’m a Savage guy. Doesn’t bother me!

 

[Jarhead6870]

As mentioned above and shown in the pictures and stated by Mike McCasland, there is a shoulder but it does not contact the action. Let me add that because of this shoulder, the barrel threads are turned for a specific make of action, they are not generic like the Savage nut system, so the nut will cover the "false" shoulder.

The advantages of this system, as posted above, is it allows the end user to use ANY barrel contour by ANY manufacture with a 1.20 or 1.250 barrel shank. I've had the good fortune to install several of these systems using Bartlein barrels and the accuracy was as good as a shouldered barrel for the shooters who used the system.

 

[memilanuk]

I'll also add, that SPR has a bunch of reamers in stock. Turns out he has a .170 freebore .308 reamer, so he can turn out 185gr/200gr cut-rifled F-T/R ready barrels for ~$550, with a 4 week turn-around. If you can get past the aesthetics of the nut system, it's a very appealing option for those of us without a lathe/machining skills.

On the one hand, yay! More options is mo' betta, period.

On the other hand... I'd say that you can probably get that same chamber, or something *very* close to it, from Northland Shooter Supply in a Criterion or Shilen, for a couple hundred dollars less. If you can get past the aesthetics of a *regular* barrel nut system

One thing to note... I don't see *large* shank threads listed as a standard option on the BugNuts page. So everyone with a Savage FTR, F-Class, BR, Palma, 110BA, one of the newer 10BA Stealth, etc. etc. etc. is left in the cold with this system. One would reasonably expect that there are a *hell* of a lot more of these guns floating around out there with users eventually looking for a replacement barrel, than some of the other options listed.

 

[urbanrifleman]

The wrench I designed for Craddock Precision does not have to be slid over the barrel. It is open ended.

 

[Ggmac]

What is the advantage over the basic old Savage nut?

You can rechamber without picking up threads , use a 1.25" barrel , eliminate the nut look , and some more reasons but haven't had coffee yet .
I've threaded some over 2 inches and made the nut ( sleeve ) to fit . Used this in barrel burners while testing different throat designs and neck diameters . Some of my reamers have a 1.5" leade . COFFEE TIME !

 

[MikeMcCasland]

I got my 30" heavy palma bartlein in earlier in the week. The bugnut setup and larger contour actually makes a savage look....dare I say....not hideous.

The bugnut system is lightyears better than the stock savage nut; I'm sure that's similar to other designs mentioned re: Craddock.

It's at the smith now getting fitted to a stock and bedded. I've got a Golden Eagle waiting to toss on it once i get it back. I'll post up pics once it's complete.

 

[memilanuk]

Looking forward to seeing the pics

A year or two ago, the gunsmith I was using at the time (since moved away) did a neat feature when he worked up my Krieger heavy Palma blank - he didn't turn the shank all the way down to the normal Savage dimensions. Instead, he turned it down to the same diameter as the lip on the barrel nut, and then just enough relief in front of the nut to allow for some variation in headspacing. It turned out pretty dang slick, with a nice smooth transition from the barrel nut to the shank, and just a thin line separating the two. Sounds like thats about what the BugNut system does (the gap) but with the full diameter shank.

 

[Jarhead6870]

Looking forward to seeing the pics

A year or two ago, the gunsmith I was using at the time (since moved away) did a neat feature when he worked up my Krieger heavy Palma blank - he didn't turn the shank all the way down to the normal Savage dimensions. Instead, he turned it down to the same diameter as the lip on the barrel nut, and then just enough relief in front of the nut to allow for some variation in headspacing. It turned out pretty dang slick, with a nice smooth transition from the barrel nut to the shank, and just a thin line separating the two. Sounds like thats about what the BugNut system does (the gap) but with the full diameter shank.

Similar idea. Greg's nut actually has been relieved a little on the forward (muzzle) end and will cover the little gap you speak of.

Also, looking forward to seeing pictures of the rifle Mike...