Savage 220 barrel fitting

[riverdog]

I bought a Savage 220 L-D barrel in 16 gauge (ebay) to mate with a Savage 219. The breech end of the barrel is out of square and would need to be trued in order for the barrel to fit. Are the 220 barrels commonly out of square? The I have a older Utica 12 gauge 220 barrel that is perfectly true, so was surprised how bad this barrel is.

[pietro]

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I would send the faulty barrel back for a refund.

E-bay has a policy that's mandatory for a seller to accept a return and give a refund.

The only catch is that the seller has to receive the returned item within a specified time spam.

If you go to your purchase on E-bay, there should be a tab there for an item return - click on it and follow the directions.

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[riverdog]

Pietro, do you see that kind of defect very often? it was out about 3/32".

[uscra112]

That's an insane amount of error. I won't for a minute believe it left the factory like that. Bubba has been messing with it. Return it if you can.

[riverdog]

I bought it about a year ago for a 219b. Tried to fit it in the rifle and put it away when it didn't fit easily, as I had other projects going at the time. Now I'm ready to work on it. Put a square on it and realized what the problem is.
Long winded way of saying I don't think returning it is an option. No obvious signs of Bubba. It's a later barrel of Westfield, Mass. manufacture.

[uscra112]

If I had it here, I'd put it in the lathe, but how much to take off? What happens to headspace? And other questions. In which plane is it out of square? Top-to-bottom? Or left-tp right? Or some oblique in between?

Maybe the best you can do is use a marking substance like lipstick on the standing breach to find the high points on the barrel face and start filing them off.

I have a 219a .30-30 which came with a 12ga barrel that I've never mounted. Now I'm nervous about it.

[riverdog]

It's out of square bottom to top, that is, the gap is at the top when checked with a square.

[Texas by God]

I would fit it to lock up on the frame, then stub it to a low pressure cartridge or bush the chamber to 28 gauge or .410 bore. I guess it would depend on how much of the breech end that you have to remove to make the barrel fit properly. The 16 gauge chamber could be recut at that time if that route is chosen.

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[riverdog]

I'll have to trim the extractor as well. I assume the extractor would then have to be re-hardened?

[Drm50]

Did you actually put a square on the barrel ? I mess with 220, 219 and 94s a good bit. I have found Bubba usually files or grinds on the stud that rides hinge pin. I have never run across one that had been worked on breech end. That takes a special kind of stupid. Savage did put out guns that bad when they folded in late 80s. The 223/ 12s were terrible and that bad.

[riverdog]

Yes, after trying looking at the barrel from all angles and taking comparative measurements against the original barrel, I did put a square on the breech end and could not believe what I was seeing. Went in the house for lunch then back to the shop to check with the square again. Yup, still out of square.

This barrel is stamped Westfield, Mass. 220L-D so, if I understand correctly, would have been about the end of production for the 219/220

[ARKANSAS PACKRAT]

I put a .410 mod 220 barrel on a 219, it was out of square top to bottom of the breech, no signs of any mods. I chucked it up and took a light cut or two and when it was square it fit and latched fine. I removed .020 at the most.

[pietro]

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You could install the barrel, tie the gun to a spare tire and test fire it via a long string on the trigger to find out if the function is OK.

As to my advice to return it, why not try ? - all they do is to say "no".

Failing that, the rear of the barrel can be made square - the excessive headspace that is the result can be corrected via moving the barrel backward so it seats evenly on the standing breech.

The barrel can be moved rearward by adding a solid filler to the forward side of the barrel's under lug hook - shim at first until the correct thickness is achieved, then make the installation permanent (soldering, epoxying, whatever).


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[riverdog]

Arkansas Packrat, was yours a Utica 220 barrel or one of the later 220-L barrels?

I don't have a lathe, so would either have to pay someone to do it or tackle it with a file. I'm having so much fun as an amateur working on older guns, I'm considering buying a lathe and learning to use it.

[riverdog]

Pietro, this barrel is for a 219B rifle that I have. Not seeing much available for sale with the correct cocking mechanism for that gun, so I'm gambling that I can make this work, rather than return it.

I do think your advice is sound, haha one of my many defects is taking the hard way too often.

[riverdog]

Pietro, I was thinking about your idea of using filler material to correct the headspace. Would JB Weld be up to the task or is there something else you would recommend?

[RustyReel]

Pietro, I was thinking about your idea of using filler material to correct the headspace. Would JB Weld be up to the task or is there something else you would recommend?

Potterfield has a video on how to do this with a double shotgun, same thing should work on a single. Of course he has a very well equipped shop but I think a guy could make that repair with hand tools.

[riverdog]

RustyReel, Thanks for the heads up. I'll check it out right now.

[pietro]

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I use a BCS (beer can shim), cut to fit, then solder to secure the shim.

Shim stock, however, is available at most good hardware stores (not big box stores).

While JB Weld is good for some things, I wouldn't use it for this app (YMMV)

[riverdog]

RustyReel, That's just what I needed. Just a few purchases to make and I'll give it a go. Looks like I owe Larry a beer.