I recently picked up a savage 720 for about sixty bones at the local flee market. It seemed like a good idea at the moment... Now I'm wanting to swap it over to a rifled slug barrel. Hastings makes a sweet barrel for the Browning Auto-5 That appears (in photos) to match the lay out of the savage. However before I drop 400 bucks on a barrel I need to know for sure if these will interchange. Any body have experience in this area? Thanks ahead of time. Nat Hatfield
Savage 720 Browning a5 barrel swap??
- Thread starter nathat
- Start date
Harry Bonar
New member
Savage
Sir:
I'll probably get in trouble again but I do have one slug bbl. but it came with the SKB.
However, I've found that most slugs shoot as well "over the grooves" as with sights - as well as is needed for deer.
My honest feeling is that you will do just as well. Doc and I tested the 495 A-Square with no sights and I hit the 30# freon jug dead center. (empty)
The worse thing on a shotgun, of course, is a scope - no field of view, almost as bad as a scoped pistol!
I've got a Savage 775 liteweight with original Savage choke and really like it.
Harry B.
Sir:
I'll probably get in trouble again but I do have one slug bbl. but it came with the SKB.
However, I've found that most slugs shoot as well "over the grooves" as with sights - as well as is needed for deer.
My honest feeling is that you will do just as well. Doc and I tested the 495 A-Square with no sights and I hit the 30# freon jug dead center. (empty)
The worse thing on a shotgun, of course, is a scope - no field of view, almost as bad as a scoped pistol!
I've got a Savage 775 liteweight with original Savage choke and really like it.
Harry B.
Man you just lost me are you saying I should shoot slugs through the original modified choke barrel? Over the grooves? I just need to know if the barrel will fit. I wasn't planning on scoping it anyway... I found a hastings rifled barrel with old mauser style prop up rifle sights for 200. seems like a good deal to me.
Harry Bonar
New member
bbl.
Sir:
Welcome to the Forum.
It will be perfectly safe to shoot slugs through a full choke bbl. as the slug dia. is less than the choke.
The "fins" on "rifled slugs" have nothing to do with anything except to make the buyer think it makes them spin! It doesn't!
Harry B.
Sir:
Welcome to the Forum.
It will be perfectly safe to shoot slugs through a full choke bbl. as the slug dia. is less than the choke.
The "fins" on "rifled slugs" have nothing to do with anything except to make the buyer think it makes them spin! It doesn't!
Harry B.
Don't bother having a barrel fitted to your Savage. You can have a Browning A5 barrel fitted to your gun, but it will cost you a bundle. Like Harry said, just shoot rifled slugs through your Savage barrel and be done with it. For $400 you could buy another shotgun for rifled slugs if you so choose.
Harry Bonar
New member
bbl.
Allykat:
Yea, I had a pretty good idea a Browning bbl. would fit, as the Savage model he stated is a Browning pat.
However, my feeling on the Forum isn't to answer every question (and if I'm not sure, I don't) but to give the shooter the best option that I feel he can have - that's what I did. I don't have a problem with that but apparently you do! Let me give my advice the way I do and I respect you to do likewise.
Let's respect each other here - I'm not always out to "get" someone, and like J.B. Books I don't like it!
Harry B.
Allykat:
Yea, I had a pretty good idea a Browning bbl. would fit, as the Savage model he stated is a Browning pat.
However, my feeling on the Forum isn't to answer every question (and if I'm not sure, I don't) but to give the shooter the best option that I feel he can have - that's what I did. I don't have a problem with that but apparently you do! Let me give my advice the way I do and I respect you to do likewise.
Let's respect each other here - I'm not always out to "get" someone, and like J.B. Books I don't like it!
Harry B.
Harry, old bean, you missed the point of my question. I didn't know the answer and thought that maybe you did, and I was just looking for information. I don't know whether the Savage barrel would fit, regardless of the patent, but, being aware of your years of experience, thought you might know. I agree with your previous advice as being sound, but was just curious about the barrel fit.
For what it's worth- I do know from experience that a Remington 11 bbl won't work in an A-5. So, I would have reason to expect that to avoid patent and other such laws- the perspective manufacturers probably built in enough difference to keep parts swapping to an absolute minimum. BUT THAT'S ONLY A GUESS so don't beat me up.