what one gauge do i need to headspace & savage nut install

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my project is a new cal.6.5x55 barrel for a savage model 110. the new barrel needs to be headspaced. my gunsmith said he needs two gauges,a go and nogo gauge. id like to only purchase only one gauge. sorry i'm cheap,, is this possible? And how tight does the barrel nut have to be?. when i got the project started, i tried to get the barrel nut off myself with the savage barrel wrench tool, nothing i tried would loosen it. i tried everything to get the nut off . i used my bench vise with some wood pieces and alot of leather strips to protect the finish of the rifle and barrel. it would just spin around on the leather pads. even a good wack with a hammer on the wrench wouldnt do it. so i guess its on there pretty tight, but how tight? I finally ended up taking it to my gunsmith for its removal. and no i do not have a receiver jig or any specialty tools.i just own a vise and a hammer. oh, and a big screwdriver... now its time to put it back on. can anyone help me on the headspace and nut install? thanks jim
 
you can use a field gauge, but your accuracy may suffer, as well as your brass..

just suck up the $25 and buy both. if you are not going to make a savage switchbarrel(like me) you can re sell both for 2/3-3/4 the price you paid.

you dont need to hammer the barrel nut wrench on, hand pressure is fine.

use red loctite on the barrel threads if a permanent change, or never-seize if making a switchbarrel.

a lot of tips on http://switchbarrel.com/
 
this is not going to be a switch barrel. when i get the barrel on, its stayin on. so I just use alittle locktite when done. I still dont know what the two gauges actually do. once i understand how the gauges work, I can order them. they are 21.00 each.
 
A headspace is used to gauge distance between bolt face and the stoping point of the chamber, that can be the shoulder of case or the mouth or the rim.
That depends on cartigide design.
Some magnum cartidiges have a belt.
The go gauge is the nominal deminsion, the no-go is .005 or so longer
On the Savage close a go gauge in the chamber of barrel and turn barrel until it bearly touches go and lock down nut.
If a bolt closes on no-go gauge then you have excessive headspace.
CEW
 
"you can use a field gauge, but your accuracy may suffer, as well as your brass.".

You don't, I repeat don't, use a Field gauge for barrel installation.
on regualer rifles a gunsmith will use a go to set headspace and a no-go to
verify his setting.
On a Savage I take the ejector out of the bolt, screw the barrel in and insert go gauge. close the bolt and tighten till it stops, then tighten the barrel nut to about 80-90 ft/lbs. the result is a minimum chamber(which is good for accuracy). I will use a no-go to verify the bolt won't close. then reinstall the ejector and clean it up and it's ready to roll.
 
because it put a right hand pressure on the gauge, and give an inaccuate picture, not to mention putting a slight bind on the barrel as it seat to the receiver. The savage rifles hav a floating bolt head to help in headspacing.
you almost never have to lap Savage lugs due to this. The bolthead is pinned
to the end of the body. you should also meromve the extractor so that it won't put right hand pressure on the gauge
 
May I suggest the OP study the field and its terminology a little bit?

A friend and I changed barrels on our Savages with only a Go gauge pretty much as triggerman says, except we didn't buy the Nogo to double check. The Savage board says that tightening the nut will pull the barrel back to give minimum headspace plus about .0015". Seems to work ok. I have only shot mine to 1000 yards but he has worked at 1200.
 
thanks to all for the info. Listen to this. i also heard from another person to just take a resized case,Insall it into the chamber and tighten the barrel in till it stops and your good to go. Yea i guess you could do that, but just any case i use could be different than the next? Even after resizing, in one way or another? i will order the two gauges GO & NOGO now that i understand their purpose and how they actually are used.
 
People have done that and surely they keep one case set aside for the purpose, but gauges are better practice and not terribly expensive. And a .308 gauge will work for other calibers on the same case design, including .243, .260, 7mm-08, .338 Federal, and .358 Win.
 
I DID NOT DO THIS!!
I REPEAT I DID NOT DO THIS!!​

I know of someone who used a live round right out of the box to install his savage barrel. The rifle shoots well (so he tells me) I decline the opportunity to fire the rifle.
 
If the factory round he used to set the headspace was sized to the minimum tolerance he may someday find that other factory rounds (sized to the maximum tolerance) may not chamber and let the bolt close on his rifle.

The same situation could occur using a sized case as the headspace gauge.
 
Go Gauge!

triggerman770 wrote:
You don't, I repeat don't, use a Field gauge for barrel installation.
on regualer rifles a gunsmith will use a go to set headspace and a no-go to
verify his setting.
On a Savage I take the ejector out of the bolt, screw the barrel in and insert go gauge. close the bolt and tighten till it stops, then tighten the barrel nut to about 80-90 ft/lbs. the result is a minimum chamber(which is good for accuracy). I will use a no-go to verify the bolt won't close. then reinstall the ejector and clean it up and it's ready to roll.


What triggerman sez...

I'll add one thing. Using only the GO gauge, use a piece of cellophane tape, like "Scotch" brand tape.

tape over the face of the base, and trim neatly with a sharp knife. This makes your GO gauge a slightly undersized NOGO gauge. The bolt should NOT close on this, but almost! a NOGO gauge will hardly allow the bolt to close. the taped GO guage lets it almost close, if set as triggerman sez above.
to be sure, use two pieces of tape and the bolt should NOT even come close to closing.

remember to do a good job taping and trimming it off the head.
if you do not understand what I mean, GET the NOGO gauge
 
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