Talk me out of, or into, a Take-down?
 

Anybody had a takedown bolt action rifle? I'm not in love with the look of the "seam" through the stock, and I suppose I'm worried about the integrity of the threads over time, but I'm feeling an itch to have a takedown bolt gun. I've had takedown 22lr rifles and a takedown Marlin levergun, but never a bolt gun - especially not in a 3,000-5,000ft.lbs. cartridge. Thinking about this for my wife and I's new hunting rifles, maybe make them into take-downs instead of plain switch-barrels.

Pros? Cons? Anyone ever have the threading actually "waller out" on them?

If I was an international "hit man", I might consider one. I can see no advantage to a takedown hipower rifle for hunting purposes ans perhaps a disadvantage since the more precision parts that must go together the more chances of failure.

I have been around a lot of people that used Blaser (take down) rifles. They sure are handy for travel. Blaser rifles are an odd (to me) mixture of parts and engineering but they sure are loved by their owners. A more traditional takedown like your picture with a two piece stock probably would not win any benchrest matches and it would almost have to be rough on those threads over time. But on the bright side, it would be cool and you would likely be the only guy in the zip code that has one.

I have considered taking the barreled action out of the stock for travel but I have never actually done it.

I sure can't think of any reason I would want one!

Big Uncle - that wear/abuse on the threads does worry me. I'm not sure how much more I think a takedown style would be than a switch barrel style?

I don't know how often I'll swap barrels back and forth, probably not more than once a year, or more than every few years even, but I do quite a bit of traveling, so I could take advantage of a takedown much more frequently. So if it were a takedown, I'd exercise that option a lot more than if it were a switch barrel.

I can also see an advantage of having the "seam" interface at the front of the action for the takedown engagement could act like a secondary recoil lug (ala Rem 700 style). But I don't want that forend wallering around at all, and don't want accuracy to creep if the threads have a specific shot-count lifespan.

I wouldn't be looking at a 1/3, 1/2, or 1/4 turn style interrupted large thread, I'd be looking at a standard threading, just with a sandwiched set of "locking plates" between the barrel shoulder and action.

Maybe I'll give it a try on another rifle before I commit these two rifles to the idea.

It's sounds great, along with that "takedown" .22LR for a first class "GO Bag".

Eh, I love my Blaser I got for my B-Day (What a wife huh!) back in 95. But that's a whole different animal than you intend to make. Alignment isn't an issue with the knuckle/lug style attachment. I believe you will be in a hard world getting everything to line up like you want with a full screw type you are thinking of. But you are a brilliant young engineer so you will probably figure it out.

I'm still playing with different drawings for how I'd like it to align and lock up. I'm looking at extending the threads on the barrel tenon, then threading through a plate that will be silver soldered in place on the barrel half. May look at a dovetail cut into the bottom of the receiver to hold a locking block for a mating plate on the receiver half. Dual tapered retracting locking bolts between the two plates, and a stiff spine running down the length of the underbelly of the forend to allow the barrel to free float. Won't be very light, but the extra weight will be well positioned, and frankly, there's not much wrong with an extra quarter pound or so in a 458win mag.

Sounds like a lot, but in reality, it's not much more work than I was already intending.

Considering my spare parts bench right now, I have a Rem 700 and a CZ Magnum action that I could test my plans on. If they work, then my wife and I's Rugers will get converted to takedown too.

Uhh I'd nix that silver soldering Idea. That's taking the temp up to a pretty high range. May flirt a little close to screwing the temper on the barrel.

I know that heating barrels tends to make guys itchy, but silver soldering is not an issue if a guy knows what they are doing (if ya just drop your barrel in the furnace, she'll get too hot - but that's not the right technique). Guys have been silver soldering on barrels for hundreds of years. Front sights on single action revolvers like the Colt or Ruger Vaquero are the most common instance of this that most guys are familiar with, but there are lots of other instances of modern designs using this process. Barrel bands, banded front sights, many rear sights, front sight bases on Ruger Super Blackhawks, vent ribs on shotguns, alignment/regulation lugs for double barrel guns, and the list goes on - lots of stuff still gets silver soldered to barrels every day.

It ain't a cheap/fast process and it does require skilled labor, so companies are looking for ways to eliminate that step in their production process, but it's nothing foreign.