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.

You will no doubt be soldering on a barrel band and perhaps an extra recoil lug even if you do not end doing either a switch barrel or take down rig. I am a big believer in crossbolts and the extra lug for the big rifles. I often learn the hard way.

This link is my solution to take down rifles - http://www.nalpak.com/Tuffpak-1050-G...shioned-Handle

The one that I use is a little bit different as it utilizes a padlock. In airports and hotels most people think I am wheeling around my golf clubs.

Oh I know it's not foreign. But what you are proposing will take a lot more heating around the barrel end to solder it well enough to withstand recoil. Spot heating long enough for the "spot welds" such as front sites and such doesn't require long heating cycles like what you will have to do to do a proper soldering. Keeping that barrel end at silver soldering heat can destabilize your temper. Just food for thought. Wouldn't want to see you do this and lose an eye or something because your chamber blew apart. Chromoly can be a very ill tempered metal to deal with. It takes bends and stuff extremely well but when you start messing around in 800+ degree heat then you start getting iffy. Stainless is even more so a pain in the rear as it is pretty heat sensitive as well.

Just a thought but wouldn't a rifle barreled action and the stock be close to as compact when disassembled? You could pillar/glass bed a stock or even better aluminum bedding block and have it quick take apart and quick reassembly for a LOT less cost, and it wouldn't wear the barrel threads like a true take down would. If bedded properly, it will come apart & reassemble with no change in impact, and still be about as short, depending on barrel length.

Did you ever make a decision? I for one would really like to see your results.

Still working on it, kinda. I definitely need to try my hand at a takedown, but I have other projects in line ahead of it.

I did change my mind a bit - the rifles I'm building for my wife and I will be large enough projects within themselves, so I bought another Ruger Hawkeye All-Weather as a potential donor, and I do have this CZ .416Rigby action that would be suitable (so terribly sad this thing is blued).

I'm favoring these actions, despite their CRPF design, over the Rem 700 because I believe the integral recoil lug on the action will be easiest to play with - I can bed the lug solid into the rear half of the stock, put a mating plate with an indexing pin at the front of the action and collared around the barrel threads, then let them lock in place. With a Rem style recoil lug, the lug wouldn't be supported not secured to the action when the barrel was removed, so I think it just invites problems.