Been looking at the savage in 308 for a while, and was considering getting it instead of the Tikka. With that said, what caliber barrels can I use if I buy a 308 savage?
If the action is a medium length, the magazine dimensions will dictate the caliber. 7mm-08, .284 Rem, .243, .22-250, or anything in that class of cartridges.
If it has a long action (many Savages were built on the long action and chambered in standard/medium length cartridges) then .30-06, 7mm Rem mag and anything shorter.
If it has a long action (many Savages were built on the long action and chambered in standard/medium length cartridges) then .30-06, 7mm Rem mag and anything shorter.
It will work with the 7mm mag but you would have to change the bolt as well, since the 7 mm has a different head size than the .30-06. To keep it simple, you would have to change out the barrel to similar head sizes, like the .30-06, .270 Winchester, .243, .280 Remington, etc. so you can use the original bolt.
I have an old Savage 110 in .243 that I've thought of changing out to .308 but just never got around to it. And it's killed so many deer, I probably never will.
I haven't checked but Midway used to carry a nice selection of Savage after market barrels and the wrench to remove/reinstall them. Then all you need is a set of GO/NO GO gauges.
.300 Savage is the parent case for .308, and .308 is the parent case for .243.
.250 Savage is the parent case for .22-250, so that is where they are similar.
I'd imagine there are a number of other cartridges out there that work. I think the rim diameter is .473. I just remember it as 12mm, which is just shy of 1/2"
