I have a stupidly accurate Savage 112BVSS in 25-06 that I used to use for prairie dog hunts many years ago. the rifle still shoots 87 grain Sierra spitzers into consistent 1/2" groups.

I'm thinking about re-chambering it for a longer range elk rifle (out to 500). This project would require:

new barrel or a rebore
new high-end glass
new projectile selection
heckuvalot of practice
better rangefinder

if you were going to do this......

1. what caliber would you recommend? (currently leaning towards 280AI for bullet selection and ease of re-using existing bolt.

2. and would you re-bore the existing barrel, or buy a replacement barrel? I really have almost no use of the 25-06 anymore, as my prairie dog connection is no more. (I'm no longer dating his niece, and worse yet..... he died recently)

3. if a replacement barrel, who would you recommend using as a barrel source?

4. if a rebore, JES?

I did that with my 270 because it would only shoot 140’s well… in hind sight that was OK, but I wanted to try a 280AI and that’s what I built.

if the rifle shoots well now, just get a good barrel, and a semi customer reamer that is slightly tighter than SAAMI won’t be a bad idea….

I used a Kreiger barrel on mine.

A couple parting thoughts, even though you didn't ask specifically:

-Resist the urge to do a Savage nut-style 'prefit'. Use a 'smith with good accuracy credentials and have the new barrel fitted up to your action Remington-style with a quality, surface ground recoil lug. The action will need to have the face trued and threads single pointed to remove any taper. Other than that, there's not a lot to do to these Savage actions.

-Have it bedded correctly by someone familiar with the quirks of the Savage action.

-Have your scope bases bedded to the action. These Savages are all over the place when it comes to the receivers, especially the older flat rear bridge style like the BVSS's.

Cool project! -Al

If it's stupidly accurate, IMHO it would be stupid to mess with it.

If it will shoot heavy partitions go hunt with it.

I wouldn’t pay a gunsmith to shoulder a savage barrel. By the time you buy a barrel and pay the smith you could buy a brand new rifle, and still have the cool 25-06. The BVSS heavy prone style stock is a poor choice for a walk around hunting rifle. Just my opinion.

I completely agree it's a horrible carrying rifle. that wouldn't be the application at all. my normal elk rifle is a Savage LWH that weighs right at 7# with scope, ammo, sling.

Savage is the only rifle it doesn't make economic sense to rebore. I've only installed a few savage pre-fits but the worst of them shot 1/2 moa. Call NSS, get a new barrel (and wrench and headspace gauge if you don't have them) and call it good.

Where are you elk hunting?? Is it in griz country?? If so, 280 AI is kinda light. If in AZ/CO/NM/OR/WA the 280 AI is fine. Leave your 25-06 alone and go find another action/donor rifle and buy a good prefit barrel.

TRUTH!

thanks for the guidance/feedback, all.

I have a new Criterion barrel headed to the house now.

next item is brass dies and projectiles....

The only hitch with an after market barrel with a barrel nut is the timing of the barrel, which comes into play if you are shooting over 300 yards.

Every barrel has some offset in the direction the bore & barrel leave the rifle, so where the barrel stops spinning determines where that is pointing.
Generally you want it pointing up, if you are shooting under 300 pointing down is OK ….

IF it’s pointing sideways you can get left to right variations, this is often seen if your rifle shoots a bit to the left at one range, but as you shoot further it shoots more ot the side, different things like temps can make it worse but the point is you have added a sideways oscillation to the rifle while everything else is oscillating up and down…
When the bore is timed pointing up that change contributes or takes away from drop which is varying anyway…. But at least you don’t get sideways creep into the equation.
Given the threads are course compared to the one to two thousands of headspace you need to stick with, where ever the barrel stops when the headspace is right is what you get.

If you aren’t an accuracy nut you may never notice it, if you don’t shoot more than a couple hundred yards you probably will never notice it…
And lets face it, there are a great many people who don’t shoot enough to notice it in the first place.
I’m the sort of guy trying to shoot around a pebble at 400 yards to nail that peek-a-boo Pdog… so for me, I might notice it.

CBI barrels are well known & accurate..prob from NSS ?

Been spinning Savage barrels on/off for 20 yrs or so

Pac Nor has always been my barrel of choice for odd ball p/dog calibers

I've always used FL sized brass instead of go/no go gauges to set HS

Factory barrel nuts are usually very tight....vise suggested...Kroil....heat gun

https://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-.../barrel-vises/barrel-vise-prod58959.aspx

The quality of the barrel is by far the biggest factor in accuracy…. So putting a better one on will always improve accuracy.

All tolerances are stackable, and all things add up to make rifles more accurate (or less), so the more you fix the better off you are.

There is a way to handle the barrel nut timing issue of course if you think about it.

I got this sav 110E in 1984 for $75 as a 30-06.

Last month I modified it.
Two weeks ago I sighted in for hunting.
140 gr NAB at 3200 fps.
Sighted in at 200 yards and then shot a 1.5" (3) shot group at 100 yards. That was windy and I was not shooting my best,

Bartlein 280AI barrel, with headspace on the shoulder, not the nut.
Timney trigger
ground recoil lug.
Brownells stock.
Homemade pillars that match the receiver radius.
Aftermarket bolt handle.
Homemade bolt knob with coin in the end.



The bolt release interfered with the pillar.


I cut a relief in the bolt release for the pillar.