Decided to do a Savage rifle build "have done several Rems and Winchesters over the years" and have done plenty of research on the Savage and I'm well on my way into a model 12 but there is one bit of information I haven't come across yet...

When cutting pillars and bedding the action should it be set for the barrel nut to be seated or remain floating with the entire barrel??? I'm close to completing the stock inletting for the action and have the rear tang floating where I want but changes will occure based on how I adjust for that nut and recoil lug.

Any bit of info or thoughts will be appreciated!

Most of the lighter rifles I have are completely floated in front of the lug. The heavier rifles I have are floated from about 2" in front of the lug forward. I think the answer changes depending on who you ask. I would float the nut though.

WHEN YOU GET TO RE BARRELING ONE WILL YOU HELP ME WITH MINE?

I float the tang and everything infront of the recoil lug including the barrel nut.

You could bed the tang on the lug itself, but don't bed the barrel nut.

Float the nut....... (that's a funny statement)

EVERYTHING ahead of the recoil lug should float. Does the nut flex as the barrel does while firing? I don't know, but I doubt it. Floating all of it just makes me feel better. I think it's just a mental thing.

Thanks for the input guys... I'm gonna float everything ahead of the lug.
I probably should have just left the rifle alone it shot amazingly well out of the box. But I went into it as a builder and as a project, we'll see how it turns out!

Well what are you building? Caliber? Barrel? Etc

Are you using the nut when re barreling the rifle. My Gunsmith just threaded and fit like a reg rifle and did away with the nut. And yes if your floating the bbl usually its floated to just in front of the lug.

Don, your 'smith put a shouldered barrel on your Savage? I'm familiar with Remington 700s with a lock nut (RemAge conversion), but I have to say I'd never heard of this..Savington? conversion.

My 260 is a Savage action with an Obermeyer barrel. My smith turned it with a shoulder and did away with the barrel nut. The barrel nut is just a jam nut to tighten once you set head space. But when I good smith does his job, there's no further need for a barrel nut.

Oh, I know what the barrel nut is for. I thought that was the point of the Savage.

I've got a factory .243 barrel on it through deer season, and an unshot Brux 7 WSM waiting for warm weather. I've also got a 300 RUM barrel I got cheap at Numrich that gets installed when the need or mood hits. Love the fact I can run a wide range of chamberings and swap in minutes. But if you're committed to a cartridge, I guess there's no reason to keep the lock nut.