We at Border Barrels have fitted hundreds (maybe thousands) of .22 rimfire barrels over the past ten years. As the result, we have refined and developed our method of fitting barrels to give the best results possible. Below is an easy step-by-step approach to fitting a drop-in Border barrel to your rifle. The pictures show us fitting a barrel to an 14 series Anschutz rifle, but we make barrels for the 18, 19 and 20 series rifles too, and we now make drop in barrels for Walther rifles and Feinwerkbau rifles.

STEP ONE: Remove the pins

After taking the bolt out and removing the trigger, the first thing to do is to remove the two side pins which help retain the barrel in the action. Hold the action in a vice with soft or protected jaws, and using a large (2lb) hammer and a suitable punch, knock out the pins. Note that the pins are knocked out from the top of the action.

STEP TWO: Knocking out the barrel

Now that the pins are out, put a mandrel up the action which is machined to be a nice sliding fit. Holding the action in a gloved hand, take the 2 lb hammer and knock the barrel out. It takes some effort to do this! (Good idea to wear hearing protection while doing this.) This is best done outside, or at least pointing the barrel where it will do no harm as it comes flying out of the action!

STEP THREE: Removing extractors and firing pin assembly

The next step is to remove the firing pin assembly by unscrewing the cap at the back end of the bolt and withdrawing the firing pin assembly complete. The extractors are then removed using a small electricians screwdriver or, better, a special little tool made up to do the job. Just push the tool in behind the back of the extractor, between the extractor and the front of the spring loaded plunger, and lever the thing out.
The extractor is held in place with a spring loaded plunger, so make sure the bolt is pointing into a suitable container or the spring and plunger will disappear, never to be found!
The bolt handle and the cap at the back of the bolt which holds it in place should then be replaced.

STEP FOUR: Gluing in the barrel.

Gluing in a .22 rimfire barrel is a very satisfactory way of attaching the barrel to the action. Using type 601 Loctite, it will take about 5.5 tons of force to push the barrel out again - which is many times the force it experiences during cartridge ignition! Too, there are no real problems in aligning the extractor slots - a problem when screwing the barrel in, and there is no resulting stresses in the action or barrel as there are when screwing or clamping the barrel in place.
The inside of the front of the action where the barrel goes should be cleaned out to ensure there are no powder residues or grease and then rubbed with some emery paper to give a good keying surface for the Loctite.
A thin film of type 601 Loctite is then smeared around the inside of the action AND around the back end of the barrel which will go into the action. Only use a thin film of glue. Do not let the glue run into the extractor slots.
It is a good idea to draw a line on the bottom of the acton from the centre of the front bedding screw hole to the front of the action. This will help aligning the barrel to the witness mark on the bottom of the barrel so that the extractor slots are in the right place and the sight mounts are on the top! (19 series Anschutz actions have a slot cut into the action at this point. Just align the witness mark to the centre of this slot.) Then gently slide the barrel right into the action as far as it will go, using a rotary motion to ensure the Loctite is evenly spread over the join. Finish with the witness mark lined up with the mark you have made on the action, as shown in the picture to the right.
The front bedding screw should now be screwed in so that it lightly bottoms out on the barrel and holds the barrel in place.

STEP FIVE: Adjusting the headspace

Grip the barrel in a vice with protected jaws. Now insert a headspace gauge into the chamber. A .042" gauge is the recommended size for most consistant results.
Then close the bolt onto the gauge. If the front bedding screw is done up too tight, you will not be able to close the bolt. If the front bedding bolt is not done up too tight, then you should be able to close the bolt and you will see the barrel move forward out of the action by a few thou'. This is as it should be.
The idea is to do the front bedding bolt up so that the barrel can move forward while closing the bolt and so that you DO NOT HAVE TO USE A LOT OF FORCE to close the bolt!

You may like to practice with some dry runs without the glue before doing a "wet run", so that you get a feel for how much you should tighten the front bedding bolt.
After the head space has been adjusted by closing the bolt onto the headspace gauge, remove the bolt and the headspace gauge. Then allow the glue to set for at least an hour - preferably overnight.

STEP SIX: Putting the side pins back in.

After the glue has set, the side pins can be replaced in the action by gently tapping them in from the top as shown. There are clearance slots cut into the barrel which mean that the pins now play no part in retaining the barrel in the action. Replacing the pins is just a cosmetic operation - the finished job looks better with them in than out!
The extractor claws can now be replaced. The two extractors are different! Make sure you put them into the correct slots.
With 14 and 18 series Anschutz rifles, you will have to transfer the forsight block from the old barrel to the new. The forsight block on the original Anschutz barrel is held in with Loctite, so make sure your use a well fitting screwdriver to remove the screws, and push down hard while starting to unscrew the screws so that the screwdriver does not slip.
Replace the firing pin assembly in the bolt and you are ready to go out shooting!

You will need an bottle of type 601 Loctite glue, a 2 lb hammer, a small punch for pushing out the side pins, a mandrel for pushing out the barrel, a .042" headspace gauge and a tool for getting the extractor claws out. (A small electricians screwdriver will do the job here.)