What would you do??

A

ackertjosh

Regular
Rating - 100%
25   0   0
Location
Bruce County Ontario
So here is my Dilemma and im hoping you all would be able to help me out.

I Have a Remington Model 788 in .222Rem with a shot out barrel. The Action is still in great shape and i just refinished the stock and put a Timmy trigger on it. Take it to the range and 200 shots later groups go all to hell and now the barrel is pooched. When i took it to my Gun Smith i noticed he had a Rem 700 in 222 that he did some work on and the gun is absolutely beautiful. So i bought it in plans to turn it into a loaner gun and use its barrel on the 788 and turn the 700 into a 6x45(223 necked up to 6mm).... Well i have fallin in love with the rem 700 and do not wanna replace the barrel....... So here is the thing....

The 788 Detachable magazines in 222.. would they allow for a 223 shell in it necked up to 243????? or would i run out of magazine length for the bullets compared to proper seating depth.... Next.... would i just be more beneficial to get a 1-7 or 8" twist .224 barrel from Gaillard and get it chambered in 223 and shoot heavy .224 lead... I really want something different.. hence the 6x45.... but if its not an option i should be able to put 223 heavy lead in correct??

Note that this rifle will be a combo of long range shooting ( 300-700 yards) and also a walking/ Stalking Coyote rifle as a back up for friends who only got 270's lol... so being able to shoot lighter and heavier bullets would be nice... average around the 60-70gr mark..

Thanks all!!!
Josh
 
You have the magazine and the ability to measure how long it is. Will a .223 fit in it? ... I don't believe going to a 6mm neck would be any problem. I have never found the .223 to be as accurate as the .222. Depending on the length of your magazine you may need a shorter throated reamer if chambered for 6 x 45 or 223.
 
Highly unlikely for 200 rounds to drastically alter a barrel. Far more likely to be a bedding issue. Don't think 788 barrels are compatible with 700's without major work either. However, a 6 x 45 case is 400 thou longer than a .222. It's not likely to fit in the mag. Mind you, the 788 manual shows a .223 mag, but not a .222 mag, so try it anyway.
 
Unfortunately I am currently in Manitoba for work but when i get home in the next couple weeks i will be measuring the mag to see if its really going to work. The Mag is marked .222REM on it and dont own a 223 for a shell to try.
Sunray you are 100% correct. 200 shots does seem unlikely but due to saver pitting groups have slowing been going out the window. I guess burnt out is not the correct term to use.. And using a 700 barrel on a 788 is a very hard fit but due able on small call.. my Gunsmith i guess has done it before and it does take a lot of work.... Im thinking just getting a barrel in 6mm with a 10 twist would be more cost affective and different from the norm. The 788 action is a little ugly and heavy i know but its free... now to just hope the 2 mags will accept the 6x45 round before ording the barrel

Thanks
 
I wouldn't spend much altering a 788... no parts supply at all anymore...

They were made in .223 so if you can find a .223 magazine somewhere... for $90 ?
 
These folks are right. Sell the 788 for what you can get out of it and unless your heart is set on a 6x45, take a step up and go for the 243Win. You won't regret taking the extra step up.

I just wasn't satisfied with the 6x45 I had. Seemed like a good idea at the time but the 243 really steps up to the plate and goes for it.
 
I agree i do like the 243 and talked my friend into getting one for his 1st rifle.. he now owns 3. Personally i just like something different. Seems everyone around here has one which makes me not want one and to me there to much for coyotes when trying to save the hides. Not only that but for deer i do have a 6.5x55 and a 7mm-08 so to me a 243 is kinda just a caliber that is not needed in my collection. But to the point of selling the 788.... would anyone really want to buy it??? i mean from it sounds there not very disirable, so to tell one with a pooched barrel is just another step against me. When i get back home i will take some measurements and see what the scoop is. maybe i can just put another barrel on it and turn it into a heavy .223 rifle.. always an option. im assumeing the only thing different between the 223mag and the .222mag is the stamp. But i could be wrong. I do have a a liking for the 700 action and think there very nicly made. but to find one in stailness is hard and new costs 500$ money i dont have at the moment. :(

Thanks again Josh
 
I'd be surprised if you could find a barrel for your 788 at the cost of an SPS already chambered in 223. Cost and desire have to meet somewhere.
I have a 788 chambered in 223 and can do some measuring if your heart is set on it.
 
I just don't see how the barrel can be hooped after 200 rounds. Have you tried really aggressive cleaning?

When peering down a barrel it is too easy to mistake fouling for erosion. Usually 222 barrels have a very long life.
 
The Remington 788 barrel has a slightly smaller diameter tenon that is longer than the Remington 700 barrel tenon.

The 788 has 1-20 threads per inch and the 700 has 1-16 tpi. They won't interchange. To fit a 700 barrel to a 788 action the shoulder has to be set back to make for the longer tenon required for the 788. Care needs to be taken when cleaning up the threads on the 700 barrel not to take off to much. The rood diameter of the threads is very close to the major diameter of the 788 threads.

It takes a bit more work but it is doable and should shoot very well if the donor barrel is in excellent condition and it is done properly. If the donor barrel doesn't have an excellent bore, it isn't worth using IMHO.
 
I agree with Yodad2, can a 222 really have a barrel "shot out"? Years ago I shot an '06 with about 8000 rounds before the groups got bad. I've got a heavy barrel 308 that is just starting to open a bit after about 6000. When I say open, I mean it use to be about a .5-.75 MOA and is now about a .75+ MOA. Ask GUNTECH if he thinks a 222 can ever be shot out. Best of luck.
 
yodad 2 said:
I just don't see how the barrel can be hooped after 200 rounds. Have you tried really aggressive cleaning?

When peering down a barrel it is too easy to mistake fouling for erosion. Usually 222 barrels have a very long life.
Click to expand...

I think he meant he was shooting 200 rounds per session at the range on several occasions. Mind you, seeing as the OP's narrative gives out very little information, any rifle I have ever owned will start losing accuracy long before 200 rounds are down the bore because of copper fouling buildup if it isn't cleaned out on a regular basis. Also, if the OP just kept pounding the rounds down the bore without allowing cooling as well as time to clean, likely throat erosion would occur very quickly.
 
So here is the thing lol.... yes the barrel is pooched... no i did not take 200 rounds without cooling... i take 5.. let cool for 5-10 min and shoot again... i respect all my rifles to much to do that to them... this rifle was bought used by my father a long time ago(1981) who at that time didnt really look after his rifles.. take it out hunting.. get it full of snow and crud. thow it on the gun rack for another day. I scrubbed.. used proper copper eating cleaners.. plugged the barrel with wax and tape, poured the copper eating agent in the barrel.. plug the chamber side with a rubber eraser and let sit for 24 hours.. scrub srub srub.. the pits are there.... took it to my gunsmith and the rifling on the throat is definitely round and seen alot of shots... ok so it still holds a 3/4" group at 100 yards.... until the 4th and 5th shot.. its starting to open up... to me... good enough for hunting yes but why not turn it into a target gun.. i mean the pitting is really bad..(you can feel it in the brush when u scrub). so why not take something that is already on hand (788 action with a timmy trigger) and put a 1-8 or 10 twist barrel on it and bring it back to life?? the low pressures of the 6x45 will never strain the 788 action enough to have to worry, there easy on barrels, easy to reload for an great for coyotes and bench shooting around the farm...

ok so why not just buy a 700 sps??? main reason.. i hate synthetic.. just hate it.. yes it has its place and they work just fine.. but looks cheep.. sorry to affend anyone but its how i feel... besides... im more about the custom stuff now.... i have already had 1 custom rifle made and i love it.. I cannot complain about anything with that rifle.. so turning a slightly over used 788 into a 6x45.... who can say they have one???? my biggest concern is measuring the mag when i get home to see if it will accept the COAL of a 6x45.. if it will... i think it will be go time and i will be ordering a barrel.

But i was thinking if the 6x45 will not fit into the mag... with a 1-7 twist .224 chambered in 223 fit the bill??? deffanitly not as differnt but same affect and advantage of the hight bc bullets.. just a thought....
 
gunrunner.... if you could please...... what are the inside dementions of the 223 mag.. length and width??? and where the crimp is for the shoulder..... how much room past there for the COAL of the bullet?? i believe the COAL for a 6x45 is 2.260 for SAMMI specs..

Thanks
Josh
 
poured the copper eating agent in the barrel.. plug the chamber side with a rubber eraser and let sit for 24 hours
Click to expand...
some folks have seen pitting using products like Sweets after 48 hours - may not be able to sit even 24hrs without causing pitting and would have to be thoroughly removed afterwards or they could still be active. The copper dissolving products all act at different speeds it seems. Too bad about the barrel.
 
ackertjosh said:
gunrunner.... if you could please...... what are the inside dementions of the 223 mag.. length and width??? and where the crimp is for the shoulder..... how much room past there for the COAL of the bullet?? i believe the COAL for a 6x45 is 2.260 for SAMMI specs..

Thanks
Josh
Click to expand...
I'll have to wait until tomorrow to check.
 
sorry for the LONG delay.. have been out working.. finaly got home to measure the clips and its right on the edge of the COAL for an 6x45.. thinking that maybe just rebarreling in a 1-8 twist chambered in 223... or maybe to be different.. 222 mag with a fast twist.. wonder what the bennift of that would be... hummm. COAL issues again likly for the mag. or maybe just Scape the 788... is it worth anything at all? The 22-250 is now showing signs of capoot, prolly seen over 5000 rounds and about 3000 of them were mostly takin at running coyotes so barrel heat up is likley an issue. now to rebarrel the Tikka with a 22-250 or try something different.. if i new if a 6.5x55 would fit into the mag then thats the route i would go for it next year when the time comes.

So many choices.. not enough guns lol
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom