Blue Printing Actions

I don't get the hate for " I don't care about you". He's not wrong from my limited experience on "blueprinting" factory actions. If it gets refaced and squared as well as truing the factory tenon threads, barrels previously cut for that action are going to need some work if they are usable at all. If the OP has no barrels on hand is starting fresh, then no big deal. Personally, I wouldn't spend money on "truing" up factory actions when tikka exists as a cheap factory option.
 
Doesn't really matter if he's right if almost every post is thick with combative attitude. Life is too short for that noise.

Normally I'd agree on just grabbing a Tikka or moving up to an Origin, but if the action was purchased before the c71 "not-a-registry" came into force it's worth truing up the 700 IMO. I don't know if the 1500 even needs truing? Only Howas I own are minis, and I've never swapped barrels on them.
 
The OP asked a straight forward and reasonable question. Then gets nailed with combative attitude and presumptuous opinions...

Let's pretend for a moment he just retired from JTF2 service, has a bunch of money and wants to replicate some of processes for building a clone of the precision rifles he was taught about then issued...
 
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From one who has "Been There, Done That", unless you have a sentimental attachment to the actions, it is a waste of money.

Just sell the actions & save the money you're going to spend on blue-printing truing, bushing the bolt &c. &c. &c.; then spend your money on a used custom action or 2. While your initial outlay of funds will likely be greater, a trued, timed, bushed & blue-printed 700 or 1500 will still be a 700 or a 1500.

Whereas a Hall, Shilen, Stolle, Stiller, BAT, Defiance, Kelbly, Surgeon, will always be a custom action.
 
Not to be that guy, but are you sure you want to bother spending the money on a factory action?
You’ll be ~400$ by the time you get it to a smith and back.

You could simply buy one of the many custom actions. Theres no sense in doing that to an action if you aren’t buying a custom barrel, trigger etc. Sell the R700 and buy the components to assemble a new one. Lots of custom actions can take a shouldered prefit.
 
Sometimes it's the shooter that needs to be blueprinted - what I mean - we're always thinking it's the equipment and not the user - I've shot over 2,500 rounds out of my savage Axis and close to 5,000 rounds out of my Savage Mark II - I can shoot them both really really well. Do I need to blue print anything if it not getting good groups (nope) it just wasn't my day. It will shoot awesome the next time.

As for blueprinting - your going to take a deep dive - then what if it doesn't shoot like you expected it too? Do you blame the person who did it who in your opinion ripped you?

I am just glad this didn't turn into a jab or no jab post :)
 
Sometimes it's the shooter that needs to be blueprinted - what I mean - we're always thinking it's the equipment and not the user - I've shot over 2,500 rounds out of my savage Axis and close to 5,000 rounds out of my Savage Mark II - I can shoot them both really really well. Do I need to blue print anything if it not getting good groups (nope) it just wasn't my day. It will shoot awesome the next time.

As for blueprinting - your going to take a deep dive - then what if it doesn't shoot like you expected it too? Do you blame the person who did it who in your opinion ripped you?

I am just glad this didn't turn into a jab or no jab post :)

For Remington 700 actions, I do suggest it. When building my M40A5 I had the action blueprinted and I'm glad I did. When doing the receiver to barrel, it was out by a 10 thousands of an inch. Even though that doesn't sound like much, it certainly can be.
 
For Remington 700 actions, I do suggest it. When building my M40A5 I had the action blueprinted and I'm glad I did. When doing the receiver to barrel, it was out by a 10 thousands of an inch. Even though that doesn't sound like much, it certainly can be.

This is a standard process for high-precision builds made for militaries and LE around the world . So it's odd to read the comments in this tread berating the OP.
 
First rifle I ever had built for me in a precision application (F Class) was a combination of a trued up Rem 700SA add a quality aftermarket barrel. In hindsight, I wish that had just sold the old action "as-is", then spent about an extra say 35% on a quality aftermarket action like Defiance.... many options to make exactly how you want it
 
For Remington 700 actions, I do suggest it. When building my M40A5 I had the action blueprinted and I'm glad I did. When doing the receiver to barrel, it was out by a 10 thousands of an inch. Even though that doesn't sound like much, it certainly can be.

What was out with the barrel and receiver?
10 thousands of an inch? .010"?
 
.010" had to be removed from the face of the receiver to get it 90 degrees to the axis of the receiver/barrel. Certainly worth doing.
 
"Blueprinting" is a terrible term when used with rifle actions. No one alters the action to a particular blue print the factory may have. You can't put metal back if it was machined or worn away... leave the term blueprint for the automotive guys.

Actions can be trued for absolute best performance before installing a match grade barrel. It's not worth doing to an action with an existing barrel as that barrel would have to be refitted and rechambered after the action truing was completed.

I have trued a lot of 700 actions.
My procedure was to machine the receiver face, the threads and the locking lug recesses square to the bolt race in the action and to machine the locking lugs and bolt face square to the the bolt body and I would machine two dovetails on the rear of the bolt, install two dovetail blanks and machine the blanks diameter down so when closing the bolt there is no up and down movement... this eliminates the upward thrust on the bolt from the trigger engaging the cocking piece and the subsequent falling down of the bolt when the firing pin is released. The machining was always as little as possible to make it true.

This is what the top dovetail looked like on a finished bolt. There is a corresponding one on the bottom side. They engage the action as the bolt closes. Bill Leeper told me about this method years ago, I believe he was the first to do it this way. I call these "Leeper Lumps".
700-top-bump.jpg
 
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I recall kits to fit "Borden bumps" to R700 bolts. The bolt would cycle back and forth freely, but as the bolt closed, it would be firmly cammed into alignment.

I have read that Howa actions are machined very true, and require little or no correction.

I also think that there is no point in working over an action unless it actually needs it.
Keep in mind that removing metal from the locking abutments and locking lugs affects primary extraction. Maybe bolt handle work needs to be part of the job, to optimize operation.
I mentioned putting a R700 receiver on the mandrel and turning the outside true. 700s were heat treated after machining, resulting in a slight banana shape. 40X receivers had machining done after heat treatment to minimize this warping.

Has anyone had their hands on one of the new 700 actions? I wonder if this new variation, made on new machinery, would benefit from reworking. I suspect they are pretty darn good right from the get go.

Mention has been made of the custom precision actions. I wonder if these are made dead on from scratch, or are tuned in final manufacture.
 
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The amount I removed from the locking lug recesses and the bolt face and bolt lugs was usually about 2 thou... did not affect camming that I could measure.
 
Just to be clear I was really only asking for names of some gunsmiths that can do the work. Thanks for everyone that provided that. I'm no expert in gunsmithing but I am aware of all the issues discussed in this thread. My plan is to use one of the actions as a donor action with a new barrel, stock and trigger. Normally I would say just say thanks for the info and move on but some people are really condescending even when providing unsolicited information. That person has already been called out so no need to do it again. I really do appreciate the rest of the responses. Thanks.
 
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