Build order

[buckfever1991]

Well I’m looking at getting into long range shooting. I picked up a rem 700 in 7 mag this summer I’m looking at building up. I have years of experience shooting 350 yards for hunting and target shooting but I wana reach out past 1000. I’m not looking at buying a pre built rifle. I want to pick and choose what goes in. Just curious on what y’all’s options are on my build order.
Gun first obviously and upgraded to a 1 piece 20moa base
athlon 8-34 scope (my eyes aren’t the best so I want big optics. I know I’ll want to upgrade in the future
Muzzle brake
Then new trigger currently at like 9lbs lol
By this point I want to be shooting 700 yards well
Chassis
By then I figure I will have my barrel shot out (300 ish rounds the gun is from the 80s and no idea the round count)
Rebarrel (haven’t decided to what tho leaning towards a 6.5-06 but that might change)
Resurface the bolt (I believe that’s what it’s called)

Am I doing anything in the wrong order? I don’t have the money to just dump $6000 -10 000on a gun so it will be piece by piece build but still want to enjoy shooting it as I build.

Thanks for your advise

 

[laker415]

You don't need $6K + to build a long range rig these days. There are alot of options that you can assemble at home and get amazing results.

Do you reload? Thats usually a requirement for long range shooting. It isn't an absolute, but if you want to get the most out of your gun it makes a big difference.

Trigger right away. 9lbs is silly. Triggertech special works well in the 700.

Chassis or stock of your choosing. KRG bravo is a great budget friendly option with good ergos for long range belly work of off a bench. 7 Mag has some punch so a long shooting session with a light magnum can turn unenjoyable. Something you can add weight too would be helpful depending on use.

What model athlon is 8-34? If its less quality than the midas tac line, I'd pass on that. More magnification from a low quality scope will do nothing for you. Ive taken my midas tac 6-24x50 out to 1400M with success so don't rule out that as an option that is still budget friendly.

The order is more of personal preference. The things you don't like about the gun are the things you should change first. I find a stock/chassis and a good trigger to really have a positive impact on my shooting so thats what I like to have sorted right away. Good luck.

 

[Mystic Precision]

There is nothing magical.. nor difficult about reaching out to 1000yds with a 7RM. In fact, all the hard work is done at 350yds.... the rest is just adding more elevation and leaning into the wind a bit more. Really... it is that simple.

Every factory Rem 700 trigger I have seen can be adjusted for pull weight. If you get it down to something you can break cleanly, good enough.

Assume you reload... and if LR shooting is your new hobby, then reloading will be critical. Actually more important then a new rifle.

Load a 162 to 175gr match bullet, load to a moderate (mid load) using printed data, get a load that is consistent... CONSISTENT is the key. MOA or better for 4 rds... 5 rds if a heavier barrel. If the groups open quickly once you shoot 3rds, then move to a new match quality pipe asap.

Otherwise, from your 350yds zero, dial up another (whatever your ballistics programs suggests)... pull the trigger, that's it. Heck, if you have a hunting load that you feel confident in, just dial up and send it.... 1000yds isn't going to tax any bullet you are likely to shoot from a 7RM at typical speeds.

Order of things to do with the current rifle
1 - properly bed the action/stock
2 - lower trigger pull weight... should be able to just turn an allen bolt if a newer trigger
3 - load a match bullet to a consistent moa or better

Go out and have alot of fun.... and while you are actually shooting that far, you will figure what you actually need/want. Recoil is a big reason I got out of boomers once we had the bullets to make smaller cals rock. My goto is a 22 CM running 95gr Sierra MKs at very moderate speeds... out to 1500yds, it is nipping at the heals of a 408CT.

Todays darling is the 6.5CM... yesterdays is the 308Win... both will make 1500yds easy work with todays bullets. at 1000yds, both are more then capable of sub 1/2 MOA accuracy all day long.. if you can drive it.

optics matter but high mag is rarely what you want for field shooting. if you are shooting paper targets which are scored, like F class, then a higher mag scope is helpful. for field shooting, high mag is NOT. Clarity and resolution and wide field of view are far more important.

Athlon has a number of amazing scopes that will let you shoot with 100% confidence and success ranging from not much money to quite reasonable. Most of my LR and ELR shooting is now done around 16X... on occasion 24X and even down to 12X. Glass quality is now good enough to make this type of shooting viable without high mag. I would lean you immediately to the scopes with a 34mm tube... every single one from Athlon will offer you all the performance you need to make hits way the heck out there.

If you are going to build up a rifle for 1000yds+ shooting, I would suggest you reconsider your chamber choice. I enjoyed a number of 7RMs in years past and they shot really well but with todays bullets, you just don't need the expense and consumption of components and barrels.

The most important part of your build is the barrel. There are PLENTY of excellent choices... and a quality match barrel is what allows you to load to itty bitty groups. Modern actions that are built well and can shoot well are pretty much the norm so whether you go factory or custom, this is not where you will gain accuracy.

Chassis/stocks is like clothing... wear what you like and feel comfy in. Again, plenty of excellent options that have the features to work.. and cost ranges from low to high.

Things that can limit your action choice will be things like trigger pull weight. If you want a specific type of stock/chassis with limited inletting options. Or just personal tastes... at the end, you have to like the rifle you bring to the range/field.

Reaching out to 1000yds is like trying to find a car that can drive 120km on the highway... lots of options and plenty of ways to get there.

Things get more complicated if you wanted to reach out to 1 mile and beyond... but the K is a chip shot with modern gear.

In case you aren't familiar with MOA as it relates to target size, MOA at 1000yds is a milk jug.... if you have a set up that will CONSISTENTLY shoot MOA or better at 350yds, you can hit that milk jug at 1000yds once you know your dope.... with the same level of impacts as a MOA target at 350yds.

Simple....

Jerry

 

[J996]

This started out as a beat up old 1983 R700 7mm rem mag. I slowly gathered the parts (mostly from the EE) then sent it off to the guys at Insite. I shoot it out past 1000 yds and it’s my big game rifle.

Trigger: stock (worked)
BM: Williams Oberndorf (EE)
Stock: McM htg adj (EE)
Barrel: Either Krieger or Hawk Hill 1:8.5 ROT 24” Sendero.
Brake: Heathen four port
Rail: NF 20moa (EE)
Rings: ATRS 30mm low
Scope: Leica Amplus6 3-18X44i
Bipod: Harris with kmw pod-loc

The barrel is very important as is getting it built right. After alot of research I kept it 7RM, it’s a great cartridge. That rifle is a laser beam. Shooting 180 Berger Hybrids @ 2800 and 162 Eldx @ 2915 in ADG brass with 7977. Not screaming by any means but the accuracy has been phenomenal and things will stay supersonic at 1500. I use a Willis die to deal with the cartridge belt and Redding to size and load (with VLD stem).

 

[emerson]

Having put together a very accurate Frankengun, I would suggest 2 options.
1)Follow Mystic Precision’s advice to the letter and practice a lot.
2)Get a custom rifle built by one of the reputable shops in the caliber Jerry recommends, (not boutique rip offs like Gunworks). You will spend the same money trashing around trying to make a stock rifle into a laser beam using your non existent master gunsmith skills.

This is assuming you have the commitment to practice time, reloading, and $$thousands in components cost to use that custom rifle. If this is a fad and you will shoot a few hundred rnds and through it in the safe, do whatever you want. What Jerry doesn’t say, because he is modest, is that his obsessive focus and practice for years is why he is an international level shooter. That’s the secret sauce. Tools matter, but not as much as the novice believes.

 

[maynard]

The first thing you have to ask yourself it what type of long range shooting are you looking to get into. If you plan to only shoot something like F-Class, you don't need to have a mag fed rifle and a muzzle brake is not allowed. F/TR class is .308 or .223 and shot off a bipod and rear bag. While F-Open is almost any caliber and shot off a front rest and rear bag. PRS style shooting is a whole other ballgame a requires a different set up than that of an F -Class rifle. PRA allows muzzle brakes requires mag fed. If you just plan to plink and not compete if doesn't matter if you fed it single rounds or use a 10 round mag.
Stay away from the heavy boomers, after 60-100 rounds a day in a match it will no longer be fun. I would also think about barrel wear, some calibers are barrel burners, while others will last 3000-4000 or more rounds.

 

[rugbydave]

Assuming that all you have in hand is the rifle itself here is what I would do in order:

1: Install a quality 20 moa scope base

2: Adjust the trigger weight (most Rem 700s have adjustable triggers) if it's not adjustable, purchase a new trigger that is. There are a huge amount of options but I'm partial to the Trigger Tech 2-stage Special

3: Purchase a quality scope and rings. It's nearly impossible to suggest a specific brand/model as I'm not sure on your budget but more importantly I don't know (and you probably don't either, at this point) what "kind" of long range shooting you are interested in. Figure out how much money you're willing to spend and then research scopes in your price range. You'll want adjustable "target" turrets, quality glass and a scope with a reputation for reliable tracking. The whole FFP vs SFP and which reticle to get really depends on the type of shooting you decide to do so I won't delve into that.

4: If your 700 came in a quality stock (some of them come in HS Precision stocks) you should bed it. It's relatively easy to do (watch some youtube videos) and will allow you to wring all the possible accuracy out of your rifle. If your rifle came in one of the SPS syle "tupperware" plastic stocks, I'd upgrade to a better stock (takeoff HS Precision or Boyds stocks are available for cheap) and bed it or get a chassis (I'm partial to MDT as they make great chassis). The flimsy SPS stocks don't really lend themselves to good precision and you can end up spending a bunch of money on ammo just to discover this.

5: If you reload, test out a few different suitable (high BC) bullets and work up a load that shoots sub-moa. If you don't reload, test as many different kinds of match ammo to find the one that shoots the best. Since we don't know what model of 700 you got, keep in mind that if the barrel is a hunting-type lighter contour, it'll warm up really quickly and you'll want to keep your rate of fire quite low. What you're doing here is setting a benchmark for what you and your rifle can achieve, precision-wise. If in either case you can't achieve what I'd consider reasonable precision (repeatable 5 rnd 1 moa groups) I'd move straight to getting a well reputed smith (I'm partial to Insite Arms as they've done all my barrels and they are all hammers) to rebarrel the action in the long action caliber of your choice with a quality barrel, at which point you'd have the new barrel threaded for a muzzle brake. If the original barrel can shoot 1 moa or less, then I'd shoot it as is until it is shot out. You can install a clamp-on muzzle brake (and re-test for accuracy after install) but imo it's not worth the cost to have a factory barrel threaded for a brake when you anticipate replacing it relatively soon anyways.

This should get you up and running relatively quickly and inexpensively and you can start working on your long range skills.

Conversely you could sell the 7RM and buy a short action 700/Bergara/Tikka in 6.5 Creed and still easily be able to shoot out to 1000 and past but at way less cost in ammo and barrel life per trigger pull.