How much to rebarrel a Rem 700?

Depends on many things.
New blank or factory take off? And are you supplying it?
Does it need to be blued, or bead blasted?
Any action work?
 
Buster95

Prices may vary from smith to smith.

I can tell you what I charge for labour on a non fluted barrel.

true 700 $150
bump bolt $75
rework trigger $50
chamber, thread, crown, headspace, stamp $250 - $275
bed, float $75 - $125

Contoured barrel blanks are available from many Canadian dealers.
 
Dennis' quoted prices are in line with what I would charge (if I was taking any work; I'm not) and are what one should expect to pay, on average. These days, the cost of the barrel blank is likely to be the big part. When I started out Shilen chromoly barrels were about 35 bucks. When Dennis started out, rifling had only recently been discovered and barrels were even cheaper;). It is with considerable fondness that I remember the Star "diamond lapped" barrels which cost eleven dollars for an unturned blank. To put things in perspective, that Shilen barrel was roughly 2/3 of a working man's daily pay. Today, the same guy will work two days to pay for the same barrel; this assuming he can find a job!
 
When Dennis started out, rifling had only recently been discovered and barrels were even cheaper.

That is pretty funny.

As a compliment to Dennis he is prompt but you should talk to him first. He received my barrel on Monday and sent pictures of the completed job on Thursday.

Another plus for you Buster95 . . . since you live in the same country you can just drive it over! Save shipping!
 
I have used guntech several times for rebarrel jobs on Remington 700s. His prices are very competitive and you're getting a highly skilled man to do the work.
 
Safest bet is that it'll be at least a G-note and possibly a bit more. After all, once you're into the job you might as well do all the tweaking you might possibly want done.
 
When I started out Shilen chromoly barrels were about 35 bucks. When Dennis started out, rifling had only recently been discovered and barrels were even cheaper;). It is with considerable fondness that I remember the Star "diamond lapped" barrels which cost eleven dollars for an unturned blank.

lol... my wife is laughing too...

I don't remember the $11 blanks though.
 
lol... my wife is laughing too...

I don't remember the $11 blanks though.

Jack Neufeld, up in Clearwater (one of the early western Canadian BR shooters), found those on some kind of clearance. They were 1 1/4 Chromoly blanks 26 inches long and came in as iron barstock.
It may be nostalgia talking, but it often seems like we have lost as much as we have gained in the last 50 years. Having said this, I have little doubt that we are seeing more great quality stuff in the shooting arena than ever before. Actions, barrels, and synthetic stocks are certainly more available than ever and the quality is undeniable.
 
Jack Neufeld, up in Clearwater (one of the early western Canadian BR shooters), found those on some kind of clearance. They were 1 1/4 Chromoly blanks 26 inches long and came in as iron barstock.
It may be nostalgia talking, but it often seems like we have lost as much as we have gained in the last 50 years. Having said this, I have little doubt that we are seeing more great quality stuff in the shooting arena than ever before. Actions, barrels, and synthetic stocks are certainly more available than ever and the quality is undeniable.

Going to be interesting to see down the road when all the good gunsmiths are no longer doing work who will take the reigns. As we have discovered in previous threads the amount of money it takes to get into this trade and the amount of time it gets to become competent don't leave much room for newcomers. I suspect there will be the odd gunsmith around in the traditional sense and the rest will be pipe fitters specializing in assembling components to make an accurate rifle.
 
Buster95

Prices may vary from smith to smith.

I can tell you what I charge for labour on a non fluted barrel.

true 700 $150
bump bolt $75
rework trigger $50
chamber, thread, crown, headspace, stamp $250 - $275
bed, float $75 - $125

Contoured barrel blanks are available from many Canadian dealers.

Sir do you have any photos of a bumped bolt you did? Thanks
 
Sir do you have any photos of a bumped bolt you did? Thanks

I call these Leepers Lumps as I believe Bill Leeper was the first to do it this way. Two dovetails cut and blank material driven in with Loctite and then turned to fit...

dovetailsfilled_0.jpg


223mcgowanbblbumpedbolt_0.jpg
 
I call these Leepers Lumps as I believe Bill Leeper was the first to do it this way. Two dovetails cut and blank material driven in with Loctite and then turned to fit...


I've seen those before. I once owned a Wby Vanguard in 284 Win that had the Leeper bumps installed by the man himself. Good way to do it.
 
Guntech, when you bump the bolt like that. What should be the tolerance between the bolt and the raceways when turned? I think I would like to try that. Also what is the "tolerance" for play before somebody would do that to his bolt? Tks
 
Guntech, when you bump the bolt like that. What should be the tolerance between the bolt and the raceways when turned? I think I would like to try that. Also what is the "tolerance" for play before somebody would do that to his bolt? Tks

You need to feel it react with the trigger and decide if it is too tight. I turn it within a half a thou and then polish it to fit... 220 grit and 320 grit - like polishing shoes... with no trigger and no firing pin you can feel them engage when you close the bolt... Polish the inside of the rear bridge before doing this...
 
Typically, most commercial actions are going to have a tolerance of around .008" or more. With the bumps, clearance will be .0005" per side when the bolt is closed. I have these on Remingtons, Winchester model 70's, Ruger 77, and a P14. The increase in accuracy is minor, in most cases, but noticeable and the bolt feels solid when closed up.
 
Ok, I understand the rear of the bolt being tightened up, but what about the front? Doesn't it still have the extra play?
Saw an article, but can't remember where that someone shimmed both front and rear of the bolt after the action was bored straight oversize and threads recut.

Just curious because I think the average person would rather just get a custom action than pay for all this realigning.
 
With the rear of the bolt tightened up and both front lugs making contact, the bolt MUST align. In addition, the primary purpose is to prevent deflection of the bolt due to pressure applied upward by the sear. The boring of a receiver and sleeving of the bolt, while beneficial from an alignment standpoint, is not really suitable for a field rifle where feeding and function under adverse conditions are important considerations.
As far as the advisability of straightening up a commercial action, as compared to the purchase of a custom action, is concerned, it's just a matter of approach. Methodology is developed for truing and improving standard actions because there has been a demand for it. From a gunsmithing perspective, a skilled workman, like Dennis Sorensen, may take some pride in doing what he does. Anyone with rudimentary machine shop skills can fit a barrel to a custom action with reasonably good results (this assumes the custom action is perfect; this is not always the case). When Dennis trues up a Remington action and fits and chambers a barrel to it, it is, to some extent, an expression of his ability. The more the gunsmith does to achieve an end, the more of himself is put into the final product. So, for the gunsmith, he can simply attempt to buy perfection, by supplying a custom action, or he can attempt to produce perfection.
For the customer, he buys quality either way. In one case it is a product from the hands of a skilled workman. in the other it is the product of the finest computerised machinery money can buy. It's all a matter of perspective.
I first started doing the dovetailed inserts because I was asked to remedy a perceived shortcoming without compromising function in the field. In essence, I was simply devising a remedial method to duplicate what some custom action builders were doing with their initial design. This was the easiest way I could come up with and, since I am inherently lazy, easy is good.
 
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