I bought one of these on impulse. Found out later it doesn't have free-floating barrel (Yes, I'm new to guns). Does that mean I have to get a new barrel and stock? And by how much will it increase the accuracy of the rifle? Or would I be better off if I just sold the rifle and bought a better one? Maybe with a bigger caliber? How far can I shoot with a .243? Should I have gotten the .308? Sorry, if these questions sound really stupid.
How to upgrade a .243 Rem 700 SPS Varmint
- Thread starter PopPopPop
- Start date
My friend, you will be chasing the perfect setup forever. I am no expert on this subject at all but I think the first question you have to ask yourself is "what do I want to do with this rifle?"
I personally love the 243. I had one custom built for target and to hunt coyote. They can reach out a long way and are very accurate. 243's don't have the barrel life a 308 has so that maybe a consideration for you. If you plan on doing F Class or serious target shooting I would suggest buying a used rifle off EE as there are a lot of great rifles that are reasonably priced.
If you decide to keep yours I would suggest buying a takeoff HS precision stock off EE and have it bedded, it would definitely improve accuracy and would be the best bang for your buck IMO. (The SPS stock is ####)
There are a lot of very knowledgable shooters on here that you will get a lot of info from if you read their post.
I was in the same boat as you 4 years ago and the best advice I could give is don't impulse buy, take your time, do some research talk to guys at your range (if you belong to one) and you will find what suits you and your budget best.
Good luck with ur build!
Handloading always helps too...
I personally love the 243. I had one custom built for target and to hunt coyote. They can reach out a long way and are very accurate. 243's don't have the barrel life a 308 has so that maybe a consideration for you. If you plan on doing F Class or serious target shooting I would suggest buying a used rifle off EE as there are a lot of great rifles that are reasonably priced.
If you decide to keep yours I would suggest buying a takeoff HS precision stock off EE and have it bedded, it would definitely improve accuracy and would be the best bang for your buck IMO. (The SPS stock is ####)
There are a lot of very knowledgable shooters on here that you will get a lot of info from if you read their post.
I was in the same boat as you 4 years ago and the best advice I could give is don't impulse buy, take your time, do some research talk to guys at your range (if you belong to one) and you will find what suits you and your budget best.
Good luck with ur build!
Handloading always helps too...
The barrel on your rifle is fine, Remington puts a little pressure on the barrel at the end of the stock instead of free floating. The .243 is an accurate rifle, it will shoot farther than you can see. with a heavier bullet it should be good out to 800 yds or more. perfict gun for white tail. Don't sell the gun, shoot it and enjoy. If you feel you need a rifle with more punch, say for moose than pick up a .308 or 30-06 or a 7mm, 300 Rum, 300wm anything but keep the .243 cause there a lot of fun to shoot.
Sask_Hunter
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Saskatchewan
Load up some 105A-max, get a trigger job and up grade the stock if you want. A 243 will shoot a lot farther than most guys can. Enjoy the new rifle.
If your learning to shoot,stay with that calibur. No need to sell that gun, Its a Rem 700 action. 243 , 260 rem and 308 your splitting hairs, no need to change unless your going magnum ... If you want to up grade that gun, for the money 42MTD just gave you perfect advice... make sure its "PILLAR BEDDED". If you want to really make it sweet shy of a full rebuild,put a jewel trigger in it. If its in your budget.
Shoot the barrel out and then replace it with something else. You never mentioned if it was a sporter weight or heavy varmint barrelled rifle you bought. You'll likely get more consistently acurate performance with the varmint barrel due to barrel stiffness and ability to fire more rounds before the barrel over heats.
Do you eventually plan to upgrade the rifle as funds permit or were you looking to get as much use of it as it is? Don't sweat the cartridge choice. The .243 is plenty accurate and the recoil is minimal compared to a .308 Winchester.
Do you eventually plan to upgrade the rifle as funds permit or were you looking to get as much use of it as it is? Don't sweat the cartridge choice. The .243 is plenty accurate and the recoil is minimal compared to a .308 Winchester.
Jordan Smith
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Calgary, AB
I recently purchased that exact rifle with the intent of building a precision long-range rig. I took it out and shot it in its factory guise to see if the barrel was worth keeping. The first 6 shot group at 200 yards went sub-1/2MOA, so I'm going to shoot the factory barrel until it burns out, and then it'll be time to get a Krieger or RKS 8" twist tube screwed on.
The barrelled-action is currently getting reamed to AI and re-crowned, and a McMillan A5 is on order for it. The trigger has been tuned and lightened, the metal is all receiving a coating of Dyna-Gun Shield, it's getting a 20MOA rail and a Vortex Viper PST 6-24x50 FFP MOA. I'll be shooting the 105gr A-Max and 105gr HPBT.
Just a couple of ideas...
The barrelled-action is currently getting reamed to AI and re-crowned, and a McMillan A5 is on order for it. The trigger has been tuned and lightened, the metal is all receiving a coating of Dyna-Gun Shield, it's getting a 20MOA rail and a Vortex Viper PST 6-24x50 FFP MOA. I'll be shooting the 105gr A-Max and 105gr HPBT.
Just a couple of ideas...
Wow, first of all thanks for all the advice. How much is a HS precision stock going to cost me? Will I be able to replace it myself, or should I let a gunsmith do it? What difference would a new trigger make? I think I've got a heavy barrel. How do I know for sure? I was planning on only replacing the stock for now. I have almost no long range shooting experience, so I didn't even think about getting a new trigger. I want to use it to learn how to shoot far and hunt coyotes/wolves/deer with it. Oh and how long is the barrel going to last?
I learned my lesson. Next time I'll do some research
Thanks for helping me out, guys!
I learned my lesson. Next time I'll do some research
Thanks for helping me out, guys!
Jordan Smith
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Calgary, AB
Barrel will go 1500-2000 rounds or more, if you're not competing with it or shooting at extreme range.
The factory trigger can be tweaked so that it is very good.
You have a Varmint contour barrel (heavy).
You can absolutely use the factory stock for now, if you want.
The factory trigger can be tweaked so that it is very good.
You have a Varmint contour barrel (heavy).
You can absolutely use the factory stock for now, if you want.
Wow, first of all thanks for all the advice. How much is a HS precision stock going to cost me? Will I be able to replace it myself, or should I let a gunsmith do it? What difference would a new trigger make? I think I've got a heavy barrel. How do I know for sure? I was planning on only replacing the stock for now. I have almost no long range shooting experience, so I didn't even think about getting a new trigger. I want to use it to learn how to shoot far and hunt coyotes/wolves/deer with it. Oh and how long is the barrel going to last?
I learned my lesson. Next time I'll do some research
Thanks for helping me out, guys!
http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=771228
Theres a stock in this link for yah..
You can install it yourself just make sure you torque the screws down to the correct inch lb's as pre hs precisions specs which I believe is 65 inch lbs
- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
Wow, first of all thanks for all the advice. How much is a HS precision stock going to cost me? Will I be able to replace it myself, or should I let a gunsmith do it? What difference would a new trigger make? I think I've got a heavy barrel. How do I know for sure? I was planning on only replacing the stock for now. I have almost no long range shooting experience, so I didn't even think about getting a new trigger. I want to use it to learn how to shoot far and hunt coyotes/wolves/deer with it. Oh and how long is the barrel going to last?
I learned my lesson. Next time I'll do some research
Thanks for helping me out, guys!
Lets take a step back for a moment. How does your rifle shoot right now? What will it be for? Are you shooting factory ammo? What is you budget? Does the rifle fit you? Is the trigger manageable? Is the scope at the correct height for the height of the comb and the shape of your face?
Removing the pressure points from under the barrel can, but does not necessarily, improve accuracy. I'm a firm believer in not fixing it, if it ain't broke. You might remove the pressure points only to discover the rifle shot better with them, then you have to experiment with shims in the barrel channel to find the correct pressure for that barrel. Are you a better marksman than your rifle can hold? If so, you can justify taking steps to improve the rifle's accuracy, but attention to the adjustment of the trigger and to the quality of your ammo should be your starting point. Just remember that if the best you can hold is a minute and a half, when you shoot 2 minute group, its not because of the rifle. Purchasing a $1K stock won't make the rifle a better hunting rig, neither will a $300 trigger, or a $650 barrel.
The basic requirements of the rifle are proper fit, sights your can see, and a trigger you can manage. From this point you can "improve" the rifle as you can afford to and as you see fit, but you can spend a great deal of money very quickly, on upgrades that are more theoretical than real. By the time you're done adding on all the stuff they sell for a 700, a built from scratch custom rifle will be less expensive. But if you attempt to have a custom rifle built before you have the experience to know what it is you want, you could end up with an expensive disaster.
If I was you I'd take the cash you would of spent on that custom stock and invest in a handloading set up. This will allow you to shoot more rounds per dollar, and once you get onto it, you should be able to produce more accurate ammo than you can buy. Your home rolled ammo is for your rifle, not for everybody's rifles like factory ammo. Get some shooting under your belt. Shoot from field positions to improve your marksmanship and worry less about the limitations of the accuracy that your rifle can produce. When you can make first round hits on realistic targets, increase the range. It won't take long for your marksmanship and your confidence in your marksmanship to improve.
The best money you can spend on the rifle is to have a gun smith accurize the action and and bolt Around $300.00. Don't worry about the stock or trigger for know. Most premium ammo will shoot as good as handloads so pick up a couple boxes and get the barrel broke in properly, that means cleaning between 1 or 2 rounds for the first 20 rounds or so. Once you get shooting, stick with the same ammo, I've had good luck with Federal Premium,
You will want some thing in the 85 to100g with a Nosler Balistic tip. There are a few good gunsmiths in M.B , call and talk with them if you think you need more accuracy. But for now just shoot and enjoy.
You will want some thing in the 85 to100g with a Nosler Balistic tip. There are a few good gunsmiths in M.B , call and talk with them if you think you need more accuracy. But for now just shoot and enjoy.
I bought one of these on impulse. Yes, I'm new to guns. Does that mean I have to get a new barrel and stock?/QUOTE]
First of all, stop buying on impulse! LOL, yeah, right!
Seriously, you'll be happier in the long run if you research your purchases a bit before making them. You will still end up buying a lot of stuff that you end up selling shortly afterward, buy at least you won't feel so silly when you do.
Like others have said, don't start spending a fortune on modifications and "upgrades". Shoot the gun, get a feel for what it can do and for what you can do. Practice the basics. You have a perfectly good action, probably a perfectly good barrel (if you're lucky, a really good one!) and the potential for improving a model 700 in the future, when you have a better idea of what you want, is huge. Get a decent scope and mounts and have fun!
You can free-float the barrel yourself very easily, and if that doesn't work out you can just as easily "un-free-float" it. You can have the trigger adjusted inexpensively by a 'smith to be very shootable (personally, I would choose this as my first upgrade). You can brace the stock internally to make it stiffer for next to no cost. Google all this stuff for more info.
Probably most important: If you really want to spend more money now...buy a kit and start reloading!
My 243 Win Remington 700 experience
I bought a very similar Remington 700 243 Win VTR 3 years ago and did the following "upgrades":
With 70gr to 95gr match bullets, my rifle could shoot 1/2 - 3/4 MOA 5 shot groups all day long but I've never been able to shoot better than 1/2 MOA 5 shot groups. Althought my 1-9.125" twist barrel is very accurate with Berger 95gr VLD and 95 gr SMK but it never produced any great groups with 105gr A-Max bullets.
As for barrel life, it stopped producing cloverleaf groups at around 1600-1800 rounds fired and I measured 0.130" of throat erosion. This means that a 70gr Berger match bullet need to be seated so that COAL is 2.780"!
I'm having it rebarrelled to 6x47 Lapua with a 1-7.5" twist 27" Krieger barrel and am really looking forward to testing the difference in accuracy.
Alex
I bought a very similar Remington 700 243 Win VTR 3 years ago and did the following "upgrades":
- Accuracy International AICS Stage 2.0 stock- The SPS/VTR stock is a cheap 50$ throw away stock and absolutely needs to be upgraded, my stock is a great tactical stock but there are far better and less expensive target stock.
- Jewell HVR trigger - The factory Remington 700 X-Mark Pro trigger is an excellent trigger but Jewell triggers are simply the best triggers in the world.
With 70gr to 95gr match bullets, my rifle could shoot 1/2 - 3/4 MOA 5 shot groups all day long but I've never been able to shoot better than 1/2 MOA 5 shot groups. Althought my 1-9.125" twist barrel is very accurate with Berger 95gr VLD and 95 gr SMK but it never produced any great groups with 105gr A-Max bullets.
As for barrel life, it stopped producing cloverleaf groups at around 1600-1800 rounds fired and I measured 0.130" of throat erosion. This means that a 70gr Berger match bullet need to be seated so that COAL is 2.780"!
I'm having it rebarrelled to 6x47 Lapua with a 1-7.5" twist 27" Krieger barrel and am really looking forward to testing the difference in accuracy.
Alex
@blacksn95: That link doesn't work.
@Boomer: The rifle shoots well in my opinion, but I would have to let someone with more experience try it maybe and see what they say. I want to use it for hunting and learn how to shoot far with it. So far, I've been using 85gr Federal Premium ammo. I don't want to put too much money into the rifle. I haven't really set a limit, because I know I won't adhere to it. I haven't shot that many rifles to know, whether I should adjust my trigger. For now I actually just wanted to get a new stock, because I was told the current one wasn't that good (and I'd really like a tactical stock, because I'm a tactitool ). I'm very comfortable with the size and weight of the rifle and the scope is at the correct height. You're right. I'm going to shoot it more and then I'll know for sure, what needs to be changed. How much will a basic handloading kit cost me?
@FLSTO2: So I'll fire a round and then clean the barrel? What brush should I use? Nylon or bronze? What about bore snakes?
@AlexF: How much did you pay for the stock?
Well thanks everyone! Got some great advice. I guess for now I'll just shoot the rifle a little bit more and see how far I can go. And I'm going to look into adjusting the trigger and handloading. The stock can wait.
@Boomer: The rifle shoots well in my opinion, but I would have to let someone with more experience try it maybe and see what they say. I want to use it for hunting and learn how to shoot far with it. So far, I've been using 85gr Federal Premium ammo. I don't want to put too much money into the rifle. I haven't really set a limit, because I know I won't adhere to it
. I haven't shot that many rifles to know, whether I should adjust my trigger. For now I actually just wanted to get a new stock, because I was told the current one wasn't that good (and I'd really like a tactical stock, because I'm a tactitool ). I'm very comfortable with the size and weight of the rifle and the scope is at the correct height. You're right. I'm going to shoot it more and then I'll know for sure, what needs to be changed. How much will a basic handloading kit cost me?@FLSTO2: So I'll fire a round and then clean the barrel? What brush should I use? Nylon or bronze? What about bore snakes?
@AlexF: How much did you pay for the stock?
Well thanks everyone! Got some great advice. I guess for now I'll just shoot the rifle a little bit more and see how far I can go. And I'm going to look into adjusting the trigger and handloading. The stock can wait.
