Rem700 builders? Questions from someone new to building a Rem 700 from parts.

L

longarm21

Regular
Rating - 100%
41   0   0
Location
Alberta
Hi there folks. I recently decided I was going to try to build a Rem700 target rig from parts, rather than buy a factory Rem 700 and restock it. I have questions though.

First question - I have a factory Remington 700 AAC 20" barrel that is a take off from another Rem700, and I have the recoil lug. This is my starting point. I also have an xmark pro trigger. Next I plan on buying a factory action for it. What is involved with installing a factory take off barrel? What does the gunsmith have to do?
 
Last edited:
I'm new to this game so take this with a grain of salt.
OP you just want to put a new stock on this action correct? You are using a factory take off bbl.
the cost of buying a action and then paying a gunsmith to just install the bbl not including trueing does not seem like a cost effective way to go about this just to get a better stock.

The cost of rebarreling an action seems to be from 120-300 from the little research I did into it.
Considering you can pick up a 308 aac-SD for like 650 on the EE is that a good way too go for a factory bbl?

I got the same rifle and have put a TT trigger, muzzle brake and a HS precision stock and it's a huge upgrade over factory stock.
 
No you are completely right. I know its more cost effective to buy the rifle. I have a few parts kicking around. For instance I have an extra trigger, I have a factory take off barrel, and a recoil lug. All I need is a stock and an action. What I need is some help figuring out how to go about this! If I wanted to get buy an action and then have the barrel attached what is involved - I know you can't just slap a barrel on to an action and use it.
 
Youtube JCS guns, he's a gunsmith out of Texas I think... Or maybe New Mexico, his videos may give you an idea of what would be involved. My guess would be that one of the smiths on here could probably tell you what you will need to do. I believe there is headspacing involved, not sure how that is done, you may need to have your chamber recut but can't say for sure - I'm not trying to plug savages just making an observation that this is one place where Savages do have an advantage where rebarreling is as simple as screwing down a nut on a precut chamber (I think). Best to have a qualified smith do the work, but from what I can see and this is what I have gathered from some smiths sites.

You'll need to get a reamer if your chamber needs to be cut
head space gauges
Having the barrel rechambered by a smith

That is all I can think off the top of my head, but I'm not a smith so it really is anyone's guess, well except for an actual gun smith. Good luck and hope it works out for you. Post pics of progress please!
 
Fair enough.
Sounds like most compitant gunsmith's can do the job. Involves a action block and barrel vice etc
Though you might want to look at the action being trued since you're getting this work done anyways. As for specific people to get the job done im not the one to ask but there are lots of people here who can provide that info.
good luck with your project.
 
Piece of cake to install a factory barrel onto a factory action. Just have to headspace.

If you're going to make a precison rifle, you arent going to want to use the factory recoil lug (since they dont tend to be very flat) and you're going to want to have the action true'd up.

Unfortunately, after you true up the action and oversize cut the threads, the factory barrel isnt going to thread on anymore.

If you're going with a custom action, definately dont use the factory recoil lug and barrel. It's equivilant to owning a set of chevy cavalier tires and then buying a porche to put them on since they're the same size.

If you buy a custom action, go with a custom barrel, and an aftermarket recoil lug (since they're only like $25ish).
 
This is kind of like building a custom car because you have a spare tire, a battery and a tail light...

Most when building a custom rifle would start with an action...

installing a factory barrel onto a factory action it can be as little as $25 or as much as $200. How much labour depends on how close the barrel first indexes when torqued onto the action. Sight or printing or flutes require indexing to line up with the action. Then the headspace requires adjusting which requires a reamer and a go gauge and machining the rear of the barrel.

The factory lug will work perfectly fine. No replacement will make the rifle shoot more accurately. Any change with the lug is for looks only... some guys like the look of a huge lug... but they are simply a pain in the ass and require extra inletting.
 
Last edited:
Well are you suggesting I just sell the barrel?

Listen I know it seems backwards. My other target rig is a Rem700 PSS .308 in an AICS chassis. I'm familiar with what it takes to accurize your rifle. I thought maybe I'll do it with a factory action and that would keep it cheap. I'm not looking for outstanding performance here, this is more of a budget precision build. Put it in an HS stock, use nightforce lightweight rings, Rail, bedding job, call it a day.

AS such. I have these spare parts so the idea came to me to build a 20" target rig, that would be nice and mobile for hunting. My AICS rig is pretty heavy for hunting, it has a 26" barrel and the AICS chassis weighs a ton. So lets go with the idea that I'm putting a factory barrel on a factory action.

Now I need to find someone who would do that for a decent price in BC.
 
What weight range are you trying to keep the finished rifle with a scope and rings at, if you want to hunt with it. I have a Remington LTR in 308 20" barrel, HS precision stock with a Vortex PST 6-24X scope and it weighs just under 10lbs which I find to heavy as a hunting rifle.
 
Last edited:
longarm21 said:
So lets go with the idea that I'm putting a factory barrel on a factory action.

Now I need to find someone who would do that for a decent price in BC.
Click to expand...

Installing a factory barrel onto a factory action it can be as little as $25 or as much as $200. How much labour depends on how close the barrel first indexes when torqued onto the action. Sight or printing or flutes require indexing to line up with the action. Then the headspace requires adjusting which requires a reamer and a go gauge and machining the rear of the barrel.
 
guntech said:
The factory lug will work perfectly fine. No replacement will make the rifle shoot more accurately. Any change with the lug is for looks only... some guys like the look of a huge lug... but they are simply a pain in the ass and require extra inletting.
Click to expand...

How can a barrel torque up squarely to the front of a true'd action when a cheap ass mass produced stamped recoil lug isn't flat?
Doesnt have to be a giant oversized one but should at least be surface ground or machined square and straight.
 
Mad_Mikee said:
How can a barrel torque up squarely to the front of a true'd action when a cheap ass mass produced stamped recoil lug isn't flat?
Doesnt have to be a giant oversized one but should at least be surface ground or machined square and straight.
Click to expand...

Flat doesn't matter as much as even thickness between the actual shoulder of the barrel and the action face and that squeezing force is considerable and will 'cure' any slight 'curve'. I have measured several aftermarket lugs that varied more in thickness than the factory stamped out lug... Measure the lugs thickness at just over the thread diameter around the inside with a micrometer.

They stamp the factory lugs out of a sheet of material 3/16" thick. It doesn't matter what that lug measures outside of the action diameter.

Don't get me wrong, if you want to use aftermarket lugs please do ... but you will not convince me you will gain any accuracy in doing so. I like the looks of the Holland lug being the same diameter as the action and have used them... I also have used a lot of customer supplied lugs that I wouldn't use on my rifle.
 
The way I look at it, if I'm going to spend money to have you true up my action before a quality barrel is installed, $25 for an aftermarket recoil lug (even if only 3/16 or 1/2'' thick) is cheap for piece of mind.

Since my threads action threads end up being cut oversized, and therefore my barrel tennon threads will be as well, I just go for an oversized tennon sized recoil lug.

Dont have to end up farting around with a factory lug to open up the size of the hole or having to cut my tennon diameter undersized to fit through the factory sized lug.
 
The actions I true are not oversize but opening a lug up to fit oversize threads is a pain in the ass... There are precision lugs out there that are 3/16".
 
If you don't have the action, that is going to cost you damn near as much as a new rifle anyways. I think western metal was selling actions for about $450. I think Casey at Tac Ord can hook u up too. By the time you are all said and done, you will be above the price of a new AAC and a B&C stock. Sell your parts and pick up a new one. Just my thoughts.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom