Total cost of re-barrelling?

DsrtRat

DsrtRat

Regular
Rating - 100%
27   0   0
Location
Guelph
OK, here is my problem. I have a REM 700 in .223 HB that is a real shooter. If I take my time and make up nice handloads, it is very accurate. My only problem with the gun is the 12 twist. I have a couple of places where I can stretch out to 600-1000 yards shooting with buddies. They are shooting 9 and 8 twist 223s. My 50-55 gr pills just can't hang in there at those yardages if there is any wind blowing at all. I have done some testing with the 65gr Gamekings but they are difficult to find at best.

Anyhow, what are the true costs involved in re-barreling a REM700? I see plenty of guys selling Savage barrels but not as many for the Remington's. When re-barreling a Remington, because it does not have the Savage lock-nut, what does a smith have to do to get things lined up? What extra costs on top of the price of the barrel could be expected? What would my old barrel be worth, 100.00$?
 
You might be able to get $100 for your barrel, although it might not be an easy sell.
Are you thinking in terms of buying a new Remington factory take-off? With the quick twist you want, you might have to pay $150.
The barrel might screw right in and headspace. Does happen. If this is the case, shouldn't cost more than $50 - $75 to pull the original, torque in the new one, and check headspace. You might get lucky.
If the barrel needs breech work, figure $100 up.
Juanvaldez sells replacement barrels for the 700 which breech with a Savage style locknut. No machine work needed.
There are also prethreaded, short chambered barrels available. Minimal fitting is necessary.
Or, you can buy a premium barrel, have it threaded, chambered, crowned. Figure $500 - $700, depending.
 
Since there are very few Remington 700 .223 barrels that are faster than 12 twist, I doubt that would be an option. The odds of finding a used one would be slim to none, especially since I am interested in a 24" or longer. Can a person buy a barrel from Remington?

I have seen the Savage nut on Rem actions. Again, I would need a custom barrel and someone to install or headspace? So with cost of barrel fitting etc, is 500.00$ a fair guess?

Like I said, just exploring options because I like my action, stock and trigger. I also like the barrel for the light stuff but if I want to play the long bombgame, what willit cost me to make the switch?

In the end, it may be cheaper or less hassle to buy a 9 twist Savage or 8 Twist Tikka from the EE. The 9 twist seems to be a good do all whereas I am a little concerned about what lighter bullets I could use in an 8 twist for yote hunting. Maybe I am trying to get too much out of one gun.
 
It was explained to me that there isn't too slow of a twist for the lighter bullets, but there was too fast of a twist for the heavy ones.
 
What about too fast for the light ones? From everything I have read, if the bullet RPM is too fast for a thin jacketed varmint bullet, you could tear the bullet apart. The more likely scenario is a longer throat leaving a huge jump to the lands and too much spin exagerates any bullet imperfection. I can't base it on first hand knowledge, just what I have read as my gun is 12 twist.
 
DsrtRat said:
OK, here is my problem. I have a REM 700 in .223 HB that is a real shooter. If I take my time and make up nice handloads, it is very accurate. My only problem with the gun is the 12 twist. I have a couple of places where I can stretch out to 600-1000 yards shooting with buddies. They are shooting 9 and 8 twist 223s. My 50-55 gr pills just can't hang in there at those yardages if there is any wind blowing at all. I have done some testing with the 65gr Gamekings but they are difficult to find at best.

Anyhow, what are the true costs involved in re-barreling a REM700? I see plenty of guys selling Savage barrels but not as many for the Remington's. When re-barreling a Remington, because it does not have the Savage lock-nut, what does a smith have to do to get things lined up? What extra costs on top of the price of the barrel could be expected? What would my old barrel be worth, 100.00$?
Click to expand...
Get rid of the rem and get a tikka t3 Var
it got 1/8 twist can handle everything up to 77 and 80 Sierra match king.
 
If staying with the 223, even an 8 twist will not break up 40gr varmint bullets cause you can't push them fast enough. In a 22/250, that could be another story.

Barrel blanks range from $250 to $350 depending on bells and whistles you want. Installs range from $150 to 300 depending on the smith and work needed.

I used to sell the barrel nut for the Rem prefit (aka Savage installs) but because some Rem actions could use some TLC, there is a chance the prefit is not ideal. I can offer Bergara barrels with the nut too.

If you are looking for a generic plinker and don't intend to blueprint your action, prefits will work just fine. But performance may not be optimised.

Otherwise, it is best to set up the barrel for your actions specific needs.

Savage has a very different action design and manf which offers a lot more ease to barrel swaps. I change my barrels all the time and this set up makes it easier and way less money to play.

Marlins XR rifles do the same thing.

So either way works. Just whatever suits your fancy.

Jerry
 
I did up Remington VLS in .223 last year.

1-8 Gaillard Palma contour 28"...........$450

Action trueing................................$150

Bedding.........................................$160

Thread and chamber.........................$250

Smokin' deal on Jewel trigger...............$250


Putting 80 gr SMKs on target, wayinthehelloutthere, priceless.

I think I asked $75 for the very fresh .223 HB, took about 20 minutes to sell. Some ask $125 and will likely die with every barrel they ever owned.
 
"...what does a smith have to do..." Barrel vise and a proper action wrench. Then headspacing. Epp's wants $150.00 + cost of barrel for aready to install barrel. $225.00 + cost of barrel for a blank. That covers threading, chambering and contouring the barrel blank.
"...a new Remington factory take-off..." That'll be a 1 in 12 too. That's the twist Remington uses on all their .223 barrels.
A Rem 700 .223 barrel with whatever twist you want shoudn't be hard to get. Having the heavy barrel now gives you more leeway vs a lighter barrel. No barrel channel work.
The Juanvaldez barrels might be a good idea. Any time you can reduce machining time will reduce your costs.
You need to decide how much money you want to spend. Like tiriaq says, a premium match barrel will cost more. The barrel steel matters too. SS blanks cost a bit more than regular barrels.
 
sunray said:
"...what does a smith have to do..." Barrel vise and a proper action wrench. Then headspacing. Epp's wants $150.00 + cost of barrel for aready to install barrel. $225.00 + cost of barrel for a blank. That covers threading, chambering and contouring the barrel blank.
"...a new Remington factory take-off..." That'll be a 1 in 12 too. That's the twist Remington uses on all their .223 barrels.
A Rem 700 .223 barrel with whatever twist you want shoudn't be hard to get. Having the heavy barrel now gives you more leeway vs a lighter barrel. No barrel channel work.
The Juanvaldez barrels might be a good idea. Any time you can reduce machining time will reduce your costs.
You need to decide how much money you want to spend. Like tiriaq says, a premium match barrel will cost more. The barrel steel matters too. SS blanks cost a bit more than regular barrels.
Click to expand...

Does the SS barrel last longer? If so, how much longer?
 
Mystic Precision said:
CM is a harder steel then SS.

Jerry
Click to expand...

Not harder Jerry--- in most rifle applications they measure between 24-28 Rockwell on the c- scale for both 4140 CM or 416 Stainless there are differances between the steels and Cm can be made harder but it generally isn`t, Tougher ,higher tensile yes but not hardness!
 
correct - meant more resistant to wear. I also believe the Cm steel is tougher to work with.

CM barrels can be as accurate as SS barrels but most match barrel makers find it easier to finish/lap SS. gunsmiths find it easier to machine SS.

I have shot both types of steel from a couple of quality match barrel manfs and didn't find a difference in accuracy.

One area I do like SS in a match barrel is the rust resistance. I do not put any exterior finish on my barrels (they dont last long enough) and the SS is nice to stop rust.

Jerry
 
The 700 LTR uses a faster twist, but I don't ever recall seeing a take-off for sale in the EE. If you want to build a real shooter, buy a quality bbl such as a Kreiger, Shilen, Hart, Gaillard, etc... Get a good smith to blueprint/true your action and do the install for you. Picking up a take-off bbl and getting someone to screw it on for you will probably not yield the precision you're looking for. You want tiny groups, you're going to have to pay for them.
 
I will be able to give you an exact cost in a couple of days.
Switched my Remington 700 1/12 with a 1/7 Schillen MS.
Also had the bolt and action trued, and rifle bedded.
 
Guess I got lucky when I bought a reasonably priced new take-off .223/9" twist LTR barrel. Should twist it onto one of my 700s and see how it shoots.
 
Should be alright switching the LTR barrel with your 1-12twist, might have minor head spacing, some time it so closed that there is no need to.
 
If you are going to change barrels and want to meet or exceed what you feel is already a really good standard of accuracy, you may as well do it properly.

That includes a proper match grade barrel, it includes having it chambered, threaded and crownd by a specialist gunsmith to match your specific action, and it also includes other prep work to make your exiting "infrastructure" work better... Proper bedding and action accurization.

The cost of such an upgrade? Budget 700-800 bucks.

As to CM versus SS, I have been in discussions with a machinist gunsmith that shoots TR and F-Class, and who was previously a real fan of CM steel barrels. He uses Bartlein and Krieger, which are as fine as you can buy. It has been his experience that CM steel does not seem to stand up to the same number of rounds before he has seen significant throat erosion. This is counter-intuitive to me, and I was surprised. I have since been discussing this with counterparts from the states and they tend to side with this belief.

CM requires greater care and cleaning to prevent rust, but it is a more suitable metal for cold weather shooting. In the case of Krieger (don't get me started) they will not produce narrow profiles in 416R becuase they feel it is not safe in cold weather...

Gunboy makes a very valid point: You can simply sell your existing rig, or trade it, and move into a Tikka that has the twist - and a record for exceptional accuracy - with only the difference in cost to worry about.

I re-emphasize that the achievement of precision requires more than just an accurate gun. You require an accurate shooter and and accurate ammo. Your results will reflect the weakest of these three.

I really don't want to open a pointless debate about the merits of different brands, but your rifle will make the basis for an exceptionally good rifle if you are willing to put them money where it counts. Although Pac-Nor makes barrel nuts to mate their barrels to Remingtons, I adamantly feel this is a disaster waiting to happen and will not carry these. I would rather lose business than my house.

Take my opinion for what it is worth and remeber whatyou paid for it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom