In my career the vast majority of new barrel installs was on 700's and for the last several years the majority of those actions I trued... a minimum amount of machining (so initial extraction was not affected). Many of those actions I also "bumped" the bolt. (reducing the up and down movement of the rear of the bolt on cocking and firing) Truing is a one time operation and requires no lapping of the bolt. Lapping isn't the best method of correcting lug engagement. I also trued 700 actions with no barrel install.
Tuning a Remington 700?
- Thread starter Bustercluck
- Start date
About lug lapping...
There is a lot more to it than applying lapping compound to the lugs and working the handle up and down. This can actually make things worse.
If you want to lap the lugs, the locking abutments and locking lugs should be perpendicular to the receiver/barrel axis before lapping.
I made a jig to lap the receiver abutments square. A steel rod is fitted to the receiver bore, with a cast iron lap attached to the end. The cast iron lap is refaced clean after each use. The barrel is removed, and the lap installed from the front, loaded with compound. The lap is then rotated gently, pulling the lap rearward. After the abutments are lapped, the bolt lugs are next. Compound is applied to the lugs, and the bolt is installed. Ejector removed. A jig is screwed into the receiver ring, applying pressure against the bolt face. The lugs are pressed against the abutments and lapping commences. The jig pushes the bolt straight back. Pulling back on the bolt handle introduces a lateral load.
There are commercial jigs which allow the abutments and lugs to be recut dead perpendicular to the axis. The front face of the receiver can be squared up. The receiver threads can be recut to guarantee that they are parallel to the axis. Work on the receiver face and the threads and the barrel will need to be refitted, or a new barrel installed.
R700 receivers may not be straight. They were heat treated after machining. Warpage can occur. Banana shaped, up in the middle, down at the ends. The receiver can be mounted on a mandrel, and set up in the lathe. The exterior is then turned off taking very light cuts. The bottom of the receiver will show more metal being removed than the top. The point of this is to make the exterior of the receiver coaxial with the receiver bore. A reason the the 40X was superior, and more expensive was that much of the machining was done after heat treating. Harder on the tooling.
As guntech mentioned, if the bolt gets set back because too much material is removed from the lugs and abutments, extraction camming is compromised, and the bolt handle will have to be repositioned.
There is a lot more to it than applying lapping compound to the lugs and working the handle up and down. This can actually make things worse.
If you want to lap the lugs, the locking abutments and locking lugs should be perpendicular to the receiver/barrel axis before lapping.
I made a jig to lap the receiver abutments square. A steel rod is fitted to the receiver bore, with a cast iron lap attached to the end. The cast iron lap is refaced clean after each use. The barrel is removed, and the lap installed from the front, loaded with compound. The lap is then rotated gently, pulling the lap rearward. After the abutments are lapped, the bolt lugs are next. Compound is applied to the lugs, and the bolt is installed. Ejector removed. A jig is screwed into the receiver ring, applying pressure against the bolt face. The lugs are pressed against the abutments and lapping commences. The jig pushes the bolt straight back. Pulling back on the bolt handle introduces a lateral load.
There are commercial jigs which allow the abutments and lugs to be recut dead perpendicular to the axis. The front face of the receiver can be squared up. The receiver threads can be recut to guarantee that they are parallel to the axis. Work on the receiver face and the threads and the barrel will need to be refitted, or a new barrel installed.
R700 receivers may not be straight. They were heat treated after machining. Warpage can occur. Banana shaped, up in the middle, down at the ends. The receiver can be mounted on a mandrel, and set up in the lathe. The exterior is then turned off taking very light cuts. The bottom of the receiver will show more metal being removed than the top. The point of this is to make the exterior of the receiver coaxial with the receiver bore. A reason the the 40X was superior, and more expensive was that much of the machining was done after heat treating. Harder on the tooling.
As guntech mentioned, if the bolt gets set back because too much material is removed from the lugs and abutments, extraction camming is compromised, and the bolt handle will have to be repositioned.
Square action face.
I just got recently a Rem 700 heavy barrelled 308 project gun from second hand. The previous owner was a f-class shooter and left some personal touch on the gun parts here and there.
I have tested it @ 300 meters several times in my club, I believe it is a consistent 0.45 (sub 1/2") MOA gun with the amo a friend was reloading for me.... now I started collecting dies for reloading DIY if I can either improve or just screw it up totally
But man, I hate that eFing single stage heavy trigger...
I have tested it @ 300 meters several times in my club, I believe it is a consistent 0.45 (sub 1/2") MOA gun with the amo a friend was reloading for me.... now I started collecting dies for reloading DIY if I can either improve or just screw it up totally
But man, I hate that eFing single stage heavy trigger...
Most of the 700's I have or had came with the X-junk trigger, I usually replace those. On a sporting rifle, the Walkers are decent when tuned. Aside from the trigger, usually rebarrel when it's needed and glass bed it in a solid stock. That's about all I've really done, but I'm mostly ringing steel out to like 600 or punching paper at 100-200, not competing.
