Upgrading the barrel on my Rem 700 - Where to start?

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christos808

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Hi everyone,

About a year ago I bought a Remington 700 in .223 as my first centre-fire rifle. My intention at the time was to learn the fundamentals, have a little fun and eventually graduate to larger calibres so I could get into long-range shooting. However, it turns out I like shooting .223 (not to mention how I like not having to get a new mortgage every time I want to buy new ammo). So what I would like to do is gradually do some upgrades to the rifle to improve its accuracy at 100 or 200 yards.

I upgraded the trigger to a Timney a few months ago, and I just bought a new Bell & Carlson stock (which I haven't installed yet) that I will probably have bedded at some point. Where I'm running into a roadblock is in upgrading the barrel. I can't seem to find a good source of information for beginners that would help me choose the best heavy/varmint barrel for target shooting. Don't get me wrong, there's tons of info online, but all of it seems to be geared at people who already know what they're looking for - and that's not me.

To be clear, I'm not asking what "the best" barrels are (though I would appreciate anyone sharing their experience) but rather if you know a website or a YouTube channel that would explain the basics of barrel selection.

Cheers
 
Give JC at JC Custom Barrels a call, great guy to deal with and makes awesome barrels, he can answer some questions for you. I've got a couple barrels from him now and the one he put on my Rem 700 in .223 shoots touching holes at 100 yards with cheap Factory ammo, I've shot it out to 500 yards on steel no problem shooting MOA.

He drills his own stuff, countours, single point cut rifles them and then hand laps them to perfection.
 
Here is an interesting article on the different ways barrels are made. The author is the former owner of Border Barrels who are located in the UK and make high end cut rifled barrels as well as button rifled barrels.

The Making of a Rifled Barrel
 
As shooters today we are blessed with some very good barrel makers... it won't really matter which of the quality barrels you buy, they all will be good I am sure. The quality of the install is more important.
 
First thing, you need enough twist rate for the bullet weight you plan to shoot. More twist is always better than not enough.
Second, how long and heavy you want it to be. That's really up to you and what you want to do with it. (for some types of competitions the rules can have limits on that)
Lots of options for brands/manufacturers, what you want to spend and what's available vs wait time will make part of that decision for you, along with that makes you feel fuzzy inside.


If you get a new barrel put on, have the action bedded properly at the same time and any other work that needs done.
 
The stock you have may determine how large your barrel diameter can be.
B&C stocks do not let you remove very much material before you break through the outer shell.
As Dennis said there are all sorts of good barrel makers, so getting one that shoots well is the goal.
Find a gun smith you can work with and take the plunge.
Interesting point on the average barrel life, 2000 rounds is equal to about 6 seconds of bullet time in the barrel. Sound crazy does it not.
 
I agree, barrel twist is important. Figure out what bullet you want to shoot. If you're only planning 100-200 yards, than just about anything will do. However, if you ever plan to go farther (and you're putting money into a new barrel anyways) you should look at heavier bullets and a faster twist barrel.
Here's some good 223rem info: http://www.accurateshooter.com/cartridge-guides/223rem/
For a gunsmith, Casey at TacOrd isn't far from Toronto. I've talked to him about truing and re-barreling a 700.
 
Ron AKA, thanks for informative article, by Dr. Kolbe, the best I've ever seen. Also prophetic, as cut-rifled barrels absolutely dominate centrefire BR and FClass.

Peter
 
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The positive with competition is "best methods" rarely every stay best. Top tier companies are always working to adapt to raw material and improvements in manufacturing options. CNC machining and modern honing methods change the levels of accuracy and repeatability. There are some companies that cut, and chamber a barrel without any reamers... that is pretty cool tech.

To say that barrels made a certain way do not need stress relieving, may not necessarily be true. Of the companies I work with, ALL do some sort of stress relieving and are looking at various ways to improve their process.

The main variable is the steel coming from the mill and as they are not constant let alone consistent, top tier manfs have to be able to deal with the various quirks of the steel as it is presented.

In general, top tier barrel makers (cut and button rifled) are producing barrels at a more consistent and repeatable basis then was a decade or two back. This is good for us target shooters given the total investment in installing a match barrel.

I am pleased to be working with my barrel suppliers in testing new methods of manf to find that edge. Takes alot of time and resources but there are some very positive gains, leading us to a better understanding of what makes a barrel shoot.... especially for the LR game.

Jerry
 
dero338 said:
Before you buy a blank, first what bullet weight you want to shoot. Then get proper twist.
Second, how long will you seat that bullet.
The chamber throat has to be cut to fit your needs.
Click to expand...

That's the thing, I really don't know that sort of thing, and as I said in my original post, pretty much all information sources I find online assume that I know this.

To put it simply, I want a gun that will allow me to shoot five rounds through the same hole at 100 yards all day long. I am only interested in target shooting -- no hunting (for now) so weight and maneuverability are not really an issue.
 
A .224 barrel with a 12 twist will shoot the new 55 grain long bullets and lighter bullets with excellent accuracy. If you want to shoot 5 shot groups into the same hole all day long, have the action accurized and bedded with a heavy barrel floated... you may need a new stock to handle the heavier barrel. A barrel about the same contour as the 700 BDL varmint rifle would be great.
 
christos808 said:
That's the thing, I really don't know that sort of thing, and as I said in my original post, pretty much all information sources I find online assume that I know this.

To put it simply, I want a gun that will allow me to shoot five rounds through the same hole at 100 yards all day long. I am only interested in target shooting -- no hunting (for now) so weight and maneuverability are not really an issue.
Click to expand...

I'm kind of in the same boat regarding not knowing what bullet to chamber my rifle for. I'm just going to tell my gunsmith the caliber I want to shoot, what I want to shoot with it and then see what they suggest for bullet.

For you, I'd recommend finding a smith you want to rebarrel your rifle, and then ask what they suggest. For a .223, I'd recommend at least 1 in 9" twist, possible 1 in 8" to stabilize heavier bullets.
 
guntech said:
A .224 barrel with a 12 twist will shoot the new 55 grain long bullets and lighter bullets with excellent accuracy. If you want to shoot 5 shot groups into the same hole all day long, have the action accurized and bedded with a heavy barrel floated... you may need a new stock to handle the heavier barrel. A barrel about the same contour as the 700 BDL varmint rifle would be great.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I'm pretty sure 1:12 is what I have (I didn't know anything about twist rates when I bought it), and I've been shooting 55-grain FMJ bullets with pretty decent results, though still with a lot of room for improvement.
 
Clocked92 said:
For you, I'd recommend finding a smith you want to rebarrel your rifle, and then ask what they suggest. For a .223, I'd recommend at least 1 in 9" twist, possible 1 in 8" to stabilize heavier bullets.
Click to expand...

That's what I'm going to do I think. Though living in downtown Toronto, I expect I'll have to go pretty far to find one...
 
christos808 said:
That's the thing, I really don't know that sort of thing, and as I said in my original post, pretty much all information sources I find online assume that I know this.

To put it simply, I want a gun that will allow me to shoot five rounds through the same hole at 100 yards all day long. I am only interested in target shooting -- no hunting (for now) so weight and maneuverability are not really an issue.
Click to expand...

Always best to state what you goals and objectives are clearly and upfront.. the parts are easy once we know what you want to do. Consider:

If you want to use a 22cal with a 223 sized bolt head and you will reload, none finer then a 222 Rem. This was THE BR cartridge before the PPC. I would suggest a Shilen SS Select Match, 22cal, 12 twist, no taper #11 target contour to finish at 22". I have found button rifled barrels easier on 22cal sized bullets then cut rifle (and yes, I shoot/offer both). Launch 50 to 52gr match bullets.

If you really want to up the accuracy, have a good gunsmith like Guntech open up the 223 bolt head to fit the 6PPC. 62 to 65gr, 13 to 13.5" twist (the debate rages on). #11, 22" finished... Enjoy...

if you truly want bughole accuracy, I would shelve the FMJ's and look at options from Berger and Sierra.

Then we can chat about dies, proper brass prep and maintenance and of course, quality scales.... after the rifle is properly bedded into an appropriate stock. Quality match trigger, base, rings and optics will go a ways to help complet the package.

5rds through the same hole all day is certainly possible if you are willing to put in the effort and get the appropriate gear. Doesn't have to be silly money but it will be enough.

Jerry
 
christos808 said:
That's what I'm going to do I think. Though living in downtown Toronto, I expect I'll have to go pretty far to find one...
Click to expand...

There are dozens of projects mailed to dozens of gunsmiths every week... all across Canada.

I am with Jerry about the .222 Remington... all other things being equal it will generally out shoot a .223 any day...

I would suggest adding a single shot adapter for ease of range shooting... and you could even chamber for the little .221 Fireball... excellent 100 yard accuracy with way less noise, recoil and powder
 
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