Remington Model Seven (7) Problems - Free Float or Not?

[tarkio]

I purchased a lightly used Rem Model 7 in .308 for my wife. I have set it up with a basic Leupold 3-9.

When I have shot this to sight it in, I am having ISSUES. The rifle will shoot alright, but will throw one out with some regularity.

I have been told there is a point of contact between the forearm and the bottom of the barrel. Some have told me to free float the barrel. That it is likely the culprit. I have had others say, "don't do it".

So help me out here. Anyone here have a Model Seven and experienced this? If floating is the solution, then why do they build it with point of contact?

I love the rifle. It's perfect for my wife, size-wise and it is a joy to shoot, when it shoots where I want it to.

I am really hoping to get this corrected asap as hunting season has started here and I want to be certain this rifle does its part for when my wife takes it out.

[J E Custom]

Originally Posted by tarkio

I purchased a lightly used Rem Model 7 in .308 for my wife. I have set it up with a basic Leupold 3-9.

When I have shot this to sight it in, I am having ISSUES. The rifle will shoot alright, but will throw one out with some regularity.

I have been told there is a point of contact between the forearm and the bottom of the barrel. Some have told me to free float the barrel. That it is likely the culprit. I have had others say, "don't do it".

So help me out here. Anyone here have a Model Seven and experienced this? If floating is the solution, then why do they build it with point of contact?

I love the rifle. It's perfect for my wife, size-wise and it is a joy to shoot, when it shoots where I want it to.

I am really hoping to get this corrected asap as hunting season has started here and I want to be certain this rifle does its part for when my wife takes it out.

These rifles normally come with a 18.5 " barrel and does have tip pressure.

The reason the factory rifles have tip pressure is to make them more consistant shot to shot
not more accurate.

With the short barrel it will probably improve the first 2 or 3 shots but then it will wander all
over the place.

So with a cold barrel shoot once for zero and once for the backup shot that might be nessary
and don't worry about a 5 shot group.

If you want it to shoot 5 shot groups then you should remove the tip pressure and do a full
action bedding job. then work up loads after this work is done,

Just an opinion

J E CUSTOM

[Rustystud]

I have three model 7s all have required extensive work to make them shoot consistently. If you are shooting a Remington tupperware stock you will need to do a lot of modification to make it cinsistent.

As stated they can be made to shot a round or two then they start spraying them allover the target.

My 308 model seven action has been trued, rebarreled, new lug , pillars and glassed in lug. It shoots Accubonds, and Sciroccos in a .5 wad.

I can't get it to shoot Barnes Tipped tripple shocks better tahn .750- 1.0 moa.

Nat Lambeth

[Coyboy]

If my memory is correct, I belive the last M7 308 I accurized, I put pillars in the tup. stock and floated the barrel. Along with the usual lap lugs, trigger adj., new crown, ect. When it was done I shot the handloads the customer sent, and it went just under 1moa for 5 shots. The same loads before this were around 1.5-2 moa. If You have the ability to bed the action and float the barrel, then go ahead and do it. I'm sure it won't get any worse.

[travelr47]

tarkio,
I'd suggest taking some bedding compound and building up the forend where the barrel
touches, and while you're at it, bed the recoil lug and a inch or so forward. If that doesn't
work, I'd suggest floating the barrel back to where you bedded the recoil lug.

Now if both those suggestions don't work, I immediately opt for replacing the barrel from
barrel mfrs like E.R. Shaw or Pac-Nor. Both do excellent work at economical prices. Far
more economical than local gunsmiths charge.

After all, you're not interested in a 'custom rifle', only one that shoots. Personally, I've had
excellent work performed by Pac-Nor. And both barrel mfrs I've mentioned fully fit and chamber
their barrels to your action and ship the barreled actions back to you for far less than any
local gunsmith will charge you.

I've had Pac-Nor do three barrels for me so far. All have shot sub-MOA. Two were sporter
barrel contours, meaning they were 22"& 24" barrels, measuring less than .600" at the muzzle.

[tcknight]

J. E. Custom knows what he is talking about. I have removed the tip pressure on all my Remingtons and bedded the action, lug, and up the barrel just past the chamber. This all began with a 788 I received in 1976 and I have done it ever since.

The latest was a 700 SPS that was shooting 4 inch groups OUCH. Got it down to 1.2" by doing this (in a laminate after market stock since the rubber one is hard to bed for me).

But, being unsatisfied with that, and realizing I had purchased a lemon, I had a Kreiger barrel and timney trigger installed after I took it out of the road rubber stock and put it in a laminate. Now I have .33" groups.

HOWEVER, the first two shots out of any of these guns (except the SPS) were spot on, only when I went to numbers 3, 4, or 5 did it start to open up. So, as J. E. Custom pointed out, if your hunting does not include prolonged shot strings, you should be targeting the accuracy of your first shot out of a cold barrel rather than three or five shot groups. If you are a varmint hunter, then ya gotta bed it.

[tarkio]

Well I took it to a local smith that specializes in long-range rifles and accurizing rifles.

He is going to bed and float and give it an 11 degree crown.

All this and pretty cheap as well.