Remington Model 7

[Rustystud]

I have several rifles some for long range and some for medium range and some for short range. I have a Remington Model 7 Stainless, leupold bases and rings, leupold 2.5 X 8 VX3. As a factory gun it shot sub 1. moa groups with handloads. After about 400 rounds it started shooting like a shotgun. Last year I pillar bedded the stock, glassed in the lug, free floated the barrel with no effect. I pulled of the barrel and scoped it. Slick from the throat about 8 inches, poor quality rifling for about 3 inches and flat almost gone rifling the last 8 inches of the barrel. I removed the barrel lapped the lugs, trued the action face, replaced the barrel with A 20" Broughton, 1:12, 5C. It would shoot 150 Accubonds sub .750". I decided to try some Barnes Tipped Tripple shocks in 130 and 150 grain. The first test loads were with all bullets set back .050 off the rifling. I tried H 4895, Varget, Win 748 in 42.5-49 grain increments. The best groups were about 1. moa most were 1.25 moa. I moved the bullets forward to .025 off the lands and repeated the process. With Win 748 I had to stop at 48 grains due to preasure issues. The groups may have tightened up .25. I then moved the seating depth to .015" off the rifling and loaded 46. gr. of W-748. All groups were sub 1. moa but not touching like the Nosler Accubonds.

The rifle weighs only 5 lbs and has a wicked recoil so I put a Harroll's muzzle brake on it yesterday. The next 25 rounds the recoil was very mild of couse the was a fair bit more muzzle blast and noise.

The last load were shot with the bullets seated .10" off the rifling and all loads were done at 46. grains. Primers showed some preasure but no ejector marks. Best results was about .750" and most at 1. moa.

I shot 5 Accubonds again for a test and the group was sub.5 moa.

I shot 5 Swift Scirroco .010" off the rifling and they shot sub.5moa.

My question am I expecting too much out of the Barnes bullets?

When talking to the Barnes techs they suggested trying TAC powder.

Has anyone else shot the 130 and 150 Tipped tripple shocks in a 1:2 barrel and gotten sub.750 moa?

I am wondering if thee bullets reqire a longer barrel to get stabilized.

Nat Lambeth

[J E Custom]

Nat

What calibre is it ?

And what is the barrel length ?

Mine was a 18.5" barrel in 7/08 and it liked lighter bullets in the thin barrel.

I would think anything under 1 MOA would be good for the rifle.

J E CUSTOM

[Rustystud]

J E Custom:

One is a stainless 308 the other is a CM .243. Both are now wearing 20" Broughtons. They weigh less than 5 lbs. Last week after firing a hundred rounds of 308 test ammo I realized what a pus I was and put a muzzle brake on the 308. It has very little recoil but quite a bit of muzzle blast and noise. Saw no detremental effect on accuracy. In fact now I can see the bullet strikes at 100 yards in the scope.


Nat Lambeth

[J E Custom]

Originally Posted by Rustystud

J E Custom:

One is a stainless 308 the other is a CM .243. Both are now wearing 20" Broughtons. They weigh less than 5 lbs. Last week after firing a hundred rounds of 308 test ammo I realized what a pus I was and put a muzzle brake on the 308. It has very little recoil but quite a bit of muzzle blast and noise. Saw no detremental effect on accuracy. In fact now I can see the bullet strikes at 100 yards in the scope.


Nat Lambeth

Nat.

Don't feel bad a rifle that weighs 5 pounds has a very high recoil velocity even though
it is in a 308. (This is what you actually feel because it is how fast the rifle moves back
at firing not the ft/lbs of recoil energy that most people think is the recoil that they feel.

I have a Mauser carbine in 308 that weighs less than 6 pounds and it is unpleasant to say
the least.

I replaced mine with a 22" hunter bench rest taper from Lilja and it will shoot lights out
but it does weigh 11 lbs.

So with the custom barrels you can expect better accuracy,(I may have said it in other post
but the light barrels all seam to shoot better with light bullets because they are not as
bad about barrel harmonics).

J E CUSTOM

[wm5l]

I too have a model 7 in 7mm-08. It has NEVER shot good. Groups in the 3 and 4 inch range. Tried several different loads/hand loads and cant find ANYTHING that it will shoot. Called Hill country guns and was told almost all of them they every worked on (new model 7 in 260/7mm-08) shoot like crap. Several gunsmith have told me the same. I want to rebarrel it. What brand barrel would you guys put on it? I would like to keep it close to factory size and weight. It will not be a long range weapon. Kind of on a budget....Jim

[Rustystud]

There are two schools of thought. Least expensive and more expensive route.

I am a firm believer that you get what you pay for.

You have several choices of rifling types, Cut rifling, button riffling, and hammer forged. The most common in the American after market ar Button and Cut rifling.

America Is blessed with some real quality barrel makers. The following is a list in no order of some that are available.

Button Rifling Barrel Makers

Broughton, Hart, Lilja, Shilen, Douglas, Criterion, Bench Mark, Montana

Cut Rifling Barrel Makers

Kreiger, Bartlien, Brux, Rock Creek, Badger, Saturn, Obermyer, Chanlynn

I have not listed the lower end barrels as I beleive you do yourself a disservice using them.

As a gunsmith who specializes in rebarreling I don't invite unnessary headaches. If a barrel does not shoot the gunsmith gets the blame not the barrel maker.

I rebarreled both of my Remington model 7s with 20" Broughtons. Both are in Remington tupperware stocks that have been pillar bedded and had the lugs classed in. The barrel channels have been opened up because the aftermarket barrels are .630" at the muzzle not .535". This makes the barrel much more stiff giving it greater accuracy. The extra weight is not noticable.
Both of my model 7s after truing and rebarreling will shoot an hones .5" five shot group at 100 yards.

Nat Lambeth