BLUEPRINTED 700 vs. CUSTOM ACTION

[MTBULLET]

I wanted to build a few rifles for myself/grandkids, so bought
(over time) the tools/jigs (and new 14x40 toolroom lathe and mill)required to "true" Rem. 700 actions, have built about 15 rifles so far, so figure tools/fixtures have paid for themselves, and i enjoy doing it
plus, i use the lathe and mill for work

 

[cjuve]

I own both trued Remington actions and customs. IMO if you plan on keeping the rifle and currently already own the action use it, my trued Remingtons are equally as accurate as my customs but be aware you will never get your investment out of it. If purchasing a new action or if there is ever the possibility you will sell it go with a custom.

 

[JohnMill]

I own both trued Remington actions and customs. IMO if you plan on keeping the rifle and currently already own the action use it, my trued Remingtons are equally as accurate as my customs but be aware you will never get your investment out of it. If purchasing a new action or if there is ever the possibility you will sell it go with a custom.

I have decided to build a new deer rifle. I'm not going to use this rifle for competitions, just for hunting. Are the custom actions worth the extra expense compared to a Remington 700 that has been trued by a good gunsmith? Everything else being equal, trigger, barrel, and stock. The only real difference I see is the bolt release, and possibly the extractor.

Thanks for your comments.[/QU
The most accurate rifles I've shot have been trued/blueprinted Rem 700s

 

[JohnMill]

I wanted to build a few rifles for myself/grandkids, so bought
(over time) the tools/jigs (and new 14x40 toolroom lathe and mill)required to "true" Rem. 700 actions, have built about 15 rifles so far, so figure tools/fixtures have paid for themselves, and i enjoy doing it
plus, i use the lathe and mill for work

I'm with you. The feeling that you get from shooting a screamer group or making a loooong shot on a varmint with a rifle you blueprinted/trued up is like nothing else

 

[Zorack]

I have 2 700 actions on custom builds. One was actually blue printed and had the bolt timed since the handle had to be repaired and it will put all 3 shots touching. My other one had the receiver and bolt squared and lugs lapped and it will give me a .5 group at 100. Some of my stock rifles will shoot sub moa as well.

 

[dmoon]

Six of one and half a dozen of the other.....think about precision vs accuracy. Are you trying to shoot .1 moa or are you trying to hit steel at 1000. I have both, but even off the bench the rifle I can consistently shoot tiny tight little groups with is a trued XP-100 (not sure if they or my 40xbr are truly factory Remington anyway), which is 1/2 price of a Defiance or Stiller......I'm also hope I buy more of each before they push the dirt over me!!!

 

[CTK]

Big difference to me is resale value. As others have pointed out, the meaning of "trued" is a moving target. Custom actions and known gunsmiths help mitigate the beating that you take selling a nice rifle. I have no idea if the action really matters much toward accuracy. My favorite action that I have owned is a Bighorn. I have owned another action that was probably within NASA build tolerances. It was so precise that it did not like dirt or residual solvents. The Bighorn uses the Savage type bolt head that does not seem to require super tight tolerances. I have come to believe that the best accuracy investments are in quality gunsmiths and high end triggers.

 

[VLD Pilot]

Will a NASCAR Chevy out run your Camaro???
There it is...

Apples to bananas !!! Like Alex Wheeler said, a trued Rem action will outshoot the difference. Sure the custom action will be prettier as well as feel better throughout the bolt movement but where accuracy is concerned, NO the Nascar will not beat the Camaro necessarily. Especially in a hunting platform. Where the OP is really using this setup.

 

[KyCarl]

But since you all agree that a Remington has to be trued?
Isn't that like rework? Why wasn't it done right from the beginning?
And selling it a Remington will sell like a Remington..It may be very nice BUT it's not a
Big Horn (Insert any action you like?) And reworking/altering VOIDS any responsibility Remington ever had! And like it or not stuff does happen...

 

[dmoon]

But since you all agree that a Remington has to be trued?
Isn't that like rework? Why wasn't it done right from the beginning?
And selling it a Remington will sell like a Remington..It may be very nice BUT it's not a
Big Horn (Insert any action you like?) And reworking/altering VOIDS any responsibly Remington ever had!

Carl, I see you are/were a machinist so I bet you actually know the answer to your own question. Meaning there is a reason a 700 action is $455 and a "big horn" is $1200....so I think a guy can put some time/money into the $455 tool to get the tolerances that went into making the $1200 tool.....just my opinion.

 

[KyCarl]

Add machine work time? The shop I work at gets over 200 bucks an hour for machine time with an operator The closer you want it the more it costs..Microns = $$$
So your $455 action just went to $600 or more.
I look at my guns as investments..Everyone is for sale ..some are just worth more than others? And resale must be considered in every purchase..

 

[dmoon]

Carl, I was a machinist for over 15 years and worked production and 1 off I understand how they operate. I agree resale must be considered. But at the end of the day $600 is 1/2 of $1200 and I believe that the guy that started this thread was interested in saving money up front and was interested in how different was the accuracy out of each.....

 

[jimbires]

here is a thread that the OP might find interesting .

http://forum.accurateshooter.com/threads/why-we-true-them.3919709/

 

[KyCarl]

Heck either one is more accurate than I am..