I have an older from maybe late 70's Rem 700 ADL in 7 mm mag. I am not happy with the cycling to unload it and always had issues trying to get the bolt to pickup a round.
First things first.
Take your rifle intact to a good gunsmith who understands feeding from a magazine. Have him straighten out the feeding problem. But if you just want a project to play with and you're not concerned with solving the problem with your original set up, follow through.
been wanting to change to the BDL style.
and then not satisfied with overall shooting
How is it shooting now? Has it been bedded properly, stress-free?
Changing out the stock for a BDL inlet then buying BDL bottom metal can get to be a little expensive without fixing the original problem or knowing how it shoots.
As to the rest of your post, it's throwing good money after bad. Why go through all the processes you describe, spend the money required, all without answering the necessary questions.
Personally, I'd suggest having a gunsmith fix the feeding and pick up problems then sell this rifle in this upbeat market. Look around for a decent used or new BDL-style rifle in the cartridge you want to shoot. Much simpler and cheaper than playing 'what if'.
No matter what you decide, enjoy the process!
