For those who have done it...

[xsn10s]

@Everyone

I appreciate all the responses. There is a lot of information here to dissect and digest. I'm still not sure what I will do, but I have time to think it over.

I do like doing things myself, and learning new things. I also appreciate the abilities of a good gunsmith. There are also many precision factory options available now. Lots to think about, and that is part of the fun!

A couple of things that came up in the thread...

- Acceptable precision for me is an honest 3/4 MOA. If I could tweak hand loads to get to 1/2 I'd be pleased.

- I do handload

- Whether I go this route, or use a gunsmith, the gun will go in an HS Precision stock. Using that I don't believe I'd have to wallow out the stock for the nut, would I? The inlet is much larger. I'm probably gonna go with a varmint contour barrel.

- A Wyatt box mag and bottom metal would be a consideration.

I haven't done a remage but I use H&S Precision stock and you'll prbably have to sand in some clearance for the barrelnut. I bought a Remarms ADL in 7mm RM and put it in a KRG Bravo. It shoots well with handloads. Both are three shot groups. The one of paper is 100 yards and steel at 550 yards. I'd expect the 3/4 moa or better from Remington's new rifles if installed into a good stock.

 

[MagnumManiac]

A CZ550 for ELR? That's something you don't encounter too often…I love it!!!!

I have the cz550's kissing cousin haha, a BRNO ZG47. It's been rebarrelled in .358 Norma and I just love the thing.

Working behind a gun counter the last 3 months or so now, I have to say I'm asking myself why I don't have any CZ rifles in my collection. They just seem to me to be EXTREMELY well made for what they're asking for them, no contest, and the newer 600 models, especially the lux, appeal to the traditionalist in me, beautiful wood and blue steel, a rifle that still feels like an honest-to-God GUN in these days of synthetic materials and chassis stocks (which I have no problem with either, but they got nothing on how naturally these old school rifles point when shouldered free-hand)

The beauty of a CZ 550 Safari Magnum is the mag length of 3.845" standard is easily altered to accept 4.00" length mag box, however, my builds are all single shots, no need for a mag box or extension of the front ring or rear notch…
They are well made from the factory but do need blueprinting and I run stainless barrels without taper 32"-34" length.

Cheers.

 

[tony d willIiams]

Who has replaced their own barrel on a Remington 700 in a different caliber? I'm thinking of converting my 243 to a 6CM simply because I'd have more room for the longer boolits. My understanding of the process is that I would need a barrel vise, an action wrench, and go/no go guages for the new caliber. The bolt face is the same.

I have a custom rifle on an old 700 action. It is an absolute tack driver, but the gunsmith blueprinted the action and the bolt. Can I expect the same precision without blueprinting? I'm not a machinist. Just a regular guy who loves rifles that shoot exceptionally well, has a limited budget, wants "new" guns, and has a wife who watches the checking account closely. If you have experience and can relate, please share. (Yes, I'm looking for a friend )

I would love to help you, but what you need, and want, are outside of my experiences.
I am sure many here with the knowledge and back ground will help you. After all, is that not why we are here?

I am not a machinist either. I was helped by others and many, many libraries to learn new skills. Forced to retire by health, but I had ended up as an engineer in many fields, a programmer in a few languages, and a debugger. A joyful life.

Maybe a learning rifle is available? Where you may test the new skills you seek, and one where you will not cry if you push too hard, or used a hammer instead of a stick wrapped in leather.
Maybe you have a shop or garage where many may come by and learn together. And a few masters visit to share their life skills with you.
And I am going to continue reading from this post, because you have ignited a new thirst in me.
Thank you.

 

[Coyote Shadow Tracker]

Who has replaced their own barrel on a Remington 700 in a different caliber? I'm thinking of converting my 243 to a 6CM simply because I'd have more room for the longer boolits. My understanding of the process is that I would need a barrel vise, an action wrench, and go/no go guages for the new caliber. The bolt face is the same.

I have a custom rifle on an old 700 action. It is an absolute tack driver, but the gunsmith blueprinted the action and the bolt. Can I expect the same precision without blueprinting? I'm not a machinist. Just a regular guy who loves rifles that shoot exceptionally well, has a limited budget, wants "new" guns, and has a wife who watches the checking account closely. If you have experience and can relate, please share. (Yes, I'm looking for a friend )

Do you have a picture of you rifle that you want to change the barrel out on?
Thanks much and what would the asking price be if you would sell?

 

[Coldfinger]

Who has replaced their own barrel on a Remington 700 in a different caliber? I'm thinking of converting my 243 to a 6CM simply because I'd have more room for the longer boolits. My understanding of the process is that I would need a barrel vise, an action wrench, and go/no go guages for the new caliber. The bolt face is the same.

I have a custom rifle on an old 700 action. It is an absolute tack driver, but the gunsmith blueprinted the action and the bolt. Can I expect the same precision without blueprinting? I'm not a machinist. Just a regular guy who loves rifles that shoot exceptionally well, has a limited budget, wants "new" guns, and has a wife who watches the checking account closely. If you have experience and can relate, please share. (Yes, I'm looking for a friend )

If you can get your barrel out of the action Remage style barrels can be had at decent prices and shoot great depending on quality. I've had amazing shooters with a barrel nut. I've got some PacNor pacnut setups that will run with any shouldered barrel out there.
Draw back is they are ugly.
Shouldered barrels are out there also. I've never bought an off the shelf shouldered pre fit barrel so no experience there.
Shouldered barrels short chambered are out there as well but require a finish reamer and Thandle.

 

[Keystone7mm]

Do you have a picture of you rifle that you want to change the barrel out on?
Thanks much and what would the asking price be if you would sell?

It is just a Remington 700 SPS in 243. It has a Timney trigger, but otherwise it is a stock gun. Currently has a leupold VX III 3-9 on it. I'm not really looking to sell it. I think I bought it for $450 long ago, when I was a younger man. It is well used. I've probably got around 2500 rounds through it. A lot of deer, coyotes, prarie dogs, steel and paper. Even a couple speed goats.

 

[Coldfinger]

It is just a Remington 700 SPS in 243. It has a Timney trigger, but otherwise it is a stock gun. Currently has a leupold VX III 3-9 on it. I'm not really looking to sell it. I think I bought it for $450 long ago, when I was a younger man. It is well used. I've probably got around 2500 rounds through it. A lot of deer, coyotes, prarie dogs, steel and paper. Even a couple speed goats.

My first 22 creed was a criterion remage from Northland. It was a hammer loved that barrel I used it in a chassis as a work horse truck gun. It really shot with 85.5 bergers. Like a fool I sold the barrel but kept my 22 creed addiction.

 

[HRM Johnny]

Who has replaced their own barrel on a Remington 700 in a different caliber? I'm thinking of converting my 243 to a 6CM simply because I'd have more room for the longer boolits. My understanding of the process is that I would need a barrel vise, an action wrench, and go/no go guages for the new caliber. The bolt face is the same.

I have a custom rifle on an old 700 action. It is an absolute tack driver, but the gunsmith blueprinted the action and the bolt. Can I expect the same precision without blueprinting? I'm not a machinist. Just a regular guy who loves rifles that shoot exceptionally well, has a limited budget, wants "new" guns, and has a wife who watches the checking account closely. If you have experience and can relate, please share. (Yes, I'm looking for a friend )

This has been a great thread. Thank you for starting it.

 

[P7M13]

Late to the thread, didn't read past the 1st page.

Like @HandgunHTR , I've done two Remingtons (700 and 721), and four Savages.
The 721 was a used barrel I bought that was a fubar from the word go because of how the barrel had been chambered. I traded it away for a LH Savage that is now a switch-barrel.

For the 700,

• I used my 300 RUM as a donor action. I did NOT have any truing done to it.
• I bought a machined recoil lug and had McGowen chamber a 28" light varmint in 7mm LRM
• A go gauge from PTG (GO only - I use cellophane tape to make it a "NO-GO" gauge)
• cannot remember where I bought the barrel nut from
• Bought a four port muzzle brake from Nathan Wright at MBM.
• Stuck it all in a MDT TAC21 chassis that I picked up from their semi-annual blem sale
• Put a Leupold Mark 4 LRT 5x25 on it.
• As built weight, 13.5#
• Including a used value of the RUM at $500 (what you could find them for at the time), my total outlay for the rifle (without glass) was ~$1600.
• I replaced the original X-Mark trigger with a Timney Calvin Elite about six years ago. It didn't improve my groups, but it's a much nicer trigger.

As of this writing, I have ~600 rounds down range. I have not looked at the barrel. Brass is my bigger problem as Hornady brass doesn't last (both converted 375 Ruger and the stuff from Gunwerks). I've started converting Peterson 300 PRC brass into 7LRM and those show promise to last at least five to six firings. Some have three firings as 7LRM already and they don't look have any problems yet. Hornady typically splits by the third firing.
It took me a while to develop "the load". At first I was shooting Retumbo and Berger 180s, and never got better than 1 MOA, but was in the 1-1/2 MOA range. Tried H1000, and it wasn't much better. Found a load last year using H4831 and Nosler 185 RDFs at 2895 MV. The thing is a tack driver now, regularly grouping within 1-1/2 to 2" at 300 yards. I'll be trying my hand at 1000 and then a mile next weekend.

If I did it again, I'd flute the barrel and find a lighter chassis. The TAC21 is an awesome chassis, though.
Aligning the recoil lug is not that hard, provided you are mechanically inclined.

On the savages, three were not trued and I've had three others done. Of those three, the smith said none of them were out but he took off half a thousandth anyway. The bolt faces, two of them you can see his evening out the surface. The other two were perfect.
One of the changes over time is I've gone from doing the barrel nut to now having the smith chamber and shoulder the barrels to the action. I have four in this configuration, two barrels for each Savage action. It's much easier to change out, no messing with the nut.

You'll need a barrel vise. I had a Wheeler, it was awful. Found a different one (cannot remember the name as I type) and while better than the Wheeler, it still is insufficient as far as torque holding force. Each time, I wind up wrapping the barrel in lead rope (stained glass window muntin", and it gets me a much better grip on my barrel.
I have a design to make a completely different barrel vise HF shop press, and have all the parts on hand, but haven not made it a priority. It would give much better hold on the barrel.

One comment on why you might like to have a gunsmith true your action, chamber, thread, shoulder and mount your barrel is because a lot of barrels have a natural camber to them (imperceptable until they chuck it up into a four jaw). A good smith will thread and shoulder so the plane of the arc is in perfect alignment with the plane of trajectory. This, you definitely do NOT get when using a barrel nut and could likely account for why some Remage barrels just do not shoot well. A smith's services will add $300 - $500 to your build cost, but, IMO, they are well worth it. Mind you, when I first started seeking gunsmith services, I did receive quotes in excess of $800 to do all the above, which is what sent me down the path of doing Remages and Savage Nutz.

 

[VinceMule]

I use a Kliendorst recoil lug locator on Rem 700s.

Being dead set against Barrel nuts for many years, I always bad mouthed them. Finally, I was in the mood to experiment, and had a 6 BR Remage chambered from an older Benchrest 6 PPC barrel of mine. Mercy, I was sure shocked at how good the accuracy was/is.

Since I was wrong on the first barrel, I made a 6 BRA into a Remage, 700 Action, Benchrest laminated stock from Stocky's. Again, tiny groups were achieved in a hurry.

I swallowed my pride and bought a Savage 112 Single shot BVVS, I think is what they are called, and put a 22/250 AI, zero freebore that had previously been a 22 PPC that I shot in competition, Skim coat bedded the action, installed a Sharp shooter 5 oz trigger, Pac Nor barrel nut. I worked up loads with three powders(Win 760, Varget, and IMR 4320) shooting in the high 2's in one day at the rifle range.

Next, I bought a Savage SS single shot, and made a 223 AI, zero freebore with a 12 twist, Barrel nut, and this darn thing shoots very tiny groups, simple laminated stock, skim coat bedded.

I proved to my own satisfaction that barrel nut jobs will shoot tiny groups, even on klunky Savages with nothing done to them.

Pride of ownership is another subject and how we justify our likes and wants.

I enjoy the feel of closing the bolt and feeding on a Borden, Stolle, and Bat action! I also like using 80-100 ft/lbs of torque when tightening a shouldered barrel on an action. We like what we like, sometimes for no darn good reason other than that is what we like. Perhaps if we read a line of BS a thousand times, the BS now becomes truth.

I will never true another of my own 700 actions, but I will use a custom recoil lug and upgraded firing control system. I have trued and non trued actions, same make of barrel, same stocks, same glass, same triggers, same reamer used on both shooing identically the same. Whether it was trued or not trued, the rifle that shot the best was the one that was shot with the best wind condition at that time.

Bottom line, we have to do what gives us confidence, as long as our money holds out.

 

[squirrelslayer]

LOL. Thats because he's had plenty of practice, and any tool hes ever needed including a precision lathe.

Not to mention a gazillion dollars.

 

[FEENIX]

It is just a Remington 700 SPS in 243. It has a Timney trigger, but otherwise it is a stock gun. Currently has a leupold VX III 3-9 on it. I'm not really looking to sell it. I think I bought it for $450 long ago, when I was a younger man. It is well used. I've probably got around 2500 rounds through it. A lot of deer, coyotes, prarie dogs, steel and paper. Even a couple speed goats.

I have done a few with Savage actions (where Remage is derived), and they all shot well if I find the right load combination and do my job behind the trigger. I have a couple of R700s, and I will do the same when they are due for a re-barrel. I know you have received a lot of information, but you cannot know how it will perform until you try. A few R700 owners here have done what you are trying to accomplish without their actions being squared or trued. Good luck!

 

[Rum Man]

I have never trued a Remington action on any build either Remage or Smith built .
But what do I know ....lots of 1000 yard gong smacks , 2056 yard steel smacks , a 1 mile milk jug explosion and my personal best of a 3 shot 26 3/4" group at 3027 yards ! Or 1.72 Miles !
After reading all this thread I'm going to push this Remage 300 ultra as far as I can just to test it ! Action un touched !
Let the Games begin !!

Rum Man