I just recently bought a Rem 700 VTR chambered in .308. I've only shot about a hundred rounds through it and can already tell my money was well spent. I do want to start to "upgrade" it. I'm satisfied with the stock and optics, but I have heard a new bolt would be a good idea. Any feed back or suggestions? Does a bolt make that much difference? I've searched around on the web and most complete bolts I found run about $250-$350. I'm wondering if the cost is worth the increase in accuracy.
Welcome! First thing I would do Is a trigger! It was the last thing I did to mine and If I had it to do over again it would be the first! gun)happy shooting
I second the trigger reccommendation. A bedding job is inexpensive if you do it yourself and just about always shows some sign of improvement.
The trigger sounds like a better idea than the bolt. My friend put a Timney in his Howa .223 and he said it made a big difference. Any other good trigger manufacturers I should consider? And back to the bolt- does it really make a difference? (other than looking really cool)
i had a .308 vtr it is now getting a tune up to 6.5 cm,but a trigger is a must went with the timney. The stock is junk went with a b&c those two things really helped. Why replace the bolt just take it to a smith and get it blueprinted. It served its purpose as a starter gun but got tired of the brake and the coolness of the triangle bbl wore off fast.
Just have a competent gunsmith do a good trigger job for you and that will be a huge help. If you are handy do a good bedding/float job on it yourself, if not have the gunsmith do that as well. Take care of those two items right there and then find a load that works well in it and you should have a very nice precision rifle. You can do a lot to stiffen the stock as well by digging (find a friend with a router or go to a cabinet shop) out a good deep channel in the fore end back to the recoil lug and filling it with Devcon and Steel Shavings or you can mix the Devcon with lead shot to add additional weight. If you also lay a piece of stainess rod or even aluminum in the channel along with the epoxy/metals mix it will become extremely rigid.
All good replies, the last thing I would do is replace the bolt. I have had several 700's built for me and all retain the original bolt.
I thought more on this. The only thing I'd even consider doing to the bolt is perhaps a tactical bolt knob and upgraded firing pin and spring; perhaps upgrade to the M-16 extractor as well but anything else would simply be about making it look cooler, not function better. There can be an argument made for fluting the bolts though because they better disperse sand/dust and are less likely to freeze up the action in cold weather. That'd be last on my list of upgrades though.
