Need ideas for reducing weight of M 700

[DANTEC]

for hight power silhouette on REM 700 you can

change the shroud for a davidson one in light alloy ( don't forget to lube the thread )or turn the rear of the throud as copy of modification made by Alaskan Gub Work , just need a lathe .

cross drill the firing pin

cut 3 inch of barrel lenght ,to knock down the ram 23 inch is enought for 308 cal .

drill three hole 1/8 in the bolt body ( under face to the magazine ,that help to save a small weight BUT that help to to prevent hot gaz in face if primer piercing )this modification is clone of th ehole you find on Ruger77 bolt .

make a saw mill cut ( 1/8 ) in the bolt handle button

Flutted the bolt

drill three hole ( 1/8 ) in the bolt handle between the bolt body and the bolt end button .

use stamped magazine follower ( ADL parts are stamped , BDL are stainless cast )

I think that enought to be far under the weight limit even if you not done all the modification , shortened the barrel of 2 inch first and make a new crown , rework the bolt shroud and reweight , only with that you are under the weight limit if not enought lightened the bolt handle ....

enjoy metallic silhouette shooting .

DANTEC

 

[Troy]

You could loose enough weight if you gave Marvin Pearson an call. He makes custom rings and bases. I have a ring/base set up from him that weighs about 4 ounces at 1.995" in height wiht a 20 moa taper. My combination cost 170.00 which is a lot cheaper than having your gun cut and drilled to death. Fluting the bolt is very drastic and costly and will save you a couple of ounces at best.

I personally would flute the barrel before I started cutting inches off. With the combination of the Davidson bolt shroud over the factory you will save 1.5 ounces. Get Marvins rings and bases and I am sure you will be fine. Marvin's number is 1-360-748-3429. When you call him tell him Troy Glass says you make the best rings and bases for silhouette. I like to plug his product because he does excellent work and is a hell of a nice guy.

 

[titanium]

I've heard about those famous Washington rings up here in Canada. I second that advice along with the shroud. I know my way around a mill pretty good and would not think for a second about drilling all those holes in the bolt. Don't cut the barrel either. Keep the weight forward and the ballistic efficiency up, flute the barrel if you must. If you really want a leg up, order one of our M15 Ti titanium actions. It will save you 6 ounces right off the start. I like to plug our own products as well as others fine stuff.

Steve
www.prairiegunworks.com

 

[DANTEC]

how much cost one of your titanium action ?

do you shoot silhouette shooting and do you thing you really need 26 inch barrel to get the ram at 500 meters ?

the escape gaz holes drilling in the BODY of the bolt is a safe way to avoid any seriius eyes injury , how you action is design to avoid the need of escape gaz hole in the bolt body ?

good shooting

DANTEC

 

[Matt Regalia]

I started shooting Hi-Power Silhouette matches this year. The weight limit is 10 pounds 2 oz. My gun cam in at 10 pounds 5 oz. I had to unscrew the sling studs, pull the magazine spring and plate, and loose the scope caps and sunshield to make weight. This was not a fun experience. My question is what parts can I swap out to lighten up the gun? I have a Rem M 700 VS in 308. It has a Leupold LR one piece base, Leupold rings, and a Nikon 6.5X20 Monarch scope with 4 inch sun shade. I was looking at a comparable Leupold scope and I could save 3.5 oz by going to the VX III 6.5X20 EFR Target. What about bases? The VS comes with a 26 inch barrel. Would it be worth it to have 2 inches removed and have it re crowned? Titanium firing pin? Aftermarket trigger...Jewel or something comperable? I am open to all ideas.

Thanks,

Matt Regalia

 

[Matt Regalia]

Troy, Thanks for the lead on a lighter rings and base set-up. I will try and give Mr. Pearson a call next week.

As for fluting, what am I looking at price wise to have this done? Any names of places to have it done?

As for needing a 26 inch barrel to take the Ram down. That is what came on the 700 VS. I get 2650 fps with the 168gr Fed Match ammo. I had oridinally bought a PSS (20 or 22 inch barrel) and it did not shoot worth a **** (would not hold under a 1.25 inch group at 100yds with match ammo). I traded it in on the VS and never looked back. Not that the shorter barrel wa the problem, the gun just did not shoot well.

Thanks for all the responses. Keep them coming.

Matt

 

[speedbump]

I think Steve's onto something. Shroud, rings/bases, are a good start. I wouldn't mess with the barrel unless it's a last resort. Don't mess with your accuracy unless it's broke.

You might consider pulling the barrel & action & milling the barrel channel @ 1/4" wider around the barrel. That'll let the barrel cool faster & take off a few ounces without affecting accuracy. Fluting will cost @ $150, depending on a lot of factors such as barrel length, number of flutes, etc.
You might also look at pulling the buttplate & milling/drilling some 1/2" holes into the buttstock for weight reduction & balance. Of course, your stock will dictate what you can & can't d with it.

Good luck!

[ 09-26-2002: Message edited by: speedbump ]

 

[BountyHunter]

try these steps

1. Weaver bases

2. Millet rings (Davidson bases and rings are aluminum under $100 from Sinclair or others also)

3. Change bolt shroud

4. Check stock for where you can mill and drill out to cut weight.

5. flute barrel (alone can cut 4-8 oz)

That is more than enough to cut 3 oz and will cost less than $200-225 normally. Accuracy is not affected by any of these. Fluting will change barrel harmonics and you will have to go through load development though.

 

[Matt Regalia]

Who makes a good light weight bolt shroud??

Matt

 

[Nicholas]

You can get a speedlock titanium firing pin too. It if less than half the weight of the stock pin.

 

[speedbump]

Matt,

Sinclair has Davidson bolt shrouds for sale. They're aluminum alloy & @ $18. Weight is @ 1.5 oz less than standard.

 

[MAX]

First place I'd start would be the Item #4 of BountyHunter's post above. Then the forearm. After that I'd see how much further I needed to go before spending money. From your original post I assume it shoots well, just a bit overweight.

 

[Matt Regalia]

MAX,

Yes the gun shoots very well. That is why I did not want to mess with the barrel.


I will look into the rings/base, bolt shroud and stock. The barrel is pretty much free floating right now. So I should be able to remove material from the forearm without jeopardizing accuracy, Correct???


Matt

 

[speedbump]

Matt,

As long as you don't mess up the bedding or recoil lug area, it's doubtful that removing material from the barrel channel will affect accuracy. Harmonics could play a minor part, but doubtful. You might get a slight change in point of impact, but once you re-zero, you should be fine.