really need help with rifle build off my remington 700

[Bigeclipse]

I have posted over the past several months on possibly rebarreling my Remington 700 and im just lost and need help and suggestions. For those that don't know, here is the deal: I have a Remington 700 mountain SS with a pencil thin barrel in 3006. it shoots 1.5MOA which is fine for the hunting I do BUT it bugs me and it recoils a bit more than I would like. The recoil is no problem at all for when I hunt but when I sight it in every year or just shoot it for fun, it does tend to start hurting and cause me to flinch after about 15 rounds. I always like to get below 1 MOA with my reloads and have been able to do so with all my other rifles. Why the change you may ask? well I have built my wife two rifles in 7mm08 and 6.5CM. I absolutely LOVE shooting her rifles. Low to no recoil and they shoot .5MOA if I do my part. This has led me to want to rebarrel my Remington. I want to try and keep costs lower on this one so id prefer to re-use the stock and not have to buy a new bolt (if possible). The stock is a B&C stock (with aluminum bedding block) on the Remington mountain SS with a drop plate (no magazine). it has some meat which can be removed for inletting of a slightly thicker barrel but not too much. It should hold a sporter contour ok but maybe not much thicker. When I checked new bolts out, they would be 200$ which just doesn't fit my budget so that means I need to pick a caliber which fits the 3006 bolt that I have. I hunt primarily whitetails, definitely no Elk or anything big. Maybe the very rare black bear but doubtful. I do not hunt prone with this rifle nor do I want a brake on it. It is primarily tree-stand hunting and shooting house hunting with absolute max ranges being 400 yards but the norm would be under 200 yards. I am pretty sure I no longer want 3006 (partly because of recoil and partly because im just bored).

Number 1 thing is a sub 1 MOA rifle. It just bugs me when a rifle wont shoot under 1 MOA.

Number 2 is trying to make the current stock work which means not a thick contour. Again, my guess is not too much thicker than a sporter contour barrel would work ok. if I MUST, then I could buy a new B&C stock in regular sporter contour but now the build itself is getting into the territory of just buying a new rifle such as a Tikka or Sako A7 etc.

Number 3 is lower recoil than a 3006 in a ultralight barrel. I used to shoot 300 winmags but as ive been using my wife's rifles, ive been loving lower recoil.

What I know I dont want is another 3006 or a 270win. So here is what ive been contemplating but truly not sure what to do. I could go with 280ai and load it with 140 grain bullets to help tame recoil a bit and keep the gun shooting pretty flat. This way, should I ever want a power setup (elk), I could load it with 160s at full tilt and be ok but I think 140 grain bullets with a mid range powder charge should keep recoil lower than my current 3006 shooting 165 grain bullets. 280ai also allows for some factory ammo in a pinch.

Last question is, should I go remage? Ive done switch barrels with my savage rifles so I have a action vise and barrel nut wrench so that isn't a worry...inletting the new barrel is definitely the worry on this one. I have zero experience and I think id rather have a gunsmith do that so ive thought about just sending it to a smith and having them square the action and throw the new barrel on. What kind of costs should I expect for this?

Other than this im not sure what else is possible.

 

[WahooYahoo]

Last question first, in short, yes. Cost seems to be high on your list of priorities. This saves smith fee's and frankly, it's not difficult. Although, I wouldn't build on an action that wasn't trued up. It will definitely help shrink that group.

Caliber selection is like girlfriend selection. Some guys are into X, you may not be. Recoil being your deal, I'd consider the calibers you mentioned (6.5 CM, 7-08) and there is nothing that the 7-08 does that the 6.5 CM wont. The 280 AI is essentially 7RM. There is almost no detectable difference. In a lighter sporter, the recoil will likely be in the 30-06 neighborhood unless you are loading the lighter loads, exclusively.

If you go with the 6.5, have it throated for the long heavies and made with a little faster twist (1:7.5).... Just in case

 

[Orange Dust]

I would do a 6.5-284 or a straight. 284. Throat them for long heavy bullets and make use of the long magazine. Twist accordingly. Either would make a great hunting rifle.

 

[Don A Parsons]

Thicken up the barrel or MB,,, that's not saying you can't change caliber size off your 30/06 """if""" that works for you...

I did a 6.5 A-square,,, known as a 6.5/06 shooting 140 or 147 gr boolitz... Pretty close to 30/06 150 grain'ers... The longer 6.5 bullets fly alot straighter out past the 7 and 800 meter mark...

My package all in with everything including optic and ammo scales in at 12 lbs,,, not the best pack rifle,,, but what a dream to shoot...

I can line up with any gong at our range at tag what ever the shot calls for,,, felt recoil is the middle ground between the 25/06 and 270,,, closer to the 25/06 since my build is a land cannon,,, Ha...

I'm a no go MB dude,,, so adding a heavier pipe was a no brain'er,,, I've been following the Carlos Hathcock idea for the last 4 years,,, point and shoot what I want to tag...

The 65 allows for this,,, don't get me wrong nor right,,, I love my 30/06 medium heavy barrel,,,.but I really like this new 6.5 A-square...

Powder puff that is deadly accurate...

Cheers from the North

 

[26Reload]

I run a 65284 liteweight, 280ai liteweight & 26 nosler...no brakes...
I can tell you this...if you don't hold the rifle correctly they all have recoil....if the recoil on the 06 is that bad have you tried a Simms vibration butt pad....but you also don't like the way it shoots...is it more recoil sensitivity than anything....
Rebarrel to a 65284 or a 2506...they will kill elk..no problem...
Just be sure to do it right...before you lose money on the finished product...because you gain nothing putting monies into to a finished product....
Hell.....make your wife shoot it....take one of her rifles....

 

[Jud96]

Since you have a long action, and you want less recoil and still being light, I would do a 6.5x284 Norma and use a sporter contour barrel. You can have your factory action rebarreled, it helps to have them trued up, but is not needed to achieve 1/2 MOA. If you're on a budget, check out Wilson barrels that are sold through raggedholebarrels.net. They are stainless, button rifled, hand lapped barrels that sell for $170. They aren't my first choice, but they are capable of shooting 1/2 MOA without costing $300+. A good gunsmith is going to charge $250-400 to remove your old barrel, thread, chamber, cut, crown, and install the new barrel. Your total cost will be in the ballpark of $450-600 for the barrel and gunsmith services. Yes, you can buy a new rifle for that cost. Honestly though, you have a good chance of being right back where you started with any factory rifle. Some are better than others, but with a good quality barrel and a good smith doing the work, your rifle will make you happy and be a shooter for sure.

 

[Bravo 4]

....take one of her rifles....

This...even though I thought it meant jokingly. If you like shooting hers for practice and don't mind yours for hunting then just use yours for hunting. At the ranges mentioned the external ballistics will be close enough for a simple switch over. Saying this as funds came into the equation, easiest and cheapest solution.

 

[Highvoltage]

A 25-06 would serve you well in the whitetail woods. Also a 110/ 130 ttsx loaded into the 06 would help too and save you some $$. They are know to be an accurate bullet, some rifle manufacturers use the Barnes to test accuracy in their rifles before they leave the shop.

 

[Creedmoor shooter]

284 win with 162-168class or 6.5x284 for 140s-156 eol. are my suggestions and a criterion remage barrel if your wanting to DIY. I'm a big fan of criterion barrels.

 

[Deleted member 48126]

Buy a ruger american (or predator) in .243, 7mm-08, .308, 6.5cm, 6mm cm and swap out the crappy stock for a nice boyds or BC, buy a cheap brake, and youre all in for like $600. You didnt even mess with your nice Rem 700. My dad and brother both have ruger americans and they are sweet little rifles.

My brothers ruger american predator in 6.5G is 3/4 MOA for 5 shots and my dads .243 standard american is right at an inch. The issue is the thin barrel heats up quick on the standard model.

I love remington, but if youre tight on cash just buy one of those, and not mess with a build.

Or you can leave the ruger stock and really save cash with a shelf price of $350 ~ $400 which it sounds like you would be spending on your build anyway.

 

[lancetkenyon]

My vote would be either:
1. 1:7.5" .25-06 to shoot up to the 131 Blackjack or 121 Hammer, but still can shoot 100-115s easily.
2. 1:7.5" 6.5-06 to shoot up to a 156 Elite or 131 Hammer. You can still shoot a 130-143 easily.

 

[Holycity73]

Easy fix would be remage in 25-06. Kills deer dead, several great barrel makers doing it and won't break the bank. You already have the brass and powder, I'm sure.
Beyond that, sell what you've got and go with Tikka or the like.
You won't be disappointed either way.

 

[Bigeclipse]

I should have mentioned factory ammo availability is a plus. Not a must but a definite plus.

Sounds like the contenders listed above are the 6.5-284, 6.5-06, and the 25-06. I don't think I like how tiny the 25-06 caliber bullets are too be honest. The smallest id want to go is 6.5 bullets.

Is there any factory 6.5-284 or 6.5-06 ammo at a typical gun shop or a field and stream?

 

[Frog4aday]

The easiest, simplest answer is rebarrel to .25-06 Rem. Very manageable (light) recoil. Great power and flat trajectory for deer. You don't have to change bolt face or magazine feed rails. Remage will let you do it all yourself, which is nice, but you might have to modify the stock to accommodate the barrel nut. I'd just have a gunsmith fit it because once you shoot it (.25-06) you'll love it and won't be looking to change. And with no barrel nut, the stock will be fine 'as is'. The baby-aught-six is such an underrated round and so awesome in the real world, you will really enjoy it.