Rem 700 barrel swap

midwesthunter

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I talked to a local gunsmith about doing a factory barrel take off swap for me. He said he wouldn't do it because you need a production reamer and they are usually 3 thousand over sammi specs. This makes zero sence to me since I know several companies offer prethreaded rem barrels as well savage. You should just have to spin one off and spin other on and head space correct? Anyone know any souther MI or Northern IN smiths that would take this work on?
 
I talked to a local gunsmith about doing a factory barrel take off swap for me. He said he wouldn't do it because you need a production reamer and they are usually 3 thousand over sammi specs. This makes zero sence to me since I know several companies offer prethreaded rem barrels as well savage. You should just have to spin one off and spin other on and head space correct? Anyone know any souther MI or Northern IN smiths that would take this work on?


There is more to it than that.

I would recommend that you take the factory barrel and torque it down then head space it. (There is a slim chance that it may head space correctly) A very slim chance.

Hopefully it will be to little head space and it can be hand reamed to the correct head space.

If it has to much head space it will have to have the shoulder set back and then the head space will have to be reamed to the correct head space.

I have never heard of the factory reamers being larger than SAMME specks but the factory chambers are normally not very well done and could be loose.

The best thing to do is ask your gun smith to do what is necessary to give you a SAMME spec.
chamber and head space and see what he charges to do it. then make up your mind or go to another smith for a second opinion.

Most of the time take off barrels are not worth the cost to bring them into SAMME spec.

Just My Opinion.

J E CUSTOM
 
same goes for some of the short chambered barrels from some barrel makers, the problem comes if your reamer is different dimensions than the one that was used on barrel, do you really want a .001-.003 step in your neck .010-.020 long?, I have installed REM takeoffs by using a thicker recoil lug, without having to ream anything. Take note If you get a pre-chambered barrel from anyone, ideally you want it fully chambered with shoulder left short so you can cut to size, possibly if their reamer is small and your is larger it should work, but certainly not ideal, and it takes just as much set-up maybe more to re-cut existing chamber or shoulder. I do understand the appeal, that is the advantage of savage or of Rem-Age barrels.

Fox Run Precision LLC
 
I spun on my 7mm Rem Mag takeoff. Sure the text is all upside down but I have had ZERO issues. Is it maybe a little bit out of spec perhaps. So is any Ackley chambering until the cases are fireformed. It's your face and fingers so do what you want but I know of several other folks with takeoff barrels installed on their guns with no reaming what so ever. I also bought a thicker recoil lug but did not end up using it. Comparing the fireformed cases to my brother's factory set up 7Mag and there was no need. YMMV and be safe :)
 
We have encountered quite a few takeoffs that headspaced perfectly.


If you find the headspace too large to too small a change in the thickness of the recoil lug could bring it into spec. Midway has a variety of thicknesses. They cost $35 or so.

You searched for: remington 700 recoil lug - MidwayUSA



Another way to deal with this is to have it rechambered with a larger reamer. Example 243 win to 6mm-284, 25-06 to 257 weatherby or 7 rem mag to 7 STW.
 
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