Trueing a 700 action cost?

[midmo]

I asked a recommend gunsmith in my area what it would cost to true my 700 la. I was quoted a new barrel plus chambering, and $250 to true. So roughly $800. Is this average? He said I would need a new barrel because he has to true the threads which makes sense. I have never had smith work done before so I wanted to get some opinions. I am not in a hurry and at that price nothing will happen any time soon.

 

[Edd]

There is nothing wrong the price but you need to find out what his definition of "true" is. What do you get for your 250 bucks.

 

[FearNoWind]

As previously indicated, the price for truing appears to me to be competitive, depending on what you're getting in the "truing" work. But combing the truing with the price of a new barrel at $800 looks a bit high IMO. Unless if's a 50 cal barrel you can get a top of the line barrel for under $400 and it shouldn't (IMO) add more than $300 to fit it all together.

 

[Canadian Bushman]

With a new barrel thats fair.

250 thread and chamber
250 action truing
300-400 barrel ( tax and shipping )

But like edd said, for that price id expect the action threads re-cut, action face and lugs re cut, bolts lugs cut and/or lapped and bolt face cut.

 

[FEENIX]

With a new barrel thats fair.

250 thread and chamber
250 action truing
300-400 barrel ( tax and shipping )

But like edd said, for that price id expect the action threads re-cut, action face and lugs re cut, bolts lugs cut and/or lapped and bolt face cut.

Ditto!

 

[Hired Gun]

The prices and advice is all spot on so far. I would like to add this for consideration. On a scale of rifle accuracy factors with a factory action 5% or less comes from a trued action. Means a 1 MOA gun might shoot .95 MOA if that is all that is done.

A high quality free floating barrel, stress free bedding, a clean sharp crown, a chamber perfectly square and concentric to the bore where the bullet engages the rifling, a crisp light trigger and high quality optics mounted stress free on really solid mounts account for about 50-70%. The rest comes from tuned super consistent concentric high quality ammo. That means a lot more than just weighing powder charges.

Then consider anywhere from 30% to 90% is your shooting ability and that is a much too large of topic at this point. Steady cross hairs is a very small part of this equation. Just sayin'. I know a guy with a solid 1/4 MOA rifle at 200 yards and the best he can shoot it consistently is 2MOA. Shooting some rim fire matches helped my technique a ton.

Until you are ready for a barrel, lapping your lugs with the firing pin and trigger assembly removed will get you as much as a trued action at this point.

Sorry for the long post but I love the sport so much I just want to help as much as I can and sometime over do it.

Shawn

 

[stenger]

If you want custom machine work done right then be prepared to pay!! Nothing is cheap about precision machine work. It makes me laugh when guys want custom guns for Walmart gun prices.
Personally I think 250 is cheap considering the lathe that is doing the work might cost more than some houses!!

 

[clemens]

I saw couple stainless 700 actions with triggers at the gun shopnin Idaho falls ID. For $469.00 doubt they were trued etc. But sure beats the extra hassle if old barrel removal or seems like it would be.

 

[shortgrass]

Ditto!

May as well have the primary extraction fixed while you're at it...

 

[FEENIX]

May as well have the primary extraction fixed while you're at it...

Yep, I totally agree!

 

[just country]

morning, rem. 700
Completely true $200 Receiver

True Bolt face, lugs and nose $100

True Receiver face $60

lightbulb

 

[Clark]

... On a scale of rifle accuracy factors with a factory action 5% or less comes from a trued action. Means a 1 MOA gun might shoot .95 MOA if that is all that is done. ...

Typing anything after I read that would be like trying to follow Trump at the podium.
I know there are over simplifications in your statement.
I know you have said what others would be afraid to say.

I built ~ 3 rifles per year, just for me, and then hunt with the pick of the litter.
My plan for 2015 is to:
1) buy tooling for Rem700 truing
2) buy a custom $1k action with no trigger or magazine, that should already be true
3) build on one of the pawn shop buys waiting in my safe; a Sav 110, Win M70, 98 Mauser, or Mosin Nagant.

Why do all this stuff?
Because I can.

 

[Barrelnut]

Follow on question for you guys. How could a gullible layman like me, determine that the gunsmith did true the action and not just charge me for it? I doubt I would be able to measure anything to verify. And as Hired Gun alludes, if my shooting skills weren't up to it, I probably couldn't tell anyway.

 

[Canadian Bushman]

Follow on question for you guys. How could a gullible layman like me, determine that the gunsmith did true the action and not just charge me for it? I doubt I would be able to measure anything to verify. And as Hired Gun alludes, if my shooting skills weren't up to it, I probably couldn't tell anyway.

You can remove the bolt and barrel and inspect the surfaces of the features in question. They should be flat and smooth, and usually shiny unless the smith re blued them. Also factory actions usually have saw marks, galling and really rough feed marks, these should no longer exist.

This is where having a smith you like and trust is a big help.