Remington 700 gunsmithing question

[Xdmshooter]

Hello all. I have question for you all.

I want to replace my Remington 700 barrel (in 7mm Mag) with a new barrel in (7mm Mag). Does anyone have any experience with a qualified gunsmith that would be able to do this task. Also, what can I look at for the cost of the service (minus the cost of the barrel). I would perfer local (Eastern NE/West IA), but I can send the rifle anywhere.

Along the lines of a barrel... any suggestions for a barrel maker.

[Mudinyeri]

Are you purchasing just a barrel or barreled action?

Here's a good video on a complete tear-down of a 700:

If you're not purchasing a barreled action you'll need the barrel vise and wrench.  Sorry, I don't know of any local gunsmiths.

[bkoenig]

Run N Iron in Bertrand http://www.runniron.com/ and Frerking http://fcwguns.com/ in Cortland are two that I know of.  I have no experience with either one, though.

[Xdmshooter]

I have the whole rifle, barreled action and all. I have had the rifle for 20+ years.nit use to shoot 1/2 MOA, now it shoots 6 MOA. I have free floated the barrel, replaced the scope, mounts, cleaned to the Nth degree and I can't get it to shoot better.  I an down to replacing the barrel.

[Mudinyeri]

I have the whole rifle, barreled action and all. I have had the rifle for 20+ years.nit use to shoot 1/2 MOA, now it shoots 6 MOA. I have free floated the barrel, replaced the scope, mounts, cleaned to the Nth degree and I can't get it to shoot better.  I an down to replacing the barrel.

SIX MOA?! How many rounds have you put through it?  Any pattern to the rounds?

[Xdmshooter]

Over the 20 years about 1000-1500 rounds. There is no pattern that I could tell, but it has been quite a few years since I shot it. I might have to take it out and see for sure if there is a pattern or not.

[bkoenig]

I wonder if the crown is nicked?  7mm Mag can be a barrel burner IIRC but I don't think the barrel shouldn't be worn out that bad after only a thousand or so rounds.

[SemperFiGuy]

There is no pattern that I could tell, but it has been quite a few years since I shot it.

Might be time to try again.  You could run your rifle through a sequential checkout process to see what's up w/it.  If it has been a few years, memory and actual fact may be out of synch.

Here's a suggested approach:

1)   Systematically test the rifle by shooting 3-5 round test patterns from a good, solid bench at the 100-yard range with various kinds of ammo (mfgrs., bullet weights, powders, powder loads, COALs, etc.) to determine exactly what happens under exactly what conditions.

2)   Keep detailed notes of the results.

3)   Evaluate the results obtained from the above testing process.

If it turns out that the barrel shoots good groups under some of the test conditions, then assess whether these groups are good enough for your needs.   For example, hunting in woods and brushy areas generally results in kill shots less than 100-125 yards.   If you hunt antelope, different story.

You might try to find someone with a borescope to check the bore out for flaking, rifling issues, erosion at the leade, etc.   And check headspace and the crown condition (per bkoenig) as well.

If after all this evaluation process still convinces you to replace the barrel, a new factory barrel might be a good option.   Worked for you before.   

Remington has a Custom Shop listed on its website.   You can ship the rifle back to the factory for repairs without going through the FFL process.   A Remington factory barrel might be the most value-filled option.   Just call the factory first to discuss costs and make shipping arrangements.

If you want a non-factory replacement barrel, then it's a matter of carefully and systematically shopping around for the best combination of service, accuracy, and cost.  As you're doing here on the Forum.   Would be a good idea to do a thorough web search on any and all barrelsmiths to see what previous customers say about their work.   You never, never know until you get the reworked gun home and try it out.

Folks have been burned.   Even by highly recommended sources.

That's enuf for now.

sfg

[Xdmshooter]

SFG, and all others. Thank you for the info. I will take your suggestions and head out and try it again. I will report back.   Thanks

[SemperFiGuy]

XDMShooter:

Good to hear back from you.

You can treat this situation as a puzzle to be solved and in that way have a whole lot of fun with it.   Plus..... Learn a lot more about rifles, accuracy, interior and exterior ballistics, whatever.

And... Probably meet some interesting folks along the way.

Enjoy.

sfg

[20nickels]

Very good suggestions here, however if you have the means just get a barrel and have them true the action while it's off.  Check Brownells for barrels.  If it's even half as bad as you remember... that still leaves much to be desired.  Happy hunting.