Accurizing a Remington 700

[Gopher a 45]

Hello all,

Well, we just bought a Remington 700 ADL in .308 on July 9th to tell the U.N. to take a flying leap and I'm now looking it over closely.

For the price, it's fairly good, but there are sharp edges everywhere and it scratches up the brass something fierce. Also the feed ramp is very roughly finished, so I'm going to get out and do a little polishing on it. The trigger's VERY heavy but it breaks clean.

I was wondering if folks had some suggestions on how to make the rifle better. I'd like to make it a sub MOA to 1 MOA rifle (if I do my part and the ammo's good, that is). I'd like to know about stocks, new barrels, new triggers and/or trigger mods, bedding and any changes you might make to the action (gunsmithing mods to the locking lugs, bolt face, etc.)

I know that McMillan (sp?) makes the best stocks, but I'd like to get one where I can adjust the length of pull so my fiance can shoot it.

Also, what's a good scope in the 4-16X range for around $400 (if there is such a thing).

Thanks for any and all replies. :)

[Dave R]

How to make a Rem700 .308 into a 1MOA shooter:

1) Clean it.
2) Adjust the trigger to your preferred weight. 4lbs. would be good for me.
3) Put a decent scope on it.
4) Experiment with ammo till you find what it likes.

I know you were expecting more, but mine shoots MOA with several brands of 180gr. (Remington, Winchester Silvertip) and 1 brand of 150gr (Remington). I don't reload yet, but I'll bet I could improve it a bit with handloads.

Its a fine rifle as is. I'm sure a better barrel and a better trigger would make it even better.

[Rokchukrslave]

Before you do any trigger work, take the rifle apart and thoroughly spray out the trigger assembly with carb or brake cleaner/powder blast and let it dry out. You can lube it with lighter fluid but I have used CLP with great results. This should clean up the pull quite a bit but you still might need to adjust it for pull weight. There is a good article on www.snipercountry.com about Rem trigger adjustments.

[Gopher a 45]

Thanks.

I hate to reply to my own thread, but I was just skimming through the archives here and have found some good ideas. And, I meant 4-10X scope, not 16X. That would be a bit of overkill!

I love this site!


P.S. I know this isn't the reloading forum, but my dies, case gage and such arrived from Dillon yesterday (woo hoo!) Does anyone have any pet loads for their .308 they'd be willing to share?

[Icebite]

try a Dremel and some polishing compound on the mag. follower and the magazine well lips. Just got a 700 and went throught the same thing as you are with the heavy brass scuffing.

[Monkeyleg]

Gopher, it sounds like you're getting some good money-saving advice here. If you're willing or want to spend more money, you can get an aftermarket trigger such as a Jewell or Timney. I've got a 1.75 pound Timney on my 700.

I'm not a "rifleman" by the standards applied here on TFL, but the rifle shoots 1/2" or less at 100 yards. My best five-shot group was .20". The load was 42.5 grains of N140, CCI BR primer and Sierra 168 gr HPBT Match Kings.

[Tshoes]

But, NEVER, EVER....lubricate a Rem 700 trigger............
It will dry, and cause (possibly), the rifle to discharge basically when you close the bolt on a loaded round....they are in a big lawsuit over this very thing as I write...........
Spray it, as stated, a/ok, lube....NOT!!!;)

[Gopher a 45]

Great info, y'all.

I adjusted the trigger (it was easy!) over the weekend and got it down to a consistent 2.5lbs (a trigger pull scale is my next purchase), got the rough edges smoothed out and broke in the barrel. The rifle shoots better than I do right now, (group? They have to be fairly close together to make a group:rolleyes: ) so I can wait on the Hart barrel. ;) I'm thinking a 3-9 or 4.5-14x Leupold and a new contact lens prescription might do the trick :D

So, no lube on the trigger, huh? I thought that the AD thing was a problem with the safety on some 700s. I ran through a lot of blot-slamming cycles after adjusting the trigger to see if the pin would drop with the light pull and flipped the safety on and off about fifty times and no unintended pin drops, so I'm pretty satisfied, but I'll keep an eye out for the dry trigger problem. Thanks again.

[GrandPa]

Try this load
168 grn Sierra match 41.4 IMR 4064 , your rifle should be moa for sure .

308 Cal DM .

Harris Bipod BR, Bench Rest 6-9" Leg Height

SS10x42 10x42 Matte Finish, Rear Parallax Adjustment, 30mm, Mil-Dot Reticle W/ BC Flip ups

Mounting Solutions Plus REM700-T Steel
X-ThickTwo Piece Remington 700 Bases

Leupold's Mark 4 rings

Timney Trigger
set at 2 3/4 lb.

GrandPa







http://www.imagestation.com/picture/pd121005bd978739b9d8c84d852c94351/fe5d2e21.jpg.orig.jpg

[Bogie]

I'd send it off to a benchrest-quality gunsmith (Speedy Gonzales comes to mind), and have the action cleaned up and a new tight chamber barrel installed. Then take the stock, and rough up the insides a little, and use some Brownells acraglas to bed the thing. I'd go with the Jewell trigger. Try it VERY light at the range, and see if you don't like it...

Or just send the thing down to Kelly McMillan, and tell the folks what you want, and they'll make it happen...

Care of the trigger: Arnold Jewell, and he's enough of an "authority" for me, sez to just soak 'em down with lighter fluid occasionally.

[rugerfreak]

What ever happened to getting things right the first time?

[4V50 Gary]

Don't know if it's too late, but before you change anything (other than adjusting the trigger and be sure you test it out extensively and thereafter routinely since most Remingtons with unintentional discharges may be attributed to an overenthusiastically adjusted trigger), try shooting the gun first. It may already be sub-MOA. Just allow time for that thin sporter barrel to cool down between shots.