700 Action Rifle Build

[Navybowhunter]

Hello all,

I am contemplating building a precision bolt action rifle. I have settled on the 700 action so far and that is about it. This will be a "slow" build.

I have a friend that works for Remington, and may be able to get a factory action from him. I am asking him for only an action at this point. Caliber I am thinking about would be the .308 Win.

This being my first ever precision rifle build and first ever bolt action build.

Should I go with a SA or LA? What would be the benefits/issues with either?

I have done some internet searches, and found some companies selling "trued" Remington 700 actions. What do they mean by "trued"? Are the actions not already "trued" coming from the factory?

If they require closer tolerances for a precision build, could I ship the action to a competent smith to have it "trued"?

Do I require the bolt also, or is this something that can be added/upgraded (preferred) when I get around to the build?

These are likely some very "noobish" questions, but I figure this is the forum to get some answers. If there is another post covering my questions already, would appreciate you replying with what to search for.

Thanks for your time.

Respectfully,

Chris

 

[blackblue]

Short action for a 308, you can buy new receivers from brownells Small 700 SA Receiver, Blued | Brownells

 

[Navybowhunter]

Short action for a 308, you can buy new receivers from brownells Small 700 SA Receiver, Blued | Brownells

I kept saying action, meant receiver. So, when I look on Brownells, I see for the .308 they offered both the LA and the SA. That was what I was questioning, and the reasoning behind choosing one over the other.

R/
Chris

 

[JBNj]

If your set on the .308 than short action is fine. Some calibers that come standard with a sa benefit from la so you can seat the bullets out longer if your handloading. But a .308 is fine in a sa. Sa are lighter than la. And have less bolt manipulation for a quicker follow up shot. What distance will you be shooting at mostly or have access to will determine what caliber will be best suited for. Of course, some die hard 308 fans will say its best to learn on a 308 than move to a "laser" caliber after you understand the fundamentals.

If this is a slow build than it would be wise to gather all the parts that you want together than send off to a competent smith. Factory actions will require truing as they tend to be off a little. You won't need a remy factory bolt if you want to go custom bolt(ptg makes a nice one) but the smith will have to true it to your receiver( not sure on that one)

If your friend works for remington screw the action tell him you'd like the msr. All kidding aside many knowledgable people here will help with input when the questions come up.

 

[fdkay]

First, come to a decision on cartridge.
Anything based on the .308, use a short action.
No, the actions do not come from the factory "true", which is why there was an entire aftermarket industry created to fix this.
no, you don't "need" to get an action with a bolt, there are a couple of very good aftermarket bolts available that come with a superior extractor, but they cost almost as much as a factory action with a factory bolt.
Yes, you can send the action off to have it trued by a competent smith without having any other work done on it.
Most smith's that are rebarreling generally prefer to true the action themselves as that way they know it meets their standards.
There are a couple of smiths out there that will sell you a trued action.

 

[Onoko]

Truing a Remington 700 is when a gunsmith takes the action and cuts areas to make the receiver's bore straight to the centerline. Basically, when the bolt is closed it should be straight and lined up. There are youtube videos and so on that explain this.

SA or LA depends on what caliber you want to shoot. .308 is great because it's plentiful and not as expensive to shoot compared to other larger rounds.

Are you planning on shooting the gun right away? because you said a "slow" build. Is it just going to sit there until you gather all the parts? How much do you want to spend first.

There are quite a few things to think about.

 

[jashmore1234]

Hello all,

I am contemplating building a precision bolt action rifle. I have settled on the 700 action so far and that is about it. This will be a "slow" build.

I have a friend that works for Remington, and may be able to get a factory action from him. I am asking him for only an action at this point. Caliber I am thinking about would be the .308 Win.

This being my first ever precision rifle build and first ever bolt action build.

Should I go with a SA or LA? What would be the benefits/issues with either?

I have done some internet searches, and found some companies selling "trued" Remington 700 actions. What do they mean by "trued"? Are the actions not already "trued" coming from the factory?

If they require closer tolerances for a precision build, could I ship the action to a competent smith to have it "trued"?

Do I require the bolt also, or is this something that can be added/upgraded (preferred) when I get around to the build?

These are likely some very "noobish" questions, but I figure this is the forum to get some answers. If there is another post covering my questions already, would appreciate you replying with what to search for.

Thanks for your time.

Respectfully,

Chris

What are you going to use this rifle for?

BTW, are you prepared to dump $3k-5k into this project?

 

[Navybowhunter]

Thanks all!

Yes, set on caliber, .308. Will be shooting most times at 100 yards, but at times out to 300 and possibly 500. I do live in MD. LOL

Appreciate the replies on "truing", will you tube it.

Hmmm, maybe just better off buying a trued receiver/bolt. Yeah, I am prepared to dump some jingle jangle into this, hence the "this will take a lot of time" comment.

Just trying to get some ideas and start my "build list".

Appreciate it!

R/
Chris

 

[Straight Shooter]

I can appreciate wanting a custom built personally for you. My thing is the 308 Winchester has to be one of the most popular calibers in the US for a short range tactical rifle. This means there are tons of them out there for sale with top notch proven everything except the new price. This might allow your budget to get a rifle built on a true custom action instead of the plain old 700. If you shop around a bit you can have it right away. Shoot it for a couple years and then sell it to get your money back to get exactly what you want. Check out Gun of the Week Index--Custom 6mm BR Rifles for Benchrest, F-class, 1000 yard and Varminting. to get an idea of all the variations of custom rifles you could build.

Unless you are bound to the 308 Win by some kind of rules it seems like the guys in the know shoot everything but the 308. A 308 Win can certainly be accurate but the smaller calibers offer better bullets, less recoil, flatter trajectory, less wind drift and great accuracy from the 6mm, 6.5 and 7mm calibers for target shooting.

 

[Chad44]

I definately understand you wanting a custom rifle but if you're only shooting 500 yards max then you may consider buying a factory rifle. I have a savage long range hunter that shoots lights out. It's shoots sub Moa all day long and cost around $800 now. Or if you're set on a custom rifle and don't already have an action then consider a costum action. By the time you buy a rem. 700 action and get it trued you are really close to the price of a custom action and the quality is way better IMHO. Good luck

 

[fdkay]

By the way the OP posed the question, I believe that he does not have a substantial sum to drop in a rifle immediately, thus getting piece parts over time.

OP, you can actually get a complete rifle for only a little more than the cost of a bare action.
You could then start looking at a new stock or chassis, good glass and be shooting long before your build is complete.
Many out of the box remington heavy barreled rifles shoot VERY well and the action truing/barrel replacement would be the last thing on the list.

You COULD start with something like this:
Remington 700 SPS Synthetic VAR 308 26 $589.00 SHIPS FREE

Yes, you will eventually want a new stock (probably sooner rather than later), some type of bottom metal or DBM, but if you got a rifle like this, spent your next chunk of change on a quality scope base, which may still require bedding which is easy to do, you will be on the way to coming to your own decisions as opposed to the thoughts of folks you have never met.
Select your glass and quality rings then go out and shoot.
By shooting your rifle, you will better be able to decide which way you want to go with stock or chassis etc...
By that time, you will be able to decide whether you want to stay with the .308 or go with a more efficient cartridge like the 6.5 CM, .260 rem etc...

 

[Chad44]

Google "long range rifle on a budget" by jerry treo I think is his name. Great article.

 

[broylz]

try to find a factory varmint barreled action. replace the stock if it hasn't been done already and shoot it. you can easily find lightly used hunting rifles in the same price or less than a bare action if you look around. I got a r700 adl long action in 30-06 with a 6-25x millett scope for 350.

as far as the build is concerned, i would think about a long action as its more versatile. you can build it up into more calibers and it will still shoot short action calibers. the us army m24 in .308 is a long action, just for example. most say its heavier and the bolt throw is longer but it cant be more than a couple ounces and a fraction of an inch - just my thoughts anyway. i don't think i have ever seen a specific weight or length difference

 

[Iron Hide776]

Hey, I too am looking at a similar build. This being my first and being new to it all.
Recently found out I enjoy going out on the range and would like to have my "own" rifle.

 

[redneckbmxer24]

Why not buy a complete rifle for the cost of a trued action, shoot it, and see if you want to dump a bunch of money into it? For shooting out to 500 yards a factory 700 will be more than fine. One of the cheapest ways to get into a action is to buy a complete rifle and part it out anyway.

 

[Zuul]

I agree with Red, if this is going to be your first bolt action your better off buying an off the shelf gun, decent glass, ammo, and a single stage press kit. You can always upgrade later. The high end stuff and tactical doo-dads look cool but do little to improve skill, if you want to get good you've got to get to the range and send lead down.

 

[Onoko]

fdkay's advise is right on the money. I was trying to point that out earlier. His advise is the same thing I would have said, since it's your first and you want to build it slowly.


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