• Watch Out for Scammers!

    We've now added a color code for all accounts. Orange accounts are new members, Blue are full members, and Green are Supporters. If you get a message about a sale from an orange account, make sure you pay attention before sending any money!

Gunsmithing Custom action or trued R700

athanasios23

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Dec 28, 2009
734
179
38
New York, USA
I have researched on the site but was trying to get a gunsmiths view on the topic. I found this same thread in the bolt action section but it was just guys saying buy custom or save money and true rem action.

I plan to put together a custom 260 as my long range hunting and range gun. I priced out custom actions and they only come out to about $500 (give or take) more then a R700 thats been purchased, trued, given side bolt release, and new bolt knob. My real question here is the custom worth the extra money in your opinions. The reason im asking is that if its not going to be a better shooting gun(including smoother cycling, reliable, and ruged) i would rather save that $500 for better optics, bullets, and range time.

Thanks Tommy
 
Last edited:
I think that a Remington 700 is a fine action. I have a fantastic shooting rifle with a stock, non-blueprinted R700 (it's a 5R), and I've had another decent R700 that was trued up by RW Snyder Gunsmithing. Many of the premier gunbuilders, such as Tactical Operations and GAP build their guns off a Rem 700 (Tac Ops uses R700 exclusively). Many smaller gunsmiths, such as Kampfeld Custom, SSC, and Soltis Rifles use a R700 as well. The bottom line is that I don't think you can go wrong with one.

As far as price goes for getting one with all the bells and whistles:
Action: $400
Truing: $250
Oversize bolt knob: $90
Oversize recoil lug: $40
Side bolt release: $125
Sako Extractor: $125
8X40 base screws: $50

Total: $1,080

Perhaps you can score an action for a little bit less money, and perhaps a gunsmith may be willing to knock off a little on the truing or other services if you are doing doing a full build. That said, $500 seems like a little optimistic. You can get a Stiller or a Big Horn (with a picatinny rail scope base) for right around $1,000.

I don't think you can go wrong either way.
 
It depends on how many mods your stock action needs ? If you true , open up the bottom for AW mags , install bolt knob , pin the lug , retap for 8/40 screws and add a scope base your going to be closer than five hundred dollars. I bought a bighorn for twelve hundred and Brownells gets five hundred for a 700 action. If you add up the above mods I would bet your close.

Edit to add you also get more threads for the barrel with a one piece action/lug and a stronger tang .
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the info guys. After reading LcdrJGB's list and adding a badger rail it seems like Rem or custom is the same pricing. Im pretty sure I will go with a surgeon 591
 
90 percent of the custom actions are Remington clones. I have both and dollar for dollar a trued Remington is the way to go. Long Rifles Inc. now has factory Remington actions sitting on the shelf. And there new machine is turning out some of the best surface finishes I have seen. I believe that starting with a Remington and having the work done to true it up is the way to go. Just my two cents but give Chad at Long Rifles Inc. a call or send him a PM and let the pro give you his opinion and a cost run down.
 
I have to agree with the others who have said it would be close $ wise when all was said and done. I looked at both options and priced them out and the difference in price is close enough that you have to ask yourself " why not just go full custom?". So in my opinion it comes down to whether or not you want a trued action build or a custom action build.
 
When getting a remmy trued, many people also get a custom bolt with a 1 peice handle. So there is extra cost there to. I say go custom unless you are only doing the bare minimum truing. Or true the remmy if you can't stand to wait for a custom.
 
What you said about saving money for bullets etc got me thinking. With a factory Remington action you could just do the essential items now and add things like bolt knob different extractor larger scope mount screws later. Thats how most guys including me get started buying a stock 700 and shooting it while adding things as we go.
 
I currently have a couple of Rem700 actions that I trued myself, made the modifications necessary to feed from magazines at maximum COAL, and fitted with PTG one-piece bolts and quality 20MOA scope rails. One of 'em ended up getting drilled/tapped for 8-40 rail screws, since the front two holes were boogered straight from the factory. Depending on the purchase price of the donor rifle and the amount of money recovered by selling off parts, I have around $725-750 in each one... not including my time (free to me and to close friends, but probably $200-300 if I were doing this to make money - which I most certainly am not).

A Stiller Tac30 action runs $975 from bugholes.com, including a 20MOA rail. Yeah, sure, it's "just" a Rem700 clone, but you get a pinned recoil lug, pinned scope rail, smaller ejection port (which totally makes sense when running a 1-piece rail and detachable mags), one-piece bolt, and side-release bolt stop. That's a hell of a deal.
 
Last edited:
I think most custom actions will hold their value better then a trued 700 will, so that is something to consider.
 
When getting a remmy trued, many people also get a custom bolt with a 1 peice handle. So there is extra cost there to. I say go custom unless you are only doing the bare minimum truing. Or true the remmy if you can't stand to wait for a custom.

At the same time you are adding the cost of the new bolt, you also have to deduct other items such as extractor mods, bolt knob conversions. The ptg bolt probably won't add much cost if you were already planning on adding unnesssary bolt modifications.
 
You can get a trued Rem to shoot very accurately but it will never have the feel of Surgeon or even a Stiller. I shot all of the above. When you look at overall fit and finish of some of the better aftermarket actions, you just aren't gaining anything by running a Rem. The cost is the same and the overall quality and smoothness of the action just isn't where Stiller and some of the other are.
 
A Rem700 feels really damn good with an oversized PTG bolt fitted for the desired clearance.

Overall, I have absolutely no complaints about the function of a fully-tuned Remington action; it's just that the parts alone approach the cost of a Stiller Predator or Tactical action (even considering that leftover components like the OEM bolt can be sold for ~$125), and if you have to pay someone to perform the work, then it quickly becomes cheaper to buy an aftermarket action.
 
I have more faith in how "true" a 700 action that I trued up than most customs, don't forget they are all mass produced parts too for the most part, obviously more attention goes into them than a factory 700 though.

That being said, I don't know how much of a difference it really makes. I'm beginning to think the only part of a super accurate rifle that really matters is a good barrel with a good chamber.

When I find myself with some free time someday I want to build a test fire fixture to test different configurations. Ie same barrel on a trued and non trued action, chamber same barrel both concentric to 0.0001 and then concentric to OD, etc.

As far as deciding between custom and trued 700,if you already have the 700 go that route, if not then a custom doesn't cost you much more. You will not see a difference in accuracy I can tell you that part for certain if they are both put together properly.

Galaxy tab 10.1 on tapatalk
 
I have spoken to several gunsmiths who believe that truing all the action and bolt face surfaces and lapping the lugs is all you need to do.
 
You can get a trued Rem to shoot very accurately but it will never have the feel of Surgeon or even a Stiller. I shot all of the above. When you look at overall fit and finish of some of the better aftermarket actions, you just aren't gaining anything by running a Rem. The cost is the same and the overall quality and smoothness of the action just isn't where Stiller and some of the other are.



If that's true then I just wasted a whole pile of money on equipment purchased specifically for tuning up M700's. The one's we've done sure seem to run well. Just as nice as an aftermarket.



FWIW:

Very, very soon we will be formally announcing a Group Buy on accurized M700 actions, barrel fitting, new recoil lugs, ceracoating, bolt fluting, TIG/Timed handles, 8-40 base hole enlargement (using an interpolation/thread mill process, NOT drilling/Tapping)

e6d5b867-4407-4445-8791-854211ec1087.jpg


DSC_0090.jpg




A little challenge was addressed/overcome this morning with the new machinery and the receivers are coming off looking just gorgeous and in record time. It's my hope to set a new standard for this service that completely changes how a tuned M700 is viewed. Hopefully it'll be successful.

April is going to be a busy month. . .

C.
 
Last edited:
If you're starting from scratch and don't have a action at all, then I would buy a custom. If you have a Rem 700, get the works done and don't look back. I had a trued Rem 700 LA chambered in 7 mag that shot lights out and was smoother than almost all custom actions I've ran. Belted magnum that could shoot in the .1's. There was nothing I would have changed looking back.

image-3.jpg


7magnum.jpg
 
I have a Remington that was trued. I also have a Barnard model P (which is a custom for the purposes of this thread). Both can shoot. The Barnard is heavier, actually round on the outside, and very slick. The Remington still feels like a Remington. There is more bolt clearance when you're operating the bolt, for example. Removing the blot is easier on the Barnard. The Barnard is a three lug, so has a shorter throw. The bolt port is different (and comes in different configurations). If you care about these sorts of things, a custom is the way to go. If you don't, then save your money. You won't save a ton (few hundred tops), but you will save some.
 
If that's true then I just wasted a whole pile of money on equipment purchased specifically for tuning up M700's. The one's we've done sure seem to run well. Just as nice as an aftermarket.



FWIW:

Very, very soon we will be formally announcing a Group Buy on accurized M700 actions, barrel fitting, new recoil lugs, ceracoating, bolt fluting, TIG/Timed handles, 8-40 base hole enlargement (using an interpolation/thread mill process, NOT drilling/Tapping)

e6d5b867-4407-4445-8791-854211ec1087.jpg


DSC_0090.jpg




A little challenge was addressed/overcome this morning with the new machinery and the receivers are coming off looking just gorgeous and in record time. It's my hope to set a new standard for this service that completely changes how a tuned M700 is viewed. Hopefully it'll be successful.

April is going to be a busy month. . .

C.
Never thought of using a collet for holding the bolt; that's just slick. :)
 
but it will never have the feel of Surgeon or even a Stiller.

I have to call BS on this. My 700s feel way better than my stiller and as good as a surgeon in my opinion. Keep in mind, a lot of what you feel when working the bolt has to do with bolt body to receiver bore clearance and surface prep/finish chosen. You can make a Remington as tight or loose as you like when trying it up and ordering the new bolt. You can apply what ever finish you like, same as a surgeon.

Me being me, I'll take a squared 700 and one piece PTG bolt any day.
 
I have researched on the site but was trying to get a gunsmiths view on the topic. I found this same thread in the bolt action section but it was just guys saying buy custom or save money and true rem action.

I plan to put together a custom 260 as my long range hunting and range gun. I priced out custom actions and they only come out to about $500 (give or take) more then a R700 thats been purchased, trued, given side bolt release, and new bolt knob. My real question here is the custom worth the extra money in your opinions. The reason im asking is that if its not going to be a better shooting gun(including smoother cycling, reliable, and ruged) i would rather save that $500 for better optics, bullets, and range time.

Thanks Tommy


Tommy,

You asked for a Gunsmith's perspective, so I'll offer one.

Your faced with a couple options here. When you pony up to buy an aftermarket action its often made on the assumption that the parts are manufactured from better materials and to a higher level of standard. Your correct in doing so, the stuff coming from folks is pretty darn nice. You can rest easy that your money is being well spent and the additional features/widgits incorporated into these actions certainly make them attractive. The volume of sales these companies enjoy demonstrates this every day.

Buy with confidence.

Onto the Remington:

A factory Remington Model 700 is a good piece when treated for what it is. A mass produced part where cost is an ever looming concern. Competition is fierce in the firearms industry and there is little margin for error as the end result is a court room and Chapters from the Bankruptcy book of death. It's a sad truth that we see all too often.

Improving upon it is relatively simple and the actions respond to it well when the work performed is well thought out and executed.

One has to look at the receiver as a whole to get a comprehensive understanding of what is really going on. Messing with features like locking lugs and lug abutments has a cascading effect on a number of other important features/operating systems within the action as a whole. You can bury your head in the sand and ignore them, but it doesn't mean they are any less important.

It starts with the fundamental process of aligning/orienting all those critical features in the receiver ring. Work holding is a part of machining that I used to preach to anyone that would listen. IMHO the majority of those doing this kind of work have room for substantial improvement.

What I'm about to say will almost certainly ignite a brush fire. It's not my intent to piss people off or suggest your doing it wrong. It's only an observation and opinion after exhausting every resource I've had available to me over the years to do the best job that I can.

Latching onto the entire receiver with a handful of hardware store cap screws is an invitation for disaster for a number of reasons. One is that we have minimal contact with the receiver/work holding device. This violates a fundamental rule in machining; grab as much of the part as you can without distorting it. Surfaces finishes are better, tolerances are easier to hold, and positioning is much simpler because its less likely to slip/move on you as you whittle on it.

There's an important hint in this statement that I'd like to expand upon.

We see countless commentaries about how custom actions are more rigid and therefore capable of greater accuracy because the receiver is more tolerant to being distorted from a heavy contoured barrel hanging off the face of it. SO, if a Remington is truly wimpy wouldn't it stand to reason NOT to latch onto it by the front/back because it runs the risk of distorting as its contorted into alignment? Wouldn't it be better to radially latch onto the ring and allow the back half to hang in space with no influence/distortion? Does added peripheral contact between part/fixture increase the surface area contact and distribute the clamping loads more evenly so as to minimize any deflection/distortion?

I personally think it does and its why we latch onto parts the way we do. A number of other smiths are starting to subscribe to this idea and the collet method is becoming more and more accepted/embraced.

My intent here is not to turn this into an LRI commercial. It's to emphasize that ultimately your decision to buy a reworked factory receiver lies in your confidence that your chosen smith will do a good job for you. Well fitted, there is NOTHING wrong with a Remington Model 700 action. There's just too many out there pounding the snot out of X rings to argue this. Just understand that there's also a lot of receivers fitted up by gorillas that barely go bang at best and can potentially injure/kill the person shooting it at worst. The folks suggesting otherwise have a jaded opinion. It could be the cool factor or the confidence inspired by the notion that their piece costs more and therefore is automatically better. Regardless, its conjecture and based on little fact.

Properly fitted up, the action is more than capable of running right next to the boutique customs. It just takes some additional work to get there. So dollars and cents now come into play. If its a rifle you've had kicking around the safe for awhile chances are you've gotten your money's worth from the date of purchase. If your starting from scratch it may not be a bad idea to consider an aftermarket action. Ultimately its your choice so run with it and see where your aspirations truly stand.

A custom will likely bring more return if your a guy who changes rifles often. If you plan to hang onto it, then there's less of a concern I suppose. There's also something to be said for just having a nice custom piece on the firing line that buddies will envy. That being said there's also something about having a "sleeper" that doesn't look like much when parked next to a whole firing line full of aftermarket receivers, yet makes them look like a can of smashed assholes at the end of the day.

Decisions decisions. . .

Regardless of what you decide, good luck with your project.

C.
 
Last edited:
Tommy,

You asked for a Gunsmith's perspective, so I'll offer one.

Your faced with a couple options here. When you pony up to buy an aftermarket action its often made on the assumption that the parts are manufactured from better materials and to a higher level of standard. Your correct in doing so, the stuff coming from folks is pretty darn nice. You can rest easy that your money is being well spent and the additional features/widgits incorporated into these actions certainly make them attractive. The volume of sales these companies enjoy demonstrates this every day.

Buy with confidence.

Onto the Remington:

A factory Remington Model 700 is a good piece when treated for what it is. A mass produced part where cost is an ever looming concern. Competition is fierce in the firearms industry and there is little margin for error as the end result is a court room and Chapters from the Bankruptcy book of death. It's a sad truth that we see all too often.

Improving upon it is relatively simple and the actions respond to it well when the work performed is well thought out and executed.

One has to look at the receiver as a whole to get a comprehensive understanding of what is really going on. Messing with features like locking lugs and lug abutments has a cascading effect on a number of other important features/operating systems within the action as a whole. You can bury your head in the sand and ignore them, but it doesn't mean they are any less important.

It starts with the fundamental process of aligning/orienting all those critical features in the receiver ring. Work holding is a part of machining that I used to preach to anyone that would listen. IMHO the majority of those doing this kind of work have room for substantial improvement.

What I'm about to say will almost certainly ignite a brush fire. It's not my intent to piss people off or suggest your doing it wrong. It's only an observation and opinion after exhausting every resource I've had available to me over the years to do the best job that I can.

Latching onto the entire receiver with a handful of hardware store cap screws is an invitation for disaster for a number of reasons. One is that we have minimal contact with the receiver/work holding device. This violates a fundamental rule in machining; grab as much of the part as you can without distorting it. Surfaces finishes are better, tolerances are easier to hold, and positioning is much simpler because its less likely to slip/move on you as you whittle on it.

There's an important hint in this statement that I'd like to expand upon.

We see countless commentaries about how custom actions are more rigid and therefore capable of greater accuracy because the receiver is more tolerant to being distorted from a heavy contoured barrel hanging off the face of it. SO, if a Remington is truly wimpy wouldn't it stand to reason NOT to latch onto it by the front/back because it runs the risk of distorting as its contorted into alignment? Wouldn't it be better to radially latch onto the ring and allow the back half to hang in space with no influence/distortion? Does added peripheral contact between part/fixture increase the surface area contact and distribute the clamping loads more evenly so as to minimize any deflection/distortion?

I personally think it does and its why we latch onto parts the way we do. A number of other smiths are starting to subscribe to this idea and the collet method is becoming more and more accepted/embraced.

My intent here is not to turn this into an LRI commercial. It's to emphasize that ultimately your decision to buy a reworked factory receiver lies in your confidence that your chosen smith will do a good job for you. Well fitted, there is NOTHING wrong with a Remington Model 700 action. There's just too many out there pounding the snot out of X rings to argue this. Just understand that there's also a lot of receivers fitted up by gorillas that barely go bang at best and can potentially injure/kill the person shooting it at worst. The folks suggesting otherwise have a jaded opinion. It could be the cool factor or the confidence inspired by the notion that their piece costs more and therefore is automatically better. Regardless, its conjecture and based on little fact.

Properly fitted up, the action is more than capable of running right next to the boutique customs. It just takes some additional work to get there. So dollars and cents now come into play. If its a rifle you've had kicking around the safe for awhile chances are you've gotten your money's worth from the date of purchase. If your starting from scratch it may not be a bad idea to consider an aftermarket action. Ultimately its your choice so run with it and see where your aspirations truly stand.

A custom will likely bring more return if your a guy who changes rifles often. If you plan to hang onto it, then there's less of a concern I suppose. There's also something to be said for just having a nice custom piece on the firing line that buddies will envy. That being said there's also something about having a "sleeper" that doesn't look like much when parked next to a whole firing line full of aftermarket receivers, yet makes them look like a can of smashed assholes at the end of the day.

Decisions decisions. . .

Regardless of what you decide, good luck with your project.

C.

I was going to reply with some of the points you made . I really compare this hobby with the drag racing sport. I've watch homebuilt drag cars send some high dollar cars home early . With both your return on investment it bad maybe worse with cars.
I sometimes think if Remington would stepup with some updates they would hurt some aftermarket action builders.

Sent from my SAMSUNG Tab using Tapatalk 2
 
This is good stuff. It makes those "truing" kits from Brownell's look like a scary way to trash your action and spend $400 to do it. Maybe I'm wrong, but this looks like the right way to do it.

If that's true then I just wasted a whole pile of money on equipment purchased specifically for tuning up M700's. The one's we've done sure seem to run well. Just as nice as an aftermarket.



FWIW:

Very, very soon we will be formally announcing a Group Buy on accurized M700 actions, barrel fitting, new recoil lugs, ceracoating, bolt fluting, TIG/Timed handles, 8-40 base hole enlargement (using an interpolation/thread mill process, NOT drilling/Tapping)

e6d5b867-4407-4445-8791-854211ec1087.jpg


DSC_0090.jpg




A little challenge was addressed/overcome this morning with the new machinery and the receivers are coming off looking just gorgeous and in record time. It's my hope to set a new standard for this service that completely changes how a tuned M700 is viewed. Hopefully it'll be successful.

April is going to be a busy month. . .

C.
 
Properly trued up Remingtons will shoot as good as a custom. But it's like putting fancy rims and exhaust on your truck. You will not recoup much of the money you put into it when selling it, regardless if Ghandi trued it up or the smith in town. You WILL recoup 80% of your money and sometimes better on a marque custom action.

IMHO, if you already have the Rem 700 as a donor and you are looking for a basic true job, minus all the fluff (side bolt release, hurst shifter, lightening etc.), it's worth it. Start adding features and you're better off starting with a custom simply based on resale value only.

On action work, either the collet method or Gre'Tan style fixture produces benchrest quality work when done correctly. With the speeds and feeds on a fancy CNC mill or lathe, you bet a Gre'Tan fixture wouldn't be the best choice, but in defense, it wasn't designed for that in the first place. On a lowly little 3,000lb manual 14x40 lathe at speeds below warp, the fixture works just fine, and is just as accurate, if the operator does his job correctly.

I've used both methods collet style and Gre'Tan fixture. I perfer the collet style for quicker set up mainly.
 
Wow I'm convinced,gonna dump my stiller,my defiance,and my surgeon and start buying the beloved Remington 700's.
Here comes the brush fires!!!
 
I have a trued Remington and a Surgeon based rifle. I will never buy another Remington. When trued, the threads were .030 off from the bolt raceway. Now that it is trued, the barrel points visibly to the left, it is 22 inches long and at the tip is about 1/8" off center. Shoots great, but I have to dial over more than 15 MOA to center the scope.
 
I have a trued Remington and a Surgeon based rifle. I will never buy another Remington. When trued, the threads were .030 off from the bolt raceway. Now that it is trued, the barrel points visibly to the left, it is 22 inches long and at the tip is about 1/8" off center. Shoots great, but I have to dial over more than 15 MOA to center the scope.

Who (or what shop) did that to your Remington? That sounds bad.
 
I have a trued Remington and a Surgeon based rifle. I will never buy another Remington. When trued, the threads were .030 off from the bolt raceway. Now that it is trued, the barrel points visibly to the left, it is 22 inches long and at the tip is about 1/8" off center. Shoots great, but I have to dial over more than 15 MOA to center the scope.


Don't believe I'd be mad at the Remington action , but the goof that "trued" it...
 
First off I think the opinions and information in this thread is what makes the HIDE a great web sight. Second I am not a smith but I have an opinion on this matter, only as a frequent shooter who has gone both routes related to this question. If I had the coin and wanted a very fine rifle from the get go I would go the custom route. However if money is your true concern which it sounds like it is not I would go with the factory 700 action. My reasoning is simply that you can barrel the action and stock the rifle and them go back and upgrade to those action add ons. Turn around time is also a concern, smiths correct me if I'm wrong but in my past builds I received the custom actions much faster due to less work. My .02 cents.
 
If you want a "Trued" action you may as well go custom, the cost will be the same or very close. Good luck on the new build!!!
 
I have a trued Remington and a Surgeon based rifle. I will never buy another Remington. When trued, the threads were .030 off from the bolt raceway. Now that it is trued, the barrel points visibly to the left, it is 22 inches long and at the tip is about 1/8" off center. Shoots great, but I have to dial over more than 15 MOA to center the scope.

.030 sounds really excessive. Does that mean your smith opened up the threads over .060" in diameter to correct it? I would think well before .030" out, one would be discussing with their customer what their options were at that point before a barrel was fit to it.

In my opinion, there was more wrong here than Remington can take the blame for.
 
If that's true then I just wasted a whole pile of money on equipment purchased specifically for tuning up M700's. The one's we've done sure seem to run well. Just as nice as an aftermarket.



FWIW:

Very, very soon we will be formally announcing a Group Buy on accurized M700 actions, barrel fitting, new recoil lugs, ceracoating, bolt fluting, TIG/Timed handles, 8-40 base hole enlargement (using an interpolation/thread mill process, NOT drilling/Tapping)

C.

Very interested in the group buy, I sent an email the other day about having you build my 700.
 
If that's true then I just wasted a whole pile of money on equipment purchased specifically for tuning up M700's. The one's we've done sure seem to run well. Just as nice as an aftermarket.

And Ill be testing that once Chad does my rebarrel sometime this year, one rifle has a X-Treme 17-4 S/S action, the rebarrel will have a 700 action.
 
If you're starting from scratch and don't have a action at all, then I would buy a custom. If you have a Rem 700, get the works done and don't look back. I had a trued Rem 700 LA chambered in 7 mag that shot lights out and was smoother than almost all custom actions I've ran. Belted magnum that could shoot in the .1's. There was nothing I would have changed looking back.

image-3.jpg


7magnum.jpg

Had the same question five months ago...finally decided on a Surgeon. I concluded that to buy a M700 action and make it what I wanted it would be so close to a Surgeon that it was six one way half a dozen the other. I have never owned a custom action though so I went for it. Unfortunately I was not blessed with patience and you must have patience if you order such a high demand product. I know it will be worth it. AND I HOPE IT SHOOTS LIKE GRAY'S!!!
 
I've had 8-10 trued Remingtons. I had one in .338 Lapua that shot well, one in 6BR that shot pretty good, and an xp100 in .17 Mach lV that shot excellent. The rest were mediocre. I wouldn't even think about trying to get a really accurate rifle built using one. That being said it can get old waiting for parts sometimes.
 
I've had 8-10 trued Remingtons. I had one in .338 Lapua that shot well, one in 6BR that shot pretty good, and an xp100 in .17 Mach lV that shot excellent. The rest were mediocre. I wouldn't even think about trying to get a really accurate rifle built using one. That being said it can get old waiting for parts sometimes.

You can't be serious.
 
I've had 8-10 trued Remingtons. I had one in .338 Lapua that shot well, one in 6BR that shot pretty good, and an xp100 in .17 Mach lV that shot excellent. The rest were mediocre. I wouldn't even think about trying to get a really accurate rifle built using one. That being said it can get old waiting for parts sometimes.


Maybe you should try a new gunsmith... I've had a couple hammers that were trued Rem700 actions..
 
Maybe you should try a new gunsmith... I've had a couple hammers that were trued Rem700 actions..

Agreed. Chad Dixon set me up with a trued R700 action (circa 1974) with a Bartline 5R barrel in .308 and it shoots great (better than me). I'm not as good-a-shot as I'd like to be, but my shooting buddy (avidflyer) shot 5 shots damn-near through the same hole at 100yd--as good as his $5K 6.5 Lapua Surgeon action rifle.

BTW Chad, Where's my stock? I've already missed one F-Class (actually it was canceled due to 14+ inches of snow in the Quincy, IL area).
 
Last edited:
I've had 8-10 trued Remingtons. I had one in .338 Lapua that shot well, one in 6BR that shot pretty good, and an xp100 in .17 Mach lV that shot excellent. The rest were mediocre. I wouldn't even think about trying to get a really accurate rifle built using one. That being said it can get old waiting for parts sometimes.

Completely. I did just have a model 7 done in .221 fireball that may make the good list. That will make it about a 50-50 proposition.


What are you using to gauge "good"? Are you comparing a Remington in a factory plastic stock to a full on bench rest rifle?
 
Agreed. Chad Dixon set me up with a trued R700 action (circa 1974) with a Bartline 5R barrel in .308 and it shoots great (better than me). I'm not as good-a-shot as I'd like to be, but my shooting buddy (avidflyer) shot 5 shots damn-near through the same hole at 100yd--as good as his $5K 6.5 Lapua Surgeon action rifle.

BTW Chad, Where's my stock? I've already missed one F-Class (actually it was canceled due to 14+ inches of snow in the Quincy, IL area).


All in due time....you should be praticing with that 22 setup you have. I'm not going to get into the whole custom Vs remington debate; I own several custom actions and have a great relationship with Stiller. I also own some other high dollar actions, that being said a factory tuned/blue printed 700 will do the job everytime. I'm actually a big fan of Savage, my first precision 308 was a Savage with a Douglas barrel it still groups in the 1's and 2's. As far as that 700 action Chad set up for Gene Pool it's a hammer. If I would of put any effort into a good group, those 5 shots would have been in the same hole. I just sent a quick 5 down range.....I'd have no problem using a donor action and letting him do his voodoo to it. Just depends what you want, what you can afford, and what extras you value. Dollar for dollar what he's doing is a hell of a deal....you won't be disappointed.
 
That would never be a fair comparison.

well then what are you comparing your 700 based builds to? how bad did they shoot? ow good do you expect a rifle to shoot? how good do you shoot? do you honestly feel they didn't shoot good purely because they were built on a chunk of steel that came out of remington's factory vs. a chunk of steel that came out of a smaller production factory? if your remington based builds didn't shoot as good as an otherwise identical build using an aftermarket action, i think there is something else going on causing that, possibly even mental.
 
Thanks for the info thus far here. I ultimately went with a Rem 700 action as it was a Christmas gift. I like the idea of having a "sleeper" in a group of pimped-out customs. ;)
Here's photos of my barreled action: http://www.snipershide.com/shooting/snipers-hide-bolt-action-rifles/182371-gap-porn.html

FYI though....my next build will be a full-on custom. Mostly likely a Templar v2....unless they have a v3 or v4 out by the time I have the funds...lol
 
I've had 8-10 trued Remingtons. I had one in .338 Lapua that shot well, one in 6BR that shot pretty good, and an xp100 in .17 Mach lV that shot excellent. The rest were mediocre. I wouldn't even think about trying to get a really accurate rifle built using one. That being said it can get old waiting for parts sometimes.

You'll need to give us a hell of a lot more information about the components used in these builds, the gunsmith that screwed them together, the ammo used, and your skills as a shooter before any one here will think for a moment that the receiver had any damn thing to do with these problems.