Re: Easiest Way to Tell If a Bolt Action is Trued
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: C. Dixon</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Since you posted photos:
I'd venture to guess that no, it's not been touched. I base this on the photos showing the fit between barrel/receiver. It appears that the factory finish has been preserved. We all like to think as gunsmiths that we have divine power to never put a mark on an action/barrel. The truth is often the polar opposite though. Machining an action requires fixturing and it has to be rigid. This means clamping pressure. There'd be brass marks from the shoes or vice marks, something/anything.
Also, chances are the factory barrel would not have been reused. The thread fit wouldn't allow it. Not to mention that it would never clock in the same position again. Especially if the face of the receiver was cut, grinding the recoil lug, etc.
The only exception to this is if a guy used a differential threading insert. -something rarely done/understood by most and almost exclusive to the BR crowd.
I think you have a factory barreled action stuffed into a nice stock. Treat it for what it is, shoot the snot out of it, enjoy it, and decide what to do once the barrel's cooked.
C. </div></div>
Chad, I agree that it is more likely this B/A probably hasn't been messed with, but to play devil's advocate just for arguments sake:
1. Marks on the receiver - a smith could have blasted/reparked the B/A after cutting metal, restoring the mark-free finish
2. Re-timing the marks on the barrel - Someone could have certainly cut several threads off the tenon, remachined the shoulder to time the marks appropriately, then rechambered. In fact, I believe Mark Gordon offers a tune-up package for Remingtons where he does this.
3. Thread fit - Not all smiths can, or even care to achieve the thread-fit that I know you achieve. It is possible the receiver was trued, and the tenon now fits [more] sloppily than it did from Remington.