Questions about rebuilding my r700

[Southpaw5]

Preamble:

First of all, thanks for reading this. I have lurked these forums for some time now, and I have been hesitant to get an account and post because I still feel as though I have an enormous amount to learn and little to give back. I know that newbie questions are NOT what everyone wants to read, so please forgive me if I misstep. I am completely stumped and cannot find the necessary information anywhere else.


Background info:

I love shooting. Having said that, I am still an amateur in many ways. Over the last while I have developed an appreciation for my Remington 700 SPS. I shoot 300 win mag, because it suits my needs and my budget. I am not looking to change cartridges at this time. I am left-handed (if you couldn't tell by my name) and so when I first decided to purchase a bolt rifle, I went for a left-handed version of the classic 700.

I am self-taught when it comes to marksmanship, and while I would not consider myself amazing I certainly consider myself capable. I have shot a stock rifle for the last year+ now, and I am ready to move up to something better.


Meat of the post:

I want to upgrade either to a new rifle, or I want to completely revamp my current 700. The rifle I am considering is the SAKO TRG-42. I have heard fantastic things about it, it seems like a lefty could manipulate the bolt without losing knuckle skni, and it provides me with all the features I want in a concise package. My only concern is the cost; I am not so hot on shelling out $2600-$3000, even though I can afford it.

If I revamp my 700 then this is what I'm considering doing:

1.) I want to replace the stock and get a mag system. The AICS stock seems fantastic. How easy is this to set up? There are precious few sources of information about installation. It seems relatively simple to, but I would like some first-hand info.

2.)I want to thread my barrel so I can fit my rifle with a suppressor. My current barrel is probably over the hill. In addition, my current barrel is too thin to be threaded 5/8-24 (Gemtech HVT thd... not QD). I want to replace this barrel. I have looked around, and I have found many suppliers of barrels with many price ranges. I do not was to get ripped off, but I want to get a good barrel. I will need this installed professionally. I am also curious what barrel length I should go for. This is one area in which I am woefully ignorant. I know that suppressors can throw accuracy off, and I know that thin, long barrels can throw accuracy off. How long should I go? 24-26 inches seems to be the norm. How heavy should the barrel be?

3.) Action work. My bolt is starting to feel a little sloppy and loose. I think I want to have the action fixed up by a professional, but I have no idea what I am even looking for in this regard. Any tips on where to find good information would be extremely valuable.



Finally, should I take all the time and effort necessary to rebuild my 700? Does anyone have experience with this? Were you able to do it for less than the price of a new TRG-42?

Again, I am sorry if this is the kind of post that everyone hates. I normally would not try to burden others with my problems but I have no idea where else to go for opinions. Well, let me rephrase: I have no idea where to go to find opinions that may come from experience. The guys at the local shops are not experienced enough with tactical bolt rifles to give me any valuable advice, and the internet has left me with more questions than when I started.

So, if I am a raging moron in some respect tell me about it. That way I can fix it and move on.

Thanks for reading.

-SP

 

[Nachtadler]

Re: Questions about rebuilding my r700

If you were to send your current rifle off to a smith here's a look at roughly what it would cost to have everything you mentioned done to it:

1. AICS stock= about $1,000. No bedding required. All you do is drop in a barreled action and torque to specifications.

2. Getting a new barrel from Krieger, Broughton, Brux, Hart, Satern, Bartlein, or any other match grade barrel supplier= $320 give or take a few bucks.

3. Getting said barrel chambered and the action trued would be approximately $300 more. Getting said barrel threaded for a suppressor is another $120 or so.

So if you were to turn your standard rifle into pretty much a full custom it would run you around $1750, perhaps more. This cost is in addition to a rather long wait time because every smith I am aware of has at least an eight week lead time. Some of them have closer to six month lead times. If you can stand the wait, it's cheaper to get your current rifle worked over. On the other hand, you could probably get a TRG 42 in a few weeks tops. I don't know as I don't keep tabs on Sako's products.

Regarding what barrel to get: Most match grade barrel makers charge about the same price, $315, so as long as you see one for about this much chances are great you are looking at a high quality barrel. I cannot comment on barrel length for a .300 WinMag as I do not have one. If I were building a .300 WM I would get a 24 or 25 inch barrel in a fairly heavy contour, but that's me speaking hypothetically.

I hope this helps.

 

[Jered Joplin]

Re: Questions about rebuilding my r700

We have some barrels in stock depending on what exactly you are looking for. There are a lot of bang for your buck type items that will help your rifle without going all out. If you need a barrel then that's an obvious decision. Here are a few other things to consider..........

Bedding
Trigger job or aftermarket trigger
Lapping your lugs
recrowning your barrel

I personally don't think you should true an action until you are going to throw down the coin for a new barrel. When you true the action you will more than likely have to set the barrel back. Why piss all that money down the drain for a factory barrel. The "bang for the buck" items will take you a long way until you are ready to go all out.

If you want drop me a PM or a phone call sometime and I can help steer you in the best direction that suites you.

 

[wildcatsfan11]

Re: Questions about rebuilding my r700

The AICS is worth every penny IMO, installation is easy assuming you have the torque wrench. I personally dont have a 65 in-lb wrench so when I got the chassis system in the mail is just took it in to my local shop with my R700 and just had them torque it down right. Nothing else required.