Stripped 700 receivers

[ar15barrels]

Would you recommend these over a Surgeon/Defiance, or other high end, aftermarket action, or are these more of an entry-level step for those looking for a more cost effective run at the precision rifle game?

These are a more affordable way to get into a precision rifle.
$250-$300 for the receiver, $200 for a bolt, then a lug and a barrel and some gunsmithing.
You can do that in $300 "bites", piece-by-piece...

[LynnJr]

Sleepur606
If your after an extremely accurate rifle a Remington 700 action trued up with a new bolt will shoot with the best of them.
The reasons for custom aftermarket actions is for added features you don't see on a Remington.
A Borden BR action is the same diameter as a Remington but it is a single shot which makes it stiffer so you can hang a heavier barrel on it without having to worry about flexing the action and ruining the bedding. Another benefit is the tight bolt fit which helps eliminate bolt drop upon firing. They also come with a side bolt release for ease of bolt removal for cleaning and rules requiring your bolt to be removed after your string of fire.
All the aftermarket actions have purpose built features that competitive shooters think aid them in there goal to win.
If you want to shoot long-range benchrest like SwitchBarrel who posts here and you want to hang a 25 pound barrel on your gun you need an action bigger than a 700 Remington to hold all that extra weight.
Some shooters will use a barrel block to hold such a barrel while allowing the entire action to float with zero contact with the stock.

[LynnJr]

Here are the three ultra mag actions next to a BAT L so you can see why some would choose a custom when using a heavy barrel.
Also the Remington's have a 1.062 barrel tenon which works just fine with small diameter cartridge cases. When you step up the diameter of the cartridge case like say a 338 Lapua 338 Norma or anything large in diameter you end up with less barrel steel around the chamber. You are limited to the 1.062 tenon so when you have a 223 sized piece of brass the chamber walls are very stiff but when you go to a 0.590 diameter case the barrel steel around the chamber is much thinner.
If you look at the BAT L the tenon is 1.250 inches so you end up with an additional 1/8 inch of steel per side around your brass which gives you an easier bolt lift on high pressure loads.
But with everything there is no free lunch. If your tenon is 1.250 you need to buy a barrel with a 1.350 1.450 or larger diameter so you have a shoulder to mate up with the action. Naturally the bigger barrels cost more.

[lilharcher]

If you blueprint/true your action, can you use your existing bolt, to the extent the bolt is also trued to the action? What are the downsides of using your existing bolt?

[hardlyworking]

Nice Lynn thanks for that demo/explanation

[LynnJr]

If you blueprint/true your action, can you use your existing bolt, to the extent the bolt is also trued to the action? What are the downsides of using your existing bolt?

There are various degrees people will true an action.
Some will square the receivers face. Some will recut the locking lugs and the lug abutments. Some will single sleeve or double sleeve the bolt body for minimal tolerances. Some will recut the boltface.
Some will rebore the Raceway and others will do every step plus add a coned bolt and side bolt release.
As Randall pointed out earlier it is now cheaper to buy a replacement bolt from Pacific Tool than it is to do all the steps to a factory bolt. A new bolt completely stuffed runs around $275 complete and you can sell your factory bolt for $125 making the actual cost about $150.

[ar15barrels]

If you blueprint/true your action, can you use your existing bolt, to the extent the bolt is also trued to the action? What are the downsides of using your existing bolt?

There's a LOT of "it depends" to answer that.
There is no SINGLE answer.

IF your bolt is already tightly fitted to your receiver, you can true the receiver WITHOUT boring the bolt raceway in the receiver.

This is normally NOT the case.
In order to get any tangible benefit from truing, you need to tighten up the fit of the bolt and the receiver.
This can be done by sleeving the original bolt, but that's more expensive (labor wise) than simply getting a new bolt.
Therefore, most people would just opt to get a NEW bolt than to spend the extra money just to keep their old bolt.

Any "truing" job that is done without tightening up the fit of the bolt to the receiver is not likely to give any tangible benefit.
Anyone who says otherwise is selling you snake oil.

[lilharcher]

Thanks Randall and Lynn, very helpful.

[LynnJr]

Okay first thing first I screwed up on the bolt price. They run right at $300 completely stuffed to my specs. I forgot to include the 0.062 firing pin assembly with the Lawton Oversized shroud the M16 extractor the ejector kit and the bolt knob. That added an additional $104 per bolt to my original $198 price tag so $302 total.
I am not too good with the photos but if you look closely you can see the M16 extractor missing.

[beenawhile]

Out of curiosity, why go for the m16 extractor over the remington extractor?

[ar15barrels]

Out of curiosity, why go for the m16 extractor over the remington extractor?

He is building an Ultramag.
There is no Remington extractor option for magnum bolts from PTG.

[beenawhile]

He is building an Ultramag.
There is no Remington extractor option for magnum bolts from PTG.

Thanks! Any advantages in say a 308?

[ar15barrels]

Thanks! Any advantages in say a 308?

My opinion is that any extractor which cuts open the nose of the 700 bolt should only be used when a Remington extractor is not an option.
Go read about the "3 rings of steel" which is the 700 design.
I have seen many KB'd 700's.
Not a single one of the bolts with the bolt nose cut open for a non-Remington extractor survived the event.
Most of them with a Remington extractor survive a KB though.
There's something to that bolt nose being a full ring...

[beenawhile]

Again, thanks for the info. I have a 700 action that I'm hoping to have built this year.

[boomer135]

My PTG trued LAmag/bolt was ordered 9Jan and just arrived at my dealer today. When I called them they shipped it overnight and didn't even charge me shipping. If you are waiting on bolt knobs, they informed me the anodized ones didn't past inspection so it may be awhile.

Just got an E-mail from Pacific Tool and Gauge that my bolts have been shipped.
20 days from placing my order to shipping them out.
For those that don't order these parts that is very fast service especially since they spend a lot of time at The Shot Show.