Remy 700 actions

[ShaunBrady]

I've wanting to build a target shooting out of remington 700 for while and I figure it'll be good to start with an action .

In general, a better approach is to start at the other end and work back. Start with the bullet that'll do what you want well and is readily available. Figure out what you can stand for pain in the barrel life vs. velocity trade off to select the cartridge.

Then pick an action.

If you've always wanted to do a R700 build, never mind, carry on.

I've been searching bit on here and what top brand and most competition guys uses . I wont be doing any type of competition , but I wouldn't mind having quality parts for this build .

Had anyone have experiences with mid price action such as this ?

https://www.brownells.com/rifle-parts/receiver-parts/receivers/rifle-receivers/remington-700-long-action-grb-receivers-prod117694.aspx

If so , how much better is this compare to bone stock action like this one
https://www.brownells.com/rifle-part...rod144033.aspx

The "What The Pro's Use" articles are interesting, but don't really give the whole story. First there are no Pro's. Nobody makes a living at long range shooting competitions. It's loss leader advertising for other businesses or tax deductions. Guys shoot what their sponsors give them to shoot or what they've picked up off of prize tables. That being said, I doubt anybody in the top 10 would use something that didn't work well. It's just that a lot of things work well enough.

The factory R700 action has some pretty serious short comings. You can buy your way out of some of them, others you can't. When you're done turning a factory R700 action into a solid mile plus gun, it still won't be a Defiance Deviant. Given that a new company has resurrected the Remington brand with a narrowed line up to start with, you may be waiting awhile for anything stainless or left handed. Or stripped actions period. I don't think that any pre bankruptcy actions still in the pipeline will be warranted by the new company.

The GunWorks action is tilted towards hunters and I'm sure it's great for that. That'd be some attention to weight, 2-piece Weaver rather than Picatinny rail, and internal magazine.

The 2 sources of accuracy limiting barrel vibrations in R700 pattern actions are the underslung recoil lug and the action screw hole directly in front of the lower lug. The brute force solution is to make the action larger diameter. A cleverer solution is to use the scope rail as a stiffening rib. The rail needs to be integral with the action to make that happen.

When comparing the Deviant to other actions that may be cheaper, pay attention to what they removed to reduce the price. For many applications, it may be a good trade off. For an ELR rifle in a magnum caliber with a long heavy barrel, maybe not.

[ar15barrels]

Is there a long action AW magazine?

There might only be single stack long action AW mags which would make it the same mag as used in the AICS long action DBM's.
There's not enough room to double stack a 300 win mag cartridge in the width of an AICS AW short action mag.

[G38xOC]

Mostly 100 yards off a bench at a public range with 2K as a bucket list item or 100 yards to do development for what's intended to be a 2K gun? Somewhere in between?

This isn't intended to challenge or disparage what you're starting, just clarify.

Yea , purpose is for 2k . 100 yards for load development and even experience some ladder test at 4-500yards . Final goal 2k at last .

I have 6.5 creedmoor to experience and get some knowledge before I start using experience magnum caliber . But that's for later topic . Would like to stay on action topic . There are lots of informations here that I'm trying to grasp and learn what each parts does what purpose like.. recoil lugs , 2 or lugs and what sets that aside from other manufacturers . But I'm leaning towards more defiance action . But needs more searching still . This will be a dream rifle build . Could take a very long time to finish . Thanks

[G38xOC]

Either action will work with an AICS magazine.
Only the tactical will work with an AW mag.

Since both can uses aics type , out of 2 options on top , which would you go with if you were me . I do like single stack detachable magazine setup . Doesn't have to be tactical for fast reloading since it's going to be bench/prone

Thanks

[sigstroker]

Some of the suggestions here sound pretty extreme. What's your budget going to look like?

[ShaunBrady]

Since both can uses aics type , out of 2 options on top , which would you go with if you were me . I do like single stack detachable magazine setup . Doesn't have to be tactical for fast reloading since it's going to be bench/prone

Thanks

There isn't actually a double stack AI pattern magazine available for long action cartridges.

Long action AICS pattern magazines are messier to deal with than short action.

There were originally only 2. The 300WM and 338 Lapua. The 300WM had a 3.715" outer length and would take a 3.615" OAL cartridge with some allowance for the length variations in HP match bullets. The 338 Lapua magazine, also refered to as "CIP" length, is 3.850" long and takes cartridges 3.750" long. The feed lips are different on the two styles. The US military made a third length popular. It's 3.775" long and will take cases 3.675". That one was for their 300wm sniping round in R700s. Bottom metal for the 3.775" magazines is relatively simple to fit to BDL inleted stocks and they feed well.

With the CIP magazine length, the placement of the magazine well under the action becomes critical and not all actions have a large enough magazine cut out. The magazine cut out issue goes away with an aftermarket action, but not all chassis or stocks place it well enough to feed easily.

You can buy magazines with all 3 lengths in either feed lip configuration. The 300 PRC works with either feed lip configuration. The 300 Norma, 300 Ultra Mag, and 338 Edge need the Lapua feed lips.

The highest performance SAAMI cartridge you can fit in a CIP magazine using ELR bullets is the 300 Norma.

The reality is most people single load at 2K. It avoids bending or scratching the bullet during the feed cycle.

If you're going to use a AICS magazine, I'd order your action without feed lips and let the magazine do what it was designed to do.

[G38xOC]

Didn't know there were magazine length options . Thanks for that .
As for getting an action without the lip . I always thought he feedlip was part of the magazine not the action . I will look up more and note down for later . Thanks

[ShaunBrady]

I have 6.5 creedmoor to experience and get some knowledge before I start using experience magnum caliber .

This is a smart way to go about it.

Would like to stay on action topic . There are lots of informations here that I'm trying to grasp and learn what each parts does what purpose like.. recoil lugs , 2 or lugs and what sets that aside from other manufacturers .

On the number of lugs and recoil lugs topic:

Most of the modern long range guns use bolt lugs in rows of 3 rather than 2. This gets dumbed down to the public as shorter faster bolt throw. The real reason is the bottom 2 lugs straddle the centerline. This greatly improves feeding because the round doesn't have to climb over the bottom lug. It also eliminates having the lug aligned with the action screw.

Modern long range guns also eliminate the recoil lug. The action is used as a stressed member. Examples of this are the DesertTechs, Tubb's guns and the Ruger Precision Rifle. In addition to eliminating the recoil lug, those guns also align your shoulder closer to the bore centerline, reducing the upward rotation of the gun while the bullet is in the barrel. This is even more significant with magnum cartridges. Muzzle brakes will reduce muzzle flip, but their action doesn't start until the bullet has left the barrel.

The MRAD doesn't use a recoil lug at the front of the action, but it does use underslung lugs to transfer recoil loads to the stock. Guns like the Tika and Ruger American use recoil lugs, but they're tucked up into the action to get the support nearer the action centerline. Using 2 rather than 1 also produces bending forces that cancel at the center of the action where it's the weakest. We're now a long way from the R700 pattern.

Most of that is minutia that's lost in the noise of your luck of the draw on the barrel blank they ship you. A full length integral rail drops all that into navel gazing levels of significance.

My favorite R700 feature to change is the trigger mounted bolt release. Mounting it on the action saves me all kinds of aggravation. I'm also partial to matt stainless actions because it saves a finishing step when changing barrels.

[G38xOC]

This is really fascinating ! I only wish I had the action front of me , tear it down a and really dig into how things works . But yea TMI . Brain hurts now .

[ar15barrels]

Yea , purpose is for 2k . 100 yards for load development and even experience some ladder test at 4-500yards . Final goal 2k at last .

Then you don't want a 1.350" action with a 0.700" diameter bolt and 1.062" thread tennon.
You want to move up to a 1.450" or 1.500" action with a 0.750" bolt and 1.125" thread tennon to be able to shoot the legitimate 2000yd cartridges.

Start looking at a Surgeon XL action or the likes.

[ar15barrels]

Since both can uses aics type , out of 2 options on top , which would you go with if you were me . I do like single stack detachable magazine setup . Doesn't have to be tactical for fast reloading since it's going to be bench/prone

Thanks

For dedicated bench/prone, seriously consider a single shot action with a solid bottom.
It's stiffer/stronger and you have no cartridge length limitations of feeding issues like you do if you want to magazine feed.

[ar15barrels]

I always thought he feedlip was part of the magazine not the action .

BDL magazine system has the feedlips in the receiver and the magazine only holds the cartridges under the feedlips of the recevier.
To drop the cartridges out, you open the trapdoor and the cartridges all fall out.

Detachable magazines have feed lips in the magazine so that you can put cartridges into the magazine and THEN insert the magazine into the rifle so those magazine feed lips have to fit up into the action so the bolt can scoop the top cartridge off the magazine and feed it into the chamber.

[sigstroker]

The MRAD doesn't use a recoil lug at the front of the action, but it does use underslung lugs to transfer recoil loads to the stock. Guns like the Tika and Ruger American use recoil lugs, but they're tucked up into the action to get the support nearer the action centerline. Using 2 rather than 1 also produces bending forces that cancel at the center of the action where it's the weakest. We're now a long way from the R700 pattern.

What do you think of the MRAD overall? Is it almost worth the money?

[G38xOC]

Thanks ! I really like the idea of detachable magazine . Ill take those inputs into consideration . More informations I have the merrier down the road .

[LynnJr]

The actions in your links are crazy expensive.
Find any bare long action receiver from the 700 line in any condition. The uglier the receiver the cheaper the cost and i wouldnt pay more than $200.
If you cant find one buy a new 700 near christmas time and sell the trigger the barrel and the bolt on ebay to offset the cost of the new bolt.
The new bolt will need a 0.062 firing pin a 0.704 bolt body a Lawton type bolt shroud a M16 extractor and a Lapua boltface. You want the firing pin assembly the M16 extractor kit and a extra long straight bolt handle on the same order. A bolt knob and 0.250 recoil lug can also be added. The entire bolt and kits will run around $300

You then send the bare reciever to Greg Tannel at Gre-Tan rifles and he will bore the raceway to 0.705 so you will end up with tighter tolerances than 98% of all the custom rifles on the market today.
This will end up costing you $700 but a custom action with that kind of bolt fit will run you $1800 or more.
You now have the foundation for a very nice 300 Norma or 338 Lapua or improved version.

The downside to the remington action is the magazine cutout weakens the action which destroys the bedding and the tenon size as already mentioned. The larger brass diameter of a Lapua size case onlyleaves you with less than 0.250 of metal surrounding the case.
In the old days we would add a sleeve over the action to control the flex. Alvin Davidson and Jon Loh both make nice sleeves but today they are just for nostalgia.
You can hang a #17 barrel off of a 700 !tion without any worries up to 30 inches in length.
If you want a really big barrel over 20 pounds a barrel block can be used with a 700.
The picture is one of my Pacific Tool bolts you can order online 24/7