Rem 700sps Precision Purgatory

[G-Man WC]

Been on the fence for three years about a LR precision rifle.
Years back I bought a new\used 700 sps tac 20" and had visions of upgrading to get it shooting.
It still sit's in the back of the safe unfired.
I've gone so far as to purchase a new stock, trigger, and brake.
I keep reading many great threads in gunsmithing section and have emailed a few members on my choices and their thoughts.
With the R700 it seems the choices to be almost infinite about the course of action to take depending on one's shooting game.
With the .308, 6.5CR, small primer bolts, new receivers I find myself more dazed and confused as I'm a C&R and hunting rifle kind of guy.
My dilemma at this point is whether to go ahead and rebuild the sps or
start fresh (selling it), and going with a PTG receiver, bolt, new barrel, and just get it built.
It almost seems like the cost would be close either way.
The way I'm starting to look at this now is smith services with new parts, trued receiver\bolt, new longer barrel
I'm getting what I want now, done right rather that have minor work paid for now and then again later when I'm going to replace the barrel or other parts

What I've learned so far.
I don't want to shoot .308 out of this 20" barrel or pay for a break installed
I was shocked to see how much jump the factory bolt had when dry fired
I want a trued receiver\action
I don't need to buy top dollar surgeon parts, just good parts and as long and the one's I do get are proven put together correct by a competent smith.

-g

[45R]

I had a SPS for a few years. It was a great rifle with handloads the stock rifle was capable of 1/2 MOA or better. I ended up selling it for a 700P with a longer barrel. The muzzle rise is no longer an issue. A muzzle brake would be a nice upgrade.

[DarkSoul]

Having several precision rifles, and working on building yet another right now, I would suggest the following, keep the R700 basically as is, and just go get a brake put on, it will help reduce recoil jump, and therefore you will be quicker back on target.

I have a R700 SPS with a brake and dropped into an XLR chassis, but the barrel, action, and trigger are bone stock, and it easily does 1 MOA or less with hand loads (even playing with new work ups now just to see how accurate I can get it).

This will get you comfortable with a precision rifle and let you get some trigger time while you sort out your next build.

I have several big bore rifles good out past 3000 yards as well as the 308, but I am actually building a 300 win mag now for long range comps such as the Avenal comps. This rifle will be a Stiller Tac 30 action, Bell & Carlson Medalist 5 stock, Proof Research 26" full bull barrel, and I'm still shopping for a trigger and comp. I will most likely move my Leupold Mk4 6.5-20 over to this rifle from my 308, and I have a Leupold Mk6 coming that I will swap onto the 308.

The more you build, the easier it is to choose components, so just start shooting what you have, and you will soon find out what you want/need.

[ar15barrels]

Subscribing to watch all the funny responses and advice.

[Lucky Scott]

I like fixing stuff up, so I would shoot it as is, then swap out your new parts.
Then shoot it some more.
Then do a barrel swap and install the brake. Maybe go 6.5 at this time.
Then shoot it some more.

[LynnJr]

Have Randall put a good barrel on it and he would do the muzzlebrake install at the same time. You don't need all the truing work and it will still shoot very well.

[2shotjoe]

I pm'ed Randall after several threads going on now about upgrades to confirm what I needed.

New bolt with lugs, ptg, shipped 303. Barrel 360 shipped.

This it for a rem 700 dps vrmt 308. I bought it all last week, going to 6.5 cm.

Sent from my VS985 4G using Tapatalk

[G-Man WC]

I like fixing stuff up, so I would shoot it as is, then swap out your new parts.
Then shoot it some more.
Then do a barrel swap and install the brake. Maybe go 6.5 at this time.
Then shoot it some more.

I also like fixing stuff up but what I need done, I'll not be doing it myself.
No skill set or tools in this department. Sure I can drop it in a new stock
and put a trigger on.
Shooting it in it's current configuration for me would be a waste of time and $ IMO.

Subscribing to watch all the funny responses and advice.

I was hoping you of all people would push me one way or another Randall.
Only a handful of people here seem to know what there really talking about.
From the perspective of one doing the work what's the most cost and time effective approach in you're opinion?


-g

[ar15barrels]

From the perspective of one doing the work what's the most cost and time effective approach in you're opinion?

Depends on budget.
Advantage to rebuilding the gun you already have is that you already HAVE the gun so no DROS.
You can buy the parts to upgrade it in easy-to-swallow ($400) bites.

Advantage to starting from scratch is that your gun is unfired and someone will buy it for nearly what it sells for new.
But then you need to DROS a new ($600-$1300) receiver and gather up the rest of the parts to build it out.

[Hateca]

Been on the fence for three years about a LR precision rifle.
Years back I bought a new\used 700 sps tac 20" and had visions of upgrading to get it shooting.
It still sit's in the back of the safe unfired.
I've gone so far as to purchase a new stock, trigger, and brake.
I keep reading many great threads in gunsmithing section and have emailed a few members on my choices and their thoughts.
With the R700 it seems the choices to be almost infinite about the course of action to take depending on one's shooting game.
With the .308, 6.5CR, small primer bolts, new receivers I find myself more dazed and confused as I'm a C&R and hunting rifle kind of guy.
My dilemma at this point is whether to go ahead and rebuild the sps or
start fresh (selling it), and going with a PTG receiver, bolt, new barrel, and just get it built.
It almost seems like the cost would be close either way.
The way I'm starting to look at this now is smith services with new parts, trued receiver\bolt, new longer barrel
I'm getting what I want now, done right rather that have minor work paid for now and then again later when I'm going to replace the barrel or other parts

What I've learned so far.
I don't want to shoot .308 out of this 20" barrel or pay for a break installed
I was shocked to see how much jump the factory bolt had when dry fired
I want a trued receiver\action
I don't need to buy top dollar surgeon parts, just good parts and as long and the one's I do get are proven put together correct by a competent smith.

-g

Take the SPS stock and throw it in the trash, Drop it in the new stock, have it bedded if it's they type of stock, have the brake installed, and go shoot. 20" factory barrel is too short for many reasons but out to 500-600 yards ok. In the meantime save you funds for a new Remington Receiver or custom receiver and have a new rifle built and keep what you have as a back up rifle.

Contrary to what you hear or read there is no need to replace every bolt on a factory Remington action. In fact if this is going to be a down in the dirt rifle or a run in gun rifle stick with the factory bolt. Bolts will jump on an empty chamber in a factory receiver or a custom receiver for many reasons. Just because it does it doesn't make the receiver any less accurate or there is even a problem.

Many a factory rifle with good stock and good glass will shoot .5 .75 all day long with match ammo and hand loads.

If you want a true custom then use the factory action or a custom action and start from scratch.

Be careful with building in stages, if not you may end up spending money for something more then once.

[Wrangler John]

Being a tinkerer with a great deal of curiosity, I was consumed with building such rifles. In my case I started with a new Remington 700 Short Action with standard bolt (.308 Winchester family), this was a bare action from Brownell's.

The action was sent off to Greg Tannel where the bolt was double sleeved, and the raceway reamed to match. I had him bush the firing pin hole and grind the firing pin to fit. Both bolt lugs were matched to the receiver lugs and a 0.250" thick double pin precision recoil lug installed. This lug is specifically designed to fit aluminum bedding chassis stocks without inletting. He also timed a Jewel Trigger I had installed before shipping. I did not have the action face or receiver threads single-pointed to maintain factory tolerances. The factory extractor was left alone, as I have never had any problems with the Remington extractor over 50 years. Cost ran about $450, exclusive of the action.

Next, came a Bell&Carlson M-4 Medalist stock with the aluminum bedding chassis. Also ordered Wyatt Outdoor drop in bottom metal and detachable magazine kit. Either of the two selected cartridges works with either the OEM Remington internal magazine or the Wyatt detachable magazine, without modification.

I ordered two barrels from Pac-Nor Barreling:

Super Match, 24" Remington Varmint Contour (Sendaro), 11 degree crown, 1:9" twist, chambered for .22-250 Remington Ackley Improved, equipped with Pac-Nut (Savage type barrel nut), and a Pac-Nor muzzle brake, matte finish. Shown below:



Super Match, 24" Remington Varmint Contour (Sendaro), 11 degree crown, 1:10" twist Polygonal Rifling, chambered for .308 Winchester, Pac-Nut and Vais Muzzle Brake, matte finish. Shown below:



Both barrels cost around $1,500 ($650-$700 each) with shipping and took approximately 6-7 months each to manufacture, as they were ordered separately over a two year period. The interchangeable barrel with nut scheme isn't for everyone, it requires an investment in tooling, only offering the experimenter a way to indulge, and has no accuracy advantage over a fitted barrel.

With the Ken Farrell scope base, Burris rings and Weaver Extreme scope, headspace gauges and incidentals, the project cost approximately $3,600. In both configurations accuracy runs around .05" for ten shots at 100 yards. It isn't a target rifle, the .22-250 Ackley is for ground squirrel hunting, and the .308 Winchester is a lark to play with using lead free bullets. The first satisfactory 10 shot group showed promise, and clearly indicated age is catching up with my trigger discipline:



No matter what you try, by using quality components, skilled smiths, and careful DIY workmanship, you should wind up with an accurate rifle, and a great deal of knowledge and experience.

[ar15barrels]

The action was sent off to Greg Tannel where the bolt was double sleeved, and the raceway reamed to match. I had him bush the firing pin hole and grind the firing pin to fit. Both bolt lugs were matched to the receiver lugs and a 0.250" thick double pin precision recoil lug installed. This lug is specifically designed to fit aluminum bedding chassis stocks without inletting. He also timed a Jewel Trigger I had installed before shipping. I did not have the action face or receiver threads single-pointed to maintain factory tolerances. The factory extractor was left alone, as I have never had any problems with the Remington extractor over 50 years. Cost ran about $450, exclusive of the action.

I ordered two barrels from Pac-Nor Barreling:

Super Match, 24" Remington Varmint Contour (Sendaro), 11 degree crown, 1:9" twist, chambered for .22-250 Remington Ackley Improved, equipped with Pac-Nut (Savage type barrel nut), and a Pac-Nor muzzle brake, matte finish.

Super Match, 24" Remington Varmint Contour (Sendaro), 11 degree crown, 1:10" twist Polygonal Rifling, chambered for .308 Winchester, Pac-Nut and Vais Muzzle Brake, matte finish.

Both barrels cost around $1,500 ($650-$700 each)

That's a lot of money for what you have.
A PTG one-piece bolt (made to your choice of diameter with a small firing pin hole runs $167 plus ~$40 for an extractor and firing pin.
Order it to match up with your receiver, lap the lugs to ensure full contact, $50 to double pin a recoil lug and $40 to time the cocking piece to the bolt body and trigger and you are in the same place as where you spent $450 to rework a stock two-piece bolt.

Bartlein barrels run $330ish and $200 for a gunsmith fitting them to the action.
A gunsmith fitted barrel will spin on the receiver without need for headspace gauges and will repeat the the same spot EVERY time you install it.
That means it returns to it's same zero and your headspace is identical which means your previously loaded ammo still fits perfectly.
None of this can be said about a barrel-nut setup.

[kendog4570]

While there are a lot of enhancements/modifications/improvements that can be done to a 700, the one thing that gets the most accuracy for the buck on a STOCK rifle is re-cutting the factory crown. If it looks funky to the naked eye, re-cut it. If it looks good, I would still re-crown it before anything else. Even ones that look centered will show off when a cut is made with the bore centered properly in the lathe.
A local shop that I do service work for has several PSS rifles that are used as rentals for Long Range classes. We have turned a few mediocre guns into hammers with just crown work.

[ar15barrels]

While there are a lot of enhancements/modifications/improvements that can be done to a 700, the one thing that gets the most accuracy for the buck on a STOCK rifle is re-cutting the factory crown. If it looks funky to the naked eye, re-cut it. If it looks good, I would still re-crown it before anything else. Even ones that look centered will show off when a cut is made with the bore centered properly in the lathe.
A local shop that I do service work for has several PSS rifles that are used as rentals for Long Range classes. We have turned a few mediocre guns into hammers with just crown work.

I install several muzzle brakes a week on bolt guns.
Every one of them gets the last 1.5" of the muzzle dialed in to around 0.0003" total indicated runout before the threads are cut.
While I am already right there anyways, I re-cut the crowns too.

[Wrangler John]

That's a lot of money for what you have.
A PTG one-piece bolt (made to your choice of diameter with a small firing pin hole runs $167 plus ~$40 for an extractor and firing pin.
Order it to match up with your receiver, lap the lugs to ensure full contact, $50 to double pin a recoil lug and $40 to time the cocking piece to the bolt body and trigger and you are in the same place as where you spent $450 to rework a stock two-piece bolt.

Bartlein barrels run $330ish and $200 for a gunsmith fitting them to the action.
A gunsmith fitted barrel will spin on the receiver without need for headspace gauges and will repeat the the same spot EVERY time you install it.
That means it returns to it's same zero and your headspace is identical which means your previously loaded ammo still fits perfectly.
None of this can be said about a barrel-nut setup.

Yes, I over estimated the costs, but I was too lazy to reach over to the filing cabinet and check the invoices. So, I reached over just now, here is what the labor cost for the action work (my god it was in 2011! how could that be?):
GTR Bedding block lug - $35.00
Double pin recoil lug - $55.00
Bush firing pin hole and turn pin $75.00
Ream action bolt bore raceway, Double sleeve bolt body, Cut bolt lugs & Face, Lap Lugs. -$250.00
Shipping, handling, Insurance - 17.00
Total $432.00

It came back in about 10 days - I thought it was sent back without work, but no, it was perfect.

The Pac-Nor .22-250 AI barrel with a Pac-Nor brake was $652.67 including shipping. This was a complete barrel threaded, chambered, with brake installed, Barrel Nut and Matte finished ready to install.

The similar .308 Winchester Pac-Nor barrel, including a Vais Muzzle Brake installed, threaded, chambered, and ready to install was $701.00.

I went back, added up all the costs: Action, two barrels, smithing, stock, base and rings, detachable mag kit, trigger, scope, Total including tax, shipping, DROS = $3,444.00

Then I'm reminded that I had ordered a couple of bolts from PT&G a year ago and I never heard received them - credit card wasn't charged so that's okay. Did buy some of their Savage replacement bolt heads, they sent me one that was completely out of spec, but apologized and replaced it. I was going to buy another Remington bolt for the 700 to tinker with a .204 Ruger conversion, so I'll give it another try.

I'm just having a great time assembling this stuff, but if I lived closer than 450 +/- miles away, I'd check with you for an appointment to do the work, and leave the nuts to the squirrels. Otherwise I have to ship the stuff out and wait.