Rem. 700 Action Testing After Fire

[dgc357]

I lost all my firearms in a the Tubbs Fire October of 2017. I was able to recover all the destroyed firearms from my safe and have them just piled up in a shed. Recently, I decided I want to try and restore some of them.

My question is, is there someone or some company that can test the action on my Rem. 700 to determine if it is still safe to use and rebuild? I would like to phoenix it and rebirth it as a 6.5 Creedmoor. I imagine it would require some sort of metallurgy testing.

Please advise.

Here is another thread I started last year with some more details of the conditions of the fire.

https://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=1394398

[baih777]

I wonder if a gun buyback would take them.
As long as you get it to function.

Post a pic of the rem 700.

[ar15barrels]

Need more details.
Anyone with a hardness tester and the ability to make a test fixture could do it, but they also need to know what the expected hardness should be to run a test and see if your receiver and bolt are as expected or if they are soft.
If you were in So Cal, I could do it.

One easy check would be to pull the striker spring out of the bolt.
If it's collapsed more than usual for it's age, the reciever is definitely been effected as the striker spring is protected from heat by both the receiver AND the bolt.

[kendog4570]

What Randall said re: the spring(s). If they are sagged, it is annealed. Another gun fixer general rule is the condition of the wood. If it has been burned off of the gun, it is likely soft as well. Charred wood or water and subsequent rust damage do not affect the hardness.

[kendog4570]

Checked your pictures on the link. If the R700 looks like the rest in the pictures, put a fork in it, it's done.

[dgc357]

They are all like that. I feel somewhat comfortable using a 10/22 receiver and maybe one or two of the AR lowers, but the other are questionable. All The stocks on my carbine, Garand, and 1903 are straight up charcole and immediately broke off and fell apart. Some other wood stocks kind of held together but are just as bad.

I’ll tinker with the 700 and see if I can pull it apart.

[baih777]

I wonder if a gun buyback would take them.
As long as you get it to function.

Post a pic of the rem 700.

just looked at the pics in the link.
that's pretty bad.
take a pic of the serial number and destroy the receiver. take another pic.
Home insurance didn't cover any of the firearms ?

new rifle for xmas.

[kendog4570]

They are all like that. I feel somewhat comfortable using a 10/22 receiver and maybe one or two of the AR lowers, but the other are questionable. All The stocks on my carbine, Garand, and 1903 are straight up charcole and immediately broke off and fell apart. Some other wood stocks kind of held together but are just as bad.

I’ll tinker with the 700 and see if I can pull it apart.

If the wood was charred but not gone, I would try at least a file test. Compare file strokes with a good, sharp file with good examples. To the trained person, there will be a night and day difference in the way the file cuts. A good M1 the file will sing across the metal and barely take a bite.

Down side is you have to take a file stroke on a good gun, but it can be done in an inconspicuous location.

[dgc357]

just looked at the pics in the link.
that's pretty bad.
take a pic of the serial number and destroy the receiver. take another pic.
Home insurance didn't cover any of the firearms ?

new rifle for xmas.

My renters insurance covered exactly half of my losses. My fault on that. I had set my policy limit to cover the things in the house I rent. I figured my valuable stuff was safer at my parents house since it has an alarm and my safe was there, so I didn't even consider this being a possibility.

I'm trying to locate an action wrench I can borrow so I can pull the barrel off. It'll make it easier to bring in to someone for someone and has to be done anyways.

If it is still in good shape (which I expect it is not) I'll probably do little cleaning to it and rebuild off it in it's current charred state. I think it would be kind of cool.

[kendog4570]

...If it is still in good shape (which I expect it is not) I'll probably do little cleaning to it and rebuild off it in it's current charred state. I think it would be kind of cool.

I will then become a rare, one-of-a-kind, obscure Remington 700 variation. Called the 700 Phoenix.

[dgc357]

I think I may just shelf this idea for now and build a custom 700 clone. Sounds like a lot of fun.