Remington 700 re-barrel

[theperfessor]

A few years ago I ended up with an older plain-Jane Remington 700 in .243. The stock is fine but will need to be stripped and refinished. The action is fine with a little surface rust on the outside but no pitting, I plan to bead blast it. The barrel is toast.

I went to Numrich and checked and can get several different barrels for .308. Does anybody know whether these are factory take-offs or over runs or what? Does anybody know where to get a .358 take off barrel, which I would prefer? Are these barrels any good?

I have or can make any tools, etc. needed to swap barrels. I'm willing to rent or buy a .308 or .358 reamer if necessary. I don't want to spend $300+ just for a barrel.

I already have a 3-9 scope I can use on it so no cost other than the mount.

My goal is a lighter weight low cost cast bullet only rifle capable of breaking stationary clay targets at 150 yds. I can't hunt with it and I'm not a dedicated bench rest shooter so it would be for fun only.

Any comments, opinions, or experiences to share?

[CENTEX BILL]

Since you have a 243 barrel, you might try sending it to JES reboring to be rebored to
358 winchester. Jesse has an excellent reputation. Since 243 and 358 winc have the same headspace dimensions, the switch should be simple.

Website is www.35caliber.com

Centex Bill

[oldhickory]

The rebore sounds pretty good, perfessor. Another rout for a budget barrel might be E.R.Shaw about the same price for SS, CM is only $175.00, (Remington factory thread and contour. They have .358 Winchester, .338 Federal, or .308 Winchester in #1-5 contour, all the same price.

http://www.ershawbarrels.com/index.php

[Houndog]

Perfessor,
I wouldn't fool with a Numerich take off or any other barrel they sell for replacement! I would buy a Shaw or Adams and Bennett on the low end, or preferably a Shilen or Douglas for your project. In Chrome Molly the first two will run between $80-125 and the later two will be somewhere between $160-200. You don't have to spend $300 or more for a match grade barrel to wind up with a first rate hunting rig! I'm of the opinion if the rest of your rig isn't up to Benchrest standards a select match barrel is a waste of money. If you have access to a 12 inch or larger lathe and a general working knowledge of machine tools, the actual fitting is pretty straight forward. Remington is one of the easiest to rebarrel and bed. Be SURE to lap the bolt lugs, square the reciever face, and at least lap the recoil lug to make sure it's square! If you have never owned a hand built rifle, and you take the time to do it right, you are in for a treat!

If you have any questions I can help with, feel free to email me. I've been doing this for more than 30 years.
Aaron

[theperfessor]

I thought about a rebore, the idea has a lot going for it, but.... The backstory: The gun was taken hunting, probably without much cleaning, long enough to cause a cartridge ti stick and the rim pulled off. In an attempt to remove the stuck case the chamber was buggered up. It was put away for a long time in some place that was warm enough to alligator-scale the stock finish. The interior of the barrel is pit rusted on one side. I'm afraid that I would have to set back the barrel too far to get past the rust and gouges in the chamber.

I would like to stay with the .243 - .308 - .358 cartridge family since the gun is already set up for that, and for cast bullets I'd like to stay with .308 or .358, both have their advantages and disadvantages.

I've already done a rebarrel on a Turkish Mauser to .257 Roberts. Started with a basic barrel blank and did all turning, threading, and chambering. I will, of course do all the proper research before I go any further but I already understand the basic process.

My wife is already making noises about Christmas gifts. She would be glad to buy me an $85 factory replacement barrel. Don't really want to suggest a $250+ barrel that I have to spend hours at the lathe to turn to shape.

I'd be satisfied with reasonable factory-level accuracy with suitable attention to loading details and velocity limits.

[docone31]

I have used the Numerich brand barrels. They tend to be real good.
I got one, that was Numerich, and was actually a Green Mountain with Numerich roll stamped on it.
Accurate is one way to put it. Real accurate is an understatement.
I wouldn't dismiss them.

[Charlie Sometimes]

If the guy still has them, I know someone that has a few extra barrels (Rem take offs) in the range you are looking for- 243 Win with sights (17 1/2"); 7mm BR, tapped for sights (14"); 280 Rem, no sights, 21"; and three 30-06 barrels. I can check and see if they are still available, if you are interested. Send PM.

[theperfessor]

Houndog-

I checked the E. R. Shaw website and they have Remington countered barrels in 4140 for $175. Add the cost of a reamer, headspace gauge, scope mount, and the supplies to do the stock and action/barrel refinish and I still think I can get by for $350. Since I already have the scope, stock, and action that seems pretty good to me. Their .358 barrel is 1-14 twist, so I can start searching for information on what that means in terms of velocities and bullet weights.

Thanks for the suggestion.

[CENTEX BILL]

Perfessor:

I just happen to think that I have a 300 Savage barrel takeoff in good condition from a Remington 722. This would screw into your 700 since the threads are the same. I would part with it for $35 plus shipping. If you want to this could easily be rechambered to 308 Winchester. However, there is nothing wrong with the 300 savage cartridge. I have a 722 in 300 Savage and it is one of my go to guns.

PM if interested.

Centex Bill

[theperfessor]

Charlie Sometimes -

Thanks for offer but I really want to stay at .308 or larger and with the basic 51 mm case. If I was just wanting to shoot J-bullets I would stay with .243 or go to 7mm-08. But I just don't want to mess with casting bullets under thirty caliber right now. And I've got a Model 70 in .270 if I wanted to shoot J-bullets.

I'm trying to make a light, handy, relatively inexpensive, reasonably accurate rifle that I can load up or down with cast bullets. Mild loads for training, full bore (for cast bullets) loads for shooting up to 150 - 200 yds. A basic fun gun.

[theperfessor]

Centex Bill -

Let me think about that for a little while. That's a real good price for a decent barrel. I'm really warming up to a .358, but there is a ton of .308 stuff out there, from molds to empty brass. I need to make my mind up, don't I?

[bhn22]

Check with Brownells. The stock pre-contoured, short chambered barrels. 358 might be tough to come up with on a prefit.

[Bullshop]

Think about this,
empty 308 brass = empty 358 brass
Yes there are many good 30 cal boolit designs but also consider that 35 cal includes all pistol and rifle designs. I think that may give 35 cal an edge over 30 for designs available.

[runfiverun]

that 300 savage would take about 15 minutes to turn into a 308 bbl.
if i were to do a 30 caliber cast gun [and i will be sometime next year]
id look at a 12-14 twist bbl.
i have been messing with just running a 308 case into a 300 savage die and making a longer neck.
it keeps the 300 savage case capacity but makes a neck fairly close to the 30-30.
i think this combo will be perfect for 100-300 yd shooting.
even in a 10 twist 308, 1900 fps is certainly good enough for 300 yd shooting with a 150-170 gr boolit.
i just want that little bit more, and i think thats an easy way to get it.
smaller case, longer neck, slower twist, higher magnification.
throat cut to the boolit.

[nicholst55]

I'd give some (fairly) local gunsmiths a call and see what they have for take-off barrels; you may well get a new barrel for less than $100. Also, give Larry Scott a call and see what he has; he used to buy complete Remington rifles and pull them down for the actions, then sell off the remaining parts:

"GREAT SCOTT" shooters products
Larry D. Scott
142 Boyds Landing
Cadiz, Ky. 42211
270-924-5290
greatscott144@yahoo.com

[Bullshop]

There are always plenty of Rem take off at gunbroker. They run about $50.00

[Houndog]

If you are only doing one barrel don't buy the reamer and guages! Call PTG in Oregon and let Dave put you on the people that rent his reamers. It will cost somewhere around $50 and you will get a sharp, first rate reamer at less than 1/4 the cost of buying them.

[Wayne Smith]

One of the places to rent reamers is Dave at CH4D.

[Doc Highwall]

perfessor, I know that it is a little shorter but how about the 30BR. This way you can still cast 30 caliber bullets but you will be able to use less powder.

[oldhickory]

E.R.Shaw will do the rebarrel for you at a reasonable cost if you like, it may actually be more cost effective in the long run. All you have to do is contact them, choose the barrel you want and send your barreled action to them.

[fireball168]

I've got a 243 700 ADL takeoff barrel here that you can have.

Was going to make muzzle brakes from it, as its got a "bubba" mark, looks like somebody put a pipe wrench on it at the rear sight holes. Just went out on the lathe and polished a good portion of it out, two gouges on each side of the sight mounting holes. If the barrel was indexed 180 degrees, the woodline would cover them, I believe. Sounds like you've got the equipment to make them disappear though.

21 3/8" total length. Might get a little close due to the depth of the front sight holes at .358 groove, if it was cut and crowned behind them 20 1/4".

[old turtle]

I have a Rem. 722 in 300 Savage which I had restocked and the barrel free floated. It shoots 3/4 inch groups at 100 yds. I like this round as the sharp shoulder makes it efficient and accurate. The short neck is some what of a problem with longer boolits but I only load 150 and 165 grain bullets. Centex Bill and Runfiverun have a good deal of merit in their ideas. Just my 2 cents worth which is about it is worth. Good luck in what ever you decide.

[theperfessor]

Thanks to all for helpful comments. I'm going to look around some more and check with some gunsmiths and the auction places for factory take-offs. I'm in no immediate hurry so I can take time to find best deal on what I'm looking for. But it's nice to have options and I appreciate all the good offers.

[rockrat]

If you do go the 358 route, let me know as I have a 358 reamer you can use, just be nice to it.

[theperfessor]

A kind offer, sir. I may take you up on that, as I'm really tending toward .358 vs .308.

[Charlie Sometimes]

Charlie Sometimes -

Thanks for offer but I really want to stay at .308 or larger and with the basic 51 mm case. If I was just wanting to shoot J-bullets I would stay with .243 or go to 7mm-08. But I just don't want to mess with casting bullets under thirty caliber right now. And I've got a Model 70 in .270 if I wanted to shoot J-bullets.

I'm trying to make a light, handy, relatively inexpensive, reasonably accurate rifle that I can load up or down with cast bullets. Mild loads for training, full bore (for cast bullets) loads for shooting up to 150 - 200 yds. A basic fun gun.

Well any of these could be had pretty cheap, I think. I thought maybe if you were going the rebore route, thes would be a good place to start- especially the short one.