[3pairs12]

:confused:I was wanting to turn my old rem 700 in 243 win into something a little more accurate. I have been try to find differnt barrel manufacturers besides hart and shilen. Who else is there? How good are they and where to buy? Thanks in advance

[rbernie]

Drive down to Gunmaster at Spring Creek and Jupiter, and chat with Kent. He builds a lot of Rem700 customs, and can tell you what components he likes to use.

[3pairs12]

I like that guy too. Thanks r should have asked you in the first place.

[ants]

As a 243, you have a 'short action' receiver. You cannot convert to a long cartridge like .30-06 or .270, but you can convert to a short cartridge like 308 or 22-250. If you want to use your existing bolt, you need to stick to a cartridge with that same rim size (0.473", which fortunately is very common), but you cannot go to magnum (0.532") without changing the bolt. This includes the super short magnums and ultra mags.

New barrels: Look at Auction Arms and Gunbroker. They have Rem 700 barrels all the time. About half of them are brand new. They are takeoffs being sold by gunsmiths who use the actions to make custom rifles. Anywhere from $30 to $100 plus 15 buck shipping gets you a brand new factory barrel.

Your friendly gunsmith will explain that you cannot just screw out the old barrel and screw the new barrel into the receiver. The headspace must match the bolt correctly, and the bolt lugs have to lock properly. A good smith knows what to do, but make sure he is competent.

Also be aware of the diameter of the barrel. Your stock is cut to a specific diameter. If you get a fatter or skinnier barrel, it won't fit the stock.

[3pairs12]

I want to stay with .243 I am a short action fan and I like the variety of handloads for this cal. To be a little more clear I am looking to build a somewhat custom 700. Looking to achieve a tactical/predator rig. I understand headspacing and all of that and I will change the stock as needed. Thank you for the info on finding take offs though. I may go that route in the future with a different 700 that I have.

[1858]

One word ... KRIEGER BARRELS, INC. (http://www.kriegerbarrels.com/Home-c1246-wp2529.htm) ...ok, three words. I currently have two Remington 700's with them getting new, single cut, bead blasted stainless steel barrels with an MTU profile and 10 flutes. I went all out and had them do a bunch of extra stuff on each of the rifles These guys make a quality product. Their barrels are lapped to 16 microns and the single cut method puts virtually zero stress on the barrel. One of their barrels set the 1000 yard benchrest world record back in '04 (1.54 inches!! :eek: ). It's been broken again but not by much.

:)

[3pairs12]

Thanks I will definitely check them out.

[ants]

Have fun with your project, 3pairs12. When you talk to your gunsmith, ask about truing the receiver and bolt face before installing the new barrel.

Go here http://www.benchrest.com/FAQ/ and go down to Miscellaneous question number 6 for a short discussion from some real experts on making a fine shooter out of a 700.

Look at Lilja barrels.

[3pairs12]

Will do thanks ant.

[1858]

When you talk to your gunsmith, ask about truing the receiver and bolt face before installing the new barrel.


Krieger does all that too!! They'll even chamber your new barrel for a specific load (bullet type) if you so desire. You can basically get what you want with them and their prices are fair.

:)

[3pairs12]

I checked out Krieger last night and like what I saw. I am going to head down Gunmasters on Tuesday see what Kent has to say and then I am going to go from there. I will start a thread once I get the ball rolling a little more to keeep you guys posted. I am also going to check out Lilja today.

[Sunray]

Douglas is another very well known barrel maker. http://www.douglasbarrels.net/
"...into something a little more accurate..." What ammo are you using? All Remington barrels have 1 in 1.125 rifling. They'll prefer heavy bullets. 85 grains and up.

[3pairs12]

Right now I am using 100gr powershocks. But I was given a recipe for a load that I will be shooting 85gr Sierra's once I get this project complete. I will check out douglas also. Thanks for the link.

[ForneyRider]

Midway USA has a ton of the aftermarket barrels available.

I got the big catalog they send out and it had pages and pages of barrels.

Shilen, Krieger etc.

Better prices than direct.