Rebarreling a Remington 700

Shillen Barrels is just south of you in Ennis TX.

Or. . . Buy a Remage barrel (several makers, I used Criterion through Northland), nut, wrench, and a headspace gauge, and do it yourself.

Bartlein.

ETA - I don't like nut-style barrels like the Savage, Rem-age, Ruger American, Mossberg, etc. A lot of guys love the idea of installing barrels themselves, and I'll acknowledge that installing a nut-style barrel on your own can save a lot of money (especially when using a cheap barrel which comes threaded and chambered for less than the price of a higher end BLANK alone), but I'm really just not a fan of nut-style barrels. I've even had shouldered barrels cut for some of my Savages which left the factory with nut-style barrels... Once a barrel has been cut once by a smith, they can keep your print on file and cut new barrels any time which can be delivered and installed like a shouldered prefit.

GunAdmirer said:

I am trying to keep the cost reasonable. I don't need a competition gun. I want to keep hunting with it and pass it on someday.

I don't mind sending it out for quality work.

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What is “reasonable cost” for you?

Hunting rifle vs competition rifle is really about the contour weight, nothing more.

Varminterror said:

Bartlein.

ETA - I don't like nut-style barrels like the Savage, Rem-age, Ruger American, Mossberg, etc. A lot of guys love the idea of installing barrels themselves, and I'll acknowledge that installing a nut-style barrel on your own can save a lot of money (especially when using a cheap barrel which comes threaded and chambered for less than the price of a higher end BLANK alone), but I'm really just not a fan of nut-style barrels. I've even had shouldered barrels cut for some of my Savages which left the factory with nut-style barrels... Once a barrel has been cut once by a smith, they can keep your print on file and cut new barrels any time which can be delivered and installed like a shouldered prefit.

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Spot on.

Sorry to hear about your barrel! I have had several rebarreled. With that bolt face you have several options if you want to go to a different caliber. I use mostly Krieger barrels but I do have one Douglas. I'm another that doesn't care for the nut on the Rem-age barrels.

Also, many gunsmiths have a number of original barrels which they have removed in customizing other rifles - some in new or near-new condition, and your barrel can probably be replaced with just such a take-off barrel. Ask your gunsmith.

PRD1 - mhb - MIke

Buying a premium Barrel is never a mistake

PRD1 said:

Also, many gunsmiths have a number of original barrels which they have removed in customizing other rifles - some in new or near-new condition, and your barrel can probably be replaced with just such a take-off barrel. Ask your gunsmith.

PRD1 - mhb - MIke

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Stealing (and adapting) a bit from Jeff Foxworthy here: “buying a take-off barrel can be like looking for a wife at a house of I’ll repute.”

If you're looking for reasonable ER Shaw will do it with the same factory contour and blue it. Or you could go stainless steel. I have never used them, but the reports are good. I have used Shilen, Kreiger and H.S. Precision in the past but H.S. no longer does the work. They do however sell the barrels or complete rifles.
You also search Ebay for take-off barrels and find one to have your gunsmith install.

Bartlein, Hawk Hill, Krieger, and Broughton have been very good in my personal experience. I have a Wilson on a 223 and it shoots well, just not at the same level as the others.

For gunsmithing, I use Preece Precision as he is close enough that I can drop the gun off

Varminterror said:

Stealing (and adapting) a bit from Jeff Foxworthy here: “buying a take-off barrel can be like looking for a wife at a house of I’ll repute.”

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I guess I should have said 'good conditioned' take-off barrels - I myself have removed several brand-new Remington 700 barrels for custom barrel jobs, and a larger number of used ones, and the .270 (if that is what the OP wishes to have) is rarely found in badly worn or shot-out condition. I checked my 'barrel barrel', but the only good 700 barrel I have is a 7mm Rem. Mag.... Still, I think finding a factory take-off is a viable option for the OP.

PRD1 - mhb - MIke

GunAdmirer said:

I am trying to keep the cost reasonable. I don't need a competition gun. I want to keep hunting with it and pass it on someday.

I don't mind sending it out for quality work.

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Then the prefit criterion brand remage barrel is for you if you want darn good accuracy without going broke. I have a 40x and xp100 with them in 6br, mine are both mtu profile heavy barrels, but they have the skinny sporter profiles as well.

You can try the crapshoot of a factory takeoff if you want, I wouldn’t waste my time.

Hunting isn’t asking for much accuracy wise, but why not have something better than what the mass produced factory stuff will do? 270, 30-06, etc will really surprise you with a good barrel. If you load, heavy boolit 260 or 7-08 will fit the mag well and they hit plenty hard enough.

Oh, if you don't want the barrel nut deal, I’d recommend calling Southern Precision.

dfish1247 said:

Then the prefit criterion brand remage barrel is for you if you want darn good accuracy without going broke. I have a 40x and xp100 with them in 6br, mine are both mtu profile heavy barrels, but they have the skinny sporter profiles as well.

You can try the crapshoot of a factory takeoff if you want, I wouldn’t waste my time.

Hunting isn’t asking for much accuracy wise, but why not have something better than what the mass produced factory stuff will do? 270, 30-06, etc will really surprise you with a good barrel. If you load, heavy boolit 260 or 7-08 will fit the mag well and they hit plenty hard enough.

Oh, if you don't want the barrel nut deal, I’d recommend calling Southern Precision.

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A barrel nut may not fit if the factory stock is still being used.

Lots of good barrel makers out there. I've used a few different makers over the years for mostly Winchester 70s, and all of them are really good, at least my experience. Last barrel I put on was a Douglas on a VZ24 Mauser. That's a damn good shooting rifle. I had the priveledge of doing the machine work and fitting myself, but they won't let us use the shop for that no more.
A quality barrel put together by a good smith should be a night and day difference from the factory barrel.
I've seen some good take off barrels here and there, and yes that's easier on the wallet, but it still needs to be fitted. Might as well at that point just put on a quality aftermarket unit.

I had one done by McGowen. Lot's of options depending on what you want to spend. Communication was excellent. Be prepared to wait but it was worth it imo. Check em out...

MarshallDodge said:

A barrel nut may not fit if the factory stock is still being used.

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I doubt it would, but being an adl, I wouldn’t cry about opening a little of the stock to make room. An adl deluxe I might think twice.

From the sounds of it, a factory takeoff would be perfectly acceptable for the op. I’m just thinking the price difference overall, just throwing out a better bang for his buck option that won’t bankrupt him in the process.

Just throwing this out there, I had a couple of 700 actions rebarreled by Don Geraci out of Independence LA. You can find his contact info via Google.

Both rifles did enough “0” groups to tell me that a miss was my fault.

TonyAngel said:

Just throwing this out there, I had a couple of 700 actions rebarreled by Don Geraci out of Independence LA. You can find his contact info via Google.

Both rifles did enough “0” groups to tell me that a miss was my fault.

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Don is a hell of a shooter too.

Like anything, it comes down to task/purpose and budget.

My last couple rifles wear Bartlein's that my smith installed. I bought the barrel blanks from "Bug Holes" in calibers and contours I wanted and he chambered, installed and crowned. Cost was about:

$450 for barrel blank (you can find sales, but odds are not in the contour you're looking for)


I use Jeff Hayes at River's Bend Gunshop, he's a former GA Precision guy, and just a fantastic smith to work with, and all around great guy. Talk to your smith about your expectations, accuracy, budget weight, balance etc. BEFORE buying stuff!


My last rifle was finished this past fall and prices appear to be the same:

Thread and chamber: $225
Blue Print a Rem 700: $145

So just for a basic rebarrel with a top tier barrel will be around $700 or so without refinishing.

Another solution (this is where knowing your Task/Purpose comes in) is going with one of the one stop shop companies like PacNor, McGowan etc. that will rebarrel your rifle with one of their barrels usually a little cheaper than going a full custom route with a top tier barrel.

I'd avoid going with anything take off because there's probably a good reason why it's no longer on the original rifle.

At normal hunting distances no game animal on this planet will know the difference between getting hit by a bullet from a PacNor VS a Bartlein, and you'll save at least a little money.

I've got 1 Rem M7 with a PacNor 3 groove that's far, far better than the OEM Rem barrel it came with, sub MOA with just about every bullet I put through it, just doesn't shoot as small as a Bartlein, and takes a little more load development to get there.

A PacNor barrel is about $340 and installation is about $300

Shilen makes a pre threaded and profiled barrel for the 700. You may have to call to get the right profile number to match yours or do a blank. Most prethreaded are also in 308/6.5 and for short actions and they have to be finish reamed to set the headspace. Sounds like you may want to stay with the 270 though - it is a top hunting round.

Might take back to the smith and let him fit a new barrel. 800$+/-