Rebarreling a Remington 700

[Royboy99]

The easy button for what you want, and probably the most economical way to be sure of getting good results, would be to go with Douglas or ER Shaw. You can send it to them and they will put a decent barrel on for a pretty reasonable cost. From what it sounds like you want, there's no reason for you to go to one of the big-name, boutique barrel makers and spend around $700 or get a blank from one of them then deal with another person to profile, chamber and fit the barrel to your rifle.

One thing to consider: if you get a blank somewhere and get the work done somewhere else, if the results aren't acceptable the gunsmith can blame the barrel maker and the barrel maker can blame the gunsmith.

It's not like you're looking to end up with a high-end custom build or a competitive long-range target rifle. You just want your very ordinary hunting rifle rebarrelled with a decent new barrel.

The biggest thing in your favor is the fact that the 700 is probably the easiest thing out there to get work done on.

 

[Anchorite]

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$+/-

Shilen or PacNor are popular choices for what you are looking for. At one time Shilen would rebarrel your action. Don’t know if they still do. PacNor will.

 

[sage5907]

When all else fails go to eBay and find the original Model 700 barrel that you want, same length and contour. Look the barrel over good to make sure it doesn't have any rust or marks, and the blue is near 100%. Cost is usually about $100 but there's a 270 barrel today in Hudson, North Carolina that says excellent condition and perfect rifling for $125 free shipping. A gunsmith will install the barrel with the correct headspace for about $120. Your rifle will be back to where it was before.

 

[Seamaster31]

Sending it to an outfit like Douglas is a good solution for having a hunting barrel fitted to your action. Much better than a standard factory barrel, quick turnaround, and good price. I have their barrels on a few hunting rifles and am very pleased.

 

[Laphroaig]

Here's the order form for E.R. Shaw to give you an idea of their pricing and available options:

https://www.shawcustombarrels.com/docs/1e_CompleteBarreledActionOrderFormREV923-2RemMod.pdf

They are button rifled barrels probably pretty equivalent to Remington factory. I've seen several members here report great accuracy from them.

 

[hunt127588]

If the operative term is "cost" here and you have any mechanical ability, you're in luck. I would recommend a Remage setup that you can screw on and headspace yourself. I've had excellent luck with Criterion barrels from Northland Shooters Supply. A stainless barrel will run you $325 and barrel nut is $30. You can figure another $100-150 in tools. The beauty is that you can pull the barrel and install another when the mood suits you.

I recommend the above approach as I had a Bartlein barrel installed by a big name on a Rem 700. The cost to install the barrel was right at $600. That did not include the cost of the barrel blank. The issue with having that done is that the action was trued and the threads were opened up as part of the original action truing process . I'm now committed to having expensive machine work performed for any future barrel install. It is my first and last for a Rem 700.

For Rem 700s going forward, I don't recommend altering/truing threads as there are better actions on the market these days that don't need it. 700s will get remage barrels.

 

[4v50 Gary]

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

Not without a lathe you don't. Barrel shank must match receiver depth and so that barrel shank may have to be turned down (or extended).

If you take the two weeks of Machining at Trinidad Summer NRA school, I think you may be doing that in the 2nd week.

 

[Chuck R.]

Not without a lathe you don't. Barrel shank must match receiver depth and so that barrel shank may have to be turned down (or extended).

If you take the two weeks of Machining at Trinidad Summer NRA school, I think you may be doing that in the 2nd week.

It's not that complicated, the barrel nut allows the user to adjust the headspace, there's no shoulder to speak of:



When I did mine, it's all of a 10minute job. Hard part is often getting the original barrel off.

 

[edwardware]

Not without a lathe you don't.

I think you missed the difference between a shouldered (Remington style), and a shank-and-nut (Savage style) barrel.

RemAge barrels bring the shank-and-nut system onto the Remington actions.

Hard part is often getting the original barrel off.

Dude! After tipping a several-hundred-pound bench onto two legs trying, I sacrificed the recoil lug and carefully machined it out of the bight. Slow, but much easier.

 

[Chuck R.]

I think you missed the difference between a shouldered (Remington style), and a shank-and-nut (Savage style) barrel.

RemAge barrels bring the shank-and-nut system onto the Remington actions.

Dude! After tipping a several-hundred-pound bench onto two legs trying, I sacrificed the recoil lug and carefully machined it out of the bight. Slow, but much easier.

+100!!

A friend of mine owns a garage. After my 1st failed attempt at my place, nearly overturning my bench, I went to his place and used his BFV (Big "F" Vice) and a cheater bar the length of the rifle to get that barrel off..

 

[6.8 hunter]

Shillen Barrels is just south of you in Ennis TX.

Do they still barrel the action for you or no.

 

[tarosean]

Do they still barrel the action for you or no.

Yes they will blueprint and all.

 

[Reloadron]

Been years since we had the shop but the Remington 700 barrels were the easiest to do. Barrel vise and action wrench for the 700 action. Barrel is your choice you start with a blank more work. Hunting rifle a simple short chambered barrel is the least expensive route to take. A short chambered barrel normally involves removing about 0.010" to 0.050" using a finishing reamer. This works fine for most hunting rifles. You and your chosen gunsmith just need to cover all of your options by cost per option including barrel choice and cost. Unless you plan to have an action trued and blueprinted as well as other accurizing done I would just be looking at a short chambered barrel. Been well over 25 years ago but the Remington 700 actions were the easiest to do and I was all tooled up for them. Really all comes down to what you want and what you want to spend.

Someday I have to pile all that tooling up and have a fire sale.

Ron

 

[WVRJ]

I use Shilen deep chamber barrels if I'm not wanting to buy a reamer and it's a rifle that I want to shoot well. The last one I did was a 280AI. It's their Select Match Grade and I have only good things to say about it. I have the headspace set exactly where I want it and all I had to do was use a. 313 Badger Ordinance recoil lug and a lathe. It can be a lot cheaper to set up a great rifle though. All kinds of options for the M700 out there, just make the decision and punch the button. As for the clunker I built, it is a quarter minute rifle that I have found to be absolutely reliable and is always on the front row of the safe.