Rem M7 "Custom"...done finally.

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Chuck R.

Chuck R.

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Leavenworth, KS
So, it's finally completed, picked it up at my smiths after work today, just 12 days short of a year wait. Got it home, mounted the scope and bore sighted it. Barrel break-in then load development is next.

This is my idea of the "perfect NE KS stand/blind whitetail rifle that's capable of reaching out across a row crop field":

WqxIA4H.jpg

Kgmqad9l.jpg

I missed my tgt weight by a few ounces, but it's still at 7lbs 7.8 ounces "all up" including 4rds and sling. I purposely went with the heavier profiled barrel to be able to practice longer strings.

Previously this rifle with the sporter M7 barrel and HS Precision stock weighed in at 7.9lbs "all up" and I wanted a similar weight. The weight I saved with the carbon fiber stock I put into the barrel profile. The factory barrel would open up when hot (not a problem hunting) and fouled pretty badly also not big deal, but I like to practice and cleaning it just sucked.

Details:

"Trued" Rem M7 action with Timney trigger
Pac Nor stainless super-match barrel in .260 Rem; 20" 1:8 twist, 3 groove, Bartlein 2B profile, fluted.
Bolt fluted and handle skeletonized (cosmetic, but IMHO looks cool)
Manners MCS-EH8 carbon fiber stock in elite clear web (22 Ounces)
Talley LW 1 piece rings
Leupold VX3 HD 2.5-8x36 with CDS.
Graphite Black Cerekote

Now if it will shoot..
 
Chuck R. said:
So, it's finally completed, picked it up at my smiths after work today, just 12 days short of a year wait. Got it home, mounted the scope and bore sighted it. Barrel break-in then load development is next.

This is my idea of the "perfect NE KS stand/blind whitetail rifle that's capable of reaching out across a row crop field":

View attachment 1062986

View attachment 1062987

I missed my tgt weight by a few ounces, but it's still at 7lbs 7.8 ounces "all up" including 4rds and sling. I purposely went with the heavier profiled barrel to be able to practice longer strings.

Previously this rifle with the sporter M7 barrel and HS Precision stock weighed in at 7.9lbs "all up" and I wanted a similar weight. The weight I saved with the carbon fiber stock I put into the barrel profile. The factory barrel would open up when hot (not a problem hunting) and fouled pretty badly also not big deal, but I like to practice and cleaning it just sucked.

Details:

"Trued" Rem M7 action with Timney trigger
Pac Nor stainless super-match barrel in .260 Rem; 20" 1:8 twist, 3 groove, Bartlein 2B profile, fluted.
Bolt fluted and handle skeletonized (cosmetic, but IMHO looks cool)
Manners MCS-EH8 carbon fiber stock in elite clear web (22 Ounces)
Talley LW 1 piece rings
Leupold VX3 HD 2.5-8x36 with CDS.
Graphite Black Cerekote

Now if it will shoot..
Click to expand...


Oh that's a nice looking build sheet.

Any particular reason you went with 260 over the Creedmoor?
 
gotboostvr said:
Oh that's a nice looking build sheet.

Any particular reason you went with 260 over the Creedmoor?
Click to expand...

For my intended purpose the .260 rem has a slight mv advantage with the 120s, which is my whitetail load. I really don't have a need for high BC 140 bullets. If I need more range, I'll just use a different rifle. I've also already got a competition die set and a boatload of brass. Then there's also the ability to easily form more.

If I was building a tgt gun, it would have been either a 6.5C or another 6mm SLR.
 
Chuck R. said:
For my intended purpose the .260 rem has a slight mv advantage with the 120s, which is my whitetail load. I really don't have a need for high BC 140 bullets. If I need more range, I'll just use a different rifle. I've also already got a competition die set and a boatload of brass. Then there's also the ability to easily form more.

If I was building a tgt gun, it would have been either a 6.5C or another 6mm SLR.
Click to expand...


That's more or less what I was suspecting. All very good reasons.
 
Legionnaire said:
I like it! I hope the new RemArms starts building Model 7s again.
Click to expand...

So do I! I still have a daily update coming from Gunbroker for M7s in case I can find a "reasonable" beater for a donor action. I'd like to find one I can turn into a .338Federal. Which would become my version of the "perfect rifle for shooting hogs in OK once a year".

dranrab said:
Drool!. That's a perfect weight as far as I am concerned.
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It's the conclusion I came to, lighter is a PITA to shoot. Just playing with it after mounting the scope and it coms up and swings like a shotgun. I hunted with the factory/HS version for a couple years I I had a decent idea of what I was looking for. Honestly I would have kept the factory version, but that particular barrel sucked. It was sub MOA, till it fouled, and I've never had a rifle that fouled that quickly. IF I just hunted with it, it be a non-issue, but I found that the combination of the M7 and .260Rem was my favorite rifle to practice with.

What started with a simple re-barreling, ended up with what's pictured. I've got 3 other rifles that went the same way, seems the longer the weight, the more chit I add to them. I rationalize it by having the time to save for it.

My other 2 M7s are about the same weight. One of them is a 20" .350 RM that's going to get a Cerekote job and Manners stock this summer. It should be slightly lighter, definitely not a "fun" bench gun, but I'm gearing up for a WY Elk hunt in a couple years.
 
Looks good. I like the model 7 action over a short action 700 simply because the opening of the loading/ejection port is larger. Somewhere between 7 to 7.5 lbs is what I consider ideal, and you hit that mark. You have the weight where it needs to be and reduced it in the right places.

I would have gone with 6.5CM just to keep things simple. But with your build you can duplicate the same, or better performance. If the standard barrel twist for 260 had always been 1:8 instead of 1:10 there would have never been a need for 6.5 CM.
 
Chuck R. said:
For my intended purpose the .260 rem has a slight mv advantage with the 120s, which is my whitetail load. I really don't have a need for high BC 140 bullets. If I need more range, I'll just use a different rifle. I've also already got a competition die set and a boatload of brass. Then there's also the ability to easily form more.

If I was building a tgt gun, it would have been either a 6.5C or another 6mm SLR.
Click to expand...

I may have shared my Rem Seven story here, already. However, I found what was reportedly an unfired take-off Remington heavy Tactical barrel in 6.5 CM (22" & threaded muzzle) expecting to rebarrel my Seven from .308 to something interesting. The smith with whom I consulted mentioned it will still be a factory Remington barrel. So I brought it home, remounted the Leupold 2 - 7 and again sighted it in. A dozen rounds later, I understood I still don't enjoy this rifle off of a rest and don't need it as a hunting rifle, the best 3 shot mini-group I saw was right at 1.5" at 100 yards. Adequate for medium size animals.

Following this outing, I found another unfired, take-off barrel, this one a Christensen Arms lightweight 22" barrel with a profiled muzzle brake, again in 6.5 CM.

Given I recently got a Bergara B-14 HMR in 6.5 CM to satiate my LR quasi precision appetite, a rebarrel of this Rem Seven even with the Christensen barrel would essentially be a range toy, something to eventually give either of my children, just no time soon. I still like the aesthetics of my Seven with its laminate stock. I understand why the Bergara has a synthetic stock and what it contributes to the equation. I find the Rem Seven far more appealing and interesting than the complete Christensen rifle. Given this Christensen barrel is a lightweight profile I feel it will preserve the ideal of the Seven as a lightweight rifle.

BTW, I have 6.5 CM ammo and am saving all spent brass, at least on the first go around or two. The Bergara is satisfying the desire I had/have to shoot sub MOA at least to 300 yards, the furthest I've been able to test thus far.

I'm going ahead with rebarreling the Seven, 6.5 CM is my bolt action present and future. Happy to see others waving the Rem Seven flag, good on ya, Chuck.
 
3850remhep said:
I may have shared my Rem Seven story here, already. However, I found what was reportedly an unfired take-off Remington heavy Tactical barrel in 6.5 CM (22" & threaded muzzle) expecting to rebarrel my Seven from .308 to something interesting. The smith with whom I consulted mentioned it will still be a factory Remington barrel. So I brought it home, remounted the Leupold 2 - 7 and again sighted it in. A dozen rounds later, I understood I still don't enjoy this rifle off of a rest and don't need it as a hunting rifle, the best 3 shot mini-group I saw was right at 1.5" at 100 yards. Adequate for medium size animals.

Following this outing, I found another unfired, take-off barrel, this one a Christensen Arms lightweight 22" barrel with a profiled muzzle brake, again in 6.5 CM.

Given I recently got a Bergara B-14 HMR in 6.5 CM to satiate my LR quasi precision appetite, a rebarrel of this Rem Seven even with the Christensen barrel would essentially be a range toy, something to eventually give either of my children, just no time soon. I still like the aesthetics of my Seven with its laminate stock. I understand why the Bergara has a synthetic stock and what it contributes to the equation. I find the Rem Seven far more appealing and interesting than the complete Christensen rifle. Given this Christensen barrel is a lightweight profile I feel it will preserve the ideal of the Seven as a lightweight rifle.

BTW, I have 6.5 CM ammo and am saving all spent brass, at least on the first go around or two. The Bergara is satisfying the desire I had/have to shoot sub MOA at least to 300 yards, the furthest I've been able to test thus far.

I'm going ahead with rebarreling the Seven, 6.5 CM is my bolt action present and future. Happy to see others waving the Rem Seven flag, good on ya, Chuck.
Click to expand...

You should just save yourself some expense and sell that M7 to me!

Buuut IF I was going to do it over again, from scratch, I'd probably start with a Defiance AN-TI action in the M7 footprint.

I've got two more 7s I'm going to modify in search of some sort of "perfection", but really all my big game and varmint needs are filled. I don't intend on hunting big bears, nor Arica, and I've got the standard NA bases pretty well covered. Even if I were to do Africa, it'd be for plains game, and those are covered too.
 
I like what you did. I would have done .458 winmag (not); your choice of .260 sounds exactly right. Cool bolt handle and bolt. I would be scared take that stock in the woods, might get scratched. There is something about having a rifle made just the way you want it that warms the heart. Thanks for sharing. I have a 300 blk Model 7, I wouldn't want it in the same picture as your nice one to save me from embarrassment.
 
dh1633pm said:
I like what you did. I would have done .458 winmag (not); your choice of .260 sounds exactly right. Cool bolt handle and bolt. I would be scared take that stock in the woods, might get scratched. There is something about having a rifle made just the way you want it that warms the heart. Thanks for sharing. I have a 300 blk Model 7, I wouldn't want it in the same picture as your nice one to save me from embarrassment.
Click to expand...

It's going to get scratched, no doubt. It will also get rained and snowed on. Hunting rifles I view as tools, honest wear doesn't bother me one bit, it's also the reason I went to synthetics, stainless and/or Cerakote years ago. Most of the upgrades were for performance, although I admit the barrel/bolt fluting and handle skeletonizing, shave very little weight, but do add to coolness.

I've now got 2 wood stocked blued hunting rifles left:

A Rem M7 in the mannlicher stock from the custom shop in .350RM, it's got a Manners carbon fiber stock on order and is heading out for a Cerakote job next month. I'll have it done in the closest color I can get to bluing in case I want to put it back in the FL stock, but it's turning into a LW woods gun.

My other wood/blued gun is a Steyr MOD S. in 8x68 that is just too good looking to screw with. It's got some scratches from a couple elk hunts. It will probably "move on" rather than be modified.

The only wood rifles I keep "as is" are my black powder cartridge 1874 and 1885s and my Marlin Cowboy.
 
Its a two edged sword. Rifles are tools that are meant to take into the field, but also they have cosmetic appeal. Mine are all taken out, doesn't mean I don't worry about them getting dirt on them or scratches. Your stock is one that I would worry about, but its made for the field so there it goes. Again the two edged sword.
 
dh1633pm said:
Its a two edged sword. Rifles are tools that are meant to take into the field, but also they have cosmetic appeal. Mine are all taken out, doesn't mean I don't worry about them getting dirt on them or scratches. Your stock is one that I would worry about, but its made for the field so there it goes. Again the two edged sword.
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That's why I call it "honest wear" VS "stupid wear". I'll do my best to keep in nice, but stuff happens.
 
Chuck R. said:
That's why I call it "honest wear" VS "stupid wear". I'll do my best to keep in nice, but stuff happens.
Click to expand...

The difference between patina and broken.

I don't expect my aesthetics to align with those of others. My rifles / firearms reflect my wants and I hope to achieve a reasonable patina before I part ways with any of them. When I was berated on another forum for adding a fiber optic front sight to my mid-1970's Python, my response was meh, you do your's and I'll do mine, mmmkay.
 
3850remhep said:
The difference between patina and broken.

I don't expect my aesthetics to align with those of others. My rifles / firearms reflect my wants and I hope to achieve a reasonable patina before I part ways with any of them. When I was berated on another forum for adding a fiber optic front sight to my mid-1970's Python, my response was meh, you do your's and I'll do mine, mmmkay.
Click to expand...

Function over form..always.
 
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