30-06 bolt action, 24inch barrel with iron sights.

L

lagavulin62

New member
I would love to buy a Remington 700 but I just want a longer barrel than that 22 inch with the irons. They only make the 24 inch for the ones optics ready. I know there may be a ballistic reason but every time I pick one of those up I just feel it's a little short. And then I can't get past that horrid gloss stock on the BDL. Are there any options out there? I am not all that concerned about price as I am with feel, look. I know I must sound like a woman picking the car with her favorite color but this is just the way it is.
 
Are you in a hurry to buy? Are you buying new? There may have been an earlier model 700 that came the way you want set up but you may have to check the online sites and used gun racks and pawn shops.
 
No hurry and prefer new. I like the 30-06 caliber because it's easy to get and pretty versatile. Not sure if I would have trouble with 7mm.
 
Option #1

Buy the rifle you want and have a gunsmith install irons. Most factroy irons are junk anyway. For the cost of a mid-grade scope you can have much better irons anyway.

Option #2, and my choice

Forget iron sights and buy quality glass. I have never had any failure in the field with quality optics. I have had iron sights fail. They just get caught in brush and on the gun cases.

Option #3

Live with a 22" barrel. You MIGHT give up 30-50 fps. You might not. The difference in velocity between individual barrels of the same length is greater than the difference 2" of barrel makes. Some 22" barrels will shoot equal to or faster than some 24" barrels.
 
Weatherby Vanguard S2 in 30-06 has a 24" bbl, 1:10. Out of the box with premium ammo it is guaranteed to shoot .99 moa.

Not the prettiest gun in the world, but it has an adjustable trigger, accuracy guarantee, and a magazine floor plate of $500.

Iron sights, does not have. However this is one of life's many problems that be solved by throwing money at it. I however prefer a 1.5-5X or 4X fixed power scope for most of what a .30-06 does.

Get the mounts from Weatherby's web site. They are made by Talley and are top quality. I have a .308 that I put a Leupold VX2 3-9X40 that is my chief range gun and open woods gun. I am shooting MOA loads in Cast, powder coated, GI pulldowns and premium bullets. My favorite is the Nosler Ballistic Tip for hunting. MOA at 300 yards.

I had rather have a CDL 700 or Kimber but this gun does anything I am capable of. With a 113 cast bullet and 4 grs of HP-38 I keep down the bushy tail tree thugs that tore up my garden every year in the past. With 14 grs of 2400 and a 165 Ranch Dog bullet, I killed enough does to fill my freezer for a year.

I prefer polished wood and deeply blued steef but this plastic stock and matt finish do a fine job and ignore the elements.
 
If you can find one they made a Rem 78 which has a semi gloss stock and basically a plain jane 700.

Another option is get one with varmint barrel and laminated stock and then you are good to go.

I just stumbled into a 700 made six months into production in 62 with a four digit serial number. Nicest 700 I ever saw.

When I look for 700s and it is used I look for one with evidence of the firing pin hitting the primer as close to dead center as I can. A close look at the shiney bolt face will give you a good idea of how close to center it is hitting.

The other option is get a used 700 (w/ center hit) and get a medium Palma Contour 28" barrel put on it. That will give you a good long range set up.
 
"I would love to buy a Remington 700 but I just want a longer barrel than that 22 inch with the irons. They only make the 24 inch for the ones optics ready. I know there may be a ballistic reason but every time I pick one of those up I just feel it's a little short. And then I can't get past that horrid gloss stock on the BDL. Are there any options out there? I am not all that concerned about price as I am with feel, look. I know I must sound like a woman picking the car with her favorite color but this is just the way it is."

I hear you. I too hate that glossy bowling ball finish on the 700 BDL. Solution? Get some 0000 steel wool and gently rub that finish into a very nice semi-gloss finish that looks great. That's what I did on mine.
I agree with you as well on a 24" barrel and my custom Mauser in 30-06 has a 24" barrel. My .300 magnums have 26" barrels.
I think the deal on 22" barrels come from some of what I've seen in some of the late Jack O'Connor's writings. He constantly preached two things, the .20 Win. and his preference for 22" barrels and lighter weight rifles. O have a commercial FN Mauser in .270 Win. from the early 1950's. It has a 24" barrel and the gun with scope weighs almost 10 pounds. They made them heavy back then. :rolleyes: I have another FN Mauser with 24" barrel made aoround 1975 that weighs with scope 7.5 pounds so you can make them lighter.
Several of my custom rifles have 23" barrels. I dare to be different. :D
I guess if you really want an M700 with a 24" barel; you could order one from their custom shop and also order a semi-gloss finish for the stock.
Frankly, I've been hearing some pretty ugly things about the quality of the current Remington rifles. I haven't ought a new rifle in several years but that might be worth researching. It's a sad thing when some conglomerate corporations takes over a company making a good product, then turning the beak counters loose in order to recoup their money as quickly as possible and destroying the product's reputation. Frankly, if I were to consider buying another Remington 700, I'd be looking at one from the mid 80's or earlier, preferably earlier. Apparently from the comments I've been seeing, this is what is happening not only to Remington but Marlin.
Paul B.
 
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