Rem 700 - barrel options for accuracy, 5R versus heavy

[Machine]

I am looking at Rem 700's in 308. I am looking for opinons on the 5R barrel in the Target Tactical versus a heavy barrel from an SPS AAC-SD? I don't get much detail from the Remington site.

 

[Saltydog235]

I've built (Assembled) two SPS Varmint Contours in 7mm08 in the last two years, both of them shoot .5" or under.

 

[Huffmanite]

Gent I shoot with had a 5R barrel put on a 700 Remington he'd ordered thru their Custom Shop in either .308 or .260, forget which one. Anyway, he's quite happy with its accuracy. Uses the rifle in our range's monthly varmit competition shoot.

 

[stubbicatt]

Krieger Barrels has some useful information on this sort of quasi Lee Metford, 5R, style rifling,

Good luck and I hope you enjoy your new rifle.

 

[rduckwor]

I have a 700 with their 5R factory stock barrel. It is capable of 0.25 MOA groups at 100 yards when I am up to the task. I shoot hand loads with Sierra 175Gr Match Kings over 44.5Gr Varget.

 

[TheNatureBoy]

I too own a stock Rem. 700 5R/.308 and recently shot a 5 shot group (100 yards) that measured .5 moa. It took me a few trips to the range to find the right combination (load and c.o.a.l, etc.) I must say. I expect the group to tighten up a little once I replace the trigger and use a proper front rest. Not bad at all for a off the shelf rig.

 

[Machine]

Thanks for the feedback, all. I decided to go with a Rem 700 Tactical 5R, 24" Cerakote barrel. I was thinking to put a JAE stock on it, but rumor has it that the lead time may kill me. I sent a message on to them, but if it is 2014, I don't think I can stomach that. So I may start looking at other options or maybe even shoot it as is for awhile.

 

[Bart B.]

5R rifling was made popular in the USA by Barrett (Boots) Obermeyer's 7mm barrels chambered for the 7mm Rem Mag using Sierra's match bullets back in the early 1970's. Those bullets had thin enough jackets that conventional rifling engraved them too much and the jackets failed from centrifugal forces tearing them apart.

Conventional 4 or 6 groove barrels shoot 30 caliber bullets just as accurate as the 5R rifling style.

Note that any rifle barrel will shoot .25 MOA groups when all the variables that spread shot holes cancel each other out for the most part. One's better off getting a barrel whose largest groups shot with bullets are the smallest. Those are the ones that happen when all the variables add up to the maximum miss distance from the point of aim.

If you're going to get a custom barrel, spec it's groove diameter to be about .0005" smaller than bullet diameter and best accuracy will be virtually guaranteed.