Remington 700 AAC-SD Weight Reduction Ideas

R

Raddy

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I've got a 700 AAC-SD with a Magpul hunter stock, and I bought the rifle to be both a long distance shooter and also (hopefully) a deer rifle. I knew that the rifle was heavy but it really became apparent to me when I was shooting my buddy's Ruger American .270 this weekend that mine is like an anvil.

I was googling ideas on how to cut down the weight, but right now the only thing I can think of is to start looking at a fluted barrel since the majority of the weight seems to be coming from the barrel which is really thick (and it also puts the majority of the weight on your forward hand when shooting in other positions). Is there anything else obvious that I'm missing?
 
Your rifle weighs 7.5 lbs, the Ruger 6.2 before optics. A typical hunting bolt gun is about 7.25 lbs before optics and most target/tactical rifles are 8-9 lbs. The reality is that your rifle is just slightly heavier than average for a hunting rifle and much lighter than most target rifles. The Ruger is much lighter than normal

You can buy a new Ruger and keep your Remington for less than it would cost you to have the barrel fluted.

The stock on those Remingtons weigh over 3 lbs. You could buy a B&C Medalist stock for $270 that would save you over 1 lb and get you close to the weight of the Ruger.

Scopes and mounts vary considerably. Some mounts weigh as little as 2 oz., others can weigh closer to 3/4 lb. Same with scopes, my hunting scopes run 8-15 oz. Many high magnification tactical scopes can weigh double that. Making careful choices here will make a huge difference.

Or you could simply trade it for a lighter rifle.

I'm primarily a hunter and a lighter weight rifle is important to me. My lightest is a Kimber 308 that is still a a hair under 6 lbs including scope and mounts. But I've come to the conclusion that somewhere between 7lbs-7.5 lbs including optics and mounts is near perfect. Lighter rifles are a joy to carry and can be mechanically very accurate. But few people shoot them as well. For me 7-7.5 is not too heavy to carry anywhere. I CAN carry a heavier rifle, but I don't shoot anything heavier than about 7.5 lbs any better. Why carry extra weight if it serves no purpose.
 
I guess I should ask this as well, since I've never been deer hunting: how often do you have to take a shot without being able to lie prone or use some sort of rest (tree, rock, stand, etc.)?
 
jmr40 is correct on most things excel the cost of fluting your barrel. However, fluting your barrel isn't going to reduce weight significantly. At most you're looking at 4-6 ounces just from fluting the barrel. Twisted Barrel will put 6-8 straight flutes and Duracoat the barreled action black for about $250.

I'm going to guess you're in the 8.5lb range with your rifle in the Magpul stock as the factory M700 with 22" barrel weighs 8.75 lbs. I'm guessing you have some heavy optics and mounts as well, do you mind telling us what you are using? Also tell us what your buddy was using if possible, ie. scope, rings, bi-pod and other attachments. Can you weigh your rifle?

Where you hunt deer will determine what you can use for improvised rests. When I hunt deer from a blind I use a shooting tripod. When I spot and stalk hunt I usually shoot off of my day pack or light weight shooting sticks. I've used fence posts, rocks, and trees as well to improvise a rest. Prone is the best position to shoot from, but is often not possible because it terrain, vegetation, and other obstacles. So learn to shoot from other field positions as well.
 
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Husqvarna said:
Prone is also bad bcuse you are limiting your second shot capability
Click to expand...

You'll have to explain that theory better? I have no issues with quick follow up shots from the prone.
 
I weighed it last night and its at 10.2 lbs (with no mag or ammo). The scope is 22 oz. according to Leupold's specs, and the rail/rings add another 6 oz or so. The Magpul stock weighs 3 lbs according to specs, so the remainder must be the barrel/action (~5.5 lbs).

My buddy had the OEM stock on his Ruger and a Redfield 4-12x40 scope (13 oz). We both have bipods, but we took them off when we were shooting from other positions.
 
i have a SA rem sps 700 in .260 with a 3x9 leupold in weaver two strap ringes that weights 7.3 lbs and is accurett to boot. eastbank.
 
I bought a 700 AAC-SD at a good price but soon wondered why. They are heavy.

I already have another 308 so I decided to rebarrel mine to 7mm-08 Rem. I bought the stuff from Midway and Brownells and did it myself. It's easy.

I got a Shilen factory profile 25" barrel and the gun is lighter than my model 70 featherweight. I haven't weighed it assembled but the barrel is about a third of the weight of the original. Plus I sold the threaded barrel to my buddy who has the SPS Tactical for future replacement.

WIN! (Probably cheaper and easier to sell or trade it off though....)
 
So the rifle weighed 10.2 lbs. If you shed a pound with a different stock, and about 13-14 ounces changing out the optics and mounts you still weigh about 8.5 lbs. So in my opinion there is no reasonable way to lighten the rifle cheaply.

So if you can't do it cheaply that leaves you a few choices, spend the money for a full blown custom built the way you want. Sell the rifle and use the money to fund a lighter rifle like a Kimber Montana or Barrett Fieldcraft. Then my personal choice keep your M700 for your long range shooting endeavors, and buy a dedicated hunting rifle like your buddies Ruger if you can afford to.
 
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