Remington 700 build without a lathe?

[Jak300gt]

Is it possible to build a 700 without a lathe? I know Brownells sells an action facing tool that would eliminate needing a lathe for the action. But what about the barrel. Are shillen or another company barrel good enough that a lathe is not needed for correct length into the action. I would like to build a 700 but I'm not making a business out of it. So I don't need and can't afford a lathe anyways. I'm doing it to say I did it.

My plan as of now is to get a remington SA action. Blueprint it myself. Install a short chambered barrel. Finnish reaming the chamber with go/no-go gauges. I'll be using the 40x trigger that comes with the action. I haven't decided on a stock just yet but it will probably be some kind of tactical style from Mc Millan HS precision or I like the magpul hunter stock as well.
Thanks in advance for any info or advice.

 

[Jak300gt]

I actually already found my answer. Brownells has a four part article explaining step by step building a remington 700 in 243. All done without a lathe. Thanks to anyone that may have been researching for answers.

 

[Clark]

Two days ago I spent the day with a Rem 700 short action, threads, chamber, headpace, all on the lathe.

One day ago I spent the day with a Rem 700 long action, threads, chamber, headpace, all on the lathe.

Today I spent the day with a Win pre 64 M70 action, threads, all on the lathe.
I would have done more, but I traded handi man work for seeing my grandkids.

But there sure are guys without a lathe that have an action wrench, barrel vise, reamer, headspace gauge, and they buy short chambered barrels.

Here is me:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SC5eu9HsDhM
It is just a lathe chuck going round and round..
Now that you are hypnotized, send me all your money

 

[4V50 Gary]

I'm going to have to look that up. How you cut a barrel shank from a barrel that isn't precut and then thread it without a lathe will be interesting. Your headspacing better be right the first time too.

 

[FrankenMauser]

I'm going to have to look that up. How you cut a barrel shank from a barrel that isn't precut and then thread it without a lathe will be interesting. Your headspacing better be right the first time too.

Threaded / short-chambered.
Finish-ream by hand.

Though I have seen some people that claim to have used dies to thread barrel blanks without a lathe.

 

[tobnpr]

I actually already found my answer. Brownells has a four part article explaining step by step building a remington 700 in 243. All done without a lathe. Thanks to anyone that may have been researching for answers.

Please provide a link...

However, at best- it's a "partial" trueing/blueprint- because to do this job correctly involves re-cutting/trueing the receiver threads to the centerline of the receiver.

This results in threads that are typically .010 oversize- which then requires the barrel tenon to be threaded accordingly- oversize....

The trueing work can now be done without a lathe (Dave Manson has full tooling "kits" for Remington, and Savage)- but the barrel will still need to be custom; and pre-fit, short-chambered will simply not work.

IMO, partially trueing an action is a waste of time. Do it all, or don't do it at all. Manson's kits are great- but pricey for a one-off job and you still need a lathe for the barrel.

 

[Scorch]

You can certainly do it. Problem isn't so much that it can't be done or that it isn't as good as a lathe-turned job. The biggest problem is time and effort. Cutting steel with hand tools takes effort and know-how. You can easily take too much or not enough off critical areas. Machinery does not guarantee good results, but neither does using hand tools.

 

[KEYBEAR]

I called a guy three years ago in north central Indiana (30 miles from my home ) that I was told did good barrel work . He did a super job on a barrel install and did it that day . He was not a gunsmith just a very talented guy . He did a barrel on a 700 Rem action short chamber (Douglas Barrel) it shot very well cost 70 bucks for his work . If close to Indiana state line PM me .

 

[Jak300gt]

This is the link to the first part of the article. There are 4 total parts and blueprinting was last.



https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...lOxL7nAUdna93Or5g&sig2=NZSy0DbO4TYisvvfAkcggA

I've priced it out and on the low side of part and tool prices with out shipping it will be about $1300 to build a rifle. I realize that I can get a perfectly good and most likely better quality rifle for that price and add a touch more even better. Like I said I want to do it to say I did. I'd also like to completely restore a car even though I'm not a mechanic and may cost the same as a brand new car that I could just buy done. However it is a bucket list thing. I don't care if it shoots 2" at 100 yds or 2" at 1000 yds it will be every bit my rifle. If it happens to fall into an issue of possibly being unsafe or I screw something up there is a gunsmith local that is good.

 

[Clark]

I measure where headspace SHOULD be in the lathe, but a rifle did not measure the same when assembled last week. So I poked a reamer into the rifle and reamed out of couple thousands until the bolt closed on the go gauge.

The rig of 1/4" and 3/8" drive tools I use for Mausers would not fit in pre 64 Win M70. I put a 3/8" square drive wrench adapter in the lathe and reduced the outside diameter with a carbide insert. The red arrow points to the reduced spot.