Remington 700 Upgrade Question

G

golfnutrlv

New member
Hi everyone.

Been thinking of upgrading the stock and trigger on my remington 700 SPS Varmint in .308.

A little history first...the gun has proven very accurate if I do my part behind the gun, and at the reloading bench. I have a very good handload for this rifle, 175 Sierra MK, Lapua brass, Federal GM primer, and Varget. This load creates quarter size or smaller groups at 100 yards.

So, if I change the stock to a Bell and Carlson A5 Medalist: Stock

And a Timney trigger for 700 with safety set at 1.5 pounds

How much of an accuracy gain can I see? I absolutely know the trigger is worth the money.

Is the stock worth the money? Of course the side benefit is looks, but give me your thoughts.

PS: I am pretty set on this stock and trigger combo. Just a matter of if...

THanks,
 
How much of an accuracy gain can I see?
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Every rifle and shooter are different. You will not know if it improves accuracy until after all the upgrades are complete. I'd replace the trigger first, and see if your accuracy improves. When you can't wring anymore accuracy out then I would consider changing the stock.
 
I would agree to change the trigger first probably and play around with what you like it set at.

A 1.5lb trigger sounds great on paper... but what has already been pointed out... every shooter is different, not everyone likes the feel of a 1.5lb trigger.

Stock is important as well... just make sure where you are resting your rifle on the bags it is not flexing your current stock.... IE too close to the fore-end on most stocks if not aluminum embedded will start to flex up towards the barrel and can change your groupings.
 
I have the exact same gun and I changed out the stock to a Choate Tactical Stock, my groups went from around a little less than 1" to around 1/2" if I do my part with Hornady 168gr AMax Match ammo, I was also able to lower the trigger pull on the factory X-Mark Pro trigger to a little less than 3lbs. I haven't ever shot a rifle with a Timney Trigger, but I have shot one with a Jewell trigger and wow they are sweet.

So the question will the MODS make your rifle a 3/4 MOA shooter? Probaly. Will it make a 1/2 MOA shooter? Maybe.
 
Yea, but quarter size groups at 100 yards from Varmit rifle in 308, needs fixin. On a sporter weight deer rifle that is acceptable.

I'd try having the factory trigger adjusted by someone who knows what they are doing first. A lot cheaper and will likely give you about the same results. Those factory stocks shoot a lot better than many give them credit for. I'd have a smith look for any potential problems with bedding while getting the triggger adjusted. A bit of mateial removed here or there could make a big difference.

I don't start modifying a rifle until it proves it has potential. Once you start going down that path you may well find yourself replacing everything but the action. Cheaper to just build from scratch if you are going to do that.

I have aftermarket stocks on most all of my rifles and any increase in accuracy would have to be measured with a micrometer. I replace them because I like the fit, weight or looks better, not to gain any real accuracy advantage. But it is probably easier to convince the wife to spend the money if you tell her it will make it more accurate.
 
How big is a quarter? 0.955 inches. If you're getting quarter-sized groups, you're under MOA. Forty years ago a rifle that would shoot into MOA was a whiz-bang accuracy monster, a legendary slayer of paper and meat. Nowadays nearly any out of the box rifle will drop a bullet inside an inch and many will do much better.

Palmetto-Pride said:
I have the exact same gun and I changed out the stock to a Choate Tactical Stock
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My son had the same experience. He changed to a Choate stock on his Savage 10 FCP and the groups halved in size. He routinely shoots under 1/2 MOA with that rifle and my good reloads.

jmr40 said:
Yea, but quarter size groups at 100 yards from Varmit rifle in 308, needs fixin
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Maybe, but I'd do a little tweaking first. Some rifles are very twitchy about seating depth. Some really prefer 168 bullets over 173. There are lots of things to try, but until it shoots to your standards, you'll never really be happy with it.
 
Quarter size groups are great for 100 yards now go out another 100 yards and try to do the same group. I was shooting 500 yards today at a 8" steel target. There is a steel target in that picture. The second picture is to show you what I was shooting at I did paint it red so I could see it.

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I went from a factory stock on my VTR to a B&C Medalist Tactical and noticed no appreciable gain in accuracy. I would go with the trigger first. I think it is more significant if your gun is already a shooter to begin with.
 
I don't know about the Remington but the Timney trigger I put in my Weatherby cut the groups by 30% and it was already under an inch at 100 yds.

I would certainly do the trigger before I invested in the stock.
 
I did the same modification on my Remington 700 SPS Varmint in .22-250.

My factory trigger was 5.6 lbs but the rifle shot an average of 0.83 inches with a few best loads in the .7s.

A Timney trigger set at 2 lbs dropped the average group size by 0.15 inches.

The Bell and Carlson stock dropped it another 0.1 inches.

It now has favorite ammos shooting in the 0.45s to 0.5s at 100 yards.
 
The factory trigger can be set MUCH lighter than your 5.6# while maintaining safe sear engagement. About all a reasonably conscientious gunsmith will go is 2.5 - 3.0# since he has no way of knowing how you will behave in the field but with a small amount of Google and some common sense there's room for improvement still.

The factory stock is what it is and works pretty well for the intended purpose as long as you don't overload it. You will spend over half the value of the rifle to upgrade to a truly better stock.

Seems to me that any varmint you'd be shooting at with a .308 would be all but invisible at the point where 1MOA wouldn't result in a kill. If you're after a paper puncher, you bought the wrong gun.
 
B4 you spend a bunch of money on an aftermarket trigger try adjusting the stock trigger and bedding the action ,you may be surprised .
 
Have to agree with GONIF. Factory triggers can be adjusted fairly easily, and will show a remarkable amount of improvement if trigger control is where one of your strong points. As far as stock replacement, it's very easy to go "high and right" very quickly by wanting the most rugged, hardcore piece out there. I put my 308 700 PSS in a HS and saw the groups decrease by 10%. Adjusted the stock trigger and halved them. To each his own.
 
Thanks for the replies everyone.

The ultimate aim of this project is to get the gun out to 1000 yards. I know that I have a lot to do with that, but the gun might need a little help too.
 
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