Remington 700 Upgrades.

F

FreedomUIC

New member
I have Remington 700 Short Action in .308. The stock finally came in and I just
had to had some new glass to it. So far I have the barrel mounted in the stock
and working on the magazines. The magazines for this stock have some issues and need to be modified to help the bullets feed into rifle easier without scratching the brass. I have also ordered a bolt handle extension that has
yet to come in. Anyways, the pictures below are the process with the first
pic being what it used to look like.

Original Rifle Stock: (Cat is having a ball with the box the stock came in :D )
Original_zps2e7a54b1.jpg


New Stock mounted and Glass to mount later: (You can see my dual presses in the background - Too hot in Florida to work in the garage right now..)

Photo2_zpsf5274c18.jpg


New Stock and 20 round magazine inserted, the seven round still needs some
work done on it..... :(

photo3_zpsdfde623c.jpg


Hopefully 1,000 is not out of the question now. Used to be able to ding the gong 3 or 4 times out of 10. With my new handloads and the stability of this
platform, I am hoping for 7+ at 1,000 yards... Will know in October when
we go to the Manasota shooting complex in Bradenton, FL.

The proper name is Manatee Gun and Archery Club but our group calls
it the Manasota Shooting Center.
 
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Will know in October when
we go to the Manasota shooting complex in Bradenton, FL.
Click to expand...

No pics...

Where is this?

Are you referring to the Manatee Gun and Archery Club in Myakka City?
 
Yes,
I didn't realize the pic's didn't come through.
will fix that and yes, it is the Manatee Gun and Archery club.

Our shooting group refers to it as Manasota because
of its location to us.
 
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Very impressive rifle. Nicely equipped Sir.. It appears you thought/preplanned it's conversion for some time before hand. Just out of curiosity. Who's trigger? Pull weight?
I see the reloading bench is cover with Green. Again, that's pleasing to this fellers eye too.:D
 
RCBS is the only thing allowed in my loading area which is usually in the
garage. :D

The trigger is a Timney trigger and I have it set to 1lb, I think. Will know more
when I get it to the range and can tinker with it.
 
Hope you can take a little criticism on your rifle. A person once told me that buying the right stuff is never expensive when it comes to LR shooting. What he meant is do your research buy quality the first time, and you won't spend as much money as you will replacing the stuff you bought the first time trying to cut corners.

The scope you bought to replace your Nikon is a very poor choice, basically it's junk. Just google a few reviews on it and you'll find that they don't last very long nor are the adjustments repeatable. 1000 yards isn't going to be in the picture with those optics.

While your at it get yourself an EGW rail and some decent rings on that rifle and get your scope mounted lower. See thru rings are a horrible idea on a rifle with sights and I don't know why you'd use them on one without. If your quest is long range you have some very weak links in your set up.

I've read that the bi-pod on your stock can be replaced with a better one like Harris. Plus everyone is saying don't run the P-Mags as they are junk. From what I've experienced in the AR-15 platform with P-Mag I'd have to agree.
 
^^ X2

I'm usually very reserved with any criticism here...to each his own, I say...
But if you have real intentions of shooting 1000 yards- which requires a precision rifle unless you're relying on an occasional lucky hit- you're off to a bad start with what was a very solid foundation.

Guaranteed, with that optic, 80 clicks will not equal 20 m.o.a... and it'll be different every time. Walk your shots onto the steel at 600 yards if you can...then dial back to 100 yards...then dial back up to what you had at 600 (if the scope holds zero). I'll bet your $20 admission it's a different point of impact. Same bet holds for adjustment range...without a 20 minute rail, you'll never get the come-up needed for that range.

There are several optics even in the $300-$400 range that can do it if you don't want to spend a ton of dough. Vortex, and the SWFA fixed 16x and 20x are a couple...others here have suggestions as well.

Safe to say, I've never seen an Archangel stock at the 1000 yard benches.
But, maybe you can show the guys with the MRADS and customs something at Manatee. It's always fun to see someone with a lower end setup- driven by a very experienced shooter- blow the doors off the guy next to him with a $4000 custom. I just don't think this one's going to deliver for you.

Shoot it...also safe to say if it's not accurate- it's not the barreled action.

PM when you go to Manatee. Always fun to meet others there. Also there's a "Member Link Up" section at the 'Hide for Manatee.
 
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I will give you a PM. I still like how comfortable my new stock is and if it goes
to 600 yards accurately then so be it, I will build another one but it isn't
going to be anywhere near $4,000 dollars. I shoot for fun and like a challenge,
this setup seemed like a challenge to me so I went for it. I read mixed reviews
on the scope but decided to buy it anyways. :confused:

I will be on the range tomorrow and will see how it shoots.
 
Listen to these two gents - they know about that which they speak. I say, since you've taken some pics, put it all back in the original config and sell that stock, scope and bottom metal - the original was likely a shooter (and lighter and handier to boot). But if you're like me, you will learn the hard way - some of us are just like that. :D
 
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My LR AAC-SD .308 in an XLR element and a SWFA 3-15 FFP mil quad on a 20 MOA rail. With a SureFire brake and a Harris bipod (on my other rifle).

I show this for two reasons.

One, I am proud of it.

Two, this is the least expensive route to a repeatable 1000yd Rem 700 .308 I could come up with and not use junk. Shooting long range is about consistency. And cutting corners gets you nowhere fast in LR.

My .02 cents.
 
FreedomUIZ, good luck with your build. I will be watching closely. It is very hard to sort the fact from the fiction, sarcasm aimed at making you look stupid, from genuine well intended advice. Two things I did take as fact from fellow range shooters, and this forum. 1 - The Remington 700 is a good starting point. 2 - Scopes can hold a zero just fine yet not be capable of consistent repeatable adjustment at the price I was willing to spend when I purchased a rifle that I want to make long range capable. Hard to shoot a 700 Varmint without a scope, so my first scope purchase for the rifle was something I can use on another rifle when I can rationalize spending the necessary money on a proper scope..... +++++. The rest will come as funds become available. Good luck.
 
Hope you can take a little criticism on your rifle. A person once told me that buying the right stuff is never expensive when it comes to LR shooting. What he meant is do your research buy quality the first time, and you won't spend as much money as you will replacing the stuff you bought the first time trying to cut corners.

The scope you bought to replace your Nikon is a very poor choice, basically it's junk. Just google a few reviews on it and you'll find that they don't last very long nor are the adjustments repeatable. 1000 yards isn't going to be in the picture with those optics.

While your at it get yourself an EGW rail and some decent rings on that rifle and get your scope mounted lower. See thru rings are a horrible idea on a rifle with sights and I don't know why you'd use them on one without. If your quest is long range you have some very weak links in your set up.
Click to expand...

+100

Unfortunately, you pretty much "upgraded" to a poorer stock and scope. Long Range shooting and Cheap do not go together.... if you like a challege then shoot a Mosin Nagant at distances, but don't buy cheap scopes and parts to get the look you want and not the fuction. Cheap scopes simply don't track properly, not to mention won't be clear.

Unless you are counting on a 500yard + zero you will not have the adjustment in that scope to even dial to 1000 without a 20moa base like someone else stated. Even still with poor tracking, it is pretty much just walking shots onto targets or just wasting your time and ammo. You NEED a scope that tracks well if you want to shoot various distances and learn to shoot LR properly.

You DO NOT need to go crazy and drop $4000 on a S&B or US Optics ect... Personally I favor my Vortex Razor HD, but even Vortex Viper PST's ect. Honestly the old saying spend as much on the scope as you did on the rifle sometimes applies. At LR shooting glass however is generally more important than the gun, or atleast equally so.

For basically the same price as your Arch Angel stock, you could get a B&C M40 Varmint / tactical stock. Personally I like McMillian stocks, but some people don't, B&C is a nice stock for the money, HS Percision, Manners, and a bunch of the newer chassis systems are also good.

Really your stock rifle with its stock was probably capable of 1000, if anything I'd return the stock and scope and sink the money into a good set of bases and rings, and a good optic.
 
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Thanks for all the wonderful replies and those that seem to be on the snobbish side. I did as you wished and walked the settings out to 400 yards and back
to 100. The scope did just fine!

Let's talk about 600 yard targets. Target #1 at 600 yards, if you shoot there
then you know what I am talking about. 4 out of 5.

The tire at 545 yards on the left Berm was like taking candy from a baby.

Last 600 yard Target on right, six out of six. Reset scope back to 100 yard
setting and fired a group of six at less or at 1 MOA with a hot barrel.

The rifle shoots just fine, I will video the 1000 yard shots so you naysayers
can have a good taste of crow. Probably should bring your own hot sauce
but please buy the expensive stuff, the cheap stuff won't cover your embarrassment of having to eat that delicacy.

As a side note, there was no "Lead Sled" involved! Simple bag and hand and
the cost was minimal.
 
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You are inspiring me to do a new stock for a Rem 700 action that I blueprinted last summer. I want to go synthetic and install both an adjustable cheekpiece and adjustable LOP (for cold/warm weather). One of my classmates made one with adj cheekpiece.
 
Good for you Freedom!! As long your smiling when your done shooting, thats all that matters. In your original post all you said was you were hoping to ding the dong 7+ times at 1000, you didn't say you were wanting all your shoots in the X and were hoping to take state champion!!!! These guys should ask what your intentions are first before they ramble on about how all your new stuff is junk!!!
 
Thanks for all the wonderful replies and those that seem to be on the snobbish side. I did as you wished and walked the settings out to 400 yards and back
to 100. The scope did just fine!

Let's talk about 600 yard targets. Target #1 at 600 yards, if you shoot there
then you know what I am talking about. 4 out of 5.

The tire at 545 yards on the left Berm was like taking candy from a baby.

Last 600 yard Target on right, six out of six. Reset scope back to 100 yard
setting and fired a group of six at less or at 1 MOA with a hot barrel.

The rifle shoots just fine, I will video the 1000 yard shots so you naysayers
can have a good taste of crow. Probably should bring your own hot sauce
but please buy the expensive stuff, the cheap stuff won't cover your embarrassment of having to eat that delicacy.

As a side note, there was no "Lead Sled" involved! Simple bag and hand and
the cost was minimal.
Click to expand...

The point we were trying to make is that everything you just claimed the rifle did for you... could have done probably better or equally well in the stock configuration before your "upgrades". I am not trying to be rude or discouraging in any ways, just simply stating what generally works... or rather works WELL and IMHO and many others, are worth the extra coin.

Your rifle already had a fine stock, granted it lacked an adjustable comb, but those can be added or the stock modified for one. The arch-angel stock isn't really doing anything your factory stock didn't already do, besides cosmetics.

As for the scope... the point people were making about cheaper scopes is when shooting unknown distances, and having to dial accordingly. Static ranges and learning your values from point A,B,C is fine, but what people were getting at is if you have a 100 yard zero, and a target "pops up" in your field of view, say its a woodchuck or coyote, and you range it however which way you do your ranging and get 837 yards. You do your calculations to get the adjustment you want, and dial accordingly. Some cheaper scopes have trouble with this, from a few aspects. Generally they aren't true to the calculation. Worse yet they can break over time. Some turrets simply are not made to stand up to constant dialing different. Hunting rifles that are zero'd and remain at 100yards generally can get by with cheap cheap scopes, but when dialing a lot the cheaper ones often break.

If your rifle makes you happy, that is the most important. Some of us were just offering you opinions based on money well spent vs money blown away in the wind. Your original stock is a fine stock, so unless it didn't "fit" you, your added money in the after market stock could have been "better" spent on say a nicer scope and mounts. Spending MORE money isn't a status update or sometimes even a waste of time, and was not what I was getting at. Guys that throw factory Remington barreled actions in $700 chassis systems are doing just that, wasting money. Don't get me wrong, some of the chassis systems and $$ stocks are well worth it, but upgrading the trigger and barrel is more important and more beneficial than bolting it into a new stock generally.

Personally in your shoes, you had a FINE factory rifle. I know guys with two 7mm Remington 700 Sendero's that shoot 1000yards very well consistantly. I would have left the stock alone, just would have made sure it was bedded well, and torqued down properly. I would have gotten a 1 piece steel picatinny rail base ( i prefer a pic. rail as they are easier to adjust/remove/change optics), with some well made <insert your prefered brand> steel rings. Now don't forget to hand lap the rings, unless otherwise stated by the manufacturer not to. To top it off I would go with Vortex Viper PST 4-16x50 FFP (First Focal Plane) in either MRAD or MOA whichever your prefered method is. That scope would set you back a little more ($100-$150 more) than what you just spent. If you wanted to keep around the same you just spent their Viper HS series scopes are about $400-$500 and would still work great.

I wasn't trying to say go spend $4000 on rifle parts and optics... I was simply saying you could have "upgraded" a better way all things considered. As I said, if you are happy more power to you, just offering my opinion.
 
Glad it shot well for you, they are solid rifles.

We were out at Manatee before Thanksgiving, they'd made a lot of welcome additions to the gong lineup at 600, and eliminated the small 5" swingers on the left 565 berm. New steel at 1000, too. Gene used to keep a chart inside showing the layout and sizes of the steel, it's helpful in gauging corrections required.

Starting to load up now for a trip next week if weather/wind cooperate.

What were you using for ammunition?
 
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