Starting with a Rem. model 700 in 308, Circa early 70's manufacture date with bull barrel, never been shot rifle and want to build a long range shooter. Thanks to the forum I have ideas on the scope and stock, however, I am curious as to Remingtons bull barrels accuracy out of the box? limitations and any other thoughts appreciated.
Building Long Range Shooter, Starting with Model 700 in 308 w/Bull Barrel.
- Thread starter acapa
- Start date
With a new bbl, you won't know what you have until you try it.
That said, do you hand load? If not, get some Federal ammo with the 175 gr SMK and see what the bbl will do.
If you handload, there are many proven loads out there for a 175gr SMK. Choose one and experiment until you get good groups.
If by long range you mean 1000yds. then you will be working on your loading techniques as much as anything. Use a chrono to get info on your loads and work toward low ES and SD numbers. They will be critical for LR shooting.
Start at 600 yds and practice. Once you feel confident there, make the transition to longer distances.
It is a fun but challenging experience.
Good luck.
Bob
That said, do you hand load? If not, get some Federal ammo with the 175 gr SMK and see what the bbl will do.
If you handload, there are many proven loads out there for a 175gr SMK. Choose one and experiment until you get good groups.
If by long range you mean 1000yds. then you will be working on your loading techniques as much as anything. Use a chrono to get info on your loads and work toward low ES and SD numbers. They will be critical for LR shooting.
Start at 600 yds and practice. Once you feel confident there, make the transition to longer distances.
It is a fun but challenging experience.
Good luck.
Bob
Sir
started with same set up - took the Remington 700 long action off my deer rifle and bought a new take off varmint (bull) barrel $70 bucks (24 inch and 1:10 twist). Mounted it on a Richards Microfit Culbertson prone stock, put a Tubb recoil lug in and a jewell trigger. Using Sierra Match King 190s it shot lights out good for me (less than 0.8 or so) with no truing of the action and using the factory chamber. I think you will be pleasantly surprised - shoot it until you shoot as good as the rifle before you spend lots of money on go fast stuff- I was very happy at ranges out to 1000 yards.
started with same set up - took the Remington 700 long action off my deer rifle and bought a new take off varmint (bull) barrel $70 bucks (24 inch and 1:10 twist). Mounted it on a Richards Microfit Culbertson prone stock, put a Tubb recoil lug in and a jewell trigger. Using Sierra Match King 190s it shot lights out good for me (less than 0.8 or so) with no truing of the action and using the factory chamber. I think you will be pleasantly surprised - shoot it until you shoot as good as the rifle before you spend lots of money on go fast stuff- I was very happy at ranges out to 1000 yards.
coues52
Silver $$ Contributor
I bought a rem 788 in 308 22" barrel was about a 1" shooter for 3shots and fouled real bad,went to the "Tubb final finish bullets" went from 1" groups to .5(3shots) and cleans very well now..so even if the barrel does not shot for $30.00 it may be worth a try. PS load is sierra 165btsp 47.0 varget win cases fed primers (std) 2.810 coal(still feeds from mag),work up to this load!~Danny
+1 on the Tubb final finish - shrunk my groups considerably also
Use your cleaning rod, jag and patch, and a tape measure. I put a small flag of masking tape on the rod to read its rotation.
Start the rod 2" or 3" in, then mark the starting point on the rod, new push in until one complete revolution, and mark again. The distance between the marks will give you the twist rate, as 1 revolution in ?''.
Mike.
Start the rod 2" or 3" in, then mark the starting point on the rod, new push in until one complete revolution, and mark again. The distance between the marks will give you the twist rate, as 1 revolution in ?''.
Mike.
Accuracy in Remington factory barrels is generally good, with the scattering to either end of the bell curve of exceptionally bad or exceptionally good barrels. As with all barrels, a well developed hand load will be most accurate.
There is nothing wrong with using the factory barrel to get started in long range shooting since it avoids the expense of a match grade barrel and smithing at the beginning of your learning curve. Once you'e become familiar with long range loading, wind reading and rifle control, you'll have a better idea of what sort of replacement barrel/chamber configuration you want when it's time to replace the barrel. One good indicator is if you get to the point where you can shoot it to twice the moa it groups at 100 at 1,000 (i.e. if it shoots 1 moa at 100 you can hold 2 moa at 1,000).
The 168s are fine for shooting out to maybe 600 yards, but they are not a 1,000 yard bullet. The 155s from Berger and Lapua are the best BCs in that weight range, and the new Sierra 155 will work better than the older one. The 175 Sierra is pretty much the standard for 1,000 yards in .308. Plain old IMR 4064 works very well but is considered somewhat temperature sensitive. Varget works well, is less temperature sensitive but the powder burn rate can vary considerably from lot to lot. My personal preference has been for RL-15. Milder primers generally perform better, Federal or CCI, with good results also shown by the Russian sourced primers. Winchester brass is good but needs a bit of prep, and Lapua is normally excellent if pricey.
I like a lot of adjustment in my stocks, an adjustable comb and a three way butt plate. This allows for getting comfortable behind the rifle either prone of off a bench. Another nice to have item is an accessory rail in the fore end which allows a bipod to be located where the rifle handles the recoila and shots best.
Most Remington .308 barrels are 1-12.
There is nothing wrong with using the factory barrel to get started in long range shooting since it avoids the expense of a match grade barrel and smithing at the beginning of your learning curve. Once you'e become familiar with long range loading, wind reading and rifle control, you'll have a better idea of what sort of replacement barrel/chamber configuration you want when it's time to replace the barrel. One good indicator is if you get to the point where you can shoot it to twice the moa it groups at 100 at 1,000 (i.e. if it shoots 1 moa at 100 you can hold 2 moa at 1,000).
The 168s are fine for shooting out to maybe 600 yards, but they are not a 1,000 yard bullet. The 155s from Berger and Lapua are the best BCs in that weight range, and the new Sierra 155 will work better than the older one. The 175 Sierra is pretty much the standard for 1,000 yards in .308. Plain old IMR 4064 works very well but is considered somewhat temperature sensitive. Varget works well, is less temperature sensitive but the powder burn rate can vary considerably from lot to lot. My personal preference has been for RL-15. Milder primers generally perform better, Federal or CCI, with good results also shown by the Russian sourced primers. Winchester brass is good but needs a bit of prep, and Lapua is normally excellent if pricey.
I like a lot of adjustment in my stocks, an adjustable comb and a three way butt plate. This allows for getting comfortable behind the rifle either prone of off a bench. Another nice to have item is an accessory rail in the fore end which allows a bipod to be located where the rifle handles the recoila and shots best.
Most Remington .308 barrels are 1-12.
Don`t know about earlier Rem 700s but the latest ones have a ton of freebore. Must be some sort of lawyer thing.
I had a Rem 700 SPS Varmint in .308 that I had planned to use as a backup F Class rifle. Used a Sinclair COAL gauge to determine seating depth of 155 SMKs. To be .020 off the lands, the SMKs weren`t even in the case mouth. And the rifle has a slower twist for lighter bullets. So I had to seat the 155s with a large jump to the rifling. Accuracy was so-so with the occasional flyer. Never used it in competition.
I have a Rem 7600 pump in .30-06 and it has a load of freebore. Just bought a Rem 700 VS SF in .220 Swift and it has some freebore but not as exaggerated.
So it is very important that you measure the COAL for your barrel before you proceed.
I had a Rem 700 SPS Varmint in .308 that I had planned to use as a backup F Class rifle. Used a Sinclair COAL gauge to determine seating depth of 155 SMKs. To be .020 off the lands, the SMKs weren`t even in the case mouth. And the rifle has a slower twist for lighter bullets. So I had to seat the 155s with a large jump to the rifling. Accuracy was so-so with the occasional flyer. Never used it in competition.
I have a Rem 7600 pump in .30-06 and it has a load of freebore. Just bought a Rem 700 VS SF in .220 Swift and it has some freebore but not as exaggerated.
So it is very important that you measure the COAL for your barrel before you proceed.
Thanks for all the advice, honestly, I have not shot a great deal of centerfire rifle so I can only assume what COAL is and the affect on long range accuracy; revolution rate on bullet? what the affect of it not seated where rifling starts, SMK? Much for me to learn here but am interested and information would not be wasted if you feel inclined to enlighten me. I have speant most of the last 20 years shooting pistol and shotgun, however, I shot master class in 4 position smallbore in my younger days and have a solid base on basic mechanics. Looking forward to reloading and learning the science part of this sport.
1000yardstare said:
Upgrades & Donations
This Forum's expenses are primarily paid by member contributions. You can upgrade your Forum membership in seconds. Gold and Silver members get unlimited FREE classifieds for one year. Gold members can upload custom avatars.
Click Upgrade Membership Button ABOVE to get Gold or Silver Status.
You can also donate any amount, large or small, with the button below. Include your Forum Name in the PayPal Notes field.
To DONATE by CHECK, or make a recurring donation, CLICK HERE to learn how.
Click Upgrade Membership Button ABOVE to get Gold or Silver Status.
You can also donate any amount, large or small, with the button below. Include your Forum Name in the PayPal Notes field.
To DONATE by CHECK, or make a recurring donation, CLICK HERE to learn how.