Possible new project...need some advice

[Lead Slanger]

Hey guys! New to the forum and glad to be here. Looks like a lot of valuable information here.

I've been wanting to build a long range precision target gun for a while now and have just been lacking in the funds department. I was at work the other day thinking about the rifle I would like to build when it hit me (BAM!)......why don't I use the rifle I already have and don't use? What rifle is that you ask? It's the first rifle I ever bought....a 17 year old Remington 700 BDL in 30.06 that has about 25 rounds down the pipe. I bought it for deer hunting and quit deer hunting. It's a beautiful rifle that I don't want to mess up, so I don't ever get it out anymore. Since I don't get it out, I don't enjoy it either, so I thought what better way to enjoy it than installing a B&C stock (or something similar) and re barreling it in 6.5x55 Swede? So here are the questions....

Do you think that would be a good idea? Would you do it to your rifle? I believe I could turn it into the rifle I would like to have and would get to start enjoying it.

Should the gunsmith be able to get my barrel out and it be salvageable? I would hate to lose it.

Would I be money ahead to go this route?

As you can probably tell, I'm new at this and would appreciate any advice you are willing to give.

Thanks guys!

 

[jscandale]

Welcome to the forum!
You would be doing what thousands of others have done to rifles that they don't use, so your not by any means unique in that situation. The barrel can easily be removed with a little persuasion and some heat without damaging it. It can also be salvaged, but its value might only be worth about $30.

JS

 

[Lead Slanger]

Thanks for the reply. I was originally wanting to build a .260 Rem on a model 12 Savage right bolt left port target action and still do, but since I have a long action 700 laying around, I figure the 6.5 Swede will do just fine in comparison to the .260. Plus, I can see coming out cheaper and putting a rifle back in service.

I know the barrel isn't worth much, but I would still hate to lose it if at all possible. I just hate tearing something up if it's avoidable.

 

[deadwooddick]

I know the barrel isn't worth much, but I would still hate to lose it if at all possible. I just hate tearing something up if it's avoidable.

Often when building out a "custom" the smith will "true the receiver." That can involve recutting the receiver thread to something other than what the factory used.

As such, the old barrel will no longer have the same thread, making it a tomato stake.

 

[Lead Slanger]

I know the barrel isn't worth much, but I would still hate to lose it if at all possible. I just hate tearing something up if it's avoidable.

Often when building out a "custom" the smith will "true the receiver." That can involve recutting the receiver thread to something other than what the factory used.

As such, the old barrel will no longer have the same thread, making it a tomato stake.

Ahhhhh......I see. Thanks for the info. I didn't know what that meant. I appreciate it.

 

[jscandale]

Although action truing is common practice for some gunsmiths, not all actions need to be trued as they are already maufactured true and square. Five minutes with the proper measuring tools can determine the difference between a recommended and completely unnecessary service. Truing of actions has been a real money maker for some smiths becuase they make blanket recommendations in order to ring the bill up. Check yours or have it checked. It's probably just fine.

JS

 

[Lead Slanger]

Although action truing is common practice for some gunsmiths, not all actions need to be trued as they are already maufactured true and square. Five minutes with the proper measuring tools can determine the difference between a recommended and completely unnecessary service. Truing of actions has been a real money maker for some smiths becuase they make blanket recommendations in order to ring the bill up. Check yours or have it checked. It's probably just fine.

JS

That would be nice and I hope that is the case.

 

[Lead Slanger]

I thought of another question. My BDL has a factory detachable magazine. Is this gonna pose a big problem finding a stock? All of the rifles I see that have detachable mags aren't a factory setup. Will I have to get an aftermarket DBM setup or should I be able to find a stock to work with what I have?

 

[Gundoktr]

You will need a specific stock for yours; they are different.

 

[Lead Slanger]

I talked to the local gunsmith today and he told me that I wouldn't necessarily have to have the action trued, but to get the most accuracy out of it, truing the action would be the way to go. He said that if he trued everything up (re thread, bolt face, re working the lugs and hand lapping) threading and installing the barrel, it would run around $500.

There's no doubt he's good, but I don't know if that's about right on the price or not. He said if I was wanting to do some long range target shooting, he would have the action reworked, but if I was going to stay under 300 yards and deer hunt with it (which I'm not), he probably wouldn't worry about it. What do yall think about that?

 

[jscandale]

Don't even consider spending the money ($500 !!!)for truing the action for your purposes unless the action is way out of whack, which I would doubt.

JS

 

[Preacher]

It would be pretty hard for a average guy to check and see if his factory action was out of specs or not....
It never hurts to have the best chance of a action being the best it can be, for $150.00.....

 

[jscandale]

I agree with Preacher, but you should be able to ask your guy doing the work to check first and be able to trust him. Whenever I find something messed up, I take a photo or show it to the customer in order to justify the additional money spent. When you charge $500 for truing an action, the job should at least come with a large jar of Vaseline!

JS

 

[X Ring Accuracy]

To put it in blank terms. To verify if an action needs truing it must be put into a fixture to check its surfaces. The same said fixture is what you true it in. So to test an action for trueness, the main time involved is setting it up to test. Once tested, it then becomes minutes to true. We charge 100 to test or true. In reality terms, a smith would prefer to true an action he is building a rifle for you. That way he has a known quantity and can gaurantee his work.

 

[jscandale]

I'll do whatever someone pays me to do to their rifle if it gives them a good feeling, but for my own personal rifles, I check with a depth mic from the face of the action to the bolt face in several spots. I have never had one more than .0005", so I have never trued one of my own actions. The holes in the target never seemed to care since they are so close to one another, nor did the trophies and plaques on the wall.
Just stating the facts here...

I mainly shoot an AR match rifle and some think that they need to apply the same traditional bolt rifle mods to the AR. I say hogwash to both. An AR bolt fits with more slop than any bolt gun and still gives half moa performance. The bolt guns give the same or better.

JS

 

[Raythemanroe]

Your price was with chambering and threading the barrel correct? $ that's not bad!

 

[Lead Slanger]

Your price was with chambering and threading the barrel correct? $ that's not bad!

The price was with me providing a barrel blank, removing my old barrel, chambering, threading and installing the new barrel for $300. All that and getting the action trued for $500.

 

[Raythemanroe]

It's on the high side but not unreasonable!

 

[jscandale]

Wow, install a new pipe for $300 and true for $200?? Were those prices stated with a straight face?

JS

 

[Raythemanroe]

Your barrel work should run $190-200 and trueing should get ya $150-200 I would think!