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Rem 700 base not parallel to barrel - fixes?

I had the same issue with a Rem 700, almost 30 moa off to one side, GA Precision recut the scope mount holes to 8-40 all centered up, scope was 1 click off from being dead center on windage.
 
In hunting style bolt actions with an open top and magazine cut, there is so little connecting the front and back, it's a wonder that they aren't all bent.

I have never heard of a barrel nut system causing barrel misalignment unless it was due to a bad recoil lug but a standard 700 also has a recoil lug so it's not really ever the barrel nut to blame.

As such, I prefer closed top actions and don't mind barrel nuts.
Dont assume more metal means straighter. It doesnt. In general a solid top action with a mag cut and ejection port will be more warped than the same one with an open top. So far as barrel mis alignment, it would need to be over an 1/8" from center at the muzzle to shoot 20 moa windage. That would be 1/4" tir in the lathe. Would only take about .0055" tir in the action face or lug to do it, but the barrel misalignment in the stock would be obvious
 
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Way back when I used to mount a lot of Swarovski scopes. The 6-24 had very little windage adjustment. Customers couldn't get them zero'd. They consistently pointed the same way. It took awhile but I figured out what the problem was. The actions are hand polished. Every action, on the rear bridge, was rolled off to the rear and to the right. tighten the base screws and the base rolled to the rear and canted to the right. Using machinist squares and L shaped shims I could get bases aligned in two planes and pretty close in the third. If you think that doesn't matter consider how far off the center line of the ring will be as it leans to the right. The higher it is the further off it will be.
YMMV


This is exactly what I was trying to say but not quite as well. I dont think any Remington 700 actions are hand polished though. I dont think they are even given the once over as a quality check. Otherwise they wouldnt let actions that are not symmetrical each side of the rail mounting holes out the door.
 
Dont assume more metal means straighter. It doesnt. In general a solid top action with a mag cut and ejection port will be more warped than the same one with an open top. So far as barrel mis alignment, it would need to be over an 1/8" from center at the muzzle to shoot 20 moa windage. That would be 1/4" tir in the lathe. Would only take about .0055" tir in the action face or lug to do it, but the barrel misalignment in the stock would be obvious
True but more metal means less likely to bend after it is machined. Remington torques their barrels pretty good, that could be where the bend is coming from.
 
This is exactly what I was trying to say but not quite as well. I dont think any Remington 700 actions are hand polished though. I dont think they are even given the once over as a quality check. Otherwise they wouldnt let actions that are not symmetrical each side of the rail mounting holes out the door.
They may not be now but they were in the past. You can't machine polish blued actions by machine. Also many of the pre RR SS actions were hand polished. Even if machine polished a belt hanging over an edge is going to roll off more metal than the supported area.
I'm duck hunting with the engineer in charge of the centerfire division after the first of the year. I'll ask him.
 
Leupold makes a set of mounts with an adjustable rear mount. I like them as I can leave the scope windage as it came from the factory and use the mount to set the initial zero. They are inexpensive and of good quality.
 
Could be the face of the action isn't square. If there's enough slack between the threads, as the nut is tightened it might draw the barrel to one side. We could sit here and speculate all day, but I have things to do....
 
True but more metal means less likely to bend after it is machined. Remington torques their barrels pretty good, that could be where the bend is coming from.
Not in my experience, I measure up a lot of actions. The big od actions warp as much as the small od actions. Its how the ports are configured that matters. On your second point I have tried to intentionally bend a 700 action, to straighten it. I got quite aggressive. I could not bend that thing. Some batches of steel are better than others. Thats where the variation in warpage comes from.
 
Not in my experience, I measure up a lot of actions. The big od actions warp as much as the small od actions. Its how the ports are configured that matters. On your second point I have tried to intentionally bend a 700 action, to straighten it. I got quite aggressive. I could not bend that thing. Some batches of steel are better than others. Thats where the variation in warpage comes from.

It takes some serious force to bend chromoly, something similar to running in to a concrete wall at high speed.:D
 
Leupold makes a set of mounts with an adjustable rear mount. I like them as I can leave the scope windage as it came from the factory and use the mount to set the initial zero. They are inexpensive and of good quality.

Oh, you mean standard dovetail mounts?? Yes, this is the usual stuff you get off of the rack in a store when you ask for Leupold rings. It's acceptable for hunters and will bag you a deer, but the problem is that most accuracy shooters (ie; target shooters) will not settle for anything with screw adjustment.

I am a fan of Leupold mounts myself, but will not settle for anything other then their fixed Dual Dovetail rings which I order cheap online at Ebay (because nobody else wants it. lol). But one has to lap the Leupold rings to prevent the possibility of scratching his scope, and I always also end up shimming the mounts to get in the neighborhood of zero on target. This all takes quite a bit of time and I do get my 3 shot 1/4" MOA groups, but I think next time I'll just go with the Burris rings & inserts. :D
 
Oh, you mean standard dovetail mounts?? Yes, this is the usual stuff you get off of the rack in a store when you ask for Leupold rings. It's acceptable for hunters and will bag you a deer, but the problem is that most accuracy shooters (ie; target shooters) will not settle for anything with screw adjustment.

I am a fan of Leupold mounts myself, but will not settle for anything other then their fixed Dual Dovetail rings which I order cheap online at Ebay (because nobody else wants it. lol). But one has to lap the Leupold rings to prevent the possibility of scratching his scope, and I always also end up shimming the mounts to get in the neighborhood of zero on target. This all takes quite a bit of time and I do get my 3 shot 1/4" MOA groups, but I think next time I'll just go with the Burris rings & inserts. :D

I use the standard Leupold rings and bases and never had an issue with anything coming loose. Nowadays Leupold is adding a thread holding compound that works really well.
 
The Burris Signature Zee rings are definitely the cheapest and easiest route to go. While I also like the Leupold adjustable standard rings I don't like to use them to fix the problem the OP described. They work great if everything is straight and you only need a little of adjustment to zero. But when you need a lot I am always afraid of making a bind or tight spot in the tube. With the Burris inserts, you don't have to worry about this problem because there is always a bit of give and take and everything stays stress free. Plus there is never a need to lap or ring marks on your scope.
 
While I also like the Leupold adjustable standard rings I don't like to use them to fix the problem the OP described. They work great if everything is straight and you only need a little of adjustment to zero. But when you need a lot I am always afraid of making a bind or tight spot in the tube.

My current Rem700 rifle project is a used stainless 221 Fireball barreled-action. Not knowing its history, I installed dual dovetail rings to find it off about 20" during visual sight-in. I shimmed it & fired it at the range to find it off 10". No complaints, as this rifle commonly shoots 5 shot 1/2" -5/8" groups with its light factory barrel. But YOU BET I USE KOKEPELLI ALIGNMENT BARS when I shim my rifles to check there is no stress on my scope. I also lap the rings after shimming until the alignment bars indicate no uneven stress points.
 

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