Rem 700 misalignment

[NCFrank]

Greetings all,
Discovered this when changing from Leupold Standard base to a pic rail. Screw holes (#6 size) are misaligned with center of action. Problem is NOT with the pic rail or rings. This rifle is prebankruptcy and was told by customer support they will not repair/replace. I would have to send to an authorized full service shop or go to a local smith at my expense. I don't know if being more assertive with Remington would get me anywhere or not. Sitting in the rings is a 30mm precision ground bar showing the misalignment. From rear to muzzle the misalignment goes right to left respectively. Any input is appreciated. NCFrank

 

[GenePoole]

That's why most truing jobs include re-drilling those holes to 8-40.

I usually include that sort of info in my "blueprinting" info:

 

[urbanrifleman]

I had one so crooked it was almost an inch off at the muzzle using a pipe in a picatinny as a pointer.

 

[STOMP442]

Get yourself a set of Burris signature rings and go to the range.

 

[Eagle Six]

Get yourself a set of Burris signature rings and go to the range.

This ^^^^^

 

[davidjoe]

This probably won’t make you any happier, but nearly every barrel taken off a factory rifle and turned in a lathe or rolled on a flat surface will be proven crooked by a significant portion of that amount.

This is one of those things like whether the barrel is perfectly centered in the channel or not, or has an old pitting spot under the scope bell. It can make a huge difference to how you feel about the rifle but almost no difference to the way it functions or how others view the rifle.

There are two solutions to this I have determined in more than 30 years of buying these things. The first is to plow ahead with your collecting and any one idiosyncrasy will become minuscule in the grand scheme of your stash. Whether you follow number one or not, just be patient, enjoy it and know there is absolutely nothing about our guns that won’t seem trivial with another decade or so under your belt. Remember the principle of “significant figures”, it applies to everything. We are going to reach a time, if we are lucky, where the most impressive gun we could ever pull the trigger on won’t be worth the discomfort of taking it somewhere to shoot. Trust me, I used to worry as a kiddo that the corners of my perfect $2 bills would become raggedy like library book pages. You can’t get the hours back.

 

[AccelR8]

For this reason I go to Burris Signature rings whenever I can. Center the scope adjustments for windage and elevation, then use the offset inserts to get the rifle hitting where it should.

 

[ronemus]

I set up my scopes (using only Burris Signature rings) to have only a few minutes of down left after zeroing which gives me maximum elevation left for long range.

 

[LVLAaron]

That's why most truing jobs include re-drilling those holes to 8-40.

I usually include that sort of info in my "blueprinting" info:

I've changed a couple rem actions from 6- to 8- threads. I had to double check my lathe/vice after moving from one end of the action to the other because the factory holes were so botched.

 

[mike mccormick]

I have one that takes 13 minutes windage to center it.

 

[LVLAaron]

rrrr

I have one that takes 13 minutes windage to center it.

There's some barrel timing involved in that.

 

[mike mccormick]

rrrr

There's some barrel timing involved in that.

Nope. A barrel change did not change it

 

[mike mccormick]

You could see the misalignment of the holes by eye. A new set of holes was required.

 

[NCFrank]

Thanks for the input on the Burris Signature rings. I've never looked at these before. Interesting.

From what I'm learning this issue is more common than I would have imagined.
This rifle is the latest and 1 of 5 Remi's I have. Disappointing none the less and has kind of soured my opinion of the company. The other 4 I've had 30+ years with no problems.
With Remington's history I can't understand how they'd let such or worse out the door.

 

[DaveTooley]

Might not be the screw holes. The rear bridge surface may be off causing the ring to cant to one side. Common on 700's The Pic rails flex when you tighten the screws. Might need bedding.

 

[joshb]

Get yourself a set of Burris signature rings and go to the range.

…or a set of Leupolds with the rear wind age adjustment screws. I think they were made specifically for factory Remingtons.

 

[AlNyhus]

To add a bit to what Dave mentioned...if the face of the receiver isn't flat, the recoil lug isn't flat and the face of the barrel shank isn't flat...the muzzle can end up not right down the middle of Main Street and make you think the holes are wonky. And they surely might be, too. Has the action been trued, etc.?

I use a real dirt clod way of checking screw alignment if I'm sure the barrel fit up is ok.

 

[NCFrank]

Well hello Dave! Nice surprise. Good to hear from you. Hope you're doing well.
Rear bridge surface. Understood. I've talked to Ray about this rifle and will have him look at it soon.

This action has not been trued. Understand about lug and shank face or shoulder.

I bought this rifle from an elder fellow club member who's getting away from shooting. He let it go cheap. No work was done to it by previous owner. It's one of the Sendero models in 223, had that J Lock mess. I changed that out. Factory trigger was nothing to brag about. It was heavy. Best I could get was about 4 1/2. Changed trigger too.

It had the Leupold standard one-piece base when I got it and I didn't see misalignment until after the pic rail was on with the rings and the bar shown in the image. Pic is Leupold also, steel. I am familiar with these Leupold standard bases with the rear windage screws. Have those on my other Remi's.

Thanks so much for the input.

 

[DaveTooley]

The rear bridge used to be hand polished. That lead to the right rear being lower then the rest of the bridge. When you tightened the screws the base canted to the right. Add a scope ring and it would lean right. If you have two machinist squares you can see just how far off the actions are.

 

[D-mon]

I had a Remington 7 with that j shape safety as well .
lucky I never touched the action when I was looking at rebarreling it.
the action set up on a mandrel between centers was pointing about 1.5mm right on the front and by about the same amount on the left on the back. I am not sure by how much the scope holes would have been off by. But that action bolt raceway was so much out that it was not even worth touching.