Remington 700 Actions, any differences between models eg SPS vs VTR

[Hamo]

Hi Everyone,

Im going to build a 338 lapua on a remington 700 action. As its pretty hard to get just a 700 action in Australia, so i was going to buy a full rifle and just use the action. Is there any difference in strength between remington models? I was just planning on buying the cheapest 700 i could find with a long action. Keep in mind I will be bluprinting the action so I'm not too concerned with tolerances etc. Ill probably use a PTG bolt as well so bolt strength isnt that important.

is there a difference in strength between stainless and blued actions. I prefer the blued action, iv worked with stainless a lot (but mainly in the marine industry, very different to rifles) and know that it work hardens and cracks.

At the moment It looks like i will purchase a 700 SPS with synthetic stock, in a caliber like 30-06 or 30 RUM. as the basis action for this project

 

[p17enfeild]

i would not advice a .338 lapua on a 700 action , people have dont it but you are getting to the limit of the action safe working presure (read this) www.riflebarrels.com/articles/custom_actions/378_weatherby_remington_700_action.htm
the 388 lapua as the same body diamater as .416 rigby
if you i deadset on 700 actoin go with .338 rum
or get a banard p action for .338 lapau

 

[Hamo]

I know theres a lot of debate about the 700 being strong enough or not, but remington actually make a 338 lapua on their 700 action, so if the're happy with it thats good enough for me. Thanks for the link, very informative. I was planning the Remington because theres so many parts available, and I would really like a repeater.

As for the Barnard P, it is an outstanding action, and i would highly recommend (i have one barrelled with a kreiger in .308 win and it groups sub .2 MOA with handloads, and about .4 with factory loads) however i was trying to do a cheapish build and its a bit out of my price range. also harder to get stocks etc for.

I have also considered the CZ 550 safari magnum action, they chamber up to 416 rigby from the factory so it should have plenty of strength, they even do custom guns in 505 gibbs, although its not common. All i really need to do would just be to drop a new barrel in. i just don't think it looks as nice though, and the downside is that parts are a little harder to get, and most smiths are less familiar with them. I do really like the extra strength it provides though. the rifle is about $1600 aussie, compared to $1000 for the Remington. Im in the process of finding out if i can just buy the action though

 

[RonAKA]

The Lapua 338 head is 0.588". This diameter determines the bolt and action load. If you are choosing an action that is not supplied from the mfg for that bolt head diameter, then you are starting to play with fire. You have to consider both the bolt and the action when deciding if it is safe or not.

 

[p17enfeild]

ill try to cheeck but i think the .338 lapua rems have bigger bolt (i may be wrong)

i do think that .338 rum as meny put side's brass is cheeper and ballistic's are very close, and you'll have less feeding problems with thinner case,

 

[Hamo]

I have heard so many different versions of what action the rem in 338 lapua is i have no idea if its the standard bolt or something different. I heard somewhere it was a 40x action or something like that but im not sure. It would be great to know if it is a standard 700 bolt/action or if there is a difference. I think if it is not a standard size, the remington action is probably not strong enough as is.

 

[davery25]

easy way to solve this.

AUSTRALIA

RAYTRADE PTY. LTD.
P.O. Box 4212
Victoria, Dandenong 3164
Australia TEL: 011-61-39-706-5936
FAX: 011-61-39-706-5805

Contact: Gary Raymond


Apparently they're the distributors in Aus.

 

[Hamo]

Well i contacted all the distributors i could find. no luck so far. they all say they'll get back to me and surprise surprise!

so I went to the local gunshop. AWESOME

they can get just the CZ action and are sorting out a price for me. they said they had to deal with the distributors so I hope it doesnt take too long.

in general though

a cz 550 magnum action in america is $853 and a complete rifle is $1179 US dollars

In Australia, the complete rifle is around $1600 Aussie Dollars, but I can pick up a second hand one for around $1100. Im guessing that the action only will be around 1000-1100 mark.

is it worth paying for a new action, or a second hand rifle and i get a stock and barrel aswell. I'v bought 2 2nd hand rifles over the years, one was absolutely fantastic and would hold .5MOA, the other is a .22 and would be lucky to hit a coke can at 30m. I think its a bit of a risk. Although if im completely rebuilding it i suppose that its not that big a deal what sort of accuracy it gets

 

[Hamo]

well apparantly the dealer can only get a barrelled action in australia. They dont import action only as theres no market for it (unless i ordered a large quantity). Its not much cheaper than a complete rifle, so i may as well just order the complete rifle, and part it out to recover my costs.


anyway, now iv completely lost topic,


is there any difference between remington 700 models? are all the actions made the same way or are the cheaper ones different.

thanks,
hamo