remington 700 freebore...VERY short!

[lpreddick]

a friend bought a new rem 700 in .223. mfg date is jan 2013 and has an "adjustable" trigger...hex nut at base of trigger shoe and can be set to "3 lbs". i cleaned it then borescoped to eval the bore...it seemed very smooth. to my surprise the freebore is VERY short. checked the lands with the hornady tool with a 55 gr berger target bullet and the bullet's base is at the neck/shoulder when just touching the lands. the twist rate seems to be 1 in 12 not the expected 1 in 14. faster twist should stabalize a 60 gr bullet and if a 60 sierra or 60 berger is seated at the lands, the base goes into the neck/shoulder. seating .020 into the lands and base is still close to the n/s junction. no problem with new brass since no donut yet. 55 and lighter can be seated long and stay away from the n/s. is this something new at remington?

 

[CatShooter]

a friend bought a new rem 700 in .223. mfg date is jan 2013 and has an "adjustable" trigger...hex nut at base of trigger shoe and can be set to "3 lbs". i cleaned it then borescoped to eval the bore...it seemed very smooth. to my surprise the freebore is VERY short. checked the lands with the hornady tool with a 55 gr berger target bullet and the bullet's base is at the neck/shoulder when just touching the lands. the twist rate seems to be 1 in 12 not the expected 1 in 14. faster twist should stabalize a 60 gr bullet and if a 60 sierra or 60 berger is seated at the lands, the base goes into the neck/shoulder. seating .020 into the lands and base is still close to the n/s junction. no problem with new brass since no donut yet. 55 and lighter can be seated long and stay away from the n/s. is this something new at remington?

Count your blessings - you got a goodie!

 

[Steve Ladino]

My 2012 Marlin/Rem .308 Heavy Varmint has a very short throat also.

 

[roadkill61]

I also have just bought an sps in 25-06 that has a short throut. I cannot seat out to the suggested 3.025 as shown in the Sierra manual.

 

[lpreddick]

a followup...this gun will not shoot! my pet loads won't group! i seated a bullet long, chambered it and inspected the engravings. they were not symetrical. two were much closer to the case neck than the other four...by about .030! a close inspection by borescope and two lands seem to start at the very beginning of the bore and the other four start further out. i think what i'm seeing is real, esp since the two bullets tested show the same engraving difference. if a bullet engraves two adjacent lands, moves .030+ before engraving the remaining four, then proceeds down the bore...will the gun shoot accurately? my gunsmith is checking the barrel tomorrow and will use a throating reamer to uniform and extend the freebore to allow .005-.010 jump with a 55 gr berger flatbase and have the bullet in the neck short of the neck/shoulder and i expect the gun will shoot .

 

[snert]

Dont feel bad. Buddy got a 270WSM with no throat whatsoever...

That made for some interesting pressures!!!

Remington took it back, sent him a blem rifle and a box of ammo for his time.

He bought a Browning.

 

[lpreddick]

a final note: my gunsmith says "get rid of it"! the reason for the lands irregularity is the chamber is crooked! my friend is to decide whether to return to rem and wait or sell/trade. he is new to the shooting sport and is already thinking custom, esp when he added what a complete bluprinting will cost.

 

[Erik Cortina]

Common sense, if reamer only reamed on one side, it's crooked.

Send it back, they will replace it.

One last thing, just because "your" pet loads do not shoot in a rifle does not mean rifle will not shoot. Work up a load with every rifle for best accuracy.

 

[VaniB]

How do you sell a "crooked" rifle without knowing that the next buyer is going to get stuck with the same waste of time and money as you have? I realize that a lot of folks with a problem gun sell it to a dealer or pawnshop as a trade-in. This way you will never have to meet the actual buyer and see the whites of his eyes when it is passed on this way. But you still know in your heart somebody is going to get stuck with it and get screwed!

It would seem sending it back to Remington would be the best course of action. You could put up it for sale immediately when it returns from the factory, and have a clear conscience that the last thing you knew is that it has been refurbished/fixed by Remington and given a clean bill of health.

 

[mshelton]

Maybe it's a good thing they are moving from NY.

 

[JohnnyJohnson]

For once they got something right?

 

[jonbearman]

Being in new york has nothing to do with anything.If he doesnt send it back so they can confirm there is a problem then this thead is meaningless.Always go to the source first.I have dealt with remington before and they can be inept at times but in the end,the fixed the two problems within a reasonable time and it was over.It is no different than buying a car with trouble and the first thing you do is sell it without trying to get it fixed under warranty? This is the most ridiculous thing I have seen talked about.It is checvy vesus ford again. Let remington rebarrel it. Insist you want a new barrel and give a detailed description of the problem including the odd marks on your bullets. Do not send live ammo back. Then after you send it back make sure you have it insured and return reciept requested.Or whatever you have to do to document you sent the rifle.Then call after about 5 days and demand to know what they found.You have to push alittle or they will just take their time.