Rem 700-wood and bedding?aftermarket?bolt trueing?opinions?

[bluebayou]

I have a Remington 700 ADL Synthetic in 308.  Will be an occasional hunting rifle but I do a lot of target shooting at 100-300 yards.  I am new to this.  I can shoot 1.25 MOA with the flimsy factory stock.  I know that this is acceptable for a factory gun and for hunting.  If you had $300 and wanted to improve the accuracy would you:

Glass bed the stock?  $40
Get an HS Precision stock for ADL (bedding block)?  $275
Get an ADL to BDL kit plus a Hogue stock (pillars molded in)? $200
Get a wooden stock and glass bed it?  $120
Have a gunsmith true the bolt and bolt face?  Unknown$

Another option is the LV SF stock from Remington for $262 plus tax.  I am pretty sure that this is another HS Precision stock though.

As a side note the really excellent people at Remington are offering to replace the stock and/or the gun for free if I send it in.  I think that the gun is a keeper and don't really want to replace it.  I figure if I can shoot 1.25 with a stock where I have hogged out the pressure points and then built them back (okay, it was a mistake) then the gun is okay.  The problem is the action has to be forced into the stock and then it bows when I bolt it together.

Don't tell me to buy a Savage.

[Donaldo]

OK I won't.  But you should have.

[Double D]

If the factory is willing to replace the stock/gun start there.  If the rifle comes back factory beded try that for a while first.

I don't mean to be rude or to offend , but if the gun isn't bedded when it comes back from the factory take it to a good gunsmith and get it bedded properly.

You didn't say if you you were using factory ammo or reloads.  You should be able to get pretty decent accuracy out of current factory ammo. You can do better most of the time reloading.

If this rifle is a standard ADL then it is configured as a hunting gun. It will work shooting at 300 yards, but it will never be a target gun.

As far as Savage rifles go...Well it's a Ford Versus Chevy Argument!   It's all in what you like.  I have shot some darn accurate Savages, but I have never shot one that I wanted to own.  I prefer the 700 over all the rest, including Winchester and Ruger.  That's based both on personal shooting experience and from repair work as a gunsmith.

[dave375hh]

Action truing will not show you much if any improvment unless everything else is right. Bedding, pressure points, bolt interferance on the stock, muzzle crown cut square and polished.  
   Let Rem replace the stock then get it glass bedded and have the muzzle crown cleaned up. Tuning the trigger would be the next step. If it dosen't shoot well after these mods, an action blueprint probably won't fix it either. Action blueprinting is a waste of money unless the action is way off, or it's being done on a tgt/varmint rifle. If the action is that far off then sell it rather than throw good money after bad.
   I have a Rem. 788 .308 that never had the action blueprinted but did have all the other stuff done(by me) and it shoots the first four 3 shot groups under 1/2 inch Then opens to .7 to .8 from fouling(my cleaning is at 30 rnd intervals)

[Graybeard]

Let me state right up front I HATE plastic stocks period. Yeah I got some but I still hate them.

First up tho I'd let Remington replace the stock IF you honestly think it is defective. They just replaced one for me for free on an R700 LSS Mtn. Rifle I bought used. The bedding channel was cut off center and all I had to send them was the stock and SN of rifle. Try that as it is a near free option costing you only shipping.

Next I'd lighten the trigger pull using ONLY the one screw that changes pull weight and make sure to restake it with a proper adhesive.

I'd also take a look at the wear pattern on the lugs and see if they are wearing uniformly and getting good contact. If not I'd use some JB Bore Paste or other very mild abrasive to lap them in. Don't over do this or you'll change headspace. You're really looking to polish more so than remove metal.

Then when all of this is done at more or less no cost to you shoot the gun and see if it is then acceptable. If not it's time for more drastic and expensive action.

Personally I'd go with the Hogue over moulded stock as it at least won't have the cold impersonal feel of plastic and the rubber will make it much quieter when it hits something like a limb or a button or whatever. You still have have to glass bed the action stem to stern and the first couple inches of barrel and especially the recoil lug area. That almost always helps any factory rifle.

I agree that action truing is wasted money unless you're looking for a varmint or target rifle. Gains are usually too small to justify the cost in a hunting rifle. With the things I've mentioned above done most all Remington barrels are perfectly capable of sub MOA groups on a regular basis and most will get down to the 1/2" mark often.

[Zachary]

What I normally do on some of my rifles is get either an HS stock or McMillan stock, then have it glass bedded and pillar bedded, and finally have a trigger job on it with pull anywhere from 2.5 lbs to 3.5 pounds depending on cartridge and use.

On my Winchester Classic Stainless in .375H&H Mag, I had all of the above work done, plus I also had the action jewelled, which is really nothing more than just polishing the action to make is silky smooth, and it is - even more so than my Tikkas - AND THAT'S SMOOTH!.  Anyway, I forgot how much all that work cost, but it was worth it because I can shoot 3 shot groups at 100 yards of UNDER 1/4"!!! That's right, and that's with plain jane factory Federal 300 grain Hi-Shock round nose ammo.  Oddly enough, with the 300 Nosler Partitions, the groups open a bit, but still well below 1MOA.  Can you imagine a .375H&H African big game animal rifle that can shoot better than a varmint rifle?!?!?!?  Well, I got it.  (Keep in mind, however, that since the recoil is so bad, my flinching starts to cause my groups to open up.)

Bottom line is that there is no guarantee that the above work will give you similar results, but there is little doubt that it will definately help to some degree.

BTW, I too absolutely HATE the plastic factory stocks from Remchester.

[dave284]

Pitch the factory tupperware. Get a McMillan, Brown Precision, or Bansnars HiTech, or even cheaper, a Ti take off from E-bay. It is possible to stiffen and rebed the existing stock but it still won't be up to par with the others. If the gun is doing 1.25" with factory ammo its not the metal itself.  Not to say that a little TLC from a good smith wouldn't improve it even more. Any stock you get should be bedded for best results.
 Good Luck,
   Dave.

[Coal River Rat]

Dave284-"pitch the factory tupperware" LOL!!  You have a way with words. :grin:  Dave is telling you right and from experience, I might add. Save yourself time and money in the long run. It's hard to beat a McMillian Mountain Rifle contour(my fav.) with a good bedding job. If you would go with a HS Precision Stock w/alum. bedding block- skim bed it anyway. This will save you possible headaches in the future.

[gunnut69]

GB is right on the plastics..  hate the tupperware..even the good stuff..  I'd go with a laminate.  They are very strong and quite stiff, relatively inexpensive and if properly releaved they don't add much if any weight.  Best of all they are warm to the touch..unlike the plastic.  They last shop I worked in had a barrel full of broken factory plastic..  I disagree with GB about the Hogue but understand where he's coming from.  The Hogue stocks are quieter and a bit warner to the touch but are heavier.  I'd still recommend the laminates.  Try Fred Wenig in Warsaw Missouri or ElkRidge, both have websites..

[bluebayou]

Well, Remington changed their tune.  They are no longer offering to replace the stock for free.  Since I sanded the barrel channel I voided the warranty on the stock.  No biggie as I hated that plastic POS from day one.  They were pretty insistent about sending the rifle in for a gunsmith to look at before firing again.  Seemed overly cautious to me, but what the heck, it's under warranty (just hope that UPS does't lose it).  So, the Remington armorer will look at the barrelled action and give his opinion on it.  I just can't believe that there isn't something wrong.  3-5" groups with 150 grain ammo just cannot be right even if it is 1:10 twist.  I will let you guys know if anyone is interested in how it turns out.  Thanks for the good advice otherwise.

[dave284]

3-5" groups with 150 grain ammo just cannot be right even if it is 1:10 twist.

  In your original post you said 1.25" groups. Where did the bigger groups come from?

[Ramrod]

Yeah, 3-5" whats up with that? As far as hunting guns go, the guys who think 1.25" groups suck are the ones who spend too much time reading magazines and not enough time hunting. This level of accuracy ain't gonna make it on woodchucks at more than 200 yards, but is more than needed big-game hunting at any range.
But, to answer your question, I believe the easiest and best improvement for your gun is the second choice. "Get an HS Precision stock for ADL (bedding block)? $275 ". This is the stock Remington put on my .22-250 Varmint Special, and this gun shoots under .5 with reloads, and under .75 with any factory load I have tried. I'm talking 5 shot groups, not your average B.S. artist's 3 shot (best 3 out of 5, throw out the "flyers") group. Don't go to the BDL, accuracy many times is worse, due to the weaker stock.
I just traded my .22-250 synthetic Wally World special that I got on closeout, I never even shot it. What a piece of crap that stock was!
I think Remingtons are inheritantly good shooters by design, but easily ruined by faulty bedding.

[bluebayou]

Dave- I forgot that this was discussed in an earlier post:  3-5" groups with 150 grain but 1.25 with 168 Gold Medal Match and 165 Gamekings.  

Ramrod- thanks for the first-hand info on the ADL stock.  You are the first that I have heard from with the HS Precision ADL stock.  Good to hear.  Can you believe that Remington wants $250 for a plain wooden ADL stock?  No extras, just to get a wooden stock.  For that much I can get the HS Precision one more or less.  Anyway, I am ready to have my gun back.

[bluebayou]

If anyone is keeping track...
I talked to Remington today (I shipped the gun to them a few weeks ago, they got it Monday 12-6).  The barrel was "out of spec" so they are replacing the barrel.  Thank God, because I was thinking that maybe I was just a bad shot.  As a side note, the "trigger had been taken out of factory specifications" and they were resetting it to 7.5 lbs.  Nice of them.  

In any event, they say that the rifle has been tested and are shipping it back Monday.  I hope that it is a shooter.  Now I have to fix my stock problem.

[lilabner]

This is going to make me sound like a bean counter, but in my experience it is good advice. Aftermarket spending on rifles is tough to recover if the gun doesn't shoot up to expectations and you decide to dump it. If I were you I would sell it as is and use the proceeds to invest in a new varmint model or get a glass bed job and call it good. ( you could spring for other enhancements if the glass bed significantly improved accuracy.)My hunch is that Remington's inspection will say the gun is just fine and then you're out shipping costs and hassle. I did aftermarket stuff on my dad's old Springfield but it was sentiment - we'd hunted together a lot and the gun had a long family history. A glass bed, new trigger, recrown and a  spring to reduce lock time set me back some money but I was lucky - the old rifle shoots consistent 3 shot groups of an inch or less with hot hunting loads and that was an improvement. I wouldn't have done it for any other gun. If you go for the bedding job shoot the modified rifle from a good solid bench rest and see what gives. If the groups tighten up to what you are looking for, a trigger job would be reasonable.