Remington Mountain rilfe

[koivu]

I picked up a used  7 X57 mountain rifle a while back.  I wasn't hand loading at the time so I was trying out different factory loads but couldn't come up with any that shot really well.  I've since started reloading so I am hoping things will improve this year when I'm using my own loads.  I noticed that the barrel on the rifle has a pressure point a few inches from the front end of the stock.  It's a wood stock.  As a rule are the barrels on the mountain rifles free floated?  I know its a skinny barrel but I'm wondering if I should take out the pressure point and have the rifle bedded and the barrel free floating?  What do you guys think? 

Thanks

[Graybeard]

No barrels on them are NOT free floated. I've tried that a few times and it makes things worse in my experience. I've owned a lot of M700 Mountain Rifles and can honestly say I regret letting go those no longer with me. That original one with the walnut stock in .270 I've especially been kicking myself for trading off.

With one exception all have been able to shoot three shots into an inch or less at 100 yards once I found loads they liked. That first one shot the Hornady Custom 140 and Federal Premium 150 Nosler PT into well under an inch all the time. I never bothered working up hand loads for it. Did I mention how badly I wish I had that rifle back?

I've done an action bedding job on a couple of them the .30-06 needed it and responded well to it shooting nice tight little clusters afterward with most all loads whereas before it was a kinda mediocre shooter. The 7-08 shot no better but luckily no worse after the bedding job. It was always able to keep them under an inch. After that experience I stopped bedding them and honestly never felt a need on any other.

I bought a used LSS Mtn. Rifle in .260 Rem that had only stayed with the original owner a week or so according to the dealer I got it from. I knew it likely had a problem when I bought it. The barrel was pushing hard against the stock on one side and it was clear the barrel channel was cut off center. I bought it, called Remington and they had a new stock on the way to me immediately and asked me to return the factory stock in the box they sent me the replacement in. That cured the problem.

Most all of them shot Hornady ammo either Custom or Light Mag one or the other into tight little clusters under an inch at 100 yards as they came or with some relieving of the barrel channel to prevent uneven pressure. That is what I generally start with for factory ammo is the Hornady and if it shoots to my satisfaction I use it to hunt with and only plink and target practice with reloads.

On any of the Mountain rifles and Model Sevens I recommend you look closely at the barrel fit in the barrel channel. See if it looks like the stock touches on one side more heavily than the other. If so relieve that first then begin shooting. I always take the stock off any rifle I buy and use mild sand paper to clean out the barrel channel to remove any burrs anyway so if I find uneven pressure on the barrel I just work that area a bit more to make sure the barrel doesn't have pressure pushing on one side and not the other. You should be able to run a business card up and down the barrel from where the pressure point is all the way back to where it is bedded near the chamber. If you can't relieve it so you can.

Those pencil thin Remington barrels will shoot so long as you have the pressure point bearing evenly and no other stock barrel contact until the chamber area. It's been way to long since I picked up a new Mtn. Rifle but rat now finances just won't allow me to do much about it.

[Lloyd Smale]

just floating a barrel on a gun especially one with a light barrel doesnt allways help. What you need to do is not only float the barrel but bed the action too. Ive yet to see a gun that was bedded and floated shoot worse. I had one mountain rifle a 280 back when the first ones came out. It had exceptional wood for a remington and shot real well. I had to sell it along with some others to pay for a divorce. Dont remember who ever bought it and if i did id be at his door step to get it back. When i could afford to replace it all that were around were the detactable mag ones and on that trim little rifle that just didnt look right. I ended up replacing it with a winchester featherweight in 280 and its one of my favorite rifles now. Still would like to have that mountain rifle back though.

[Buckskin]

I just picked one up in 7-08 and was curious about the same thing.  The one I got is stainless with a laminate stock and the front end of the stock there was a bit of adhessive/glue in the barrel channel where it meets the barrel.  I evened it out, it wasn't too bad, just not right...  Was wondering about floating it, but figured I should probably shoot it first and research the reasoning for the pressure point being there, as it is definately intended.  Shoots great by the way!  Out of the box with a mild reload that I set up for it with 139gr SSTs it is right about an inch.  It will be a great shooter with a little work up and I bought some 140gr Accubonds for that purpose.

I was all set to replace the trigger on it, but after playing with it a bit I was pretty impressed with the x-pro on it.  Very crisp and I would guess that it's right about 3-4lb pull.  On the bench I would prefer it a bit lower but I think it will be fine for a hunting gun.

[Swampman]

The X-Mark Pro isn't hard to adjust.

[Buckskin]

No it wasn't.  Although I didn't see a much of a decrease in pull as I expected.  Rem says that one rotation equals 1lb, but it didn't seem that way, I went 2 rotationsa and didn't notice much difference.  I didn't measure the pull, just by feel (I had a trigger pull scale and loaned it to someone and it never came back...)I don't know how many rotations I can go and if I can go too far.

[351 power]

i turned mine about 2/3 of a turn and felt that the trigger was abit lighter.  nice trigger i think

[oneoldsap]

              Good 7X57 factory ammo doesn't exist ! It is so anemic , to make them safe for the old Military rifles out there . If ever a cartridge needed handloading for Modern Rifles it's the 7X57 , a marvolous round when loaded to it's potential ! If you have a good 7X57 you are good to hunt anything in No. America (CONUS) !

[simplicity]

I've been wanting one of the 700 mountains in 280 for years. I've gotten other 280s but none of them have felt as good as the mountains I've picked up. I'd almost settle for a CDL (same stock as the mountain)  in 280 but remington doesn't produce them in that caliber. The only thing holding me back from buying one of the stainless laminates or the titainiums is the price.

[john keyes]

I just bought another mountain rifle, a 260 blue/walnut with a DBM.  It came with a VX-II.  It seems most here hate the DBM, I had one on my savage 99 and liked it better than my 99 with the rotary. go figure.
I have three other 700 mountain rifles:

700  MTN LSS in 260 (2 deer last season) and 7mm-08 (biggest deer, biggest rack, longest shot)
older 700 Mountain in 280, floor plate.

I just bought 500 165? gr speer boattail spitzers that are supposed to have a really high BC. gonna try them out in the 280.  To me a 280 is damn near an ICBM.  I havent' shot anything with it yet but the first loads I made for it with 120 gr bullets clocked out at 3200 fps