7mm Rem Mag question

[MarkJordanKaden]

Just messing around, thinking "how accurate could I make it with a $200 scope, and 200 to modify or change the rifle"? It is a factory Rem 700 in 7mm Rem mag, it does have the pencil barrel. Has anyone else ever done anything like this for fun. Also what did you do?

 

[AKONA]

The rem mag is inherently accurate with quality loads. A $200 scope initially sounds that is going to do little to help but it is hard to know w/o knowing if that might be a used fixed power true marksman scope vs. some Chinese junk that
might actually come apart with the pounding of a magnum.
Also consider if the stock is rigid enough and bedded and the base and rings might be appropriate for the job.
If your rifle can repeat accuracy this will show in the 100 yards target. The only way to find out is to shoot it and see if the barrel and action show some potential in the first place.

 

[ShtrRdy]

I think it really depends on the barrel that's on your gun - and stock. I had an old 700 in 7mm Rem Mag that would walk the shots as it heated up. This past year I had it transformed into a 300 Win Mag with a good barrel and now it's a sweet shooter - I put it in a used HS Precision stock after the action/barrel work.

 

[ridenrunwv]

Have a friend with the thin factory barrel 700 Magnum and barrel heat is the biggest problem. If you keep the strings of shots spread out enough to manage the heat it will be accurate. Bushnell Elite 10x can be found for 200. New stock with the other 200 and you'll have a pretty good shooter. Base and rings are going to cost a bit but I've seen and had good luck with the Weaver Tactical base and rings on a budget.

 

[MarkJordanKaden]

I only have 300 into it so far.... This is obviously not a 1/2 moa @ 500 yard weapon. I am just curious how much the small stuff can be done to "help" it. Might end up giving it to my son when I am done with it. Or just might take it to the next level and put a better barrel and have it trued ect.

 

[djdilliodon]

With that round and a pencil barrel it will be a 2 shooter. If you take a break between shots to allow it cool, you should be able to shoot decent groups with a bedded stock and a good tuned trigger.

 

[fdkay]

I think you will grow rather weary of shooting a light, 7mm magnum from the bench in rather short order and begin to flinch.

 

[Dirty D]

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I put a NF NXS on top of my Stevens 308 and have never regretted it, it shoots .35 to .43ctc 5 rd groups off a bipod at 100yds btw. The best rifle in the world is useless w/o a good scope.

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[Dirty D]

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eta: Listen to FDKay.

 

[MarkJordanKaden]

So maybe I should not skimp on the scope,....

So what would you do to it?

.as far as flinching, I am not worried about that. But I do understand where you are going with that.

Again this is not some high-end build, or some 2 year project... I am wondering if anyone else has seen just how much they could get out of a factory rifle with a minimal budget.

The Rifle is a Remington 700, 26" barrel, blind magazine, 7 mm Rem Mag........

As far as a budget, lets say $350.00-$400.00

 

[redneckbmxer24]

I agree on not skimping on the scope. R700's can shoot great despite the pencil barrel but it will especially be your enemy with that 7mm mag. Expect no more than 3 round strings.

Is it a new enough one it has the Xmark or Xmark pro or does it have the old style trigger. If it has the old style trigger I'd give it a good trigger job first. If it has the Xmark throw it in the trash and buy an old style trigger. With a $400 budget I wouldn't buy an aftermarket. Then get a decent optic and mounts and see what it's capable off.

If it shoots great then don't bother with a stock upgrade unless you want to. If it shoots like shit I'd armslist it. If it doesn't shoot great but shows potential I'd look into a decent stock with either an aluminum bedding block or pre installed pillars so you can do an at home bedding job without worrying about pillars, or a chassis. If you do one of the formers I'd get a bottom metal and convert it to BDL at the same time,

I had a mid 2000's ADL 7mm mag I got cheap and came with the shitty synthetic stock. I got an old ADL LA wood stock with metal trigger guard and pachmayer pad for $20. It was standard sporter to I opened the barrel channel to float the magnum sporter. I didn't even bed it and that rifle was scary accurate, never should have sold it but I needed room in the safe.

 

[Bm22]

It would depend on how far you want to shoot it. I dont think you can get much for $400. Just the kit to bed the action is going to cut way into that budget. You can probably do some trigger work if you are very mechanically inclined.

Any pencil barrl will start to walk after you fire a couple 7 mag rounds down the tube.

A new barrel is a must if you plan to fire from the bench. If its going to be a hunting rifle you will be fine.

 

[Graham]

7mm Rem Mag question

The scope is irrelevant: A scope won't make a rifle more accurate.

 

[Dirty D]

So maybe I should not skimp on the scope,....

You don't have to go crazy on the scope, you can get a decent Vortex that is repeatable and will serve you well for a little over your range.

A scope won't make a rifle more accurate.

Graham is correct, a scope cannot make a rifle more accurate. But then again a scope certainly can make a rifle less accurate...

 

[cobrad]

Bed it and get a trigger job.

 

[MarkJordanKaden]

Lots of valid points, and great ideas. I dont ever plan to bench fire it, if my son does when he gets it well his wallet can make that happen. A barrel floating, bedding action,and 1 piece scope base, decent rings, and a scope are in order. Maybe this will bring the long range, precision shooting bug close enough to bite me and make me build a precision weapon. Thanks for the ideas, they will be applied.

 

[mallrat]

The scope is irrelevant: A scope won't make a rifle more accurate.

Kind of like saying "The lawyer is irrelevant: A lawyer won't make a defendant innocent." No, but a bad lawyer can get an innocent man found guilty, and a bad scope can shift its POA, ruining your ability to make accurate shots.

The scope is far from irrelevant.

 

[Graham]

Kind of like saying "The lawyer is irrelevant: A lawyer won't make a defendant innocent." No, but a bad lawyer can get an innocent man found guilty, and a bad scope can shift its POA, ruining your ability to make accurate shots.

The scope is far from irrelevant.

Your logic skills need work:

You are assuming that a piece of machinery might not work properly, for the purpose of concluding that it might not work properly.

 

[DMann]

What stock is on it? Wood or synthetic, BDL or ADL? How is the crown? Have you done any load development? What scope mount does it have currently, if any? Does the barrel float?

Pretty much all of the voodoo has been worked out of the Rem mag since Phil Sharpe's 7mm Sharpe & Hart inspired Remington's factory offering. Throat dimensions have been worked out, decent load data from decades of experimentation, and one of the best selections of bullets available from every bullet manufacturer.

Make sure the crown is burr-free and the barrel free floats. Put a dab of bedding compound behind the lug so that the front receiver ring/ action screw can be torqued down to eliminate any excess vibration. Tune the trigger and put a good solid one piece base like a Pic rail on it. Check eBay for a decent used Leupold M8 fixed 4 or 6X scope. Find a load that just touches the lands and will still work through the mag. Don't go for max velocity - there are many faster rounds - go for accuracy and consistency.

You ought to be able to get sub-MOA assuming the throat isn't eroded to Hell and back.

If nothing else, it sounds like a worthy and fun project. The 7 Rem Mag was state-of-the-art in its day and will still do most of anything a man needs a rifle to do, in North America.

Go for it.

 

[Bubb]

Your logic skills need work:

You are assuming that a piece of machinery might not work properly, for the purpose of concluding that it might not work properly.

He is 100 % correct! One flawed instrument, can't determine the ability of another good or bad! You must eliminate the weak link. First you must make sure 100% the scope is not throwing shots or you'll never know how accurate or inaccurate the gun is? If a doctor uses a EKG to base what your heart is doing. Can he accurately do it if the EKG isn't working?? No he can't! That's why high end gunsmiths have a test scope of set standard to test finish guns for standard moa ability. It's totally the scope first, then one thing at a time after that.

 

[MarkJordanKaden]

DMann, It is about 3 years old, never been fired, it has the cheap camo synthetic stock, bone stock, barrel floats about 1 1/2" past the stock towards the lug, no hand loads yet, mag is internal from the top.

I understand and agree about the scope issue. (both sides are valid) it will need a decent scope. The budget it not a "I only have this to work with", but a budget set to see how accurate one can make a factory weapon with minimal funds.

 

[DMann]

Mark - sounds like a basic ADL synthetic. If I remember correctly, those stocks are injection molded plastic. The biggest problem with those is that they flex. I have friends who have roughed up the inside finish then filled them with bedding compound and even pieces of drill rod in the fore end to make them more rigid - it can be done, but a Bell & Carlson Medalist will only run you around $275- ish, so keep that in mind.

Just take it one step at a time, and I bet you will be able to turn out a pretty decent general purpose rifle.