Accurately machined Remi 700 sps-v?

[djbordie]

Hello all. Excited to be testing the waters of my first tacticool bolt rifle.

I recently acquired a new sps-v in .308 at a cant be beat price. (relatively new manuf date, if that matters)

Also one of those ridiculous archangel stocks. Both at great prices I couldnt pass up.

I have read so much about remi 700s being very poorly machined and it is wise to bed the rails.

My build is a TPS 20 MOA alloy steel & matching x-low rings.

One of the guides I am following suggested bolting the front of the rail and checking the rear for any gap, and then bolting the rear of the rail and checking the front.

Now to my surprise, I have no gap...on either end. is this one in a million? Or is the "poorly machined" claim a bit exaggerated?

Please help ease my nerves, but do I need to bed this rail? is there any point?
I cant slide a piece of paper under it, let alone see any gaps whatsoever.

Thank you


EDIT: I can slide a piece of paper through the rear section of the rail, but just barely. No visible gap.
Can not get it through the front section at all.

figure this is OK with some loctite and both sets of screws in..done? or will I have wiggle?

 

[fdkay]

The majority of Rem actions require the scope base to be bedded.
You got lucky.
To be absolutely certain, install the rail, torque the screws and place a straight edge along it lengthwise

 

[djbordie]

What would that prove? that the top of the rail is straight...? im missing something.

 

[T2CH]

It proves that the action is straight. If the action is not straight then the rail will bend when the screws are torqued down. A straight edge will show this even if the test method does not.

I have one that was straight and did not need any bedding. They are out there...

 

[djbordie]

Awesome, thank you for the info.

I shall bring a straight edge home from the shop.

 

[morganlamprecht]

a buddy of mine's savage i did for him recently, pretty bad gap on the rear and when pushin on the rear u could see it flex...my r700 was not quite as bad but still needed bedding on the back...this was with the front screws only torqued to like 5 in/lbs

 

[KelsonAK]

All it shows is that the rail and reciever are both in agreement. They could both be banana shaped - and that is not a big deal. The idea is that the rail should not be introducing MORE stress and deformation to the system - so sometimes we bed them.

 

[cshann55]

I bought 2 aac-sd rifles at the same time. Serial numbers only a few digits apart and they were both very true to my surprise!
I bought another 6 months later and ha, not true at all. Guess it does make a different on shifts, days of the week, etc. on the assembly line...

 

[djbordie]

Interesting, thank you

My main concern is that im not missing an important step.

Will straight edge it and see how it goes when torqued down.

 

[Niles Coyote]

If you do decide to bed the base, do the rear rather than the front or you will lose some of your MOA built into the 20 MOA base.

 

[djbordie]

Most definitely, I am following that guide "budget precision build" from 8541 tactical website.

quite a great read/guide.

Im still unsure if my base Is "perfect" to the receiver. I think even if its straight and only a paper thickness of a gap that is too much for me...maybe im being over paranoid..

 

[KelsonAK]

It takes about 2 evenings to bed a rail. Could have it done by now!

Yes, you are probably being over paranoid. For the 'cost' involved -I think being paranoid is not a 'bad' thing.

 

[djbordie]

Very true, very true.

I have a good straight edge im going to test it tonight. Im sure its fine.

I estimate the gap is about .004 of an inch...lol not sure if that is considered a gap...

prob just end up putting a touch of JB back there and get it absolutely snug.

 

[djbordie]

Check this out and tell me if you would bed or not.
paper wont go from one side to other, just from rear to about half way in.
straight edge looks straight to me, no wobbles or flex as far as I can see.

feel free to call me crazy at any moment. Thanks again for the input.

album:
https://www.dropbox.com/sc/qe533esxuw7jyfl/3k_Ml8bDdF

 

[79jeepcj5]

I'd just go ahead and bed the rear and be done with it.

 

[Randoman5]

My SPS Varmint wears a weaver base that fit perfect.

 

[djbordie]

I will be bedding, but for the sake of argument what is "perfect"

I mean you can think your base is down tight, but is it really? is .004 / inch going to create the flex and un true the optics?

 

[79jeepcj5]

It won't "untrue" the optics provided you don't mount a $30 tasco. All it will do is cause undue stress in the whole system whether it be the optic, rings, mount or action. Like I said, bed it and be done with it. Unless you'd rather have something to blame your sub-par fundamentals on.

Sorry for that last sentence, I tend to go all Internet commando when I've been drinking. Hell, it's Thursday for gods sake. Good luck.

Matt

 

[79jeepcj5]

By the way, .004 is a good bit in my world.

Spoken like a true reloader.

 

[mydogsmonkey]

I had the sam3 issue on my aiae, .004 piece of paper wouldnt fit all the way but a .002 paper receipt from the grocery store fit well in there and plenty of space to move around. With the torque put on the screws I felt safer bedding.

 

[djbordie]

By the way, .004 is a good bit in my world.

Spoken like a true reloader.

Hahaha, well said!

I completely understand.

Thank you both for the input. My fears exactly. The anxiety alone would do me in at the range...ahh .004...hah

Unfortunately I will only be mounting a Falcon 5.5-25x50 ffp for now.
I can get em direct from falcon for $420 to my door...vs a Vortex pst for $800-900.

For now it should suffice.

Build #2 will be a real stock and real optics...maybe even a real action haha.

 

[djbordie]

bedded like a champ, really great guide that 8541 tactical.

pure success, and surprising how much of a "gap" was really there.

anyone want to sell me some optics now?!