Help me breathe some new life into my old Model 7!

[LJT88]

Back 20 some years ago I bought my first rifle….a stainless model 7 chambered in 308. It’s been a great handy mid west whitetail rig. A few years back I put it in a H&S stock now looking to do a little more.

I’m sending it to Long Rifles to have them enlarge the rear action screw to the M700 size. While it’s there I’m thinking about swapping barrels. The original shoots ok…1-1.5moa but is crazy thin and obviously not threaded and I’m looking to get my first suppressor soonish.

The rifle would be primary hunting. Whitetail and western mulies / elk.

So a couple questions….

Stay 308? Or go 6.5cm or 7mm-08? Those are the 3 options.

What’s the barrel contour of choice? I want something I can have threaded. I’m thinking #3 contour. 20in for 308 or 22 with 6.5 or 7mm-08 Is what i have in mind. I’d like to go carbon but I think would probably be out of the budget and I’m honestly not sure the stock could be opened up enough to take that heavy of a contoured barrel.

Is it worth having LRI true the action while it’s there?

Any suggestions and thoughts are welcomed!

 

[BLEE]

What is your intended use for the rifle?

 

[The D]

LRI does amazing work(no direct experience, just what I’ve seen posted here) but you won’t gain much accuracy from even the full beans blueprint. Most of the accuracy in a rifle is in the barrel.

Do you reload(you should)?

If not, 7mm-08 might have better factory ammo available

If you do, eh, just pick something. But seriously, it’s probably a toss-up between 7mm-08(or SAW) or 260 Rem(ai or straight)

 

[LJT88]

No I don’t reload at the moment. I’d like to get into it in the near future but not at the moment.

I’ve heard that from others as well about the trued action and wanted some other thoughts on it. Probably save that money and put it towards the barrel. I’m thinking probably a remage from NSS.

 

[The D]

Criterion barrels have a really good reputation, so that shouldn’t be a problem.

What is the ratio of hunting:target shooting this rifle will see? If it’s mostly hunting, a criterion will be just fine. If it’s closer to 50:50, you could get another better (or several more) barrel for target shooting that’s longer and a thicker contour

 

[LJT88]

Ratio would probably be 90-10 in favor of hunting. I have other rifles for range / comps.

 

[The D]

Right on.

You said this was your first rifle. How much sentimental value does it have? You could send it to LRI for all of the blueprint options and go scorched earth on your bank account

 

[LJT88]

Hahah. I don’t think I’ll ever sell it but I don’t want to go crazy expensive. Trying not to spend $1000 on a $500 dollar rifle.

 

[The D]

Disclaimer: The plan you laid out in post 1 is totally fine.

But you asked for “suggestions and thoughts”. So you’re getting some…

If this is only really ever going to be a hunting rifle and you’re probably not going to sink big $$ into it, stick to your original plan. Whatever cartridge you pick will be fine. You might want something a bit bigger for mule deer/elk if a longer shot is ever needed but that’s a different conversation for a different day

If you can ever see yourself doing some significant upgrades to this rifle down the road, you might as well buy once/cry once and go ham in the LRI options. You will probably save yourself some money in duplicate costs down the road.

But, like I said, the original plan looks solid

 

[Harronek]

The 308 would be my suggestion because of the large range of bullet weights that the 308 can shoot and what is available off the self .
The 308 might not be the latest sexy beast , but with a 18-20 inch barrel ( if you are getting a suppressor then it is still easily manageable length wise ) it is a very good hunting caliber when used at sensible distances .
Rebarrel it , bed the stock and do something with the trigger.
Anything more than that , you really run the risk of throwing money away .

 

[Bakwa]

Hahah. I don’t think I’ll ever sell it but I don’t want to go crazy expensive. Trying not to spend $1000 on a $500 dollar rifle.

Just so you know, these things are no longer $500 rifles. In decent shape, most are fetching $1000 these days.


On that note, any of the calibers you mentioned would be fine, but I think 7-08 is an excellent caliber for a lightweight hunting rig. Slightly flatter than 308. Roughly same energy. Less recoil.
308 is more versatile with factory loads but that's about all you grain with it. When I finally rebarrel my model 7 I'm likely going 7-08.

 

[308pirate]

What is your intended use for the rifle?

From the OP

The rifle would be primary hunting. Whitetail and western mulies / elk.

 

[30338]

I have several threaded #2 contour from Hawk Hill, Benchmark and 2B from Bartlein. Almost all either 6.5 creedmoor or 6.5x47. I'd go creedmoor and stock up on Berger 135 Classic ammunition. They've killed bears, big mule deer and elk for us with no issues.

 

[308pirate]

I’ve heard that from others as well about the trued action and wanted some other thoughts on it.

I don't get it. If you're going to send the rifle to LRI, why not just save your time and ask them all of these questions.

 

[bmash]

6.5 (or 260 rem) with 129ABLR, new barrel, true and bed the action. (Or put it in a chassis) New trigger - could do later if budget is an issue.
mine went from 1.5 to 2” groups to 3/8” groups. It is a very accurate rifle. Model 7 actions are AWSOME!

 

[BLEE]

From the OP

Thanks. That's what I get for posting, when I'm cross-eyed tired.

 

[LJT88]

6.5 (or 260 rem) with 129ABLR, new barrel, true and bed the action. (Or put it in a chassis) New trigger - could do later if budget is an issue.
mine went from 1.5 to 2” groups to 3/8” groups. It is a very accurate rifle. Model 7 actions are AWSOME!

I also think I’m leaning towards the 6.5 option also. I like the idea of having the same ammo as the other 6.5 I already have and also reduce the recoil.

 

[bmash]

I also think I’m leaning towards the 6.5 option also. I like the idea of having the same ammo as the other 6.5 I already have and also reduce the recoil.

The only issue I have is my barrel is heavy. (I don’t recall profile) It is Ok for going to a deer stand but not walking for elk. If you don’t go with a carbon fiber, you may want to research getting a custom profile barrel. Thinner and then up to min diam needed to have 5/8 thread needed for suppressor.

 

[LJT88]

I’d like to go carbon! I could get a remage from carbon six but even if I could budget it I don’t think that H&S stock could be opened up enough? Maybe….I’m not sure? Any of you guys have any thoughts on that?

 

[roostercogburn98]

Model 7s can be pimp guns. I have three that were completely gone over by a very reputable shop and shoot fantastic.

The one in 223 is absolutely a hammer.

One is in an odd caliber (30carbine), but it is a monster as well.

The 6.5 creedmoor is another hammer.

The world is your oyster with a great shop doing work, and your ability to part with money to get it done right.

 

[spife7980]

I’m sending it to Long Rifles to have them enlarge the rear action screw to the M700 size.

Why?

 

[swampbuck]

I upgraded my model 7 and it is my primary hunting rifle. It is a 7mm-08 with a 9 twist Hart #4 which is equal in size to a Bartlein #3. I had mine done 20 years ago when Hart was at it's top and Bartlein wasn't as well known. 20 inches.

Anyway. I had it put in a HS Precision Sporter stock. I had the action trued, glass bedded, timney trigger install and put on a steel bottom hinged floor plate and trigger guard. Got rid of the factory pot metal. It is a black stock and bead blasted stainless barreled action It really doesn't look that much different then when it came from the factory but everything has been upgraded and it shoots 1/3 moa.

I say for your purposes stick with 20 inch #3 barrel in 308 and 22 for the others. That is a solid plan.

Reubenski is right that for the length restrictions on a model 7. 7mm-08 will pretty much be confined to 140ish grain bullets so might as well do the 6.5 Creedmoor. Or stick with 308 for max versatility

Reubenski is also right that shooting a light weight rifle like this is very different then other platforms. I don't think of mine so much as Thor's hammer but instead a Maestro's wand.

 

[2c1fr]

6.5 Creedmoor for me if I were doing it so that’s what I suggest for you

 

[LJT88]

I think I’ll end up going 6.5 cm although the 308 is still pulling at me mostly for nostalgic reasons.

 

[fdkay]

If you intend to rebarrel, they will want to true it first.
Just be aware, you are starting to drive the cost up.
You could go with a heavy magnum contour, those typically have enough meat on them for 5/8X24 threads with enough room for a good shoulder.
I'm a 7mm fan, so that would be my fist choice. Hornady ELD-X 150 grain load would work really well for whitetail. In reality, anything with a well constructed bullet from 129 grains and up will do.
Depending on the size of your whitetail, you can go anywhere from 6mm to .30 cal and be served well on your cartridge choice.

 

[LRI]

My two bits:

Blueprinting/accurizing is a term that gets tossed around quite a bit. While I agree that its core purpose is to improve the accuracy potential of a rifle by ensuring all of the critical surfaces of the receiver are in a proper relationship to one another, I have evolved my opinion to try and look at it from a broader perspective. I think the overall functionality of an action is just as important (maybe more) as its accuracy potential.

Covering all the bases is something I've attempted to address.

• Honed receiver bores to establish roundness, correct taper issues, and provide clearance for finishing once all the machine work is completed.
• 8-40 base holes indexed and aligned to the receiver bore through hole interpolation and thread milling instead of drilled/tapped. Drills follow an existing hole. Taps take the path of least resistance. ID boring and thread milling will correct a positional error.
• Improving extraction with the M16 conversion. OEM M700-type extractors work until they don't. M16s are significantly more robust. The most accurate rifle in the world is useless if you can't use it.
• Fixing Primary Extraction. Late model M700 handles were made incorrectly. The difference is immediately visible when an older legacy action is referenced. Correcting the cam geometry is the only way to solve this problem.
• Bushing a striker pin hole on the boltface to mitigate cratered primers and boltface erosion.
• Pinning a recoil lug. On a bedded rifle or one about to be bedded, having the lug indexed/timed with a repeatable location is critical to accuracy. It's quite common to pull a barreled action apart a half dozen times when fitting a rifle. If the lug is not indexed to the exact location as when it was bedded in the stock, the rifle will be problematic because it is biasing one side of the stock. Guard screws and floor metals will not fit correctly.

Adding to this are several elective options that can improve aesthetics. The Model 7, IMO is an ugly action. The belt sander ejection port reminds me of an 8th-grade shop class project. We offer an alternative solution for those interested.

Hope this helps.

C.

 

[2c1fr]

Life is to short to hunt with a rifle you don’t really care for….. if it were me I’d turn that sumbitch into my dream rifle and do everything I could to make it better and more accurate as for cartridge for me it’s a 6.5 Creedmoor all day long!

 

[Greasly]

First rifle? I'd put a trigger in it. Make sure you're happy with the optic. Try reloading for it. Keep it to pass it on. Buy another one sometime in the future that has the features you want.

 

[fdkay]

To me, a model seven screams for a cartridge like the .250 savage.
Loaded with modern powders, it is VERY capable and an excellent deer cartridge.

 

[2c1fr]

@LJT88 you ever do anything with this project?

 

[45-90]

Back 20 some years ago I bought my first rifle….a stainless model 7 chambered in 308. It’s been a great handy mid west whitetail rig. A few years back I put it in a H&S stock now looking to do a little more.

I’m sending it to Long Rifles to have them enlarge the rear action screw to the M700 size. While it’s there I’m thinking about swapping barrels. The original shoots ok…1-1.5moa but is crazy thin and obviously not threaded and I’m looking to get my first suppressor soonish.

The rifle would be primary hunting. Whitetail and western mulies / elk.

So a couple questions….

Stay 308? Or go 6.5cm or 7mm-08? Those are the 3 options.

What’s the barrel contour of choice? I want something I can have threaded. I’m thinking #3 contour. 20in for 308 or 22 with 6.5 or 7mm-08 Is what i have in mind. I’d like to go carbon but I think would probably be out of the budget and I’m honestly not sure the stock could be opened up enough to take that heavy of a contoured barrel.

Is it worth having LRI true the action while it’s there?

Any suggestions and thoughts are welcomed!

Hunting rifle... 1" to 1.5" is all ya need...keep it light. A factory 308 will shoot good for 8000rds. Put your money elsewhere, your rifle will continue to serve you well in to the future, just as it is.

 

[shoots100]

My brother is getting divorced, so he hasn't had access to his firearms for almost two years.
This year he gets to hunt, so I took the witches Model 7 pencil barreled .243 that she let rust in a case and transformed it into a Remage medium contoured varmint barreled 6 man bun.
2lb trigger and new stock.
Just need to sand blast and Duracoat it.
It's a tack driver with 100 grn soft points.