"rebuild" a remington model 700?

Hibs

Hibs

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I've got an older (mid 70s) Remington model 700 in 6mm that I inherited from my Godfather. It was used as a ranch rifle to dispatch many coyotes and deer. I've used it for the same in the 10 years I've owned it. It has seen better days though. The bluing on the barrel has worn off and there is pitting on the exterior surface of the barrel and the bolt. The wood stock is in mostly good condition. The gun still functions perfect and shoots accurately. Though I've been pondering the idea of maybe "restoring" the gun to new or better then new condition. I'm open to doing upgrades.

Not entirely sure what purpose this gun will serve for me. Most likely will be a deer rifle, though I am planning to try and use my AR15 for that this year. One thing about the caliber, I don't plan on reloading any time soon and 6mm is hard to find in factory loads. Is it even possible to re-caliber a rifle like this? Maybe to a .243?

What are some of my options? What are your recommendations?

In my head I think that a new barrel and new bolt can be installed, maybe refinish the wood stock and have it in OEM condition. Then throw a nicer scope on it and call it a day. Would this even be cost effective or am I better off just using this as is and saving my money for other things? The fact that I did inherit this makes me not want to get rid of the rifle.

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If I inherited a gun, my goal would be to keep it as close to as original as possible. Especially if it functions and shoots accurately so I would restore it the best I could by:

Refinishing the stock
Re-crown, and Re-blue barrel and action, etc

Also would upgrade the optics, rings, etc if I planned to use it, but then again.....I may display it after refinishing since I inherited the gun.

How bad is the pitting ?

It’s really hard to say exactly without seeing and handling it but by your description this is what I would do if it were me.

If your absolutely not sure, have it evaluated by a good gunsmith
 
Here is some more pics. It was reblued once by a friend in high school, but nothing was down about the pitting. Wonder how much a competent gunsmith would charge to fix?

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Nothing I see can't be repaired. The bolt shroud can be replaced pretty cheap and easy. The barrel, well maybe not so cheap, the piting is pretty bad. You could buy a new barrel or a good used one. Numrick's may even have one in stock to replace the factory one. They may even have a replacement stock or you could sand and refinish it yourself. To really make it look "New", I'd have a qualified gunsmith reblue it and it will be looking good! One other thought, You might have it blasted and put something like cera-coat or something like that on the exsisting barrel and action. It may hide some of the pitting and be alot cheaper.
 
A gunsmith will charge depending on the labor involved to remove the pitting - if that's even possible. If you're determined to keep the original barrel, I'd spend some time draw-filing and polishing with emery paper to remove the worst of the pitting.

What I would recommend is searching for a new factory take-off barrel in a caliber that I wanted to shoot. You mentioned .243, and take-offs in that caliber are common and inexpensive. Many people buy a new rifle in that caliber for the action alone, and then sell the stock and barrel to defray the expense of a custom build. You should be able to find a new barrel for under $100 if you scout around.

If you're at all handy with wood, refinishing the stock is something that you can easily do yourself. Removing the factory finish will be the toughest part, but there are strippers available that will do that.

While I was at it, I would simply replace the bolt shroud and firing pin assembly with an aftermarket unit that offers your choice of colors and a decrease in lock time. They can be had for around $65-75 bucks or so. A bit of metal prep and then rebluing will make your bolt look like new. This would also be the ideal time to consider any upgrades like bolt fluting or having the action trued - although that makes the use of a factory barrel impractical (as the action threads are recut, and the factory barrel will no longer fit) and less than desirable.
 
I've had a 6mm that is nearly identical to that one, for close to 20 years. It was in about that same condition when I bought it. But I bought it with the intention to use it as a "truck gun" for a while and then do a rebuild/rebarrel to 6mm Ackley. But the thing has shot so well and is so easy to carry, that it still has my original rattle can camo job on it along with the original 3-9 Tasco, that still does the job.
I agree with the suggestion of "shoot it and love it."

But if you are set on rebuilding, only your pocket book will limit what you can do with it.

If I was going to upgrade it, I would agree with a recrown,have the bolt looked at, and Cera-Coat.

I've always held on to inherited guns, but have always figured that the person who willed it to me would want me to make it into whatever I considered usable and practical.
 
Originally Posted By: Terry N.A gunsmith will charge depending on the labor involved to remove the pitting - if that's even possible. If you're determined to keep the original barrel, I'd spend some time draw-filing and polishing with emery paper to remove the worst of the pitting.

What I would recommend is searching for a new factory take-off barrel in a caliber that I wanted to shoot. You mentioned .243, and take-offs in that caliber are common and inexpensive. Many people buy a new rifle in that caliber for the action alone, and then sell the stock and barrel to defray the expense of a custom build. You should be able to find a new barrel for under $100 if you scout around.

If you're at all handy with wood, refinishing the stock is something that you can easily do yourself. Removing the factory finish will be the toughest part, but there are strippers available that will do that.

While I was at it, I would simply replace the bolt shroud and firing pin assembly with an aftermarket unit that offers your choice of colors and a decrease in lock time. They can be had for around $65-75 bucks or so. A bit of metal prep and then rebluing will make your bolt look like new. This would also be the ideal time to consider any upgrades like bolt fluting or having the action trued - although that makes the use of a factory barrel impractical (as the action threads are recut, and the factory barrel will no longer fit) and less than desirable.

I like the idea of being able to do some things myself to help with cost. Looks like the firing pin assembly is not that expensive...

http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=1550/Product/REMINGTON-700-FIRING-PIN-ASSEMBLY

I'm OK with trying to tackle the wood stock as well. I'm sure I can find some friends who have done it before and could give me a hand/lend some advice.

I never considered bolt fluting, but I think I might! Any recommendations on who does a good job?

I have no desire to keep the original barrel. Or even the original caliber. 6mm is expensive and hard to find, I would much rather have something more common. I was thinking .243 as the caliber is so close, but could I go bigger? Like .270 or even .308? I did some reading and it looks like a barrel swap is something I'll probably take to a gunsmith to have done. What should I expect as a reasonable rate? I would be totally fine with putting on a new factory take-off barrel.
 
Send the bolt to Karl Kampfield. Top notch service and results. The FP assembly is cheap enough and easy to do. Stock refinishing isn't too hard, just lots of time to do it right. You can get air cure cerakote and do it yourself. It just needs an airbrush kit to apply. But I'd look for a pro, it's not too expensive, and wears like iron.

But, I'd still leave it alone, JMHO.
 
Originally Posted By: pahntr760Send the bolt to Karl Kampfield. Top notch service and results. The FP assembly is cheap enough and easy to do. Stock refinishing isn't too hard, just lots of time to do it right. You can get air cure cerakote and do it yourself. It just needs an airbrush kit to apply. But I'd look for a pro, it's not too expensive, and wears like iron.

But, I'd still leave it alone, JMHO.

I know it's not cost effective. But... I still have the desire to "fix it up" a little, and maybe make it into something I would use more often and it doesn't bug me to look at every time I pull it from the gun safe. That doesn't mean I want to drop a whole paycheck on it... but... $200-350 seems reasonable in my mind on how much I want to spend TOTAL.

Thanks for the recommendation on Karl Kampfield, it does look like he has top notch stuff.
 
You can go to .243, .260, 7mm-08, .308, .338 Federal, or .358 Winchester on that action, possibly some of the newer short magnums - I have no experience with them.
 
Originally Posted By: Terry N.You can go to .243, .260, 7mm-08, .308, .338 Federal, or .358 Winchester on that action, possibly some of the newer short magnums - I have no experience with them.

Perfect, .243 and .308 is just what I wanted to hear. Thanks!
 
Originally Posted By: chunks7mmshoot it and love it,all they are is character marks

I agree completely. Just clean it really well when done and it will run like the Energizer bunny.
 
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A factory take off would probably be your best option, they go on ebay for under 100 most of the time. You will need a gunsmith to headspace for you, probably another 50-100. Replace Bolt shroud. duracoat, cerakote, or just reblue and youll be good to go.
 
If it shoots good, Keep shooting it as is. Your attempt to "fix" it, Is just as likely to destroy its utility. Order a case of the ammo it likes on the internet, Spend your money on the important aspect. Ammo
 
If it still groups acceptably, I'd put a glossy leupold on it and stock up on ammo that it likes and take it everywhere I go.
 
Originally Posted By: sixtwoeightyfourA factory take off would probably be your best option, they go on ebay for under 100 most of the time. You will need a gunsmith to headspace for you, probably another 50-100. Replace Bolt shroud. duracoat, cerakote, or just reblue and youll be good to go.

Yep, this is my exact plan. I'm watching some .243 takeoff barrels on Ebay right now, but might hold out till I can find a .308.... From the looks of things I can do the shroud/firing pin myself and it's $65 from brownells. I'll probably order a Leupold Mark AR scope for it, as I have one on my AR15 and really like it and they fit my budget. Then I'll cerakote at some point, as well as refinish the stock myself. And maybe for christmas I'll have the bolt fluted just because it looks so cool
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Thanks for the help guys, you gave me some very good ideas.
 
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