I see Model 700 barrel options galore, but no love for the Model 7. Does anyone know if M700 barrels can be adapted to the M7?
Any suggestions for Remington Model 7 custom barrel source?
- Thread starter nortac
- Start date
They are the same thread and basically interchangeable, if I remember correctly. Of course l, you would need a short action caliber.
If rebarrelling, why not go with a custom barrel blank and have it chambered and fitted?
If rebarrelling, why not go with a custom barrel blank and have it chambered and fitted?
I would be tempted to go with a "Remage" setup, where you buy the Remage barrel and barrel nut, then fit and headspace it like a Savage or a Remington 783. I have a 783 and use it as a switch barrel rifle. One needs a barrel nut wrench, action wrench, and the appropriate headspace gauge.
A google search for Remage should get you the hits you need. Whether you go conventional or Remage, I strongly recommend that you replace the recoil lug with a good one (faces ground flat and parallel) from Pacific Tool and Gauge or similar. The original is just stamped sheet metal. If you go conventional, it's a good idea to ask your gunsmith to pin the new recoil lug when he/she installs it.
I have several custom barreled rifles in the safe. Some are built on Remington actions and I sorely regret not going with the Remage option. They are very nice guns and Benchmark did an amazing job with them, but I didn't grasp how nice it was to be able to swap barrels with a minimum of tools in just a few minutes till I bought the 783.
Bill
A google search for Remage should get you the hits you need. Whether you go conventional or Remage, I strongly recommend that you replace the recoil lug with a good one (faces ground flat and parallel) from Pacific Tool and Gauge or similar. The original is just stamped sheet metal. If you go conventional, it's a good idea to ask your gunsmith to pin the new recoil lug when he/she installs it.
I have several custom barreled rifles in the safe. Some are built on Remington actions and I sorely regret not going with the Remage option. They are very nice guns and Benchmark did an amazing job with them, but I didn't grasp how nice it was to be able to swap barrels with a minimum of tools in just a few minutes till I bought the 783.
Bill
- Thread starter
- #4
Bill, thanks for your input re: Remage. My Model 7 currently has an OEM pencil barrel in 7-08. There is nothing wrong with it other than it is a pencil barrel in 7-08. I would like to have a 6.5 Grendel and I suppose I'd need a replacement bolt for that, if I wanted to keep the OEM intact for use with other caliber barrels. While not at all punishing, the 7-08 recoils more than I'd like for a compact rifle. Before I pursue any barrel change, I should just develop a reduced load for the 7-08 that has adequate accuracy and terminal performance using 120 gr. projectiles. It certainly would be nice to be able to swap between those two calibers.
If you go remage, please consider ordering a barrel with a threaded muzzle so you can fit a muzzle brake. This will eat as much as 40% of the recoil, making something like the 6.5 Creedmor, or a 243 (either one will fit your action and bolt face) a viable choice for you with recoil comparable to the Grendel. Not knocking the Grendel, but it adds the complication of a new bolt. The Creedmor with a muzzle brake is a much simpler solution. If you really want a Grendel, Pacific Tool and Gauge should have the bolt you need or be able to make one for you (assuming you can't get one from Remington). If you are installing a barrel with a barrel nut, you set the headspace to a "GO" gauge when you install the barrel.
I bought the 783 so I could source scrap 223 Savage barrels and have them re chambered to 22-250 Ackley, and Swift Ackley. This is how I fire formed all the brass for the two Ackleys. When I was done, I put the 30-06 barrel back on the action.
If you're comfortable pinning a recoil lug, the existing barrel can be removed with an action wrench on the action and a pipe wrench on the barrel. The existing barrel would be trashed but you were done with it anyway. After you have the old barrel off, installing a remage barrel and barrel nut is a breeze.
Personally, I would like to find a 'rough' model 7 in .223. I would throw the stock and barrel away and put a Remage .17 Remington barrel on it. That and a Boyd's stock would make a wonderful combination.
Bill.
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- #6
If I re-barrel my M7, it would definitely have a threaded muzzle.
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- #7
In retrospect, given the need for both a bolt and barrel to convert the Remington Model 7 to 6.5 Grendel, it would make more sense to just buy a Ruger American like @OkieStubble has. I really need to do a detailed light handload development in 7-08 and probably just live with the factory barrel. But it is nice to dream. As nice as a switch barrel M7 would be, the opportunity to make use of it probably would not be frequent enough to justify the expense.
My vote is to not butcher a nice Model 7. IMO, a light load work up is the better option.
- Thread starter
- #9
Indeed. I'm not sure, but I think Remington is no longer producing the model 7. Good enough reason to preserve it. Unless the OEM pencil barrel proves problematic, it will stay as is. What little I have shot it, the accuracy was not stellar, but adequate for minute of whitetail. If the pencil barrel is ever replaced, it will be done in a manner to preserve it, not taken off with a pipe wrench.
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