20 year old Model 700 30:06 Practical advice needed

[ntodwild]

What’s your budget for the entire upgrades?Stock options are endless and a budget on that would help narrow some choices. I’d look at a Trigger Tech instead of a Timney trigger. ADL to BDL conversion is simple and just a few parts to swap and what I would recommend instead of a removable magazine.

Not including the scope.

I would like to keep the budget for the build at under $600.00

1) Trigger
2) Stock
3) ADL to possible BDL conversion? Given some of your comments I am thinking twice about this???

 

[Guy]

1. I like Timney though the older Rem 700 triggers have done just fine for me.

2. Remington's factory stocks seem to fit me well. My two most used Rem 700 hunting rifles are pillar bedded and free floated, but retain the original walnut stock. Took the 30-06 to Alaska where it did just fine on grizzly and wolf despite rain or snow almost every day of the 9 day hunt. For a really wet climate, yes, I'd consider a synthetic stock and cerakote.

3. I'd tend to leave it as an ADL. I personally haven't had a problem with the hinged BDL floorplate but know a fellow who keeps his taped shut with electrical tape, effectively turning it into an ADL setup. That was on a 338 Win mag though - maybe the recoil was affecting the floorplate, jarring it open?

There is a fellow, J.Y. Jones, who hunted all North American game species over a period of a couple of decades and wrote a book about it. He used one rifle... A Rem 700 ADL in 30-06! True! Walnut stock and everything. Just the way Remington built it.

He also used one load for most of the hunts, a 165 grain Nosler Partition. He did bump up to the 200 grain Nosler Partition for the big coastal brown bear hunt, and possibly something else as well.

So... I'd urge restraint on the modifications. Figure out what you really need. Get good with the rifle, and go enjoy.

Regards, Guy

 

[AlaskaHunter]

Something that never happens with an ADL is the floor plate never falls open for any reason. ADL's are my choice but I do have one BDL; always worrying the floor plate will fall open!

I upgraded my 1976 ADL with an ADL synthetic stock from HS Precision.
I like the fit and it was a simple upgrade and has an aluminum bedding block.
The stock was on sale from Brownells.

 

[Addicting]

I bought a Timney Elite Hunter and I really like it. It’s a lot better than the Timney 510 I have on a different rifle. I also run a Timney HIT trigger and it is top notch but overkill for your application.

Create a account over at LRH and keep a eye out on their classifieds. There are a lot of good aftermarket REM 700 stocks. You should easily be able to keep it under 600 with a new trigger and good used stock.

 

[Don Fischer]

Have a quality gunsmith glass bed and pillar bed the stock and free-float the barrel. Good trigger you chose, or maybe your gunsmith can do an excellent trigger job as well getting it to break sharp and clean at about 2.5 - 3 pounds. An HS or B&C stock would be nice as well if that is what you want on it.

H4350 or IMR4350 with 165 gr. Partitions or Accubonds seem to be a match made in heaven. The 150 gr. E-tip would also be an excellent bullet. I would go with that weight of the E-tip over the 165 gr. E-tip for the quicker velocities you would generate and it will still penetrate and hold it's weight very well.

Have the gunsmith check the crown as mentioned above and if it looks like it might need touched up let him do that since he's doing the other work. I had a 700 ADL in 30-06 that was a real shooter. I have rifles with the detachable magazine and have had the non-detachable like the ADL. I like them both but as stated above you can just as safely unload an ADL as you can a BDL. Push the round far enough forward that it pops out of the magazine and then pull the bolt back without closing it on the cartridge and tip the action to the side and the round will fall out into your hand. Repeat until the magazine is empty. Simple and quick.

This rifle has the factory Remington trigger and I have it adjusted to 3#, love it. I have never had a problem with a Remington trigger. I also glass bedded the stock and floated the barrel myself. Considered putting in pillars but simply not up to it and the rifle couldn't possibly shoot better with them. Guy's that talk about setting up a rifle for out to 500 yds shooting should come to grip's with the idea that getting one there is no big thing. The big thing is getting the shooter there.

 

[Wyohunt]

Landed on a 30:06 or should I say it landed on me.... Cut to the chase.

I threw my older Leupold on it and the thing is really a nice shooter. Since I got the rifle for free and after shooting it, confirming it is a solid shooter I figured I would turn it into a solid medium to long range (2-500yard) hunting rifle. I need some advice.......

First and foremost I am gonna drop a vx3i with CDS on it, Timney Trigger and I want to convert the ADL to BDL stock and possibly a removable magazine conversion. There is so many stocks and conversion kits in the market place. Anyone done this and have some recommendations and or things to stay away from??? Should I do an external mag conversion or just do a simple BDL conversion and leave it at that?

Good quality, durable "fully bedded" synthetic aftermarket stock????

Remember this is gonna be a HUNTING RIFLE not a show piece or target specific build. Durability and middle of the road price tag. Quality drop in/bolt on products.

Look forward to hearing from some of you model 700 builders.

You should consider learning how to bed an action. Its fun and not too hard. Brownells Will sell you everything you
need. I use their steelbed epoxy and use floor wax as a release agent. The timney trigger is an excellent idea. Go for a 2.5 lb pull. You might want to lap the rings depending on what type of rings you have. A gunsmithing torque wrench is a must when working on rifles. Sanding the barrel channel on the stock would be a great idea too. Synthetic stock for sure. If you plan on shooting it a lot a limbsaver recoil pad would be a good investment. Definitely get a brownells catalog. They sell all types of doodads for the 700. I feel that every serious rifleman should be a competent gunsmith too Because it is really shocking what some companies consider To be a finished product.
the goal is to build a durable hunting rifle that shoots sub moa and holds the same POI at any spot on the globe.
whenever one of my friends buys a new rifle their first stop is my house. It’s kind of cool that I can pimp out all of my friends rifles

 

[ntodwild]

Thanks for the suggestions and a few of you who PM'd me about a Rem 700 build. I have a solid handle on what I am going to do from here on out. Some of you changed my mind on a few things, options and price have also changed my mind on pathways to explore as well as my own personal shooting experiences and gunsmithing ability. I may post back once the build is finished. Stay tuned.

 

[ntodwild]

So a few things I did NOT divulge in my post really had some affect on my choices.

1) I am a left eye dominant shooter who shoots a right handed action (helplessly uncoordinated with my left hand and just can not cycle a left handed bolt action rifle). Been shooting right handed bolt rifles all my life (40+years)

2) I have a shorter than average LOP (Length of Pull)

After consideration I chose not to go with a hinge plate (BDL or CDL stile mag) given cost vs functionality. I am gonna keep the rifle as an ADL blind magazine setup. This really effects my choices in stocks and eliminates some choices. This also allows me an extra $100.00 to $300.00 for the build.

My odd shooting style "left handed with a right handed bolt action" also gave me pause when building a medium range big game rifle requiring the the best ergonomics, stiffness and bedding options that would play a role in accuracy, ergonomics and give the shooter the best opportunity to be accurate at distances beyond 300 yards. I wanted a synthetic stock for it's ability to absorb punishment in the field and there are several options on the market for the "typical shooter" of which I am not. Unfortunately it is nearly impossible to find a manufacturer of a composite (fiberglass, plastic or carbon) who will build a fully custom stock with custom length of pull, Left handed cheek rest & comb that a right handed action will fit into for under $1000.00 (Truly a one off).

After being pointed to Boyd's stocks I was able to order a fully customized Boyd's laminate "Prairie Hunter" left handed stock, custom built to accept a right handed action, piller bed (I will glass bed as well), custom length of pull, choice of but pad and custom checkering for $408.00 shipped to my door. I am going to have my Leupold VX1 4x12 (current older scope I have on the rifle now) converted to a CDS for $180.00. The scope is very capable. It's no VX5/VX3 but in the end it will absolutely do the job for $180.00. This puts me at my $600.00 build price. A drop in Timney trigger will set me back another $150.00ish.

So to sum it up: Remington model 700 fully customized for my shooting stile and ergonomics, capable hunting out to 600 yards with CDS 4x12 Leupold scope VX1 (assuming the shooters is up to the task ), Timney trigger for a slim $750 or so (total cost of the build/rifle). The rifle was given to me for free.

The one compromise I feel like I gave up was a composite stock that I could beat up BUT for the customization with the Boyd's stock I think it's well worth the compromise and may pay big dividends when it comes to ergonomics and accuracy in the field and range at distance. From experience I do shoot a left handed rifle more accurately at the range, I just can not cycle the bolt with any coordination whatsoever.

In the end if this build is about a custom quality rifle with features design to be an accurate hunting rifle out to 600yards I think I will succeed at that for just a little more than my $600.00 build price. Precision hunter build for an economical price tag.

Stay tuned. I will post final build photos and some comments on accuracy, personal thoughts on the build, likes and dislikes. Should be a fun experience and build.

 

[Boarmaster]

It took me two years to get my 270win XCR 2 700 to a point that I felt I had what I wanted.
First year I scoped up with a VX3 in Warne mounts and rings and a Timney Trigger. I was pretty happy with it but the plastic stock was still eating on me .

The next year I put it in a MCMillan Edge classic i bought on a special sale deal. I paid more than I ever imagined for the stock but I got rid of a few older guns that were safe queens That I had about zero basis in. So I traded for something I really wanted.

I had a few other great stocks but none got me argos I wanted. It became my favorite rifle. If I ever thin the herd it will be the last one I would consider selling.

 

[Don Fischer]

Landed on a 30:06 or should I say it landed on me.... Cut to the chase.

I threw my older Leupold on it and the thing is really a nice shooter. Since I got the rifle for free and after shooting it, confirming it is a solid shooter I figured I would turn it into a solid medium to long range (2-500yard) hunting rifle. I need some advice.......

First and foremost I am gonna drop a vx3i with CDS on it, Timney Trigger and I want to convert the ADL to BDL stock and possibly a removable magazine conversion. There is so many stocks and conversion kits in the market place. Anyone done this and have some recommendations and or things to stay away from??? Should I do an external mag conversion or just do a simple BDL conversion and leave it at that?

Good quality, durable "fully bedded" synthetic aftermarket stock????

Remember this is gonna be a HUNTING RIFLE not a show piece or target specific build. Durability and middle of the road price tag. Quality drop in/bolt on products.

Look forward to hearing from some of you model 700 builders.

Were it me and what I do do with most rifle's is bed the actions and float the barrel's from the front of the action out. I've hd a nimber of 700's and have three now. All are bedded the same way and all have the old Remington trigger set to 3#. I found I could not set them lower without having trouble with them. I also found that when shooting, I can't much tell the difference between a 1 1/2# trigger and a 3#, My Patriot has a 1 1/2# trigger, I measured it. I've also found that people shooting one of my 700's the first time if not warned about the trigger, fire off a shot bu accident and swear they didn't pull the trigger! I love those old Rem trigger's but have learned not to get below 3#! I use mostly liquid steed to bed anymore I bed in the recoil lug, under the front of the action and the rear tang, everything else floats! Have one BDL and It's the closest thing to a custom I'll likely ever have. Had a Shilen match grade barrel put on it and chambered to 6.5x06. The thing I thing make's it special is I made up a dummy round that fit in the magazine with a 140gr bullet seated to the base of the neck. Loaded that way I had the gunsmith chamber it so the bullet was just off the lands, love it. Huge mistake I made with it was I didn't understand the barrel contour's and didn't want a whippy barrel so ordered a magnum profile barrel. Plenty heavy enough, MTY with the scope on it's 9#! Ya know what, I'll live with it, shoot's great.

If I were to have a true custom rifle I'm not sure I know what different I would do, maybe a woof aftermarket stock? But then again a wood stock is a wood stock Some are prettier than other's! Wouldn't touch the old Rem 700 trigger. Have three of them right now all adjusted to 3# and never a problem one! I think other than chambering the biggest value to a custom rifle is bedding and nothing beds more perfect than glass, liquid steel ect.

To put my 6.5x06 tpgether I used a 25-06 I already had gave it to a gunsmith for the barrel and chambering and did everything else myself. If I remember right I ended up with $800 in it, might have been less but that number stick's in my head

Now the best gthing you can do to turn your 30-06 into a 500yd cartridge is teach yourself to be a better shot! I find that in the field most rifle's of mine are capable of far more than I am!

 

[ntodwild]

Budget mid range Remington Build update!

All is complete minus CDS scope (Leupold's custom shop is still not open ).

Weapon cleaned, new Timney trigger installed and the biggest change is the new Boyd's custom Prairie Hunter stock. I can't say enough about the craftsmanship and quality. Very impressed!

As you all know I am a left eye dominant shooter who has shot a right handed rifle for over 40 years. I am also on the short side at 5'2" tall (custom length of pull). I have never shot with a Montecarlo/cheek rest or a comb suited for me since I shoot right handed bolt actions. Here is the list of fully custom options Boyd's built into the stock.

1) Prairie Hunter model stock
2) Lt Handed Montecarlo with raised comb designed for a Rt Handed Action Rem 700
3) Custom LOP (length of pull) with Limb saver 1" but pad
4) Custom checkering and detail work
5) Piller Bed with free floating barrel
6) Custom color choice


Rifle needs to be range tested and proven with new setup. Any issues or bugs IF any need to be worked on. If All is what I expect, the rifle will come home for disassembly and glass bedding then it's back to the range to work on a load for the custom CDS dial (Come on Leupold open up that custom shop!). I will exceed my initial budget of $600.00 for the build by about $175.00 and some change.

Total cost to date: $567.00 (Timney Trigger $159.00 + Custom Stock $408.00)

Projected additional cost:
1) Glass Bedding: $29.00
2) Leupold custom CDS dial for older 4x12x40 VX1 I had laying around: $180.00

Total cost, rifle included: $776.00

 

[Pajarito]

I had an old 30-06 from the late 90's and decided to do the same thing. I went with a Magpul Hunter 700 stock and have been very happy with it. The accuracy at distance has increased dramatically.

 

[grizzly63]

Here is what i did with a 1976 ADL 30-06. I removed the action, layed in 5/16" or so of JB Weld in the magazine well to stiffen the stock up a little more. I removed a commensurate amount off the ammo well metal. I did have to remove some metal off the side of the magazine spring as it was not too stiff. It only holds two in the magazine and one in the chamber but you only need one, right? I then put a pressure point of Jb Weld on the front edge of the barrel. Not a lot of pressure, but some. I tried adjusting that trigger but did not like or trust it. I installed a Timney and that rifle is a sweet shooter. I had read of these suggestions on another forum. I installed a Pachmayr butt pad as it was kicking pretty hard. Harder than my sendero in 300WM but that pig is heavier and is mounted in a Hogue full aluminum bedded stock now.. Those stocks eat a lot of recoil. If you have to buy a stock, get one of those. That sendero kicked pretty hard in that over sized factory stock. Fricking thing would jump out of my hand because I do not have giant hands. It had to go.

 

[EastTNHunter]

Here is what i did with a 1976 ADL 30-06. I removed the action, layed in 5/16" or so of JB Weld in the magazine well to stiffen the stock up a little more. I removed a commensurate amount off the ammo well metal. I did have to remove some metal off the side of the magazine spring as it was not too stiff. It only holds two in the magazine and one in the chamber but you only need one, right? I then put a pressure point of Jb Weld on the front edge of the barrel. Not a lot of pressure, but some. I tried adjusting that trigger but did not like or trust it. I installed a Timney and that rifle is a sweet shooter. I had read of these suggestions on another forum. I installed a Pachmayr butt pad as it was kicking pretty hard. Harder than my sendero in 300WM but that pig is heavier and is mounted in a Hogue full aluminum bedded stock now.. Those stocks eat a lot of recoil. If you have to buy a stock, get one of those. That sendero kicked pretty hard in that over sized factory stock. Fricking thing would jump out of my hand because I do not have giant hands. It had to go.

What made you decide on the pressure point over free floating? I don’t hear if this method being used any more, and am curious of your research on the pros and cons

 

[grizzly63]

Pretty simple, float it, shoot it. Pressure point it, shoot it, see which one is more accurate. I like free floated barrels but if the barrel is not heavy enough or the stock has too much flex, it seems to work better for me to pressure point them. They are all bedded with JB weld as well. I have an old 788 with a 18 1/2 " barrel and that is stiff enough that it shoots real well free floated. Most of my info is forum found. Cant believe everything you read but you can sort out the better more logical stuff.

 

[EKYHunter]

Budget mid range Remington Build update!

All is complete minus CDS scope (Leupold's custom shop is still not open ).

Weapon cleaned, new Timney trigger installed and the biggest change is the new Boyd's custom Prairie Hunter stock. I can't say enough about the craftsmanship and quality. Very impressed!

As you all know I am a left eye dominant shooter who has shot a right handed rifle for over 40 years. I am also on the short side at 5'2" tall (custom length of pull). I have never shot with a Montecarlo/cheek rest or a comb suited for me since I shoot right handed bolt actions. Here is the list of fully custom options Boyd's built into the stock.

1) Prairie Hunter model stock
2) Lt Handed Montecarlo with raised comb designed for a Rt Handed Action Rem 700
3) Custom LOP (length of pull) with Limb saver 1" but pad
4) Custom checkering and detail work
5) Piller Bed with free floating barrel
6) Custom color choice


Rifle needs to be range tested and proven with new setup. Any issues or bugs IF any need to be worked on. If All is what I expect, the rifle will come home for disassembly and glass bedding then it's back to the range to work on a load for the custom CDS dial (Come on Leupold open up that custom shop!). I will exceed my initial budget of $600.00 for the build by about $175.00 and some change.

Total cost to date: $567.00 (Timney Trigger $159.00 + Custom Stock $408.00)

Projected additional cost:
1) Glass Bedding: $29.00
2) Leupold custom CDS dial for older 4x12x40 VX1 I had laying around: $180.00

Total cost, rifle included: $776.00




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Beautiful rifle. I’ve looked at those Boyd’s stocks for a cheap Savage Axis I have. Looks like you did some great work and know what you’re doing. Good luck with it and I hope you kill some big critters with it.

 

[sharpshooter97]

A Remington 700 in 30-06 is a great rifle, all I've done with mine is a Timney trigger and a muzzle brake. Very accurate with 180 grain loads

 

[EKYHunter]

A Remington 700 in 30-06 is a great rifle, all I've done with mine is a Timney trigger and a muzzle brake. Very accurate with 180 grain loadsView attachment 166253

Your rifle like the Core-Lokt loads? Good looking set up btw.

 

[Don Fischer]

Have a quality gunsmith glass bed and pillar bed the stock and free-float the barrel. Good trigger you chose, or maybe your gunsmith can do an excellent trigger job as well getting it to break sharp and clean at about 2.5 - 3 pounds. An HS or B&C stock would be nice as well if that is what you want on it.

H4350 or IMR4350 with 165 gr. Partitions or Accubonds seem to be a match made in heaven. The 150 gr. E-tip would also be an excellent bullet. I would go with that weight of the E-tip over the 165 gr. E-tip for the quicker velocities you would generate and it will still penetrate and hold it's weight very well.

Have the gunsmith check the crown as mentioned above and if it looks like it might need touched up let him do that since he's doing the other work. I had a 700 ADL in 30-06 that was a real shooter. I have rifles with the detachable magazine and have had the non-detachable like the ADL. I like them both but as stated above you can just as safely unload an ADL as you can a BDL. Push the round far enough forward that it pops out of the magazine and then pull the bolt back without closing it on the cartridge and tip the action to the side and the round will fall out into your hand. Repeat until the magazine is empty. Simple and quick.

Have never seen a 700 trigger that would go down to 2.5# and remain reliable. Mine are all set to 3#. Bedded the actions and floated the barrels, they shoot better than I do!

 

[cahunter805]

Have never seen a 700 trigger that would go down to 2.5# and remain reliable. Mine are all set to 3#. Bedded the actions and floated the barrels, they shoot better than I do!

With correct stoning and a spring a factory Remington trigger can be easily 2lbs and reliable. Setting the adjustments correctly is key. I’ve adjusted many triggers that other people”adjusted” that were definitely incorrect and unreliable.