rem 700 after market barrels

[skeetlee]

can you buy a barrel for a rem 700 that just needs head spaced? I no savage has this option, i just wasnt sure if anyone made a barrel already chambered ready to be put on an action for a rem 700. Thanks Lee

[jnclement]

Nope. Not unless you come up with some way to put a Savage-type barrel nut on the Remington.

[Peter]

Its been done and works well:)

[eshell]

Its been done and works well:)
Yes.

These barrels are called "short-chambered", and are typically chambered to require a small amount of cleanup to achieve proper headspace.

Shilen & ER Shaw produce them, and possibly others.

I used an ER Shaw short-chambered .308 barrel and a .308 Palma reamer to rebarrel a Remington 700 VS that shot very poorly in OEM condition. The factory bore was very rough. It now shoots much better, BUT, nothing approaching "match" accuracy, and "much better" is in the context of 1-1/2+ moa improved to 3/4 moa.

For the heavily discounted price I paid for the barrel, and the small amount of effort involved, I'm satisfied with the outcome, but, for an important project or more demanding accuracy, I'd get a pro to install a top quality barrel for me.

IMHO, this rebarrelling method is a "band-aid" and cannot compare to a correctly done rebarrel by a skilled 'smith. Fine for a hunting rifle with barrel damage, or to change calibers where accuracy demands are not high.

One problem with a short chambered barrel is that the action work goes unaddressed and is often a large part of the accuracy problem in an OEM M-700.

Another problem is that the throat is already partially cut and you get a pig-in-a-poke, so to speak. There's nothing one can do about misalignment or differing dimensions without setting it back and recutting it completely (then why not start with a good barrel anyway?). For example, there is a pronounced step in the last .030-040" of my chamber neck where the slightly tighter Palma reamer finished the length on the rather generous neck. This will not hurt anything of my application, but does illustrate the pre-reamed portion of the neck is "one size fits all" and a little big compared to what would have been reamed with a match reamer.

Finally, the quality of these barrels themselves is suspect, and while Shilen typically makes a pretty good barrel, ER Shaw gets mixed reviews and, IMHO, is more a "hunting grade" barrel. The ER Shaw barrel I used was quite rough, but not nearly so bad as the factory barrel it replaced.

[skeetlee]

Good point Thanks Lee