Does anyone know if you can rebarrel a remington long action... previously chambered in a 300 WM... into a .416 or even .458?

What action does the remington custom shop use to make their DGR's if you can't?

Oh yeah, I'd rather not revisit CRF vs PF argument here.

However, if you do insist on a M70 action for a DGR, the same question above needs response.

Thanks a bunch

CG

the first 458 i ever shot was a remington, it feed like grease ballbearings, and shot great.. it was a heavy barrel custom shop job.

while i am currently in crf mode, a remington will almost always feed, feed well, and you can throw a round in the chamber and close the bolt every time.

i would not prefer to have a push feed for a true dgr, while hunting dgr, but fin aagard did for years.

i believe the 300 winmag model 700 is the long mag, and as such, you have you choice of 375 hh, 416 taylor, 416 rem, 458 win, 458 lott.. and maybe even 475 capstick.

folks might turn up their nose at it, as it's not control feeding.. but it's your gun.

you certainly could sell the remington whole and get a new winchester in 300 rum for about the same price, and rebarrel... or, heaven forbid, you find a model 70 in 375 rum, and load it down to 375 hh and you are done

jeffe

I have a current Custom Shop Remington "ABG" in 375 and it's based on their "long" action with a detachable box magazine.

The current Custom Shop "APR" in 375 has a conventional steel trigger guard and floorplate.

So, ditto on the comments above.

Q: What Remington action for DGR?

A: Model 30


Hog Killer

It’s pretty hard to get more dangerous than “game†that shoots back at you...and the Marines have been using Remington 700’s in combat for almost 40 years with “fairly“ good success!

They don’t seem to have ever had any of the problems with all the 700 urban legends of flimsy extractors, bolt handles coming off, or failures to feed with the “inferior†push feed system.

If a rifle is Marine proof and combat proof it’s good enough for my needs.... Just my humble opinion on the matter.

Hog Killer, I agree, the only Remington to convert to a DGR is the 30S or one of the other Enfield clones. The government only issues its troops stuff that wins out on lowest bid contract, not highest quality. Some stuff is really good and other stuff is crap. Just where the remington rifle fits in is in the eye of the beholder! I sometimes shoot with the sniper squad here and their stuff is ok but not nearly anything like what I hunt with. I don't think you can use a .223, our main battle rifle caliber, as a DGR round regardless of rifle make.

Rick,

I too have been using a M700 for over 20 years against those pesky two legged critters. No problems yet!

Thats why I want to stick with it. I just needed to know the feasibility of rolling one into a bear capable round, say the 416 as a minimum.

Thanks Jeff.

So all the Smith would have to do is order and cut the chamber in a .416 barrel or .458 barrel, open the bolt face up, open the feed rails up a bit, maybe install a H&S magazine well, work the loading ramp over, install a sako/M16 extractor, and finally drop it into a McMillan stock.

It can be done safely, correct? All within the M700 long action receiver?

Thanks

CG

Rick 0311,

The Marines do use the M40 (7.62x51) for a snipers rifle. However it is a long ways from a stock Rem. 700, out of the factory box, cheapest bid rifle. It is completely built up by Marine armours for Marine snipers. They are truely custom built.

As for comparing them to DGRs, big difference from shooting two legged (problems) at 750 meters and a big as$ bear a 7 meters.

I do have a Rem 700 SV in 308Win. It shoots great, even killed a 280lb boar hog with it on the run. But I will use my 30S, ( 458 Lott) if or when I go after any mean wooly boogger.

Hog Killer

Hog killer,

I agree, IMHO, Remington factory guns do tend to be a bit rough.

But like the MARINES, any that I own and shoot are first heavily influenced by a competent gunsmith.

If feasible, that will be true of the one that I have made up into a .416 or larger.

CG

I'm loose'n it

Ok, out of curiosity...

I put one empty 375 case in the chamber, closed bolt. Filled the detachable box magazine with 2 dummy rounds.

I turned the rifle upside down, on my lap.

Opened bolt, case ejected, closed bolt, fed round number 1.

Opened bolt, dummy ejected, closed bolt, fed round number 2.

Opened bolt, dummy ejected.

Was something supposed to happen?

Not being a smarty, pls advise.

bluetick, no they haven't and they will probably say that they don't hunt upsidedown anyway. Someone is always trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Just because it can be done doesn't mean it should!

Sorry Hog Killer...but I must respectfully disagree with your premise.

The Marine armorers at Quantico do in fact custom build the M40’s, but the vast amount of that custom work is in the barreling and bedding for accuracy. The only non-Remington parts (other than scope and bases) they use are the stock, the barrel and the trigger guard. The actions are trued up but they are box-stock Remington 700 actions with the “fragile†extractor, the “weak†bolt handle, the “unsafe†trigger, and the “unreliable†push feed all in place.

Also, Marine snipers in Iraq have been invloved in numerous gun fights with their M40’s at ranges much less than “normal†sniping distances and there have been numerous occasions when the snipers have saved the lives of other Marines, and themselves, with fast accurate multiple shots that could not have been accomplished with an unreliable rifle design.

I would also point to Frank de Haas book where he references General Hatcher‘s 1948 American Rifleman article where he torture tested the then new Remington 721 along side a high numbered 1903 Springfield, a 1917 Enfield and a 1898 Mauser. Hatcher is quoted as saying: “The 721 was still going strong long after the Springfield, Mauser and Enfield gave up, in that order.â€

I’m not saying other makes are inferior to 700’s...but 700’s are hardly the fragile, non-functioning rifles that many would have you believe they are.

I have done the silly upside down, sideways, everywhich ways, cycling of the action with dummy rounds and have never once had a round fail to feed no matter what God awful position I had the rifle in. I have been shooting 700’s for about 45 years and have never once had a extractor break, a bolt handle come off, or an accidental discharge from a faulty safety and or trigger. I’m a retired Marine so I guess my rifles qualify as Marine Proof also!

I would love to own a Remington 30S (I envy you!) but I would also not feel any less armed with a 700 in a similar caliber.

There would be absolutly zero modifications required of a 700 action factory chambered in a standard belted mag(7mm Rem Mag,300 Win Mag,264 Win Mag,300 Wtby,7STW,8 Rem Mag,375 H&H etc.)when being rebarreled to 416 Rem or 458 Win. Even the actions factory chambered in a RUM chamber will feed standard belted mags. I did it with my 338 RUM. 300 Win cases feed like they had eyes. All long action 700 mag boxes are 3.70" long, regardless of factory chambering. As long as you have a long action with a .532" boltface you're in business.
I've owned and shot about 40 different 700's in the last 15 years, only problem I've had was an extractor breaking when a case blew the primer and swelled the head into the boltface. Had to pry the case out with pliers.Hardly the rifle's fault.

quote:

Originally posted by Rick 0311:
It’s pretty hard to get more dangerous than “game†that shoots back at you...and the Marines have been using Remington 700’s in combat for almost 40 years with “fairly“ good success!

They don’t seem to have ever had any of the problems with all the 700 urban legends of flimsy extractors, bolt handles coming off, or failures to feed with the “inferior†push feed system.

If a rifle is Marine proof and combat proof it’s good enough for my needs.... Just my humble opinion on the matter.

Not meaning to hijack the thread but didn't Carlos Hathcock use a Remington 700 in Viet Nam?

Rick 0311,

First, thank you for your service, and wearing the title of Marine. An honor that I cannot claim.

As for my 700SV, I do not intend on parting with it. It works and feeds just fine, the only after market part is a Timney trigger, not the best option but a bit better than the original. With the right loads and if I do my part, it will shoot <1/2MOA. For precision shooting it would be my go to piece. And I have had nothing break on it. Something I cannot say about my Wby Mk V.

I just like love my 30S more.

Hog Killer

Hog Killer,

Thanks for the kind words...but you waste them on an old fart like me! The thanks goes to those great kids fighting over there now...my youngest is among them and even though he is in the Army I still miss, worry about, and love him. He’s a SGT 1st class in the 3rd ID in Baghdad.

I had the distinct honor and privilege of breifly knowing and serving with the legendary Carlos Hathcock in the 7th Marines in Vietnam. He used a Winchester 70 .30-06’ with the old 8x Unertl most of the time even after the Corps officially switched to the Remingtons. He was also on the team at Quantico that made up the specs for the M40A1 that used the 700 action as its foundation and they tested and tried just about every action out there before they made that decision.

Believe it or not, some of the 700 actions from the 1960’s are still in use in the Corps. They have been rebuilt over the years but they are still ticking away.

I don’t blame you for your love of the 30S...I’ve been looking for one for a long time.

Thanks for the info. Hathcock loved the model 70 and only when told that it would no longer be available to him did due to cost factors that a substitute be found and adopted.

Gentlemen

The “have you cycled you’re push feed†.. thing is in my tag line. As far as the “I’m loose’n it†thing goes is because I deleted my post. I posted something stupid and I wish I could have just deleted the whole thing. I was not trying to weigh in on the CRF/PF thing. Sorry for the confusion.

Shawn

CG: I have a 416 Rem that came from Remington's custom shop. I have used it for DGR without qualms. It will cycle upside down perfectly by the way.

Rembo, JD... thanks for the info.

Also thanks for not drifting into the CRF vs PF debate. I am an Army Sniper and have more than once have staked my life, and the lives of many other Great Americans, on the M700's reliability and performance.

Rick 0311, I just got back from Iraq, and fought beside your son's unit, the 3RD ID. He's in great company.

No I just want to upgrade a M700 300 WM, to the more bear capable 416. Can I build the Rigby or is it too long? Do I have to stick with the 416 Remington?

Thanks

ceg1963,

Thank you for the nice words and thank you for serving...your generation of warriors should be very proud for the extremely difficult and dangerous job you are doing for all of us.

Welcome home, and thank you!

quote:

Can I build the Rigby or is it too long? Do I have to stick with the 416 Remington?

Long wouldn't be my only concern on this conversion. The bolt face would need to be opened up at least .050, I would think that this will be as much of a problem as the COL.

quote:

Originally posted by WyoJoe:
Not meaning to hijack the thread but didn't Carlos Hathcock use a Remington 700 in Viet Nam?

Wyojoe,

He probably he did on occasion...but the M70-06’ was his favorite, according to people who knew him well...which I didn’t. The times that I saw him he was carrying the Winchester. I was with 1st BN 7th Marines and Hathcock worked with our battalion allot because he liked the aggressiveness of our battalion CO Col. Dowd, who had a knack for working areas with a very rich target environment.