Just brought home a new Remington 700 17 Rem. A friend who owned one once, says I'll have to get trigger work, bedding, and lots of bore scrubbing out of the way, before I can expect to shoot very good groups, or hit those faraway crows. Is he right??? The last new Remington I bought a few years ago, (a 22-250) shot like a house afire right out of the box...Is my new 17 going to be different? Thanks, Grant.

------------------

Every rifle is a law unto itself. Try it out!

Don

You need to talk to some 17 cal shooters, they behave differently, from what I've heard.

If it will make you feel better, Vern O'Brien bet his brown bear guide that his .17 wouldn't kill a brown bear and the guide upon shooting a large bear twice in the head and killing it with the .17 won the bet and took the little gun off his hands.

Tuning a mass produced rifle in my experience
is a wise and responsible descision. I'd put
a priority on quality cleaning components and barrel breakin procedure to get started.
post your question at this site: http://www.saubier.com/

The 17's foul terribly and require all new clening equipment...The caliber never flew because it is so damn tempermental and barrel makers hate them...however some do shoot well...

Leo,
I suspect two 22 shorts in the head of a brown bear would kill it also, but neither is a brown bear gun and thats for sure. Actually I'm surprised one shot didn't kill it but the first one probably blew up on the ear skin, thats a good way to get et.

------------------
Ray Atkinson

ray@atkinsonhunting.com
atkinsonhunting.com

OM70,
I shoot a .17 Rem. Kimber (of Oregon). Accuracy stays strong even after 30 rounds without cleaning.

I strongly suggest you clean the bore before firing, and give it a few passes with J-B or USP Bore Paste to smooth out the worst of the bore imperfections.

Also, adjust the trigger and check the bedding before shooting. Then, after properly mounting a good scope, shoot a few groups, allowing a minute or so between shots.

Remington quality has taken a real nosedive over the past few years, so it would not surprise me to hear that a new 700 won't shoot well without serious tuning or parts replacement. On the other hand, you may get a good one despite the efforts of the QC people at Remington.

George

------------------
Shoot straight, shoot often, but by all means, use enough gun!

Grant, I agree with George. Start out with a oil patch to see what Rem. left in the bore.
Bore paste is a definite. One peice coated cleaning rod and a bore guide are a must.
Bore finish is how you win the fouling problem. Bore paste before and during breakin
will help, and a strong copper solvent too.
There are posts on this site for custom barrel breakin procedure's, they start out a lot smoother than a factory tube. I just re barreled a 700 that was purchased on the third year of production. I used flitz and I believe gold medallion before jb was available. The original barrel was not broken in but it lasted a long time and maintained varmit accuracy. The new Pac Nor
barrel broke in easily after 20 rds., best group is .179 @ 100yds. and I'm no where near finished working up loads. If you handload, any changes have to be approached with caution as pressure changes very quickly. The biggest challenge with this cartridge is shooting wind conditions, I could easily be negative about it but the truth is it has made me a better longe range
shot and handloader. With no recoil, low muzzle blast, lazer trajectory, it is a death ray on varmints.