I bought a M700 in 416 Rem Mag awhile ago with the intention of one day building a true big bore out of it. The gunsmith I spoke to them about the conversion has since retired and I cannot talk him into doing it for me.

Can someone point me to a good gunsmith who is willing to turn my M700 into a 500 Jeffery.

Thanks,
Kent

There are plenty of good ones around. It seems if they are good that they have a big backlog of work. McWhorter Custom Rifles had a project of mine for 1.5 years. One may find a semi-retired fellow that just takes on a little at a time so as not to keep something too long. Look on various links and just start calling.

Call Roger Ferrell at 770-460-0533.

Kent,
Take a look at the Montana Rifleman. From what I see on this forum they are pretty well respected. Their prices are reasonable. They quoted me a turn around time on my Enfiled of about 4-5 weeks. This is to rebarrel it form .30-06 to .458 Lott and the associated feed rail and magazine work.Their Web site is http://www.montanarifleman.com/

WyoJoe

No offense intended, but if a gunsmith turns a Rem 700 into a 500 jeffery, I would have to question if he is a 'good' gunsmith. All 'good' gunsmiths will insist that you use a controlled feed action for that magnificent cartridge, or they will risk running afoul of the CRF Taleban.

Thanks guys I will check out those two...anymore suggestions?

500grains,
My old smith was very good and a M700 lover. I cannot remember him saying much of anything good about a M70.

Kent

Kent,

I think the Rem 700 would be a poor choice for the 500 Jeffrey for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, the metal around the bolt head will be paper thin with the big rim diameter.

Secondly, because of the wide locking lugs Rem 700s have quite limited primary extraction travel. With 500 Jeffrey you have to allow for having crappy brass and if you had some with thinner rims and especially in combiniation with the very small case taper and possibly soft brass,you could have extraction problems.

Thirdly, the only reason to get a 500 Jeffrey over a 500 based on the 460 case, is for history, nostaligia etc. But that is lost when chambered in a Rem 700.

Having said that, you would certainly have a unique rifle. It would probably be the only 500 Jeffrey ever made on a Rem 700 in the whole world

Mike

I'd be very cautious of building a 500 Jeffery on a Rem 700. While I love this action,as was said before you will have almost no rim left on the bolt face,will need a Sako type extractor and frankly, I'd be very deeply concerned that the bolt locking lugs will take the bolt thrust. I'd talk seriously to Dan Lylja,Pac-Nor or someone else with Max'd out Rem 700 experience before even trying to do this.
I've heard of people using .378 cartridges in a Rem 700 and while an attractive idea, I have never even attempted it. Your best bet is to buy a CZ550 and have someone convert it for you.Good Luck-Rob

Mike & Rob,

Thanks for your input concerning the rim. I have researched this and am confident that this will not be a problem. The wall thickness of the remington bolt will only get about .015" thinner with the Jeffery. Teh Jeffery by the way has the same rim diameter as the 378. Regarding pressure I have been told that the pressure thrust force is less with the 500 than the 378 or the 375 UltraMag because the pressure of the Jeffery is so much lower than the Weatherby or the Ultra. I also do not completely understand why everyone says I need to install a Sako extractor. The Sako is somewhat larger, but nothing compared to a Mauser. Besides I have heard too many bad stories about these Sako extractors flying off and putting eyes out!

I am going with the Jeffery because it will fit within the magazine box of the M700. I do not understand where all this nostalgic talk is coming from. If you want to be a romantic you need a big double rifle not a cheapy magazine rifle in any caliber.

Kent

Kent,

The standard Jeffrey case is about .580 or .590 across the rim, 416 Rigby size.

The H&H case is a about .530, so you are looking at probably needing about .05 out of the counterbore. Check how thin a Mark V is for a 378 and the nose of the Mark V bolt is bigger than the Rem 700 bolt diamter.

You would have to use a Sako extractor for such a conversion.

As to why do people use sako extractors?. Most bench rifles I have owned with Rem 700s have had Sako extractors fitted.

Firstly, they are just nicer as they slip over easier. Also, sometimes a Rem bolt will make the standard Rem extractor hang down a bit far and the extractor grinds over the rim when you chamber and you gets lots of brass shavings and difficult chambering.

In my opinion locking lug strength issues for Rem 700s and the big 378 or 500 Jeffrey case is bullshit as the lugs are much wider than Mauser actions, which is why the Rem 700 only has small primary extraction.

Another point to remember with the Jeffrey as compared to say 500 A Square is that if the Jeffrey brass is soft shit, then it it simply won't equal the ballistics of the 500 A Square, even though the Jeffrey is a slightly bigger case.

Mike

Kent in IA,
If you just want to try to build a curio that will soon become a relic, have at it. Mike375 is making a lot of sense to me, especially if you have in mind a useful piece, rather than a conversation piece.

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So many bovids! So little time and money!
RAB

Dagga,

Aren't all of these just curios? I ask a serious question looking for recommendations for a gunsmith who does good work and I get a couple. Everyone else seems to be just stuck on slamming my choice of actions.

Dagga, you are a big Ruger fan particularly of their magnum 416 Rigby. A friend of mine has one. I have shot this rifle and it is capable of two shots in 2 inches at 100 yards at it's best. After that they start flying all over the place. I mean you are lucky if the flier hit the 12" X 12" target! I know he has tried numerous powders, bullets, loads, etc. The rifle has been bedded, restocked, squared up, etc and it still doesn't shoot for sh!t. If that is what you consider a DGR then please do not slam me for choosing a M700 at least it can be made to print a group!

Kent

[This message has been edited by Kent in IA (edited 12-15-2001).]

Kent,

It is not a case of "slamming" your choice of action for a 500 Jeffrey.

Think of it this way, if someone posted a request for a good gunsmith to convert his Model 94 to 300 Wby, would you make any suggestions that such a conversion might have some difficulties associated with it.

Mike

Mike,

Your example is impossible! While I agree I am stretching the M700 action to the limit I don't belive it is impossible. I know it can be done. It seems that many people here think that a 500 Jeffery is a sacred cartridge. It was created so that cheap Mauser actioned rifles could have the same punch as an expensive 500 NE period nothing more or less about it. Nowadays people get alot of money for a 500 Jeffery rifle, but in reality they cost no more to make than a 30-06!

Kent

Kent,

No doubt the conversion can be done.

However, you will only need to drop the bolt on the ground and you will probably dent the end of your bolt as that counterbore sticking out will be real thin.

Rightly or wrongly, the Jeffrey's only attraction over the 500 A Square is historical, traditional bullshit and that is most definiely out the window if done in a Rem 700.

I assume if you do a Rem 700 it would be a vertical stack magazine and it should work fine with 500 A2 if it will work with 500 Jeffrey.

Another point, besides good brass, is that the 500 A2 is smaller diameter than the Jeffrey and we already know for sure from the Wby, that the Rem 700 receiver ring diamter is OK for the 378 case. Remember the Mauser is a larger receiver ring than the Rem 700.

Mike

Mike,

The 500 A Square is too long to fit in a M700 action. Therefore I need to use the 500 Jeffery! The rim diameter of the 500 Jeffery is actually less than that of the 500 A Aquare by the way. You are correct in that the 500 A Square has a smaller case OD than the Jeffery though.

You are also incorrect concerning the brass for the Jeffery. You can get good high quality brass from Europe and from Mast here in the US. So I am not stuck buying that crappy Australian Bertram brass!

Kent

Kent,

I would have thought that the bolt face for either a 378 or 500 Jeffrey case would be made about the same.

What is the European brass you will get.

Mike

Kent

I admire your spunk. If you know what you want then by God go after it with all the gusto you can muster. In the early days of firearms you would have been called a pioneer. There were many enthusiasts that thought Porter Ackley and Bob Hutton were whacked out. Ackley gave us a wealth of knowledge with his experiments. When your project materializes successfully then we all learn and benefit from it. If it doesn't work we still will benefit from your efforts. Better to have tried and failed than not have tried at all. GO FOR IT DUDE.

KEEP YOUR POWDER DRY.....OL CRIP

[This message has been edited by ol crip (edited 12-16-2001).]

[This message has been edited by ol crip (edited 12-16-2001).]

I agree with Ole Crip, and by the way, Midway has a list of gunsmiths nationwide that they refer customers to. Give them a call.
Good luck and good shooting

Kent in IA,
The only Rugers I have ever owned that shot like your friend's were a Mini-14 and an Ultralight 270 Winchester with a pencil barrel. I traded in the 270 promptly, back to where it came from.

I took the 416 Rigby Ruger to Africa because I did not want to get the PH frightened of me showing up with my special throated 500 A-Square (which I call the 510 JAB). Also that Ruger shoots one hole groups with the GS Custom 380grain FN, and functions flawlessly. Maybe I got lucky?

My idea of a bolt action DGR:

*BRNO ZKK 602 Action
*Non-articulating single stage trigger @ 3.5#
*PME 3-position safety
*McMillan Classic Express drop-box stock, color is plain, dark walnut brown
*Pachmayr Decelerator pad, Sporting Clays model
*Stainless 1 in 10 twist McGowen barrel
*Detachable muzzle brake
*NECG Masterpiecefront sight with gold sourdough and white 3/32" bead interchangeable
*PME Express rear sight, single standing shallow V
*Barrel band swivel base
*All steel finished dull matte olive drab
*Leupold 2.5X scope in QD Warne rings
*Backup Scope: Zeiss 4X with mount integral to scope tube, fitting on the BRNO integral bases milled into the square bridge receiver

I have the above chambered in 500 A-Square/510 JAB.

This is a more practical cartridge due to the quality and easy availability of brass, 460 Weatherby, as well as bullets.

But you are right about building something different if it satisfies an itch.

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So many bovids! So little time and money!
RAB

[This message has been edited by DaggaRon (edited 12-16-2001).]