I have a Rem Model 30 Express barreled action laying around doing nothing. I have a hankering to build a long range target rifle, and am wondering if these actions have a decent rep for accuracy. It looks as though bedding it wouldn't be overly difficult, and it most certainly is a hefty and hopefully reasonably stiff action.

Eric

Eric,
in this case, the model 30 is not a great choice, partialy due to lock time. I would sell the 30 and get a 788 or 600 for this type of work.

jeffe

You can always turn the Model 30 into a big bore, they work great for that.

Hog Killer

I DON'T MEAN TO BUTT IN BUT DO ANY OF YOU KNOW WHERE I CAN PURCHASE A DROP IN STOCK FOR THE MODEL 30. I'VE LOOKED EVERY I CAN THINK OF AND DRAWN A BLANK. ANY HELP WOULD BE APPRECIATED. THANKS

ERIC: PS, WELCOME TO THE FORUM.

I have never tried it but a 1917 Enfield sporter stock should be very close.
Good Luck!

Yes, a 14 or 17 Enfield stock with the 5 round depth/trigger height should fit quite well. Seeing as how a refined 14/17 is what the 30 is. - Dan

Hello,
Try Great American Gunstocks or www.gunstocks.com and ask for Henry, owner. He can be of help to you I am sure and willing to discuss just what you are after and has great selections of normal wood to museum quality. Just a suggestion.
Favor Center!!
dsiteman

the model 30 retains the original dog leg trigger guard and 6 round capacity of the m17.

The 30 retained the dog leg in the bolt handle, but not the one in the TG. One dog leg in a rifle is enough. :-)

John

the model 30 i owned still held 6 rounds in the magazine.

actually, thinking back i remember it holding 6 rds but i don't recall the dogleg. what'd they do, leave all else as is and just make the fwd end come off coplanar w/ the rest of the guard?

TSS;
If these guys have convinced you that the model 30 should be sold for another action, let me know. I would be interested in taking it off your hands providing it hasn't been hacked up.

as to target use, the m30/p17/p14 are incredibly stiff and you can get speed lock kits and good triggers. partly depends on what you mean by "target rifle". if you mean one you can win important competitions with, then you may want another. if you mean one that's as accurate as any normal person can use and one you can have fun with, then knock yourself out. can easily be made long enough for 7mm stw, 7mm-300wby or any number of such long range rounds.

If I had it I would recreate the original stock. M-30s are comparitively rare. I would use a 1917 if I were going to make a sporter or target rifle, although it is not the best starting point. You can find a Bubba-ized rifles for a low price. These are the best ones to use for gunsmithing projects. You could sell yours and have money to put into your project plus a usable action. I would not mess with original 1917's either. They are going for $600 ish and up. The days or cheap military rifles for sporter projects are over.

Tahoe Swede Shooter-

I sent you a private message earlier today.

HI GUYS, THANKS FOR ALL THE INFO. I APPRECIATE IT.

BRASSBENDER: I WOULD NEVER SELL IT. IT WAS THE LAST GUN MY WIFE BOUGHT FOR ME BEFORE SHE PASSED AWAY. IT'S A 30:06 LYMAN STEEL SIGHTS, NEVER DRILLED AND TAPPED AND HAS ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BLUE JOBS I'VE SEEN. BUT IT HAS THE UGLIEST FURNITURE. THE UGLY TREE FELL ON THIS RIFLE. BUT I LOVE IT. EXCELLENT SHOOTER.

SORRY, I JUST COULDN'T PART WITH IT.

TSS;
Hang on to that rifle just the way it is. There is too much value; both sentimental and monetarily for you to do anything else. I have a friend in Oregon who collects model 30's and they have become rare as hens teeth. If 17 Enfields are worth $600 now, I would think you could get a lot more than that from your 30. It would be a shame to do anything to change a fine old girl as you have described her.

Thanks for all the input guys. As to colector value, someone would have to spit out a number. This is exactly like i said, a barreled action, with what appears to be a new, modified (from what I am not exactly sure) US issue barrel, caliber guessed at .308 (don't have any .308 ammo to be sure, ain't buying any, it's not a round I like) My idea is to screw on a nice 30" tube in 6.5x55 and enjoy myself at long ranges. I've kicked around popping it into a stock as is, but life's too short to shoot boring rifles and a .308 would put me to sleep LOL. I'm not in love with the action (if someone wanted to swap a nice Savage single shot full lenth action or equivalent I'd take it *g*) however I already do have it here, and someone else had the metal work done. Nothing has been done to alter the action though.

Tahoe swede , Thats M30 isnt a 308 its a 30-06. Unless its been rebarreled. Is it remington marked barrel?

Model 30s arent "that" rare , I see them on gun broker now and then. There are 2 for sale at my local gun shops.

I think a 6.5x55 barrel on a m30 is going in the wrong direction. That action should be for big calibers. Id keep it a 30-06 at least.

GSP7,
No, it is most assuredly *not* a 30-06, as I said in the above post it has a different barrel on it. No, the barrel isn't marked Remington, it has the same "flaming bomb" emblem as I find in different spots on my Eddystone so I suspect the late previous owner had a new military barrel shortened to chamber it in .308
Guys, thanks for the input, but my question was simply: is this action one that has the potential to be the basis of a decently accurate rifle? I already know the caliber I will use, the task I want it to work for, even the most likely barrel and stock. Just trying to find a use for this piece as it's hanging around like an unemployed brother-in-law not earning it's keep.

as to use of the action, in jim carmichaels book (or perhaps a magazine article) he built his 1st 243 on a 1917 enfield as a varmint gun and was in such a hurry to shoot it actually put it back into the original stock temporarily. no surprise; was xtrmly accurate. the action is very adaptable to long rounds but will work just fine for any ctg you want it built for (w/in head dia limitations of course). if he can be happy w/ one as a 243 there is no reason at all it can't make a perfectly fine 6.5x55.

and even tho the action is long, it really isn't otherwise that big and after all the excess is cut away (from a p14/17; yours already is of course) it's no heavier than an m98. i actually weighed the modified p14 i built into a 500 jeffery and my recollection was abt the same as a m98 mauser.

if you want that action built into a 6.5x55 there's no reason whatsoever not to. it's your rifle you're building and as long as you're happy with it there's nothing much anybody else can say abt it. is it wasting a long action on a short ctg? yeah. tuff. it's yours to do w/ as you please.