does the blueprinting of a titanium action need special tooling? in other words, do you think any smith who normally accurizes rem 700 actions will do the job on a titanium's?
thanks in advance.
Montero

Montero,
I believe titanium requires different tooling and machining procedures than steel.
I doubt many gunsmiths are prepared to work with titanium.

For what a titanium-action Remington will cost you in Spain, you should expect that it does not need accurizing.
Titanium is a gimmick metal in the gun industry, at least at this point. A couple of scope manufacturers tried it, and they could not sell the scopes (at $1000).

If you want a lightweight, accurate U.S.-made rifle, invest in a Rifles, Inc. or New UltraLight Arms rifle.

Don't SIG, Sako, Steyr, and Blaser offer lightweight rifles?

I take it you are looking for a rifle to use for ibex and chamois?

George

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

[This message has been edited by GeorgeS (edited 08-09-2001).]

Machining titanium does require special tooling and cutting fluids. Talk to Greg Tannel at Gre-Tan Rifles (870) 353-6176. He has accurized titanium Rem 700s. If done right, the titanium machines very cleanly---with the right tooling and lubricants.

Jordan

GeorgeS,
You ara absolutely right! For what it will cost me in Spain, even for what it would cost you in the US, the Remington Titanium should be outright accurate.
The problem is whether the extra money you pay for this rifle goes into the material to build the action, or is spent in a better barrel and more careful assembly, a-la Custom Shop, whose rifles I have found to be very accurate indeed, and to my complete satisfaction.
We have lightweight rifles in Europe, and I do own a break open single shot from Blaser, which, you guessed it!, is my ultimate choice for chamois, but we have nothing like the Titanium which would fit perfectly in the empty space I now have in my gun rack.
You seem to know much about Spain, you guess on chammy was dead on. Have you hunted here?
Regards,
Montero.

Montero....I saw that little Blaser single-shot at the SCI in Vegas....what a nifty little carbine. What caliber is yours and how does it shoot? I think the price for the basic model was something around $3000US. What do they run in Europe?

Montero,
I haven't hunted in Spain, although I'd like to. Some of my friends from SCI have hunted there, and they enjoyed it immensely.
I'm not a mountain hunter; I'd like to hunt mouflon, roe deer, wild boar, and fallow
deer there.

As for where the extra $$$ goes, some goes for the titanium and tooling, some goes to pay for the free hunts for gun writer/pimps, and the rest goes to advertising.

The Remington Custom Shop does not use better barrels; they pull them right off the assembly line (except for special orders).
The actions and stocks don't receive any special attention either.
You get more 'hand-fitting' of the parts, and a higher price tag.

George

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

Titanium is a wonderful material for firearms
and it does require different tooling and
machining techniques than standard c/m and
stainless steels.

We have produced more titanium actions than
anybody and have found it to be a superior
product and contrary to popular myth it is
more gall resistant than commonly used
stainless steels such as 416 and 17 4.

Ross Spagrud-Prairie Gun Works

DB Bill,
My single shot barrel has two interchangeable barrels, one in 5.6x50R, which I use for all my roe deer hunting, and a 6.5x65R, which I use for mountain hunting. The 5.6x50R is slightly higher capacity than a .222 Remington Magnum, which case is 47 mm long, the 5.6 being 50 mm long. The 6.6x54R is quite similar to a slightly improved 6.5-06.
The plain-jane K95 costs around 2,200 US$. From there you can go up to 13,500 US$. The more expensive models, like the Super Exclusiv or the Royal, carry fancy walnut and elaborated engraving.

GeorgeS,
My experience with Remington has been quite limited, but I have found their custom shops to be more accurate and better fitted than the regular ones. I now own a Seven Mannlicher Stocked Carbine in .308 WCF which, out of the box (except for a trigger job), shoots almost anything into .50-.75" to almost the same point of impact. Never saw, as luck may have it, anything like that in the BDL's, 7's or Mountains I have tried.

Best regards,
Montero.

6.6x54R is a mistake, I meant 6.5x65R.
sorry,
Montero

Montero,
It is the hand-fitting of parts that Remington is charging you for; any accuracy improvements are a result of hand-fitting, not higher-quality components.
I have eight Rem. 700s: four shot sub-MOA with no modifications other than trigger adjustment; one is unfired and awaiting conversion to a switch-barrel (.257STW/7mm Remington Magnum); one is still being 'evaluated'; the rest have been blueprinted, and re-barreled with Shilen barrels.
Remington quality has dropped noticeably in the last few years. so I have been buying Savage and Winchesters instead.

Ross Spagrud's rifles received a lot of positive press from the usual assortment of blowhard gun writers. Having winnowed out the usual hyperbole that gun writers getting free or discounted guns are prone to, it sounds like he really knows how to put a rifle together.

Montero,
Can roe deer be hunted economically in Spain? How about wild boar? I know stag and fallow deer are relatively expensive.

George

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

GeorgeS,
With such a strong US $, I am sure that you would consider the prices that we pay in Spain and in the rest of Continental Europe more than reasonable.
Demand exceeds supply and that makes roe deer hunting in Spain more expensive than in Eastern Europe. Prices also depend on the area you hunt, you can buy a permit as cheap as 350$ up to 1200$.
Wild boar is very abundant throuhout the country. Driven hunts start at 100$ up to 500$ a day. 30 to 60 hunters should take 5 to 30 animals a day.
Outfitters that sell hunts abroad charge outrageous margins, though.
Regards,
Montero

Gracias, Montero. I am going to Greece again next year and was thinking of stopping in Spain for a few days' hunting (and I've always wanted to see a bullfight).

George

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