Remington model 7 project

[Bwhntr31]

I have a SS/Syn model 7 chambered in 7-08. I love the rifle and it holds sentimental value to me and the family. I've shot countless animals with it, my boys both got their 1st deer with it, and my wife got her first kill with it.

With that said, I've never been happy with its accuracy. It's a 1.5 moa gun. I've always loved the 700 mountain rifle, so that's what I have in mind for this rifle. I'd like to take this rifle to a gunsmith and have a good barrel fitted, action trued, and a new stock fitted.

What is a realistic budget for this?

[twosixteens]

$800 plus the stock of your choice is a pretty good place to start. Have you done anything to possibly help the accuracy (bedding pillars) the model 7’s usually shoot pretty good. One last thought have you tried different loads.

[Raider4044]

$400-450 Quality Cut Rifled Barrel
~$300-400 Chambering
~$200 Basic Action Truing
~$400-1000+ Stock (wide range of options)
$150-200 Bedding

Might as well put a good trigger in it as well, so add another ~$200 for that.

[Bwhntr31]

$800 plus the stock of your choice is a pretty good place to start. Have you done anything to possibly help the accuracy (bedding pillars) the model 7’s usually shoot pretty good. One last thought have you tried different loads.

I haven't worked up a load yet. I can probably get it to an inch easily enough.

I'm not a fan of the short barrel, and I dont want to do the work for a new stock that I will replace when I rebarrel.

[Bwhntr31]

$400-450 Quality Cut Rifled Barrel
~$300-400 Chambering
~$200 Basic Action Truing
~$400-1000+ Stock (wide range of options)
$150-200 Bedding

Might as well put a good trigger in it as well, so add another ~$200 for that.

OK, I can figure on $2 - 3k. That's kind of what I was thinking.

[Chase4556]

OK, I can figure on $2 - 3k. That's kind of what I was thinking.

$2-$3k is above what I’d budget for it.

https://www.crownridgebarrelworks.com/products/crown-ridge-chambered-x-caliber-6144-3dde471a-e61d-4eb7-9c37-de0fbc7eab4e

$420ish for a chambered barrel(rem700 barrels interchange with the model 7. Could even go Remage with a barrel but if you wanted.

$350ish for a Boyd’s pro varmint stock with upgraded recoil pad, adjustable comb, and pillar bedding.

Sub $1000 for the parts. Then it’s all up to what your gunsmith charges to true up the action, install the barrel, ect ect. You can bed it yourself, I’ve done 3 now and it’s not that bad(lots of YouTube videos beforehand), but obviously could pay the gunsmith too.

Bet you can have it all done for $1500ish.

Just pulling off Precision Barrel Works(Hempstead) website:
$220 to “completely” true the action. Don’t know what all that involves.
$175 to glass bed
Don’t see an option/price for installing a customer supplied barrel. But let’s say $200.

just shy of $1400 or so? Bet it will be a tack driver. I’d personally just start with the barrel replacement and bed the action. You can easy inlet the barrel channel on the stock yourself. You might do that and find the rifle shooting 3/4” groups. Or not. Never know. I’ve got an older Rem700 25-06 that I bedded the action in the factory gloss finish wood stock, no pillars, and with that alone with my handloads it went from shooting 1-1.25” to .75-.80” groups at 100yd. Only reason I’m going to put a new barrel is so I can use a suppressor… I don’t like loud noises anymore. Haha

[Radar]

OK, I can figure on $2 - 3k. That's kind of what I was thinking.

I would not stick that much money in a Model 7, keep it the way it is and buy another rifle. Tikka has a Lite Veil model that you could buy for 1/2 of what you would spend on the model 7.

[Raider4044]

I would not stick that much money in a Model 7, keep it the way it is and buy another rifle. Tikka has a Lite Veil model that you could buy for 1/2 of what you would spend on the model 7.

I would typically agree that it’s not worth building off a 7 or 700 action anymore, and just recommend building a full blown custom, but with it having sentimental value, it’s a different story. Personally, a stock factory rifle that shoots 1.5 MOA would probably never my safe. If it has sentimental value and I want to be able to hunt with it and enjoy shooting it, then it’s absolutely worth dropping some money on it to get a rifle I’ll actually use.

[Radar]

I would typically agree that it’s not worth building off a 7 or 700 action anymore, and just recommend building a full blown custom, but with it having sentimental value, it’s a different story. Personally, a stock factory rifle that shoots 1.5 MOA would probably never my safe. If it has sentimental value and I want to be able to hunt with it and enjoy shooting it, then it’s absolutely worth dropping some money on it to get a rifle I’ll actually use.

If it has sentimental value why butcher it up? I would rather hunt with grandpa's gun the way it left the factory.

I have guns that shoot 1.5 MOA in my safe, not ashamed of them at all.

[Raider4044]

If it has sentimental value why butcher it up? I would rather hunt with grandpa's gun the way it left the factory.

I have guns that shoot 1.5 MOA in my safe, not ashamed of them at all.

I can understand both sides of it. For me, I pretty much exclusively shoot suppressed custom rifles and once you get used to nice rifles, you don’t want to shoot anything else. I haven’t shot an unsuppressed rifle in 5 years or so and don’t have any desire to. If I was in the OPs position, I’d rather build that rifle into something that I would actually use and enjoy than leave it stock and never have it leave the safe. To each their own though.

[Chase4556]

I can understand both sides of it. For me, I pretty much exclusively shoot suppressed custom rifles and once you get used to nice rifles, you don’t want to shoot anything else. I haven’t shot an unsuppressed rifle in 5 years or so and don’t have any desire to. If I was in the OPs position, I’d rather build that rifle into something that I would actually use and enjoy than leave it stock and never have it leave the safe. To each their own though.

Agreed. For example, this 25-06 I’m working on. It has sentimental value, but I’ve gotten used to rifles that shoot pretty darn small groups. So, while keeping it as factory as possible I decided to bed it. Made a difference, but now I want to shoot it suppressed so a new barrel is the answer. Most likely will get even better groups out of that too. However, I’m keeping the factory gloss finished wood stock. Not super conducive to tiny groups, but keeps the nostalgic properties of the rifle.

All a give and take and where the Individual draws the line on “desecrating” the sentimental side of things.

[Radar]

I have never owned a real nice firearm, might have to look into that.

That little model 7 ought to be put up and handed down to the grand kids to use, a fella could stick 3000.00 in a build and it will still be a model 7, unfortunately. The OP wants a mountain gun and I held one of the new Tikka Lite Veil in 308 and it was an awful nice gun for 1200.00, it is probably a much better rifle than the original Remington 700 Mountain Guns. Of course this is my opinion, for what it is worth.

[duckhunter175]

Keep it as is… have a Quality bedding job done and install a new trigger, then add some quality rings and maybe a new scope depending on what you have on there.

Id bet you get under 1 moa; try some quality ammo too.

All said its a cheaper option and maintains the Integrity of your sentimental rifle.

If you rebarrel, restock, new trigger, etc then all you really have is a “sentimental” receiver and that really doesnt make much sense to me.

[TX03RUBI]

As someone who’s made the mistake of building off a Model 7 don’t do it. One of the very few gun related projects that I regret. Stock options are non existent besides custom orders, which means finding nothing in stock. IF you ever change your mind on the stock finding a buyer is like finding a needle in a haystack, and then they’ll want it at dirt cheap prices. Trigger options suck as well. All that, and you end up with a rifle that lost over 1/2 its value the second it’s complete.

[Raider4044]

Trigger options suck as well.

Doesn’t Triggertech make a Model 7 trigger now?