Action blueprinting?

[308_Branden]

Quick question folks, what is the general consensus on whether or not blueprinting a r700 action is worth it or not? Does blueprinting change the feel of the bolt throw, does it tighten up the action all together? I'm not entirely sure it's worth it given it might just be more cost effective not to mention quicker to just buy an action such as a big horn for instance. Thanks in advance for all your knowledge and experience

 

[southpa]

Subjective question. Is it worth it? Yes I think so 100%. A worked over 700 is going to be better than any factory one any day.

Enter all sorts of other factors, maybe not. Do you own the 700 action already? Are you looking to start from scratch and have to buy a donor 700 action? If so, you're probably better off buying custom clone. If you already have an action it's worth it IMO. Also, some very accurate, reliable 700 rifles can be found much more affordable than full custom builds. It's all in what's important to you.

 

[308_Branden]

Subjective question. Is it worth it? Yes I think so 100%. A worked over 700 is going to be better than any factory one any day.

Enter all sorts of other factors, maybe not. Do you own the 700 action already? Are you looking to start from scratch and have to buy a donor 700 action? If so, you're probably better off buying custom clone. If you already have an action it's worth it IMO. Also, some very accurate, reliable 700 rifles can be found much more affordable than full custom builds. It's all in what's important to you.

The reason for the post is yes I have an action with a carbon 6 barrel on it already and as a way to perhaps not build up another rifle I was looking into just " maxing out" what I have now. It would be cool it get the slop out of the action for sure

 

[crystalgayleguy]

If you are to shot major tournament yes just to have a gun to shoot its up to you

 

[ShtrRdy]

I have a Rem 700 I had blueprinted and a Rem 700 I had the barrel replaced without blueprinting. As for the feel of the action they are the same. They are not as smooth as a custom action. Accuracy wise I don't think there is a difference between the two. Now, that experience may not hold for all Rem 700 actions.

 

[GSRetrievers]

@Fiftydriver worked over a 700 for me into a 338 edge from a 270. That action was as slick as riding on glass ball bearings; as smooth and fast as any custom I've had, so I guess it depends on who does the work and the finish.

 

[LTH181818]

Quick question folks, what is the general consensus on whether or not blueprinting a r700 action is worth it or not? Does blueprinting change the feel of the bolt throw, does it tighten up the action all together? I'm not entirely sure it's worth it given it might just be more cost effective not to mention quicker to just buy an action such as a big horn for instance. Thanks in advance for all your knowledge and experience

No, cheaper to by new for 1k.

 

[308_Branden]

No, cheaper to by new for 1k.

Kind of what I'm thinking as well

 

[GSRetrievers]

No, cheaper to by new for 1k.

I'd definitely buy the custom receiver now just for the options and only have done one build on a 700 before I saw the light 20 years ago. The price with all the work is right against that of a custom receiver and much less work for the smith, plus you get the options you want.

 

[Presis Skyter]

There are some really nice clone actions for under $1k that I'd much rather have then a blue printed rem 700. Also if you ever decide to sell, a blue printed rem wont sell for much more then stock, but a good aftermarket action will hold it's value pretty well.

 

[308_Branden]

There are some really nice clone actions for under $1k that I'd much rather have then a blue printed rem 700. Also if you ever decide to sell, a blue printed rem wont sell for much more then stock, but a good aftermarket action will hold it's value pretty well.

Very good point there. I guess if you have a Remington action sitting around it can be useful

 

[southpa]

Very good point there. I guess if you have a Remington action sitting around it can be useful

Yes precisely. This is the obvious point. Of course there are many people who care about status. If you have a 700 and wish to build something that performs as good as any clone and want to save money than run what you brung. My 700s print the same groups as any of my customs and I like new/different chamberings. No need to spend $1000 on an action every time i want something new. This is where my 700s fit great.

 

[dfanonymous]

I think blue printing is a good option if you have an old action lying about, that you want to accurize.

However, I don't typically stop there. I'll square up everything, then I usually get a thicker lug to match the type of chassis or stock I'm using, and double pin it, then recoat it.

I've recently just started pulling off the bolt handles on donor actions to fix the caming on the ones that had poor primary extraction.

So before blue printing, I would consider that or getting a PTG bolt which now adds to the cost making one of the foot printed actions probably the better way to go.

 

[LTH181818]

Quick question folks, what is the general consensus on whether or not blueprinting a r700 action is worth it or not? Does blueprinting change the feel of the bolt throw, does it tighten up the action all together? I'm not entirely sure it's worth it given it might just be more cost effective not to mention quicker to just buy an action such as a big horn for instance. Thanks in advance for all your knowledge and experience

40 years ago most people including me just put a barrel on their 700. The gun smith typically squared the bolt face, changed the injector and squared the receiver. Add a trigger and stock and that was our custom rifle.
I just put a new barrel on a model 7 ,with no action work. It shoots great. So I start adding up the cost of complete blue print of bolt and receiver new firing pin. It is good enough, been down the road over and over.
Their are great buys in the classifieds where people put 4k in a 700 build and now for sale for 2K.