Barrel Replacement - Remage question

[Dirtrax]

Just this past year I sent my 700 SA off to Shillen Barrels to have their Alternut Bull barrel in .22-250 installed.
Total cost was $547 including free shipping. I'm no gunsmith, just a hobbiest with a lathe and a milling machine and no confidence.
I can't verify the accuracy because I haven't shot it yet, but their service was excellent.

Welcome to Shilen Rifles, Inc.

I'm curious about the Shilen version of the barrel nut. It keeps the shank thickness pretty much intact. Please follow up with your experience.

 

[woodneagle]

I'm curious about the Shilen version of the barrel nut. It keeps the shank thickness pretty much intact. Please follow up with your experience.

I would actually contact Shilen based on my experience with them as being knowledgable and helpful.
Granted, there's nothing like first hand/second hand experience from a member, but I may not be able to test fire it for a while?

 

[Dirtrax]

I would actually contact Shilen based on my experience with them as being knowledgable and helpful.
Granted, there's nothing like first hand/second hand experience from a member, but I may not be able to test fire it for a while?

Thanks for sharing. I'm not gonna have anyone install one for me as the whole point is the DIY aspect. I'm probably gonna give one a try.

 

[ntsqd]

With a barrel nut and the required tooling it's not rocket surgery and doesn't require power tools.

 

[Dirtrax]

With a barrel nut and the required tooling it's not rocket surgery and doesn't require power tools.

I agree it's not rocket surgery. Even setting headspace isn't at all complicated. Being able to adjust it is an advantage imo. I set it forward about .005" on belted magnums to make sure it headspaces off the shoulder. After the first couple of firing's everything is set. Setting to sammi specs is a good idea if one is planning to use factory ammo.

 

[DoneNOut]

I agree it's not rocket surgery. Even setting headspace isn't at all complicated. Being able to adjust it is an advantage imo. I set it forward about .005" on belted magnums to make sure it headspaces off the shoulder. After the first couple of firing's everything is set. Setting to sammi specs is a good idea if one is planning to use factory ammo.

I mean…they even let me do it.

 

[woodneagle]

With a barrel nut and the required tooling it's not rocket surgery and doesn't require power tools.

I agree it's not rocket surgery. Even setting headspace isn't at all complicated. Being able to adjust it is an advantage imo. I set it forward about .005" on belted magnums to make sure it headspaces off the shoulder. After the first couple of firing's everything is set. Setting to sammi specs is a good idea if one is planning to use factory ammo.

I just didn't feel comfortable doing that and compared to a Rem 700 barrel with a shoulder that needs to be clocked and spaced on a lathe, it does sound like setting the head space would be easy enough. It also seems like making the action a "change barrel rifle" would be easy enough as long as the bolt face diameter is compatible. Anyone agree?

 

[Dirtrax]

I just didn't feel comfortable doing that and compared to a Rem 700 barrel with a shoulder that needs to be clocked and spaced on a lathe, it does sound like setting the head space would be easy enough. It also seems like making the action a "change barrel rifle" would be easy enough as long as the bolt face diameter is compatible. Anyone agree?

Agree!

 

[IHFarmer07]

Hello folks, I'm thinking of replacing a barrel on an 700 action I have. I want to play around with a Remage from a hobbyist perspective. A friend of mine suggested that I was wasting my time just replacing a barrel. He feels that as a first step I should have the action trued, which would mean I would need a custom barrel (as I understand) for oversized threads. I understand that a custom or trued action will give me the best results. I feel strongly that the barrel is the most important part of the package and think that a plain Remage barrel by a maker like Shilen will probably really shoot no matter what. I can't shoot better than about 1/3 MOA anyway and I only take hunting shots to 500 yards or so. I have lots of factory guns that shoot to my capability. I really want to replace the barrel to get my caliber, twist, and barrel weight choice. In my head it is a cost benefit question. What are your thoughts?

Remage barrels can and sometimes are a VERY good option for hobbyists as thats what I do. I have one in a Valkyrie. Love the tinkering but I have a love hate relationship with the Valkyrie.
In my research if you choose to have the action trued, there are a few ways of doing it, James at Northland Shooters Supply used to sell "trued" actions that just had the end of the action where the recoil sets against trued……I don't know if he does anymore or if it improved much. Anyway, if you have it trued completely with single point truing of the threads there is some manufactures that will make barrel with over sized barrel threads for a trued action that I think was .010" over, not sure which remage manufacturers at this moment but I'm pretty sure McGowen did, maybe preferred barrels…..and there maybe some other more custom guys that do.

Get the tooling and the head space gages, you will love the trip and enjoy it!! I would love to do more tinkering like that as I have all the tooling already and I'd like to get 22gt, 7mm08, 30-06 and a few more, but money now a days only goes so far!

Also, James at northland used to sell some of the tooling, check him out on that also.

Good luck on your expedition!

 

[rickdavis81]

Your going to need an action wrench. I bought one from northland shooters. I also have a viper barrel vise and we still had to put a big pipe wrench on the barrel to keep it from spinning in the vise. We weren't planning on selling the barrel. It had a bur in the chamber.

Rosin powder applied between the vice blocks and barrel will help prevent it from spinning

 

[cajun]

Rosin powder applied between the vice blocks and barrel will help prevent it from spinning

Yeah so will sheetrock tape but those remington barrels are really tight. If your not saving the barrel it doesn't matter.

 

[rickdavis81]

Yeah so will sheetrock tape but those remington barrels are really tight. If your not saving the barrel it doesn't matter.

I remove em to thread em sometimes. Rosin and some heat on the action threads and they come loose. But yeah they're unnecessarily tight

 

[Rflshootr]

Sometimes.....if you are only going to do 1 or 2, and you have a gunsmith close by........it's cheaper to take the barreled action to him and let him remove the factory barrel and hand it back to you. Just another option. Then, if you have a good bench vise, a solid work bench and some oak blocks to hold the barrel, you can reinstall a new one and get it tight enough.

 

[GrayCreed]

Ho boy, down the rabbit hole we go.... it will shoot well then the slide begins. You will have a bench set up for everything. Then you will be either looking at other rifles in safe with drool or stopping at Pawn Shops looking for beaters to tear down. So I hear anyway...

This is true