Remington 700 VLS free float/glass bed/change stock

[bowietx]

All,


After years of sitting in my safe and being relegated to collecting dust I have decided to put some time and money into my first rifle which is a remington 700vls in .308. To begin with I wanted to get some opiions on what to do if anything with the stock. After reading other articles I have seen suggestions ranging from simply free flaoting the exisiting stock, having it bedded, or simply replacing it with an H-S stock. What are your thoughts or experiences about/with these choices? gun)

 

[J E Custom]

All,


After years of sitting in my safe and being relegated to collecting dust I have decided to put some time and money into my first rifle which is a remington 700vls in .308. To begin with I wanted to get some opiions on what to do if anything with the stock. After reading other articles I have seen suggestions ranging from simply free flaoting the exisiting stock, having it bedded, or simply replacing it with an H-S stock. What are your thoughts or experiences about/with these choices? gun)

The VLS has a very good stock and I wouldn't replace it. I would install pillars, bed the action
and float the barrel. This will let you find out how well it will shoot for very little money.

The only other thing I would suggest would be to install a good aftermarket trigger (Like the Jewell).

The Laminate stocks are as good as the H S and you would need to bed it anyway.

After sitting for so long I would also do a short break in (Clean and shoot 1 round 4 or 5 times).

That is a very nice rifle and will not need much to reach it's potential.

J E CUSTOM

 

[johnnyk]

I would get the rifle/action floated/glass bedded with the existing laminate stock.

I like the synthetic(s) w/aluminum bedding blocks, but there's something about wood and the Remington VLS is a beautiful stock. I have wanted one for years but I don't really want a .308, I have an accurate .243 (Win70 that resides in a HSPrecision stock!) and would rather have a 22-250 with a 1-9 twist rather than the 1-14 Remington offers.

I have a Savage that started out as a 12BVSS but I traded stocks with another member on here who had a Savage VLP. With the original stock the rifle consistently shot sub 1/2" but after the swap the recoil lug didn't fit just right and I noticied the groups moved out to 3/4", or worse, on known accuracy loads.

I took the rifle to Joe Collier / Collier Rifles in Millen, GA and he bedded it for me. From what I can tell he does a lot of work on Remington rifles, but is definately not limited to that brand. Very talented riflesmith with a great personality and calm demeanor. He has a nice shop and produces some very accurate rifles. Anyway, he called me after about a month and told me to "come get this Savage". He had finished it and loaded up some loads, I guess from some load info I sent him, and the rifle had put the first three bullets in the same hole at 100yds (another biased Remington fan see's the light, maybe?) I highly recommend Joe for anyone interested in rifle accuracy.

A bedding job is usually about a third the cost and just as effective, IMO. JohnnyK.

 

[bowietx]

Thank you both for your inputs I greatly appreciate the opportunity to gain some knowledge. The fact that the VLS stock has the ability with some work to achieve the same performance as a H-S is heartening as I do like the look of the stock and would rather keep it.

Rather fortuitously I discovered that even though I live in BFE (love it!!) Texas, I now have a gunsmith who specializes in rem 700s and long range shooting around the corner. In fact after receiving your recommendations I emailed him and am awaiting a quote on the required work.

Thank you again for the info and I will let you know how it turns out.

 

[rscott5028]

Long range hunting and shooting is addictive and expensive. Even so, you don't have to go overboard with your spending. In fact, a little money spent in the right direction will get you a lot of mileage.

I suggest you assess where you stand now. That way, you'll have a better idea of what to spend money on and whether you're making progress.

How well does it shoot now with decent ammo? e.g. Federal Gold Medal Match

Is the barrel floated already? i.e. Can you run a dollar bill (or thicker) under the barrel practically up to the receiver without the stock pinching it?

If not, then you might simply want to start by floating the barrel yourself using various grades of sand paper around a dowel to open up the barrel channel enough to float it.

Once that's done, reassemble and shoot it. You should definately be grouping under an inch at 100 yds by now.

Bedding may help shrink that down a tad and help maintain accuracy longer and under more varied conditions. You can do a very nice job in your garage with a dremmel and some Marine Tex. I feel that aluminum or steel pillars are optional. But, I do agree that the job will last longer if you include them.

There are lots of threads, articles, youtube videos, DVDs, and books about bedding.

If you're not shooting decent groups by now, then something isn't right and you should get a second opinion since it could be the rifle, ammo, or the shooter.

As JE points out, a good trigger is a big plus. Tuning the factory trigger and/or replacing it with an aftermarket such as Jewel or Timney is also something lots of guys do themselves. But if you're not 100% up to speed on all of the safety issues, then you should seek out a reputable smith.

You never indicated whether you handload. That's an essential aspect of fine tuning accuracy as well as achieving the consistency needed for long range hunting and shooting.

Also, you haven't mentioned optics. A good scope that's properly mounted will make a huge difference.

Keep us posted
-- Richard

 

[Prairie Dog50]

In John Burns "Best of the West", he uses a remington 700 VLS to show how to accurize a factory rifle, and develop loads to be used out to a thousand yards. He covers glass bedding, tuning the trigger and developing custom drop compensating turrets, all with the VLS....Food for thought.

 

[Dano1]

I think a VLS in a .308 would be a blast! I second the opinions already expressed here. I have a .243 Win Remington 700 VLS and it is as accurate as either one of my custom rifles, both of which are built off of Remington 700 actions.

I have actually held back from doing any customwork to mine as it is so accurate I dfon't want to mass it up. The only thing that has been done on it a trigger job to take it to 3lbs. It will shoot 5 shot, one hole groups all day and I have used it to take chucks just past 600yds.

I haven't even beded the action, It doesn't need it.

It's really cool having a good looking varmit rifle that shoots so well.

Dan

 

[kurt_myers0369]

I have had a 700 VLS in .308 for over a year now, my best 100 yd group is just under a half inch, and I have done nothing to it! Just experimented with different loads and bullets. Why fix something if it isn't broken?

 

[westcliffe01]

If you are being careful with the cash and want a better trigger, I would try a Shilen. Mine was 2.5lb out the package and it really was not very complicated to fit. My 2004 Rem 700 trigger could not be adjusted below about 5lb while being safe and functioning reliably. The best part is that the Shilen sells for less than $100 at Brownells http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=12531/avs|Manufacturer_1=SHILEN/Product/REMINGTON_700_40X_XP_100_ADJUSTABLE_TRIGGERS

The only improvement I would suggest is rounding the edge of the trigger itself. I believe it is wire cut and has a square edge. It is the only negative in a great trigger.