Older rem 700 tinkering

Doco Overboard said:

...The pressure point at the front of the barrel is there from the factory to provide contact to provide a broad consistency of accuracy over very broad circumstances and conditions...

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dist1646 said:

When you take the action out of the stock, you will notice the "bump" but also take note that there is a ridge running the length of the fore end. That is due to the method used to inlet the stock during mass production. If the barrel contacts the "ridge", it must be sanded out so there is no contact. It can cause accuracy issues. Just another reason why the barrel should be free floated all the way back to the recoil lug.

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I'd agree with Doco Overboard's analysis of the reason for the factory bedding with a pressure point. I have removed the pressure point and free-floated several M700s with factory barrels and some of them got worse. I have also swapped them into HS Precision stocks without improvement. While the forend pressure pad MAY hinder precision in some barrels, it helps tame the ugly ones too. I have epoxy bedded and free floated many rifles and have not always been gratified with results. IMHO, unless the POI changes with weather as discussed above, a 100 yard group of 1-1/2" in an older M700 270 *hunting rifle* is the proverbial 'gift horse' and, with the OP's intended use in mind, I would personally leave it alone and run it as is.

The pic is a bit fuzzy but, it is 3 shots at 200 yards with factory ammo and only the modifications I previously mentioned.

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Nice group, but IME, if you can actually do that time after time, you got very lucky on both your 50/50 draw and on your factory tube performance.

I'm going to try two other factory loads. On paper out at 200 things went ugly.

1st cold bore shot at 100 to confirm zero and it was good to go. I get set up for 200 and 1st shot no impact no idea. Fee minutes later 2nd 200 yard shot six inches high and three inches left. Let it cool off again, trying to simulate cold bore shots. 3rd shot 3 inches left and 3 inches high.
I didnt shoot these over a crono, just confirming on paper. Went back to 100 and it was good.

So shes getting a tune up, some measuring for overall length and jump to the lands. A few factory rounds for sanity checks, but it needs a tighten up forsure.

All shots felt great too, prone off bags of corn, no rush. So then I confirmed an iron sight 30-30 for a sanity check and all went well.

shocker998md said:

I'm going to try two other factory loads. On paper out at 200 things went ugly.

1st cold bore shot at 100 to confirm zero and it was good to go. I get set up for 200 and 1st shot no impact no idea. Fee minutes later 2nd 200 yard shot six inches high and three inches left. Let it cool off again, trying to simulate cold bore shots. 3rd shot 3 inches left and 3 inches high.
I didnt shoot these over a crono, just confirming on paper. Went back to 100 and it was good.

So shes getting a tune up, some measuring for overall length and jump to the lands. A few factory rounds for sanity checks, but it needs a tighten up forsure.

All shots felt great too, prone off bags of corn, no rush. So then I confirmed an iron sight 30-30 for a sanity check and all went well.

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Im not sure what others would think, but before I went full on pillar bedding and smearing glass all over the place I would consider what a Dst marksman and subject matter expert/potential author advise.

Im just a schmuck but here's what I would do to have some fun.
Get some decent ammo that you like, set two targets up, 100 and 200 yds. Check your kit, go prone with a bag under your arm and the rifle from prone, foul and warm the barrel and shoot the two targets from about the same position to see what you get.

Same way each time as best as you can both targets at the same time without moving or breaking out too much as you can.

Although I'm all for pillar/epoxy bedding to extract precision from a rifle - especially an M700 in a factory stock - I would also recommend at least some attempt at load development and tuning before doing a lot of work for the rather modest precision goals that may meet your need. Working up a decent load may give you all you need for consistent minute-of-deer at 200-300 yards.

But, if the precision bug has bit you . . .

I'll play with some ammo and report back. I'll hold off on bedding for now

E.Shell said:

I'd agree with Doco Overboard's analysis of the reason for the factory bedding with a pressure point. I have removed the pressure point and free-floated several M700s with factory barrels and some of them got worse. I have also swapped them into HS Precision stocks without improvement. While the forend pressure pad MAY hinder precision in some barrels, it helps tame the ugly ones too. I have epoxy bedded and free floated many rifles and have not always been gratified with results. IMHO, unless the POI changes with weather as discussed above, a 100 yard group of 1-1/2" in an older M700 270 *hunting rifle* is the proverbial 'gift horse' and, with the OP's intended use in mind, I would personally leave it alone and run it as is.Nice group, but IME, if you can actually do that time after time, you got very lucky on both your 50/50 draw and on your factory tube performance.

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I have done numerous rifles with those results or very similar. In this case, I got lucky with the factory lot of ammo. I went back to the store and bought all of that lot# they had. In almost 40 years of experience with lots and lots of rifles, rarely have I ever seen the factory pressure point
contribute to consistent accuracy. The early 40X has adjustable screws in the fore end that needed to be precisely adjusted to improve accuracy. Even Remington's custom shop realized that the juice just wasn't worth the squeeze, possibly because very few knew enough to tune the system and keep it tuned properly. Those tuning screws are no longer incorporated in their lineup. Factories rely on "straightening" their barrels by someone with a skilled eye. Problem is that "straightening" induces stress and some other issues that would take too much time to enumerate. When those barrels heat up, they shift point of impact to some degree, small or large. BTW, I did do the bedding on a rifle that was used to win the Wimbledon Cup.