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Thread: My Rem 700 SPS Tac $$ Pit

  1. #31
    Supporting Business NH Shooter's Avatar
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    Doing the mud job today. Hope to have it all back together tomorrow!


  2. #32
    Supporting Business NH Shooter's Avatar
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    Update

    With the Marine Tex fully hardened, I removed the studs and the action popped loose with no drama. A bit of wiggling to free the lug and it came apart easily.

    The mud job looks good, I got good flow into all the places it needed to be. Using a Dremel to remove most of the over flow then doing the final trimming with a variety of wood rasps (round and flat) and 1000 grit sandpaper, the clean-up went smoothly. The edges are not as clean as what the pros can do with CNC machinery, but I was satisfied with the results (see photo below).

    Then the first big test - with everything cleaned up, the barreled action dropped smoothly into the stock. I then snugged both action screws. Closely observing the gap between the barrel and the end of the stock, I loosened and tightened the front screw repeatedly and could detect absolutely ZERO movement. Success - the action is sitting in the stock with no detectable stress! Additionally, the transition from the receiver to stock across the bedding looks great. In fact, the bedding is almost impossible to see and what can be seen is smooth and even.

    Here is a photo of the bedding after clean up and after a fresh coat of Krylon OD green in the barrel channel. I will post photos of the fully reassembled rifle tomorrow.

    Last edited by NH Shooter; 07-15-2017 at 05:36 PM.

  3. #33
    Supporting Business NH Shooter's Avatar
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    The rifle is back together and I'm quite pleased with the results! Here are a few shots showing the bedding (what can be seen of it);











    Some shots of the complete rifle;

    Trued 700 action with Holland bolt handle (TIG welded)
    Bartlein 5R 1-10 twist SS barrel, M24 contour, 23"
    Barreled action in Sig Dark Grey Cerakote
    McMillan A5, pillars and bedded
    Timney 510
    Badger Ordnance M5 Enhanced bottom metal
    Badger Ordnance 20 MOA steel scope rail with recoil lug
    SWFA 10X42 HD scope
    Seekins low rings
    Holland 30mm level













    Test drive to happen next weekend.

  4. #34
    Supporting Business NH Shooter's Avatar
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    Took the new rig for its first test drive today. Set up on front and rear bags on a reasonably steady bench, I fired a total of 17 rounds.

    Since I had installed a new scope rail and bedded it for the full 20 MOA, my first two shots weren't on paper at 100 yards. I then fired three more into the berm as sighters to get me on paper.

    With five rounds down the new barrel, I ran a few patches of Hoppe's #9, a few dry patches and then a patch of Hoppe's Copper Terminator to see if any copper fouling was evident. After letting it soak for ten minutes the next patch revealed little or no copper fouling at all. Based on Bartlein's written recommendations, I considered the barrel "broken in" at that point.

    I used the next four shots to walk it in and establish a decent 100 yard zero. With a total of nine shots down the new barrel, it was time to see what this rig can do.

    New target, shots 10, 11 and 12 looked liked this;




    I then went for a group of five;



    Shots 13, 14, 15 and 16 produced a bug hole measuring .327". The last shot of the day (#17) was out of the group at the top, opening the 5-shot group up to .552". Can't say for sure but based on the previous seven shots, it was probably operator error.

    I have to say that I'm very pleased with this performance. I have no doubt this rifle is fully capable of my "consistent .5 MOA or better" goal. With that established, my next outing will be at 200 and 300 yards prone with a bipod and rear bag.

  5. #35
    Supporting Business NH Shooter's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by NH Shooter View Post
    I have to say that I'm very pleased with this performance. I have no doubt this rifle is fully capable of my "consistent .5 MOA or better" goal. With that established, my next outing will be at 200 and 300 yards prone with a bipod and rear bag.
    Last fall I spent some time with the rifle doing this. The set up was shooting prone off a wood deck at 300 yards, and some significant issues were discovered;

    1. Due to a neck injury about 12 years ago (rear-ended on the Long Island Expressway on my way to work), I have lost some flexibility in my neck. That in combination with not enough rise on the comb of the A5 stock made it very uncomfortable to hold my eye in proper alignment with the scope. I was using my neck muscles entirely to hold my head in position, and this proved to be a non-starter.
    2. By the time I raised the Harris BR bipod high enough (extended all the way) that I could actually get my head properly positioned, the rear bag I was using was too short. So now I was left using my neck muscles to support my head and my weak hand to fully support the rear of the rifle. Not exactly a recipe for accurate shooting.
    3. Finally, the rubber feet on the Harris slid on the wood deck any time I tried to load the bipod.


    Combined, the three issues above made precision shooting impossible. The rifle went back into the safe for the winter while I did some research and started working on solutions.

    DIY Cheek Piece

    Not entirely thrilled at the usual options to gain some comb height (stock packs, stock modification with loggerhead hardware, etc.) I decided that I would attempt to make a riser out of kydex that would not require any permanent modifications of the McMillan stock. Using a 12” X 12” piece of .125” kydex, I cut a 5.5” X 5.5” piece and using a heat gun, formed it over the top of the stock so that it fit snugly.

    The next step was to figure out how much rise was needed. With the rifle placed on the floor, the Harris bipod legs extended to a comfortable height and a stack of magazines supporting the rear of the rifle to level the barrel (magnetic torpedo level on barrel), I determined that about 5/8” rise would be perfect. With the rifle level on the floor and the weight of my head fully supported by the riser and stack of magazines, I was finally able to lay behind the rifle and comfortably look through the scope. I also checked the amount of rise using a sling in the sitting position, as well as any other position I would be shooting from and determined that this was the ideal height.

    With the amount of rise determined, I cut a strip of kydex and formed it to the inside of the cheek piece to provide the desired rise and then then secured it using epoxy. I used Velcro to hold the riser in place on the stock, which allows easy removal for bore cleaning. Finally, I contoured the riser to improve its aesthetics and allow removal of the bolt, and applied some rattle-can camo to make it blend better with the pattern of the stock. I am pleased with it on all counts.

    Here are a few shots of the finished riser;








    Bipod Mods

    To gain some traction and a little extra height, I installed a set of Kahntrol PodMods and a set of Hawk Hill Talons. The PodMods add about one inch of height and the talon feet give the necessary bite to load the bipod on most surfaces. They grip like crazy on carpet.

    Rear Bag

    I started with the small Triad wedge bag which is a quality piece but too short for the height that I need. Triad does offer a large wedge but I was in search of a bag that was tall enough for my needs but yet designed to be squeezed in the support hand to fine-tune elevation. After researching rear bags I ordered a Crosstac rear squeeze bag (8” tall, 4” X 2-1/2” oval) which looks like it fits the bill: tall enough for the bipod height I need to use, stiff enough to support the weight of my dense head, small enough to fit in my hand and squeezable enough to provide some fine tuning of elevation. Based on dry firing from prone, the Crosstac bag seems just right.

    Here's how the rifle is now set up;




    Ammo

    I was once an avid hand loader and plan on getting back to it for this rifle. In the meantime my next range trip will include more than just the GMM 175 load that is all I have tried thus far: Hornady 178 ELD-X, Federal Fusion 180 soft point and a box of the ridiculously expensive Lapua SCENAR L 175gr OTM (I have high hopes for this load).

    I think I'm ready to give it another go. Weather permitting and God willing, I will be comfortably making bug holes from the prone next weekend.

  6. #36
    Member SecondsCount's Avatar
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    I really like what you did with the cheek riser.
    -Seconds Count. Misses Don't-

  7. #37
    Quote Originally Posted by NH Shooter View Post
    Negative, having a M40 style crown cut.

    Truth be told there's a bit of back story to this project - not only have I been wanting to do this but there's also a possibility that my employment will be taking me back to New York and their full-retard SAFE Act. I would be able to (eventually) bring the pistols but the ARs would be a no-go. If my relocation comes to fruition, at least I'd have the funds to upgrade the scope. :-/
    Being a former NY resident, I would not go back to NY at all. Moving to Texas was the best decision I've made. NY also taxes the fuck out of you, makes you pay ridiculous prices for goods/gas/utilities and generally has a live poor die poor mentality. It's hard to be successful in NY. I would avoid it like the plague. Regardless of your employment.

    I really like the build and I also have the same rifle. So I'll be keeping an eye on what you're doing. I'm also set on the hunter chassis.
    Last edited by navyman8903; 04-28-2018 at 01:49 PM.

  8. #38
    Supporting Business NH Shooter's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by navyman8903 View Post
    Being a former NY resident, I would not go back to NY at all.
    The good news is we're staying in NH! FWIW, my wife and I are from Long Island and moved from there to NH in 2008. I hear you about avoiding going back.

    If the weather cooperates I'll be hitting the range tomorrow!

  9. #39
    Supporting Business NH Shooter's Avatar
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    Another Mod

    For the $$ invested, I have been quite pleased with the SWFA 10X42 HD scope with its durable, high quality construction and quite-decent glass. I figure I would have to spend two to three times more on a variable-power scope to retain the build quality and robustness, and gain some worthy features I would value such as an illuminated reticle, side focus and turret stops. However, I'm not at a point where I could justify such an expenditure.

    The lack of built-in turret stop have been addressed with an easy-to-install shim kit, which serves the purpose.

    Up until now, by far my biggest gripe with this scope is its difficult-to-turn parallax adjustment ring, located on the back of the scope just in front of the eye piece. The ring is somewhat stiff, but the problem is mostly due to the poor design of the ring, which I find almost impossible to adjust when positioned behind the rifle. IMO, this ring should have been made larger in diameter with some aggressive knurling. I contacted SWFA a few years ago to see if any of their cat tails for their variable power scopes would fit, but was informed that none would and there were no plans to make one.

    This past week I came back around to trying to find a solution to this. I went to the MGM Switchview site and after some measuring found that their 172-176 model looked like it would fit, so I ordered it from Midway. The cat tail arrived yesterday and I installed it;



    It's a perfect fit when installed on the rear edge of the ring. The rear edge of the tapered ring has a small flat area, just enough for the cat tail to lock on straight and tight. I positioned the lever at around the 50 yard mark on the ring, which places the lever at about the 8 o'clock position when set at infinity and at about 10 o'clock with it set to 100 yards (when viewed from behind). This makes the cat tail easy to reach with the support hand, with about 30 degrees of throw from 100 yards to infinity.

    The cat tail is just what was needed: the parallax can now be easily adjusted, even when set up behind the rifle in the prone position!

    Now all I need is a day off with no rain to get back to the range...

  10. #40
    Where's the groups?!
    #RESIST

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