Remington 700 Muzzleloader Rebuild Finished!

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I thought I would show some of the steps in the rebuild of this ML. This is my second re build of an older Remington 700 ML, and will be mostly like the first (I'm not fluting barrel, and some other small changes)

So why rebuild an old Remington ML?

1.Great selection of after market triggers and stocks for Remington 700 all of which fit on the ML
Boyds even makes a stock specific for the ML version that has opening routed into stock for ram rod. I don't like ram rod attached to barrel, as it can't do anything to help accuracy.
2. The details have been worked out by others and the parts can be ordered on line to make this ML better than new, so I don't have to do any custom parts builds.
3. Here is a target from my last rebuild (and yes that is a 300 yard target with slight breeze to right)300 target.jpg

The above target is from my prior build. This was first attempt at 300 yards. It pretty much is 1 MOA rifle, but wind drift will kill you.

So I'm not going to make this a how to do it thread, just keep up where I am at.

Step one was finding a Stainless 700 ML that was not rusted. Done. The only benefit of stainless that I know of is it shows the dirt more so is easier to clean.

Step two was dismantling the rifle. Following pic is the total parts that will be reused on the new rifle. Done.
stripped parts.jpg
The lighting makes these parts look blue, but all are stainless except for front action screw.

(I've got a bunch of parts left over that Ill have to put in WTS section at some point)

The new parts:

McGowen Precision 45 caliber stainless barrel that will use a savage style breech plug
Hunter bolt nose kit - converts bolt nose to hold a 209 Primer, and a conventional type firing pin and new spring.
Recoil lug is
stainless from PTG and doesn't have the split for ram rod that factory one had
Stock is Boyds Prairie Hunter that will have the ADL magwell filled with block of laminate and will have action pillared and bedded.
Breech plug is savage style from Arrowhead Sporting Goods, with carbide bushing instead of standard insert.
Limbsaver Grind to Fit Recoil Pad. Stock needs to be shortened about an inch to maintain correct LOP.

So the parts are all in. I drilled the stock for pillars yesterday and have a little more work to finish inletting stock for the larger contour of the ML barrel and the thicker recoil lug.
 
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The target was from shot from your old gun. It was torn down and rebuilt as above
Same treatment as above but a few small changes
Sky Blue Featherweight Thumbhole stock, pillared and bedded.
Fluted McGowen barrel
4 - 12X BDC Nikon
A few deer to its credit, between 125 and 175 yards. One coyote at a lazer measured 234 yards (he hung around in one place too long)

Shooting a Hornady 250g FTX ,no sabot but a veggie wad underneath. Bullets are swagged to fit the bore of rifle.

Here is a picture it rebuilt
fluted finished.jpg

This is only ML I have hunted with since I built it.
 
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The target was from shot from your old gun. It was torn down and rebuilt as above
Same treatment as above but a few small changes
Sky Blue Featherweight Thumbhole stock, pillared and bedded.
Fluted McGowen barrel
4 - 12X BDC Nikon
A few deer to its credit, between 125 and 175 yards. One coyote at a lazer measured 234 yards (he hung around in one place too long)

Shooting a Hornady 250g FTX ,no sabot but a veggie wad underneath. Bullets are swagged to fit the bore of rifle.

Here is a picture it rebuilt
View attachment 265775

This is only ML I have hunted with since I built it.

Very nice. I’m looking forward to watching the progression of the ML.

Bob
 
Update: Nothing major. Drilled stock to add pillars and did that. Assembled recoil lug and barrel to action just hand tight. finished inletting the stock and free floated the barrel. Picture below.


stock inlet pillared dry fit.jpg
Next up will be setting up barrel vise and getting out action wrench and turning the barrel on tight.

Stock is Boyds Prairie Hunter in Royal laminate (purple)

Looking at stock reminds me that I also add a Limbsaver grind to fit recoil pad to these MLs to help tame recoil. That requires cutting stock before mounting pad to get correct length of pull correct. Saw that I already have the pad in the parts box for the build.
 
Not a necro post. I just got away from this project and had not got back to it. The parts have been sitting two years so time to get it done. No excuse accept that the first one I built on rifle I obtained from member anchor is so freaking consistent it’s taken away any incentive to build a more accurate one. It will still touch shots at 100 yards and shoot moa or better out to 300.

so yesterday I rebuilt the bolt.. it now has a Savage style bolt nose to accept 209 primers, and a new firing pin and spring. The firing pin comes long, and has to be trimmed back. Pictures show the long before and finished length to give .050 to .060 protrusion. This one came out .056

so I reinstalled trigger into receiver and function tested with finished bolt. All good.

Next up is cleaning barrel and breech plug ( Savage style but has carbide bushing instead of vent liner)
 

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No pictures, but a slight setback. With everything clean and put together, last step was to “head space” the bolt / primer. It’s not really head-spacing but it’s making sure primer insertsfully and is supported as much as possible. In this case the bolt had zero clearance to the breach plug. Bolt would only close about half way. Not an uncommo problem. the usual way of dealing with this is to take a few thousanths off the breach plug, but that leaves you with a non standard breech plug if you ever need to replace it. I elected to just resolve it once and for all by taking the barrel back off and replacing the recoil lug with a slightly thicker recoil lug. Pacific tool and Gauge had one in perfect size, so I’m waiting on that to arrive. Then I can finish it up.
 
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No pictures, but a slight setback. With everything clean and put together, last step was to “head space” the bolt / primer. It’s not really head-spacing but it’s making sure primer insertsfully and is supported as much as possible. In this case the bolt had zero clearance to the breach plug. Bolt would only close about half way. Not an uncommo problem. the usual way of dealing with this is to take a few thousanths off the breach plug, but that leaves you with a non standard breech plug if you ever need to replace it. I elected to just resolve it once and for all by taking the barrel back off and replacing the recoil lug with a slightly thicker recoil lug. Pacific tool and Gauge had one in perfect size, so I’m waiting on that to arrive. Then I can finish it up.
Are you shooting BH209 or smokeless?
 
Smokeless. My first ML was a Savage ML11, which was designed for smokeless. I dabbled with BH209 and triple 777, but stayed on smokeless path. I wanted to go to .45 cal and a more accurate barrel, but didn’t want to dismantle my Savage MLII, so I went the Remington 700 ml path.

As the supply of donor Remington 700 MLS has dried up, today most conversions to smokeless are using either Savage or Remington center fire actions as the basis of their builds.
 
Smokeless. My first ML was a Savage ML11, which was designed for smokeless. I dabbled with BH209 and triple 777, but stayed on smokeless path. I wanted to go to .45 cal and a more accurate barrel, but didn’t want to dismantle my Savage MLII, so I went the Remington 700 ml path.

As the supply of donor Remington 700 MLS has dried up, today most conversions to smokeless are using either Savage or Remington center fire actions as the basis of their builds.
I just got a smokeless/BH209 barrel for my encore in .45 I’ve been playing around with BH and 4198, recoil is stout but very accurate so far. I’ve shot 50 so far I’m about to get 100 of the Parker BE’s to try out
 
MudMuppet, do you shoot with or without sabots? I shoot .45 hornady 250g FTX sabotless in the Remington (they are swaged to fit the bore).

The encore makes a nice light ML package, but I tend to go with a heavier rifle with a Limbsaver recoil pad to help tame recoil ’cause I’m a wus 😕

PS. Still waiting on new recoil lug to finish this build. Lug was part of larger order that has some back order parts in it that I wanted shipped together
 
Yes swaging to fit the bore, I got the barrel from arrowhead so I tried his 275 XLD’s and they are devastating on deer but pricey. I went with the Heavy bull contour I didn’t want the super light rig and thought I could live without a brake but I thought wrong, I only shot a couple with max charge and it thumped. It was very accurate at the minimum load so that’s what I hunted with. I want to shoot it further but my club only has 100 yard range, I have a few spots on the marsh I’ve shot further but always worried someone is going to call on me even though it’s legal.
 
So the new recoil lug came in. I did the initial test fit and headspace was perfect.
so I got out receiver wrench and barrel vise and torqued it down. Rechecked headspace and it was fine. Primer nice and snug in breech plug.

I had to do some minor inletting of stock to accommodate the thicker recoil lug, but that was it.

three things left to do, mount a scope, add the recoil pad and bed rife into stock. I’m am going to mount scope and shoot before doing the other two. If this one shots like my other one I may skip last two steps.
 

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So the new recoil lug came in. I did the initial test fit and headspace was perfect.
so I got out receiver wrench and barrel vise and torqued it down. Rechecked headspace and it was fine. Primer nice and snug in breech plug.

I had to do some minor inletting of stock to accommodate the thicker recoil lug, but that was it.

three things left to do, mount a scope, add the recoil pad and bed rife into stock. I’m am going to mount scope and shoot before doing the other two. If this one shots like my other one I may skip last two steps.
What are your checking headspace with on a ML?
 
What are your checking headspace with on a ML?
“Headspace” on this type of build is clearance between bolt nose ( which holds rear of primer) and the breech plug that primer goes into. You want minimal clearance for maximum support of primer. Too large of a gap and you get primer blow by. Two little and you crush and/or distort the 209 shotgun primer or bolt won’t close..

In the two years since I purchased parts for this build (which duplicates my prior build) the technology of these builds have moved. Today most smokeless ML builds are mainly built on center fire actions ( either Remington 700 or Savage actions) and use modules with small rifle primers. Today the center fire action builds are easier path to go. Parts are more available, the primer module/breach plug are adjustable for primer headspace, it is like assembling an AR rather than a gunsmithing.
 
“Headspace” on this type of build is clearance between bolt nose ( which holds rear of primer) and the breech plug that primer goes into. You want minimal clearance for maximum support of primer. Too large of a gap and you get primer blow by. Two little and you crush and/or distort the 209 shotgun primer or bolt won’t close..

In the two years since I purchased parts for this build (which duplicates my prior build) the technology of these builds have moved. Today most smokeless ML builds are mainly built on center fire actions ( either Remington 700 or Savage actions) and use modules with small rifle primers. Today the center fire action builds are easier path to go. Parts are more available, the primer module/breach plug are adjustable for primer headspace, it is like assembling an AR rather than a gunsmithing.
do they make a gauge or do you use something like plastigauge
 
do they make a gauge or do you use something like plastigauge
Sorry I missed this question. With the stock removed and a spent primer in the bolt and the barrel spun on hand tight, I attempt to close the bolt. When it didn’t close I simply unthreaded the barrel a little until bolt closed. That left a gap between barrel and recoil lug which I measured with a feeler gauge. Feeler gauge measurement added to thickness of recoil lug I used was thickness of new recoil lug needed
 
Last week I finally added the Limbsaver grind to fit recoil pad to this rifle. I elected to not cut the stock so I added 1/2 to length of pull which I felt it could use. Then Thursday I finally found the Hornady 250 gr FTX bullets I use so grabbed 200 bullets. Hornady must have made a run as three vendors had them in stock. Of course being in PA they are being shipped to house
 
Well, my interest in long range shooting combined with already having a very accurate muzzle loader kept me from actually shooting this build until last month. I started with a Nikon 3-9 BDC scope but swapped it out for a 4.5-12X Nikon BDC scope to match my previous build. As it turned out this rifle is very accurate with the same load as the previous build so by having the same scope I can use the same dope. I practice out to 300 yards and am confident to take a deer to 200. I can hit the them to 300, but the speed is not what I like, so limit myself to 200 yards. That way they pretty much drop dead.

I got to camp Wednesday afternoon. Thursday in wind and rain shot 2 shots at 50 yards and 2 at 100 to check zero

Here is final build and targets8781CA02-2054-49B5-B353-64D3280A17F1.jpeg7933F976-6055-4D84-9546-CF5177413C1A.jpeg7A124C9B-52CA-4D88-96CB-8153479D0916.jpeg

So this morning it earned its keep. Mature doe at 170 yards, dropped where I shot her
 
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