Gunsmith Help-Rem 788 Action, Rem 700 Barrel??????
I have a Remington 700 barrel in 17 Mach IV. Someone gave me a Remington 788 in 308 but it was missing the bolt. My question is: are the threads the same in a 788 and a 700 action, and if I was lucky enough to find a bolt for a 788 in .222 would the bolt work in the 788 .308 action? I understand that the barrel would need to be headspaced with the new action, and maybe even rechamberd and threaded. Just wanted expert advice. I got the items cheap enough, and if the project was worth while, I'd persue it farther. If not, I'll just look for a 308 bolt for the rifle. Anyone who could tell me what would be involved, I'd appreciate it. Don
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THE THREADS ARE DIFFERENT ON THE TWO ACTIONS, BUT YOU PROBABLY COULD RETHREAD THE BARREL TO FIT THE 788 ACTION. FINDING A 788 BOLT IS GOING TO BE THE HARDEST PART, THEY MADE THREE DIFFERENT 788 ACTIONS .44 MAG./.22-250 &.308/ . 223 & .222 OH AND ALMOST FORGOT THE .30/30. ALL ARE DIFFERENT AND I DON'T THINK BOLTS WILL INTERCHAGE BETWEEN THEM. THE EASYEST WAY TO GO (& CHEAPEST) WOULD BE TO FIND A BEAT-UP 700 ADL IN .222/.223. 0 -
The Butcher,
The threaded tenon on the Rem. 700 is 1.062" x 16tpi x 0.885" long.
The threaded tenon on the Rem. 788 is 1.000" x 20tpi x 1.260" long.
The 700 tenon can be turned down and threaded for the 788 and still have enough diameter for a shoulder to rest against the recoil lug.
The trick is going to be finding a bolt. But here is a place to start:
Chuck Lutz (has 788 parts in stock)
(215) 257-4059
gunsurgeon@aol.com
and
Jim Wisner
www.gunpartsspecialist.com
He is supposedly making new 788 bolts for sale. You will have to check on the bolt face sizes available. I would guess that he is making both sizes but I don't know for sure.
You will have a problem getting magazines to fit the bottom metal and being small enough to fit and feed the 17 Mach IV as well. The 222 mags will hold the Mach IV's but I can't say for sure that they will fit the bottom slot correctly. If they won't stay in, then you have the alternative of using it as a single shot. Just put a 243/308 mag in and set a Mach IV cartridge on top of the mag follower to feed.
That's the best that I can do for right now. Hope that's enough to get you started.
It just dawned on me that there are two ways to get a 17 Mach IV barrel: (1) A 17 Remington original barrel cut back, re-chambered and re-threaded or (2) A Custom 17 Mach IV barrel.
It is #1 that troubles me. Have your gunsmith check the diameter of the barrel to make sure that there will be enough barrel material left for a good shoulder.
Best.0 -
Thanks for the info guys. Nononsense, thanks, I'll give him a call and see what he has. I am intending on using the rifle as a single shot, so the feed issue is not a problem. The Mach IV barrel that I have, has plenty of stock and length to re-thread or re-chamber. Thanks for your time. Don 0
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