Remington

[oc shooter]

just got off the phone with Remington customer service it did not go well. some years ago i bought a 700 vtr it came with a 1 in 12 twist. it is an exceptional rifle in that it will put 5 rounds of 308 hand loaded with 150 grain sierra match kings into 7/8 of an inch, but is not good with any thing much heavier. i noticed that the new vtr comes with a 1 in 10 twist so my question was could i send my rifle to them to have a 1 in 10 barrel installed his answer was remington does not do that type of work so i asked if i could buy the barrel and have my gunsmith install it his answer was reminton does not sell barrels. so my next question was what if the barrel wears out his answer was sent it to douglass or hart and have the work done there. so i said it's a triangular barrel and only remington makes it. his reply was i don't know what to tell you.

 

[dsdmmat]

If you want one bad enough you will have to buy a new rifle, pretty simple really.

 

[ADK]

Experience shooting 175gr .308 out of 1:12 twist?? - The Firing Line Forums

 

[meketrefe]

Remington, is a joke like many others.
you don't want a triangle barrel anyway. It serves no purpose other than compromising
the minor diameter. If one wants to shave some weight I suggest shallow fluting
or a thinner barrel like many hunting rifles do unless has high rate of fire like competition.

If you insist in a triangle barrel for whatever reason a custom shop will mill it for you.
Lothar walter custom shop do a great job and they have the best polygonal barrels one
can buy.
you will have to send the action in so it can be indexed with the barrel before cutting.

 

[kev74]

I wouldn't mess up a good shooting rifle to take a chance on another barrel unless it was shot out.

Either buy the other rifle, or buy an action or donor rifle to build on.

 

[meketrefe]

I wouldn't mess up a good shooting rifle to take a chance on another barrel unless it was shot out.

Either buy the other rifle, or buy an action or donor rifle to build on.

why not? A Remington 700 after properly blueprinted, timed and chambered with a quality barrel is capable of 1/4-1/2 moa.
will also need a nice stock with some sort of bedding like a nice aluminum bedded one.

It really depends on what you want to do with it.

 

[Prudii]

@meketrefe what's the optimal length for .308?

 

[meketrefe]

@meketrefe what's the optimal length for .308?

The 308 standard loads were originally optimized for 22" barrels but obviously with modern ammo you will find many that work
great with 20" as well as 24 or 26" for long range.
So I guess it is more a factor of what the role for the firearm is.
21 inches is pretty compact and a standard for many hunting calibers but if you want more speed with long heavy bullets maybe
a 24 is worth the extra length and weight that can also help with recoil.
This doesn't mean a 20 or 21 should not be good, in fact many tactical and hunting rifles are in this length to make it easier
to carry or even tactical for more compact.
I would never go below 20 inches but if I had to will definitively never go below 18" that is a waste of powder and heat.
When the British ARMY put the LMT AR into service they had to reformulate the load to get more range and they also use
a 155gr bullet vs. the traditional 147gr. M80 nato round.
The new M80A1 has also be redesigned to work better in shorter barrels and made of 130gr all solid lead-less construction.

I would say 20 or 21 is a pretty good barrel. you can also re-barrel yourself if you want using a barrel nut pretty much like
a savage. The problem is to break the old barrel from the action that with the 700 first time from factory can be a pita
and you need a jig for it. But you can rent one and in the future you will not need it.

 

[GuyMontag]

oc shooter, I know you like your rifle, but the VTR is a gimmick design with the requisite WRONG twist barrel that Remington seemingly loves to deliver instead of what you actually need. Cut your losses and buy a new rifle with a normal barrel and correct twist, there's plenty to choose from, I'd take a look at a .308 from Tikka.

@meketrefe what's the optimal length for .308?

Good read on the subject, I like 20"

SWAT Article - December 2000

 

[oc shooter]

maybe a new rifle is in order,but as far as a triangular barrel being a gimmick my nephew who is a structual engineer tells me that a hollow tiangle is stiffer and stronger than a hollow round.

 

[meketrefe]

maybe a new rifle is in order,but as far as a triangular barrel being a gimmick my nephew who is a structual engineer tells me that a hollow tiangle is stiffer and stronger than a hollow round.

Hi,

That is true but here we are not talking about building a bridge with triangular beams.
Once the barrel heats up a round barrel heats up uniformly from back to front radiating in all angles.
A triangle is cooler at its edges than it is warmer on the flats closer to the bore. As this happens it is more
likely to influence a stress point and warp under heat. On a rifle even some minute changes translate
into change in POI (walking impacts)

Just think about it... some people spend thousands in one rifle. If a triangular, square or any other shape than circular
or circular with shallow fluting was better for this then you would see them in competition and military
applications all over the world. But you don't.

The triangular barrel is a marketing stunt to claim weight savings and most people shooting these rifles
do not shoot enough to know the difference nor probably care too much with the inconsistencies.

If not convinced call any reputable rifle builder, I mean those who make rifles for swat teams, professional
hunters or competition shooters and ask them their opinion on these triangular barrels. You will hear
the same concerns.

I hope this makes sense.

 

[nortatoga]

@meketrefe would not the harmonics also be affected?

 

[meketrefe]

No. In practical terms the effect of heat in the harmonics is insignificant vs other factors like warp or bore diameter as it dilates.

 

[oc shooter]

not being an engineer what you are saying about heat may be correct. all i have is my personal experience my vtr out shoots all of my 7 bolt guns. true i can only shoot at 200 yards at my range but it out dose a sweet 6.5 creedmore with a 24" hart barrel and a 7mm 08. so given the chance i would try another. maybe it's a freak!