After some deep thought and soul searching (lasted about two minutes) , I decided I could not possibly part with that Winchester action after all. The original 22" .243 FW tube was done at 2100 rds. over the last 20 years. A contoured replacement was too much money. I still had that 24" 7-08 stainless factory Remington SPS take off barrel laying around.

A few quick measurements revealed it was possible to make it fit the Winchester. Remington's have a 1 1/16"-16 thread, while the Winchester uses a 1"-16 thread. Turning down and re threading was no problem. Had to remove .115 from the chamber end face of the barrel to match the M70' s dimension.

The dimentional differences between the two actions required me to make a spacer ring to go between the action and barrel. I found a remnant of Monel ( a tough alloy of stainless steel) and turned a .060 thick ring. A final cut of .004 off the barrel shoulder got me perfect head spacing.

Had to open up the stock's channel quite a bit from the original skinny FW barrel for a free float condition. Came out nice. I made no attempt to index the barrel to try and hide the Remington markings. This would have proved difficult to determine due to the chamber was already finished. I almost got lucky.

I had an extra Leupold 12x target on hand and decided it would be a better choice for the "new rifle" than the 3-9x Leupold that was on it.

This project took me only four hours to complete. Looking foward to the next 20 years with my "new" rifle.

I will take it out for a test drive soon.

http://s190.photobucket.com/albums/z94/BOBMCALICE/M70/

Never under estimate a man with a machine shop and skills! Very nice rifle!

Atta Boy McAlice, If Remington won't build ya a silhouette rifle, put one together yourself, even if you use a Winchester action and stock!

JB,
There is nothing wrong with a Winchester action...now their stocks do tend to look like fence posts but then they can be changed easily.

Bob,
Looks great guess I'll have to make another trip to Applejacks and then out to see you and shoot .
Innocent

Looks great Bob.... wish you lived closer as I have a few 'projects' I'd like to tinker with, but don't have the machinery.

Nice...A Remchesther Sillhouette Slammer....

Kitty

Thanks for the comments all. I will continue with the IV drip of Montana Extreme solvent and make sure the bandages are soaked with Hoppes BR #9. This should ward off any transplant rejection tendencies.

The rifle as shown came in at 8.3 lbs, a little heavier than before. Should be a nice hunting gun still.

The barrel shot good when it was new. It only has around 120 rds. thru it. Hopefully it will still be a good shooter.

Bob Mc Alice wrote:............ I will continue with the IV drip of Montana Extreme solvent and make sure the bandages are soaked with Hoppes BR #9. This should ward off any transplant rejection tendencies.

What... No Butchs Bore Shine???

Mr McAlice, Nice work on Winchester model 70-700. If if look at picture number 6 under the front scope ring, on the stock edge I see a small damage area on the finish. What's up with that Bob?? That is the first time I have seen that damage on any of your shooting irons. Are you sure the stock is 20 years old?


Dave

Bob259, What machinery do you need? You know I can make almost anything with just a few simple tools.
ppkny

ppkny wrote:Bob259, What machinery do you need? You know I can make almost anything with just a few simple tools.
ppkny

Pete, we would need more then your 'talented' router and dremel tool
McAlice has the kind of shop and toys we all need

Dave ....not to worry...It is glare or a smudge ...not a defect.


Took the Remchester to the range today for a test run. Or should it be called a Winington? It shoots as good if not better than before. It liked the 120 Sierra / Varget load, and the 154 Hornadys at 500 M. Had good conditions with low 50's and light winds out of the north. Was able to get good zeroes at all the distances. I fired a total of 75 rds. with two cleanings in between. For a factory barrel it shoots plenty good enough for silhouette competition. At 500 m , the 154's were coming in about 4 inches. Needless to say I am pleased with this rifle. I likely wont use this rifle for competition as my Douglas barreled rifles shoot clover leaf groups compared to this one. But it will be a fine hunting gun, practice gun and , dare I say.......plinker.

The Leupold 12X is a good choice for this gun. It has the 1/8" factory dot. I did forget to put my normal .010 brass shim under the back base to reliably reach the rams. To my delight the 12X had five minutes to spare at rams.

I met up with a gang of bad ass antelope on the way in. I stopped to get a picture of them, then they took off running. Toward me. Word has it this bunch likes to chase cars and bite the tires and just raise hell on the prarie. After several still shots over a quarter mile, I hit the movie button on the camera. They continued to keep up with me for what seemed like another half mile.

They hit a speed of about 45 MPH before backing off. I think they knew my tired 'ol Corolla could still almost hit 65 MPH.......and I had plenty of gas.

Was a good day to be out on the Plains.
http://s190.photobucket.com/albums/z94/BOBMCALICE/CRC2/

McAlice.... did you have BOTH hands on the wheel

The Llama seen today made me think of this e-mail I got...........



Why most states hate non-resident hunters...



And why we must pay those ridiculous prices for non-resident licenses!!!







Hunting Montana's Big Sky Country.......... All gutted, tagged and in transport!



30-06 rifle with Leupold Scope- $1,050 dollars

Non-Resident Elk License -$600 dollars

Gas to drive from New York -$700 dollars

Penalties for taking a Trophy Montana Llama, Priceless...............



No doubt they need a better Hunter Safety Program in N.Y.

http://s190.photobucket.com/albums/z94/ ... ICE/nyelk/

At least it was a clean kill.....

Kitty