Odd duck Rem 700, need help with ID

[PopSmoke]

Stumbled into a trade for what's supposed to be a Remington Custom shop built Remington 700. Using the letter codes on the site it's supposed to be October 90 (EK). I have absolutely no idea what the heck it was originally, so I'm dying to know the answer...here's the specs.

6343 is the first 4 of the sn
.223 Rem (stamped on barrel)
26 inch one-piece stainless steel heavy barrel (heavy as in nearly 14 pounds total weight) not blued
Action is blued, bolt is checkered
Has another stamp on the barrel that looks like joined and opposite-facing twin "C"
Has the mysterious 4 holes on the barrel that look like they should have been sight mount locations

Not sure what kind of stock was on it, but it was in a Choate U.S.S. when I got it. Very clean looking and doesn't look like it's had more than a 100-200 rounds through it in its lifetime. It needs to be in a McMillan A5 and have a Millett LRS-1 mounted topside.

So if anyone has any idea where to find info on this type of odd duck I'd appreciate knowing. It's been to several shops and none of them can answer the question as none have seen this monster barrel on a Rem 700 ever and one has been around for over 30 years.

[remington600]

Post a picture it will be a little easier to help. It sounds like someones personal science project.

[PopSmoke]

Everything but the stock appears to be factory Remington. Proof marks on the barrel are even correct. Will post a pic tonight. I'll have to take 2-3 shots so I can get panoramically merge them. (Yes, it's that long muzzle to stock)

[PopSmoke]

Ok, what kind of pictures are best for ID purposes. Here's a wide shot of the entire rifle.

[remington600]

Post a pic of the barrel stampings

[Wulfman]

Those "mysterious 4 holes on the barrel" are one of the biggest clues that it didn't come out of the Custom Shop (that way or before it was put in a different stock). They're holes for open sights and should have been positioned on the top-side of the barrel. Doesn't mean it won't shoot, but whoever put it together wasn't particular enough to take care of that detail. And, in my opinion, a "target" barrel would not have had screw holes in it for open sights, either.


Den

[Rem725]

If that has factory markings and sight screw holes, it could most likely be a 40xb type barrel poorly installed in a 700 action. Not putting the holes on top sucks. Although it might still shoot tiny groups. My old 6mm 40x shoots 1/4"

[PopSmoke]

Those "mysterious 4 holes on the barrel" are one of the biggest clues that it didn't come out of the Custom Shop (that way or before it was put in a different stock). They're holes for open sights and should have been positioned on the top-side of the barrel. Doesn't mean it won't shoot, but whoever put it together wasn't particular enough to take care of that detail. And, in my opinion, a "target" barrel would not have had screw holes in it for open sights, either.


Den

Very true and I already knew that it was assembled prior to being put in the Ultimate Sniper Stock.

We've taken a much closer look at the proof mark and it doesn't look to be authentic Remington proof mark. The normal proofs tend to look like back to back J's or an anchor, from what I've seen. The proof mark on this one appears to be a sloppy version of that or a very poor attempt to copy the Remington proofs.

I definately agree on the poor positioning of the open sight holes on the side. I've actually seen a couple of other older heavy barreled 700's that had the barrel positioned so that they were on the side. Didn't make a lot of sense to do that, but if that's where the threads seated, then so be it.

The rest of the markings tend to look more Remington-esque. The usual surrounded trio of letters with the two or three letter date mark. Anyone have a factory Remington heavy barrel they could post a picture of the barrel marks so I can post mine for comparison?

Quick range report: PMC Bronze .223 in 55gr fmj. Since this was my first time firing this rifle and I had to use the Ultimate Sniper Stock without a bipod, I was surprised how well it grouped. It didn't want to group well on a clean bore, but after 3 rounds she tightened right up to 1/2 moa at 25 yards. Once I get the bipod mounted and get a chance to really work with it, it should tighten up to 1/2 moa at 100 yards.

I do have one annoying problem with the rifle that makes me want to put it in a BDL stock permanently. The blind ADL style magazine in the USS allows the follower to move from rear to front a lot, which makes loading and unloading a pain in the backside as the follower keeps tilting or hanging up as a result of movement.

[PopSmoke]

I spoke to a custom builder today and he's thinking that the Rem 700 action I have has been rebarreled, but he cannot identify the barrel that's on it because he's seen similar markings and the iron-sight holes on other heavy barrels from the late 80's and early 90's.

I'll try to get some quality pics up with the barrel marks.

[PopSmoke]

Ok, my gunsmith finally had time to look it over. He informed me that the reason the ADL mag is so sloppy is that it was likely a BDL previously. Barrel is not a Remington factory or Remington custom shop barrel. It is definately from another rifle and the headspace just caused it to seat with the old iron sight holes on the side.

Their suggestion: Fill and seal the iron sight holes and duracoat or base coat it and custom camo the entire rifle. No point in putting it in a HS Precision or McMillan stock since the USS seems to balance out the barrel length & weight. Fair dollar estimate is $800-1200 depending on the buyer. Not too bad for a $400 trade.