changing remington 700 barrels question

[scooterman27006]

i have a fairly new 204 caliber adl 700 remington and it just wont shoot - another story there - anyhow i bought a 222 remington barrel -it hasnt come yet and its used - anyhow i want to put the 222 barrel on the adl and take the 204 barrel off -- whats involved here - will it work and will i have to have a gunsmith to do a lot of expensive work before i can shoot it - the stock and action have had some work done on them trying to get the 204 to shoot but no luck and this 222 barrel is slightly used - can i use the same bolt and should this work out ok and should it shoot ok after the change or did i waste money on a barrel - got it for about 50 bucks so i am not out of a lot thanks scoot and any suggestions here is appreciated

[Jack]

The same bolt will work fine.
I'd suggest you have a gunsmith do the work, unless you have an action wrench and headspace gauges.
It's a simple job with the right tools. Basically unscrew the 204 barrel, screw in the 222 barrel and check/adjust the headspace- shouldn't cost a fortune.
Only possible thing you might run into is how the 222 barrel fits the barrel channel in the stock you have.

[Lone Star]

It is possible to install the barrel without the headspace gauges by using an unfired case, but that is very shade-tree. You'll have to buy an action wrench and a barrel wrench, unless you want your action and barrel marked up by the pipe wrench and bench vise. Seriously, it will be cheaper in the long run to have a gunsmith do the work...you won't have to buy $100 worth of tools.

The big question - why did the other guy pull the old barrel? Was it because it no longer shoots, or because he wanted to try a different chambering? If the throat is shot out of the barrel it will need to be set back and rechambered if you want accuracy, something a gunsmith should do. But given it is a .222 it will probably be okay.

[scooterman27006]

lone i truly dont know the answer there other than he used the action for another caliber and he said it was cheaper for him to change barrels than to have this barrel rechambered - he said the barrel was in excellent condition and he seemed to know his stuff when answering my questions - for all i know this may have been mr prairie dog hunter himself in the flesh and the barrel as big as a 300 magnum on the inside - but i am taking him for his word and hope this barrel is worth the trouble - the barrel sold for less than 50 on ebay so i am hoping its ok - i have wasted 50 before and i will ask the gunsmith to look at it before putting it on - do you know of anything else i should do - i will pay a gunsmith to do the work i believe - i wont buy the tools because i would probably blow myself up if i did that lol - i read about it and sometimes think i can do it and well i am like everyone else here - I GOT TO GO TO WORK MONDAY YA KNOW - so i cant be blowing myself up just yet --- i will repost after i get this barrel and find out a little from mr gunsmith and let ya know how it all goes and hopefully how it shoots thanks scoot

[scooterman27006]

can someone point me to a good read on changing barrels on rem 700 - i have a friend with the tools and would like to read on it a little even though i will probably pay a gunsmith to do it the first time but friend keeps telling me if you can change a light bulb you can do it - well i am not above using a string to pull the trigger the first time to see what happens but i would like to know the steps and tools needed so i dont look like a dummy thanks scoot

[PJgunner]

Hmmmm. Friends with tools scare me. JMHO, but take it to a gunsmith. Assuming the barrel is OK, you should be alright. However, should the throat be somewhat eroded, a simple save would be to rechamber to the .223 Remington. Lots of milsurp ammo around and factory ammo is cheaper. Not that there are any flies on the .222 Rem. or the .222 Rem. Mag., but the .223 has just about shot them out of the saddle. That's the advantage a military round has.
Paul B.

[scooterman27006]

man its great to have a bunch of been there done that fellas here - ok first i got a 223 that will shoot great even 2 of them however i want a 222 rem and i know the itch wont be scratched till i get one - ok ill tell this first - i will have a gunsmith to do it but let me ask this question with these things in mind - i have a 204 adl 700 that will not shoot and i have this 222 barrel that looks ok but the gunsmith has not seen it - the blue on it looks bad towards the chamber end of barrel and will have to be redone i know for fact - looks dont bother me if it shoots but i would like for it to look better plus the adl 700 action is the black non glare type and this barrel is not - its just blue - now tell me this can the gunsmith rechamber the 204 into a 222 rem and if so will it be almost as cheap ya think to do this-- if he can-- instead of putting this barrel on the 204 action or should i just change barrels and see how it shoots - what would you fellas do if you wanted a 222 with what i have to work with