Remington 700 BDL

C

ColColt

Guest
I wasn't planning on buying this one but I always liked the .222 and being able to snag an unfired safe queen I couldn't resist. It's a Remington BDL in .222 caliber made in 1994. I ordered several hundred Sierra 52-53 gr bullets and was able to snag 200 52 gr Berger bullets as well without having to buy thousands. From all I've read they should be as accurate as the Sierra's which were always the best for target shooting. I know lots have changed since then but I can't imagine any bullet being any better...equal maybe but not better. I weighed 20 the other night and every one was 52.0 gr. No 52.1, 52.2 but right on 52.0 gr. It don't get any better than that.

I've got a Weaver T-36X coming soon along with the rifle. Now, if I could just find some H322 I'd be set to shoot. Not being able to find that I settled on what I had, H4198.

 
Before going any futher with this rifle I would use a bore scope and see if there is rifling all the way to the throat.

I don't mean ruff, I mean none and most likely just on one side.

Best wishes
 
The rifle's in MD and I'm in TN so, checking the bore isn't possible. He said it had never been shot so, I'm taking his word for it. It's like buying anything off the Internet, you take your chances and hope the seller is as good as his word. I've been lucky so far.
 
Just like mine

I have one just like it but a tad older. My bore shows neglect in the middle but the leade and first few inches are great, and so are the few inches at the other end. I haven't really wrung it out for accuracy but nothing I've tried has gone over an inch for three shots at 100 yards with the 6-24 Tasco that came on it. I bought it for our club bolt rifle competitions because my K31 Schmidt Rubin was killing my torn up shoulder. I mounted a NECG peep sight on the rear Weaver base and I've won every match since I started shooting it 18 months ago. I am going to look for a flat top post for the front this winter as the stock sight is a bit tricky. I finally got it so that with the bead covering the 8 inch black at 100 yards it's right on. However, I'm a six o-clock hold service rifle guy and that wasn't working with these sights. My load for the club shoots is Winchester brass, 19 grains of IMR4198 behind a 52 grain SMK and lit by a Federal 205. Despite the neglect in the center of the bore it cleans up pretty quick with Wipe-Out and Accelerator. It's a fun gun and a piece of history. Hope you enjoy yours as much as I enjoy mine.
 
I'm anxious to try H322 but it seems like looking for hen's teeth everywhere I checked. Maybe have some luck at the gun show next weekend. The Lapua Match cases I bought for it look very good and are annealed to perfection. I liked the so well I bought another 100 cases today depleting Larry Potterfield's stock.:eek: I do have a pound of H4198 so I guess I'll have to start there with the Sierra and Berger 52-53 gr bullets.
 
John S said:
Before going any futher with this rifle I would use a bore scope and see if there is rifling all the way to the throat.

I don't mean ruff, I mean none and most likely just on one side.

Best wishes
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I concur with this. Whether the rifle has ever been shot or not, the throat on alot of Remington factory rifles is uneven from the chamber being reamed with a non-piloted reamer, just like my brand new .270 was. I bought a take-off barrel cheap, and the throat is very straight, so it's kind of a luck-of-the-draw thing.

Be sure to try the Nosler 52gr BTHP Custom Competition bullets. My rifles have loved them even better than the Sierra's. It's the same bullet with a J4 jacket, and they are being made on brand new dies. Very competitively priced also.
 
Lopsided Throat - Maybe Not So Bad

I have a Cooper that was a victim of a pilotless reamer. I was going to send it back until I found how good it shoots. I wouldn't try seating close to jam, but at .020 off, it shoots amazingly well. That being said, the barrel itself is a beautiful thing through a bore scope.
 
Looks good. I've got several Model 700's and 40-X's, and like them.

I would consider other powders, though. I've had better luck with others, including Win 748, BC-2 and CFE-223.

And, yes, I have several 222's. Most of them are bench guns, 1 isn't. Got a LV rifle on a 40-X action that shoots decent. Hart barrel, a previous barrel on it was a 22 PPC, shot a .204 group at 200 with it, at Johnstown back in the 80's.
 
If its a live varmint/hunting and informal target shooting Sierra is just fine and in a sporter weight hunting rifle like the one in your picture one should enjoy lots of under a dime size groups, but the choice between Berger & Sierra for "REAL" target shooting is a very easy answer.........
 
Back in the day when I was shooting my tight neck .222, I found that it did not respond as well as I would have liked to 322, so I tried 748, and that became my standard powder for that rifle. I am aware that by the book, 748 is a tad slow, but for me, the most accurate loads were around 3,250, and I could go higher, but lost accuracy. Bullets were 53 grain Sierras, as well as 52 grain Bergers, around .006 into the rifling, form hard contact with a Sinclair, rod and stop collar gauge. I used Lapua brass, that had smaller flash holes than it does now, and Federal primers. With a prone stock, and less than optimal rest, it shot consistency at 5/16 for five shots (when I had it in perfect tune, and read the sticks with surveyors' tape correctly). Later that barreled action was glued into a prototype EDGE stock (thanks to the generosity of Kelly McMillan) and improved to the point that it shot some sub .2 inch groups, off of a better rest sandbag setup. Not bad for an old 722 action.
 
moore said:
but the choice between Berger & Sierra for "REAL" target shooting is a very easy answer.........
Click to expand...

Yup, neither for me, for serious work.

Custom from others, or I make my own. Already got the equipment, materials and knowledge.
 
In 1/4 or 3/8 MOA rifles, not much is wrong with them. Get a rifle capable of less than 1/4 MOA, you'll soon find the limiting factor will be the quality of the bullets.

In other words, they're OK, just not the "best".
 
1/4 MOA? If I had a rifle that gave that size group I'd be happier than a baby in a barrel full of titties!!:)
 
I have that in Hodgdon variety. Saturday is our gun show and I hope to pick up some H322 and BLC(2) to try also. Maybe even a pound of 4895
 
In a hunting rifle there is absolutely nothing wrong with either of those bullets, and your right 1/4 inch is great accuracy from a rifle of this type.. Nothing wrong with trying a few custom bullets if you have the chance... This is the factory side of this forum lets not forget. Its a great looking rifle and enjoy it as it was meant to be used..
 
I guess I thought Berger was a custom bullet. I ordered 200 52 gr of them recently and they look as good as Sierra and weigh to perfection. Unless I overlooked the details it seems I've read Berger bullets have won more than one match.
 
I've got several. They aren't hard to come by, just apply money.

Of course, those are all benchrest competition rifles.
 
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