Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Dating a Rem 700 by serial number- help

Looking at an ADL rem 700 synthetic stock rifle with J lock. It is cstated by seller to not be an sps, but I have found some ADL's were made after Remington started heavy beadblasting like the SPS POS actions that are rough as a cob inside and out.


Anyone know if a G prefix ( serial number, I don't have the bbl #) remington 700 ADL which it seems was discontinued in 2005, with J lock, would be the dull finish, or have the heavy beadblasting like an SPS has? Every SPS I have owned needed lapping compound to smoothen the bolt . I fear this ADL is the same finish as my son's G prefix SA remington, but hoping the ADL's were of a different finish. I believe my son's was a SPS restocked in a B&C stock.


Thanks

Allen

Hemiallen: Remingtons are more easily/readily "dated" by the two letter barrel code on the left side of the Remington factory barrel.
If you could look at the barrel again and get those letters I can date it for you.
As far as I know you can not get an accurate month/date of manufacture by the serial number letter prefix???
I own a "G" prefix Remington 700 SPS-V in caliber 22-250 Remington and the action works just fine for me.
My good friend Jack from Yelm, Washington bought an SPS-V some years back and simply polished off the "rough finish" of the bolt and action and had a "shiney" (but smooth) Remington 700 Varmint!
I believe that Rifle was in caliber 17 Remington Fireball!
And it looked very pleasing!
I could get the particulars on the process he himself did to the Rifle - if you are interested.
I have only owned the one SPS but am familiar with many more that belong to Varminting partners and the crude finish on these doesn't seem to hamper their accuracy or usefullness afield?
So, I also guess that I disagree (but not with a lot of certainty) that the Remington SPS finish is not due to heavy bead blasting but to the applied finish itself?
Allen, I just got a return call from my friend Jack - he relayed that indeed the SPS rough finish is applied and not built in or sandblasted on!
He further relayed that he only removed the finish from the SPS's bolt and barrel and the action lug runways were already smooth enough for his desires.
I have only seen the Rifle once but it looked very good to me.
No matter which model of 700 you may be dealing on I think the roughness can be dealt with quickly enough.
Best of luck - what ever you decide to do - I wish I could be of more help to you.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Thanks


Interesting on the finish Vs bead or more sand blasting finish prior to blueing.

To the SPS, doing searches reveals more gunsmiths saying the machining tolerances seem to be less quality than pre SPS, and yes, I used 1200 cloverleaf to lap the rails on my 223 and the bolt slides much better now ( did that today).


More curious if the second generation ADL post, or during J lock had the same rough finish, or just the flat finish that resembles parkerizing more than blueing. I emailed the owner, but I have received firearms not exactly as the owner implied...like a 2# tuned remington trigger that measured 3.7# on both my scales... bedded with only 2 threads on the front action screw, all from a part time gunsmith.


Thank you

Allen

Call Remington Arms; option 4, I believe and then one more choice. I recently called about a rifle I was buying as I wanted to know the year of manufature; they asked for the serial number and proceeded to teil me the year, the type of stock, the barrel length and that it was a stainless rifle.

Their information verified the barrel code for the year manufactured. I was thrown by the year because none of my blue 700s have a serial number prefix higher than G but this one has an S prefix which thoroughly confused me but Remington educated me with a simple phone call.

Thanks for the information.


I got my answer, looks to be a dull, not heavy and rough finish gun.

Allen

Not sure if this helps, but "The Remington 700", by John F. Lacy, page 192, describes letter (date) codes that prefix the serial number. If the letter "G" preceeds the SN/ then it was made in 1960.

Man am I lost how this all happened. This WAS on page 40, 5 minutes ago......now there IS no page 40.

But anyway.

ahem.........djs, no offense but they didnt MAKE a model 700 in 1960.

Mr. Lacy was saying the "G" in the BARREL CODE (not in the serial number prefix) dated A remington to 1960 but 700s werent made yet, let alone a synthetic stocked blasted one with a J lock that came out 2000 "ish".

Just saying.

God Bless

Here's the link for Remington Date Codes
http://www.remingtonsociety.com/rsa/questions/barrelcodes

Well

Since it's back to the first page, and the gun is in my hands...

It is a medium SAND blasted gun, funny how everyone perceives items different. The seller said " no, it's not rough, feels smooth to me", but it is indeed a rough exterior finish. Should have asked him " if you rub the barrel with a paper towel, will white paper be left on the barrel" , LOL

Bolt feeding was smoother than another sps I own, 1200 lapping compound on the ways and lug contact and 5 minutes of cycling the bolt has smoothed it out nicely.

Hope to see if it is a shooter or donor tomorrow, wish it luck


Allen