Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing Model 700- the truth

The truth is I have never built a rifle. I really want to rebarrel my model 700 sps 300 wsm. I want to keep the caliber with a fluted barrel .I want to have the action trued and completely accurize this rifle. Where is the best place to start? Who makes the best barrel? Who is the best gunsmith?

Give Stan Jackson in Anchorage a call. He likes to use Douglas barrels. He recently did a 700 and a model 70 for me. Fast turnaround time and quality work.

how long is a rope....lol 700s are pretty easy for any good smith just stay away from cheap barrels and you should get a great rifle..

Stan Jackson is simply the poorest excuse for a gunsmith that ever drew breath... Either someone else did the work or you have no idea what you are looking at. There are at least a dozen posters here that have had serious issues with Stan's work. I have had quite a few choke tubes installed by him and until the last one thought he did a reasonable job... Not any more...

Common joke around here is "Stan doesn't have time to 'flute' a barrel."

Stan is also very expensive compared to what you can get better work done for outside...

Steve on the Old Seward just North of Dimond (next to Wiggy's) is a FAR better choice even if it will take longer.

Time isnt really an issue...

I will leave other posters with Stan issues to weigh in with their experiences... But for a full build he is a terrible choice. His "cash only" policy is special, too and screams of what he is doing with the money he makes from the gunshop...

There are a lot of options... Sending the rifle straight to the barrelmaker is not a bad option. I have done it with Pac-Nor and they did very good work. Worst rebarrel job I have had done was by a "name" smith... The chamber cast is "special" and the Douglas barrel is ruined. The rest of the work is even more of the same...

My 700 will hold it's own against my NULA. Have yet to stock the 70 though. Maybe I got lucky. Maybe not.