A Man with a Dream
Many years ago, I was a much younger man with more hair and less money. But the burning desire within to have a fine selection of precision rifles was already there. I had just crossed the threshold of understanding that getting exactly what you want, can be done with enough money and effort. And today I am recounting the experience of how one of my all time favorite rifles came into existence. A custom Remington 700 .223 varmint rifle I put together, that has since dominated the rodents of the intermountain west.
It all started when I was on the road working in California of all places, and I laid eyes on fat barreled Kimber bolt action rifle. I didn’t buy it, but was instead inspired to build something better.
My Specifications
I knew that if I was going to go custom, I may as well go all the way. My decisions were affected by a few options, but here is the specs as they ended up:
| Action | Remington 700 (1980’s vintage) |
| Caliber | .223 Wylde chamber (throated for 75gr ELDM) |
| Barrel | 20-inch Krieger Match 1.3-inch straight taper 12 flute |
| Twist Rate | 1 in 7.7 twist |
| Muzzle Threads | ⅝-24 TPI |
| Magazine | AICS 10-round |
| Trigger | Trigger Tech Special |
| Scope Base Rail | EGW 20 MOA |
| Chassis | GB Rifleworks MARC Sport |
| Buttstock | FAB Defense RAPS C adjustable |
The rifle was originally built as a set of twins, for myself and a friend. I had originally built two very custom stocks for the rifles, carved from wood and using my own improvised aluminum mini-chassis within.
The stocks used a DBM System from CDI, that used the AICS magazines which at the time were only available from Accuracy International. I built in a bipod spigot on the front to use Versa Pod bipods because I thought that would be cool.
I also initially had a few issues with the original Remington extractor, so I had the bolt cut for a Sako extractor which greatly increased the reliability. Of course bolt fluting and an extended bolt-knob were also part of the work.
A New Chapter
As my tastes changed over time, I ended up putting the rifle into a GB Rifleworks MARC Sport Chassis. And because the rifle gets used for so many different projects, it frequently gets optics swapped out. Originally the rifle had one of the very first Vortex PST 4-16×50 scopes on it, I was on that preorder and ended up with Serial number 0000004 which was kinda cool. Later and for most of its life, the rifle had a Gen 2 Vortex PST 5-15×50 which served perfectly. Currently it has a Discovery OPT 5-25 scope which is big enough to match the attitude of this rifle. Mounted in an Anubis Defense one-piece mount.
Accuracy
This rifle has always shot very accurately, and due to its fat girl profile it hardly moves when shooting. The very thick barrel makes a stable platform to launch bullets from. I had always planned on shooting heavy bullets from this rifle, making it not just a varmint gun, but an affordable long-range plinker as well.
Most loads I have made for this rifle typically group under half an inch. Besides the always common 75 ELDM (I bought 3500 of them a couple years back), I’ve also shot hundreds of 80gr ELDM’s, and 80gr Match Kings. And way back in the old days she ate nothing but 75gr A-Max’s.
Over the last decade or so, I’ve made some pretty impressive hits with it. Keeping shots on an IPSC target at 1200 yards isn’t a huge challenge on a calm winded day. Taking a chucks head off from 454 yards in a pretty stiff wind is exactly the kind of shot this rifle is famous for. You can see more of the rifle in action in my video Major League Chucker’s 9.
Some may wonder why I went with such a short barrel. Obviously if it was a 24 or 26-inch barrel it would be even heavier, but also I feel like I get plenty of velocity out of this 20-inch for my needs. Typical velocities from 75 and 80 grain bullets usually hover around 2800fps, which will carve a groundhog in twain even from a great distance. And when shooting lighter 55-grain bullets it is even faster.
Hunting
As a hunter at heart, the majority of this rifle’s activities involved hunting of some kind. Mainly varmints like prairie dogs and marmots, but we have used them for other hunts as well. Deer sized animals are easily taken with heavy 223 loads like the 75-grain ELDM. Particularly when you have such a sharp shooting rifle and can place the shot perfectly.
Most of the shots this rifle has been involved in though are small animals. It loves the Hornady 55-grain hollow points, and the 50-grain V-max bullets. The 20-inch barrel still produces more than enough velocity to get that pop that varmint hunters crave. From the dry plains of Wyoming terrorizing dogtowns, to the alpine Rocky Mountain high’s taking squirrels, marmots and coyotes.
Compatibility
One of the best parts about this rifle is its compatibility. Being a Remington 700 action, I can use the huge aftermarket support. And the chassis allows me to use all my favorite Arca and M-Lok accessories. I usually run either a Harris bipod up front or an Atlas bipod mounted on the Arca rail. But it also allows me to shoot from a standing position off the tripod, which again is very stable because of the gun’s weight and low recoil.
Again, over the years I’ve run half a dozen different triggers in the rifle. X-Mark, Timney, Trigger Tech, and more. Honestly I haven’t had a complaint about any of them in this rifle. Even the old X-Mark has worked well for me. My little Cartridge Quiver from Hoptic USA fits neatly into this rifle, making for quick followup shots should the magazine run dry.
I had the muzzle threaded 5/8-24, this was because at the time of construction I had but one suppressor and she was a .30. These days its no big deal, as most of my suppressors use the hub system to adapt to whatever mounting system I want. That allows me to put a 5/8-24 breech hub on my 5.56 cans and run them here.
Additionally, when we discussed the chamber, my smith at the time recommended the Wylde chamber. This would make it easy to shoot 223 and 5.56 ammunition, and probably has been better at taking my reloads as well.
Lessons Learned
Having built this rifle well over a decade ago, I’ve had ample time to reflect on it. The only real miss I think, was that chassis like this one weren’t as common or ready back then. While I still like the old custom stock I built for it, I like it better with my chassis. Other than that, I think 2009 me was spot TF on the rest. And I absolutely love this chunky little killer.
I think if I was to redo the project today, I would for sure have to use a different chassis since this one is extinct. I really like KRG chassis, so I’d likely go that way. And I would probably use a Tikka action, or maybe a Howa Mini action.
If you find yourself dreaming about a goofy project like I was once upon a time, chase the dream. There are few things finer than stacking bodies with a custom rifle you built first in your mind.