It all started with a problem extracting cartridges……

[JockStalk]

I’d been having niggles with a Remington 700 SPS in 243 for a few months. Nothing, I could really put my finger on. Just odd flyers that I couldn’t account for, beyond my own mistakes. And sometimes it was a right pain to extract after firing. 
Then a bit of a cabinet reshuffle, and I figured I might as well get the 243 rebarrelled, maybe change the chambering, and of course would be good to get someone who knows what they are about to see if that extraction thing could be improved. 
So off goes the gun to Ronin, with Andy kindly offering to check it over. I had two guns being shipped, and here were the first two outbound guns from a new RFD. So all four parties were delighted when the right guns arrived at the right places. See, easy. 
Immediately on unboxing Andy clearly saw the problem with the bolt not camming properly to extract the fired case. The bolt handle needed replacing, timing reset properly and (I am paraphrasing here) a bloody awful job done by the maker needed sorting. On removal of the bolt handle it was hardly connected to the bolt body at all, very little solder or whatever they brazed it on with. 
So that needed fixing, and the usual challenge sourcing replacement parts. Talking through the rebarrel options, I settled on a very nice 8 twist 6.5mm sassen barrel, R4 profile chambered in the obligatory 6.5 creedmoor, and as luck would have it Andy had one on the shelf. 
My Friday evening Remington bolt really got the treatment with not just the bolt handle and timing getting sorted, the bolt was completely remachined to true up the face and lugs. 
Once that was done, the barrel fitted at 25”, threaded for the mod and the barrelled action off to proof. Once back, the barrelled action and mod were sent on to Liquid Steel for Ceracoat in matt black. There’s probably a fancy name for the colour, but it’s matt black in my book. 
Then the existing bedding machined off the stock and the action bedded. A superb bedding job and the PSE Etac stock makes the whole outfit very usable and not too heavy to lug about. 
After last adjustments, it was on its way to me. 
Finally getting the Spuhr aesthetic rings on, US Optics B25 scope fitted and just needed the weather to play ball. 
I have not done any load development at all with it yet, but with a few slack handfuls of rounds that were in the safe, 143gr ELDx and 139gr lapuas, I was impressed that it was shooting 5 rounds at 200yards under 0.4MOA. I am not a great shot, to be honest I was under a fair bit of time pressure to get back home, so the range session was hardly ‘stress free’, the barrel is not settled in yet and the loads will need tuning to get the most out of it, but ‘out of the box’ it’s a credit to Andy, a superb job. 
A brilliant guy to work with, couldn’t be more helpful, and really chuffed with the outcome. 
Will update when I finally sort those loads!