currently have a standard 700 BDL in 7mag... i've really enjoyed the gun and i'm planning on getting a second gun to go along with it... mostly cuz I don't wanna see my literally PERFECT BDL getting messed up with foul weather and rough use.... so i'm going to find another used 700 7mag to be my "utility" gun...

at any rate, when this used gun shows up (when i find one) its gonna get a litany of upgrade and changes to customize it to what i've always wanted my faithful 700BDL to be... i'd like to install a custom barrel and stock (actually thinking about a thumbhole stock, but who knows i'll have to shoot one first to see if i like it) and have the trigger/action reworked to tweak it out and smooth out and lighten the pull... the gun itself is going to be a bit more rugged and such so i'd assume a synthetic stock may be the right way to go considering the goal of this one... and of course some quality optics (though not the swarovski price range though)... thinking more along something in the Burris or Nikon line...

so, here's where the ?'s begin, since this is my first foray into the semi custom gun arena i thought i'd pick you guys brains for advice... if I go the custom/aftermarket barrel route what consideration should I be making??? I'm pretty set on sticking with the 7mm Rem Mag as I like the round a lot and am comfortable with it, so I've considered Krieger since they are pretty local to me for the barrel, but i have no idea about any of the quality gunsmiths around me (far north chicago burbs) that I can go and consult with...

thought and advice guys????? THX!!

I have owned barrels buy Krieger,Pac-nor,Schneider,Hart,Gaillard and Mclennon.All have been quite accurate,with the Gaillard and Schneider fouling the least.The Schneider has been the fastest of all.I have owned stocks by Ram line,Bell&Carlson,H-S Precision,and Mcmillan.The Mcmillans have been the only own that I have bought more than one of.I like them so much,I have owned six of them.I would avoid a thumbhole stock for hunting,after owning just one.

define slow??? how much fps didja lose compared to another barrel...

I have owned three 7mmstw rifles,all 26" barrels,all 1 in 10" rate of twist,and all chambered with my own reamer.With a 140gr bullet the schneider produces 3520fps,the Krieger 3480fps,and the mclennon only about 3430fps,all with acceptable primer pockets after five firings.If I increased the powder charge on either of the two slower rifles,primer pockets would be loose after only a few firings.I kept the two faster rifles and sold the slowest one.
A friend owns a factory sendero in 7mmstw,and he can't exceed 3400fps without pressure signs.

so we're talkin less than 100fps spread between the fastest and the slowest... hardly seems worth mentioning

It is all relative.Losing 100fps with a 7mmremmag leaves you pretty close to a 280 ackley.Losing 100fps in a 30-06 basically leaves you with a .308 win.

so how does that compare to stock/oem barrel speeds??? is the slow barrel faster/slower than the original factory one???

Just like aftermarket barrels,some factory barrels are much faster than others.

would i be wrong to assume then that speed really isn't a relevant issue when talkin aftermarket barrels and that accuracy is where the aftermarket barrels shine compared to factory jobbers???

is it worthwhile (in the sense of saving some $$) to just have a good quality lap job done on the factory barrel or is the added expense of an aftermarket worth it?? are we talking orders of magnitude better performance over a stock barrel thats been worked over or is it incremental...

i guess what i'm getting at is whether or not it is a worthwhile venture to go to an aftermarket barrel in terms of performance/dollar ratio...

sorry for all the questions, as i said earlier, this is my first look into this as a real possibility and trying to see whether or not its going to make sense for me...

Thanks for the help though, i appreciate it

Switching to an after market barrel will give you the greatest increase in accuracy of any. I would call the magnitude as significant. I routinely take 1.5 MOA rifles and turn them into .5 MOA weapons with a barrel swap.

I've use Shilen, Lilja, Krieger, and Douglas barrels. I've been getting excellent results from Douglas. Truth is I use Douglas exclusively now. I love Shilen barrels but for the price difference their just isn't much difference in a Douglas.