Although I liked my Remington 700 VTR in .223, I also love the AR. It just feels right, in any position, standing, sitting, or prone. Maybe it’s the pistol grip, or the length of pull, or something else, but it just fits and is very comfortable to shoot. Of course, the wide range of accessories, and the detachable magazine is nice too. But, thanks to the direct impingement gas system, I’ve had FTF issues on my AR, and hate the extra cleaning it requires. My bolt guns require less maintenance, and I never have to worry about cycling failures. So, to get the best of both worlds, I tried looking for ways to make my R700 take on similar ergonomics as the AR, which is apparently not an uncommon wish. The MAK Tube Gun Kit and AICS stock can improve the ergonomics and add a detachable magazine, but I was turned off by the cost (an AICS stock costs $700+ used, magazines costs like $70 each).
After much deliberation, I decided to take an AR and make it a bolt gun, instead of trying to make a bolt gun be more like an AR. Since it would still be built on the AR platform, I can use the same lower I use on my Service Rifle (basically an A2). I can also use the same cleaning tools, magazines, and use a wide range of AR accessories and parts, which is something I wouldn’t get with an AR-esque Remington 700.
Although there are gunsmiths who can build such a rifle, I decided to build it myself. The key component was an upper receiver and bolt carrier group from Fulton Armory which has been modified to accept a charging handle on the right side (the bolt carrier is drilled and tapped, and the ejection port extended). I thought about trying to get a barrel without a gas port, but this turned out to be kind of complicated (since it’d be custom order). Instead, I bought a 26″ Krieger AR-15 Varmatch barrel, with a 1:7.75 twist. They had these in stock, so it showed up at my apartment in about 2 weeks. To block the gas port, I simply installed the gas block off-centered (then later rotated it upside down because I was getting stung by gas and ejecta which managed to leak through the gas block and out the rear-facing hole where the gas tube would normally be).
Anyway, here are some pictures of the build, the final product and some targets. Probably not the best groups you’ve seen, but that’s probably my fault, not the rifle’s 🙂 Since the rifle is basically a free floated barrel attached to an upper, without even a gas tube to create interference, I’m pretty sure it’d be much more accurate in more able hands.
- assembly 1
- assembly 2
- full view
- top view
- bolt
- target
- smallest group
Update (2/3/09): Couple of additions that I forgot in the original post… The straight pull action works great in some respects, and not so well in others. In theory, it works great. You pull that handle, let go and let the buffer spring do the work; it’s very fast and easy to operate without breaking position. However, the handle that Fulton Armory ships is too small, and doesn’t give you enough leverage to extract sticky shells. I went to the hardware store and bought a 2″ long 1/4″ diameter fine threaded bolt instead, which works a lot better. The other issue is that, since the upper doesn’t have a shell deflector, your hand acts as a shell deflector. When you yank that handle and the shell comes flying out, there’s a good chance it’ll nick your knuckle on the way out. Fingerless gloves might help, but I might see if I could attach a shell deflector that won’t get in the way.
How much would It cost you to build another one….cos I am in aus and the only way I can get something that is like the AR is if I get one that is bolt action. Or do you know where I can buy one?
Awesome. I am working on the same project. I want my AR to be California legal so getting rid of the gas system and making it manually operated will do it. There is a company in the UK http://www.southern-gun.co.uk making such rifles. It is a sad day in America when we have to buy AR parts from the UK.
[…] a model 700 in .223 that I don’t shoot that much any more, now that I’ve built that bolt action AR, also in .223. At the end, I decided it made the most sense to just have it rebarreled and […]
I have been looking at building up a 0% cast AR15 lower and upper reciever and just want to make a single shot varmit gun. This upper is EXACTLY what I have been looking for. I’ll be making my own barrel so no problem with gas. I’d love a better picture of the bolt so I can copy it. Thanks!
I got the upper receiver and bolt carrier from Fulton Armory. The bolt carrier already has a threaded hole where the bolt “handle” screws into it. You can see a picture on their website: http://www.fulton-armory.com/M6Parts3.htm#UpperParts
Hi there,
Just stumbled by your blog when I was researching my own Krieger 26″ AR-15 build. If it isn’t too much trouble, do you think you could send me a few more pics of your complete rifle? I’m a bit worried that because it is so long it will be a but difficult to handle and move around.
Great job on the build by the way!
Is there a particular angle you want to see? It is quite unwieldy, depending on what you want to do with it. If you plan on shooting off-hand at all, you’d also want to put some weights in your stock to balance the rifle. Frankly, a 22″ or 24″ barrel would probably be more practical for most purposes. The only advantage of the 26″ I can think of is that you might be able to use slower powders to push heavier bullets faster, but that’s about it. To be honest, I haven’t shot this rifle much, and I’m thinking of swapping out the barrel with one chambered for 6.5 Grendel.
sundevil makes a dedicated bolt action gun based on an ar15 platform, but the uppers and lower recievers from an ar15 cannot be used. it uses all other ar15 parts and accessories
it was devoloped for the california market so you can use detchable 10 round magazines because it cannot be converted to semi auto
it’s charging handle can be moved to the left side or the right side depending on your use
dana
Would the same procedure work for an AR-10 upper?
Sorry, I mean, will that 15 upper fit on a 10 lower, and will the 15 upper fit a 10 bolt carrier?
No, AR-10 and AR-15 lowers and uppers are not compatible. Even within “AR-10 style” uppers and lowers, not all are compatible (I think Armalite and DPMS have slightly different specs, though most others will conform to one or the other).
Having said that, I’m sure the general idea would work with AR-10s, if you get the right parts.
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Who makes the free float hand guard you put on that bad boy. Looks like a hogue from a distance but not sure. Thanks.
H-S Precision. They make the stocks for the Police (or PSS) model of Remington 700s.
this is exactly what ive been looking for just one question. this is a bolt action single shot right?,not a side cocking semi auto.