So I picked up a Remington 783 in 30-06 about a week ago, and since then I've noticed two things with the rifle, one of them possibly very important. I'm not too sure.

The first issue I've noticed is that Remington claims that the 783 has a floated barrel, yet after removing the action from the stock, and replacing it several times, the barrel sits flush against the stock. I've even tried the dollar bill test, and it fails the test. Not sure if it's something I did or not..

The second issue, the one I find more important to point out, is that the action doesn't always sit snug in the stock. What I mean by this is that the action can be slightly canted to one side or the other. That in itself might not be that big of an issue, except that the screws that hold the action to the stock will still go in, as if the action was sitting like it should. I noticed this while I was reassembling the rifle, trying to figure out why the barrel wasn't floating above the stock. What I saw was the metal triangle behind the bolt was actually off-center from how it should be, and the screws were in all the way. Another more obvious way to notice if the action is canted, is to look at the trigger. If the action is canted, the trigger will stick out from one side of the trigger guard.

Not sure if there is a fix or solution to either of these issues, or if there is anyone else who is having the same as me, but I thought it was worth bringing them to the attention of other 783 owners. I posted almost this exact same post on a YouTube video, asking if others had experienced these issues as well, and so far no reply. Hopefully someone on here can help. Thanks

I do not own a 783 but it sure sounds like you should send it back to Remington. Sounds like it was not properly bedded or something is amiss big time. You should definitely get free repair work on this one. The 710 and 770 models sounded awful but some claim good accuracy with the 783. I know they are a "bargain model" but money is money. Good luck!

Welcome to the Remington Owners Forum Kris !!

Enjoy our community...

Does it sound like it could be a problem with the stock, the action, or both? If it's the stock, at this point I'm willing to just shell out $100 for a new stock, to avoid having to send it off.
To be honest, I don't really feel comfortable sending my rifle off to somewhere I can't personally go to, and I don't want to have to wait up to 12 weeks to get it back, once they have fixed it. Even then, what if the problems still persist, or something else pops up? I'll have to go through the whole process again..

You could look into Boyd's for another stock for your 783 as it sounds like yours is touching action and is meant to be free-floated. Hate to see you having to spend money to correct their mistake but the Boyd's stocks are nice and the selection is great. I liked it when Remington only made the 700 and 760 models!

It is a bedding issue. You can glass bed the action in the stock so it goes in to the same place every time and relieve the barrel chanel. They make these stocks so any action will fit in any stock. If I were going to do this ,and I am, I would use a different stock. I've got 1 of Boyds stocks ordered and I will definitely bed it. There are a lot of videos on UTube about how to do it. If you have never done this watch a few of them and pay particular attention to the part about the release agent. I use neutral shoe polish and it works great. It will fix your issue and probably make your rifle more accurate also. The Boyds stocks are laminated wood and are a lot stronger and stiffer making them a better base for the action. You can just relieve the barrel chanel and center the action and tighten the action screws but make sure the recoil lug is all the way to the rear against the abutment. Good luck with which ever you decide.

I did use a dowel and sandpaper to relieve the barrel of my 783. It was very slight and not a big deal. Regarding the seating, I'd defer to the others.

frgood wrote:I did use a dowel and sandpaper to relieve the barrel of my 783. It was very slight and not a big deal. Regarding the seating, I'd defer to the others.

I did exactly the same. took a few moments and all is right with the world. Regarding your second issue. The sounds like it is worth a call to Remington.

My own 783 stock wasn’t floated so I set about it with a dremmel small sanding gun and reamed out about 1/4 of an inch .It is now fully floated as per spec .The finish on budget rifles of any make is to be desired but with a bit of handiwork they can be serviceable if not pretty .

I had to do some work on mine, as well, to get the barrel floated, but it wasn't much work. I bought this rifle as I needed a bolt action to shoot some "Accelerator" reloads that I am experimenting with and didn't want to modify my semi-auto rifle that wouldn't eject the brass after firing. I think it is an excellent rifle for a very good price.

How does it shoot? Sometimes a problem is not a problem.