Building a Pork Sword Pistol

Remington 700 pistol builds aren’t “a thing.” YET! So, as you’d imagine, we receive a lot of questions from Pork Sword Chassis customers and potential customers asking how on earth they would go about completing a pistol build project. Thankfully, there are a lot of options and it’s easier than you may think. Much of what’s below will apply to a rifle build, too!

FIRST: all NFA rules and regulations apply. There is no mechanism by which you can turn a rifle into a pistol. If an action has ever been configured as a rifle (e.g. installed in a rifle stock or a chassis with a shoulder stock attached) then, in the eyes of the law, it’s a rifle. Too late. No pistol build for you from that receiver. If you are unclear about NFA laws pertaining to Short Barreled Rifles, please consult an attorney or other expert on the matter. Black Collar Arms cannot provide legal advice. Our chassis can be configured for a rifle or a pistol, and it is your responsibility to know the Federal and State laws that apply to you.

FIT:

• “Remington 700 footprint” does not mean the action must be made by Remington. There are dozens of action makers that choose to use the “footprint” of the R700 action to maximize stock, chassis, and trigger compatibility. This just means that the action screws, recoil lug, trigger, magazine, bolt, etc. are placed in the same relative locations so any stock or chassis that accepts a factory R700 action will accept one of these other actions. R700-compatible (but please verify with the manufacturer as a few have special features) action makes other than Remington include, but are not limited to: Defiance, Alamo Precision Rifles, Surgeon, Impact Precision, Accuracy International, Gunwerks, Bighorn Arms, Pacific Tool and Gauge, Thompson Leh, BAT Machine, Impact Precision, GA Precision, Stiller, Kelbly’s, American Rifle Company, Badger Ordnance, Viper Actions, Bergara, and others.
• “Short Action” means an action made to fit cartridges of about 2.8 inches in length or shorter. Our chassis will not accept a long action (or larger) or a mini action. Short action calibers include, but are not limited to: .308 Winchester, 6.5 Creedmoor, 8.6 Creedmoor, .260 Remington, 6mm Creedmoor, .243 Winchester, .338 Federal, 6.5 PRC, 7mm-08 Remington, .358 Winchester, .22-250 Remington, .250 and .300 Savage, a few Winchester Short Magnum calibers, and many more. Short action footprint actions are also available for some “mini” calibers such as .223 Remington, 300 Blackout, 6.5 Grendel, and others.

Now that we have that covered, here are the two most practical methods by which you can build or buy a Remington 700 footprint pistol to bolt into our Pork Sword Chassis, with or without an approved pistol stabilizing brace such as the SB Tactical FS1913:

Buy and Barrel a Stripped Action:

• A stripped action typically includes the receiver, bolt, and sometimes trigger. Factory Remington 700 stripped actions are readily available for $300 to $350. The part number for the .308-sized bolt face action (build a .308, 6.5 Creed, 8.6 Creed, .338 Fed, .458 SOCOM, etc) is 27553, the part number for the .223-sized bolt face action (build a .223 or a 300 BLK) is 27347, and the part number for the magnum-sized bolt face short action (build a 6.5 PRC or any WSM) is 85389. Stripped actions can also be purchased from that long list of action makers mentioned in the “Fit” section above.
  • Note that, per the NFA reminder above, you must start with a “virgin action.” This means it has never been configured as a rifle before, so you can’t go using a used one. The vast majority of new, stripped receivers meet this requirement. Just be careful when Googling “virgin action.”
• Now it’s time to put a barrel on that action.
  • We carry barrels! Thanks to the Savage Pre-Fit-style locking nut on the barrels we sell, they’re simple and quick to headspace and install.
    • Tools needed: Go No-Go Gauges, Barrel Nut Wrench, Action Wrench, Torque Wrench. You should use Anti-Seize and Removable Thread Locker. This whole process is easier with a Bench Vise. Factory actions do not come with a Recoil Lug, so you may need one of those bad boys, too.
  • Any gunsmith can install a barrel in a Remington 700 type action. Most gunsmiths can cut down a long barrel and thread the muzzle, and many gunsmiths can start with a barrel blank (a long, thick pipe with the bore and rifling cut but no chamber, no external profiling, no threads, etc.) and custom chamber and finish a barrel from it. So whether you purchase a ready-to-install barrel off the shelf, have us make a custom one to your specifications, have a gunsmith cut down a longer barrel, or have a gunsmith or custom rifle shop create a barrel for you from a blank, it’s completely up to you and your gunsmith or builder.

Buy a Barreled Action:

• A barreled action is a stripped action with a barrel already installed. The only thing keeping it from being a complete gun is a stock or chassis. Thankfully your typical, new barreled action has never touched a rifle stock, so it’s gender-fluid regardless of barrel length and can identify as either a rifle or a pistol depending on what you bolt it into. There are now two ways to go when it comes to a barreled action:
  • Purchase a factory Remington one (or other brand that fits the R700 footprint, such as some Bergara models). These will all have long barrels, but nearly any gunsmith can chop it down to the length you want and thread the muzzle if you want. That service will run you between $100 and $200. For factory R700 barreled actions, which run from about $500 to $600, check Brownells HERE, EuroOptic HERE, or Google for something like Remington 700 barreled action. Again, this must be a virgin action that has never been configured as a rifle.
  • Have a custom rifle builder build a barreled action to your specifications. In fact, this is a service that we offer and we do an awesome job of it! That said, there are tons of other custom rifle builders who would be happy to build you a barreled action in whatever caliber with whatever barrel length, profile, thread type, fluting style, etc., including many of the custom action companies listed in the “Fit” section above.

Magazine Notes:

• For standard short action calibers (those .308-length ones), standard AICS pattern, single-stack magazines work. Like any of these that say “AICS” (not AX) fit. All of those brands are good, but some Magpul AICS mags need minor sanding on the top of the feed lips. They use a handful of different injection molders and some of them ride a little bit too high and will rub on the underside of the bolt, while some of them are perfect. Fixing this, if needed, is very easy and the Magpul mags remain our #1 suggestion due to high reliability, low price, and light weight.
• For mini calibers (.223 Rem, 300 BLK) in a short action, you’ll want to use magazines designed specifically for this. We carry MDT magazines, because they are the most reliable for running these calibers in an AICS footprint.

That about covers it. Please email our boy Jeeves at manservant@blackcollararms.com if you have questions or concerns, send us a message on Instagram or Facebook, or comment below!

Please send us pictures of your builds! Whether pistol or rifle, we’re always excited to see what our customers come up with!