As of today, I have a Remington 700 SPS Tactical on the way! I know there are a lot of threads talking about this rifle, but I'm having trouble answering my specific question, which is how practical is it for hunting?
I recently began looking for my first bolt action rifle, and decided it would be between a Rem 700 SPS 30-06 or the SPS Tactical .308. As my only bolt action, this would be an "all purpose" rifle, meant for both casual range shooting and South Georgia deer hunting. I did not consider the Tactical for its accuracy, as either rifle would be more accurate than my ability. I like Tactical for the X-Mark trigger, Hogue stock, and shorter barrel, and thought that was worth an additional $100. However, since I'm hunting (mostly in a stand), I was concerned about the weight. But Remington's specs say it is 7 1/2 pounds, very close to the SPS's 7 3/8. I've since read in other forums that it is actually 8 1/2 pounds, and not recommended for hunting. That sounds more like what I would think it would weigh. The prudent thing to do would have been to hold one, but nobody can keep them in stock and they are backordered everywhere, so when one came avaible to me today with a very short timeframe to make a decision, I jumped on it.
So, now that I've already paid for it, have I bought myself a rifle that I'm not going to want to take hunting?
Thanks for any advice, and sorry for the lengthy backstory.
I recently began looking for my first bolt action rifle, and decided it would be between a Rem 700 SPS 30-06 or the SPS Tactical .308. As my only bolt action, this would be an "all purpose" rifle, meant for both casual range shooting and South Georgia deer hunting. I did not consider the Tactical for its accuracy, as either rifle would be more accurate than my ability. I like Tactical for the X-Mark trigger, Hogue stock, and shorter barrel, and thought that was worth an additional $100. However, since I'm hunting (mostly in a stand), I was concerned about the weight. But Remington's specs say it is 7 1/2 pounds, very close to the SPS's 7 3/8. I've since read in other forums that it is actually 8 1/2 pounds, and not recommended for hunting. That sounds more like what I would think it would weigh. The prudent thing to do would have been to hold one, but nobody can keep them in stock and they are backordered everywhere, so when one came avaible to me today with a very short timeframe to make a decision, I jumped on it.
So, now that I've already paid for it, have I bought myself a rifle that I'm not going to want to take hunting?
Thanks for any advice, and sorry for the lengthy backstory.