Remington 700, what's the consensus?

As has been said before (many times)...Remington "used to be" a sure bet for a fine rifle out of the box...these days you might get a good, but there are also a lot of bad ones.

I have a 30-06 700. I have a tv screen type redfield 3 x9 scope. I can hit 300 yards constently so I like it. But I have a problem if I fill the cilp it won't load next shell. It only works if I put one or two shells in the clip. (that kinda sucks ass). my .02 cents.

oldwheelie,

Buff the underside of the feedlips with a ScotchBrite pad...that will probably fix it.

If not, replace the follower and spring.

based on this board's penchant to bash remington, i keep hoping to see all these used remingtons flood the market so i can start buying them up. alas, no glut of 700's, and i'm still stuck buying new...

Most of my Remingtons are over 15 years old...they won't be sold.

There wont be any new Remingtons in my collection...not until Remington gets their bugs worked out.

I was debating a Remington SPS or 700P vs the Savage 10FCP or 10FP a while back.
Savage won out, but I don't think I would have been disappointed in the 700P if I'd picked one up instead.


In general, I haven't been a fan of Remington products in recent years. They have made some screwy/oddball rifles (see the VTR as an example) and their ammunition seems to have gotten lax in the quality department (just my personal experience...and I don't buy it anymore because of that experience).

All that said, depending on the 700 you picked up, it is probably quite a good rifle and I wouldn't worry about it. That goes double for their LE rifles. Don't think I'd have felt any buyer's remorse if I picked up any of the Remington rifles I was considering.

Since no one else has asked, which model 700 do you have?

Redneck with a 40 said:

In that last thread, some poster's were questioning the accuracy of the 700's, I'll put mine up against any other "out of the box" rifle out there.

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I accept your challenge! First time to the range with my 10FCP, I managed a 5 shot 0.458 MOA at 100 yards.
http://thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=488324

Remington 700 Police Sharp Shooter with detach mags in .308. Drives tacks. Quite satisfied with it.

the 700s are GREAT... IF you true up the lugs, turn back the barrel, rechamber the receiver, free-float/bed the stock, recrown the barrel, and adjust the trigger.... then and only then is it a GREAT gun capable of some of the best accuracy out there.

Remington 700 Police Sharp Shooter with detach mags in .308....

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the PSS actually stands for "Police Sniper Special". the ones with detachable mags are very hard to find. that's a great rifle you have there. hang on to it.

i just bought a 700 SPS Varmint in .308 as a base for a long range paper puncher and so far, without having been to the range yet, i like it. the action is smooth, the fit and finish is quite nice and the X-Mark Pro trigger is pretty dang sweet! the finish is good, but not great and the rifling and crown look nicely machined.

i too debated between Savage and Remington and decided to go with Remington because there are more aftermarket options for it than the Savage. i really just wanted the barreled action. (exact same one as the 700P) Eventually, even the barrel will go away and i'll have the action trued and a put a Krieger barrel in .260 Remington on it. the SPS-V was the cheapest way to get the base for my project.

as of now, it's wearing a Choate Ultimate Varmint stock, Harris 9-13" bipod with notches, Burris bases, TPS rings and a Millett LRS-1 6-25x56 with mill dot/bar reticle and 1/10th mil clicks for the turrets.

i expect good things now and great things later.

i think it depends on if you want to leave it the way it is, slap a scope on it and shoot it, or if you want to tinker with it in the future and customize it.

i don't think you can go wrong with either but i'd give either a thorough once over at the gun store before i took it home.

let us know what you decide and good luck.

Bobby

I was just in the market for a heavy barrel 308. I was debating between Savage and remington. I picked up a 700ADL Varmint at Dick's for $419 after the rebatrs. First time to the range it was shooting .69moa. The action is nice and smooth. Very satisfied!

I like my 700's but I have to admit I was buying on brand. I recently bought a Savage model 12 and was truly shocked at how much nicer the action was then the 700. Does it shoot better? I don't know, but the bolt is a lot smoother to operate and the fit and finish is a lot nicer.

This incident had me really rethinking my buying habits.

By the way, I won't sell my 700's. They are good for what they are and I may send them off to a good rifle shop and get them fixed up. Right now, though I just won't buy any more off the shelf without carefully considering ALL of the alternatives.

based on this board's penchant to bash remington, i keep hoping to see all these used remingtons flood the market so i can start buying them up. alas, no glut of 700's, and i'm still stuck buying new...

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Funny you say that, I was watching for the same thing.
We have not had a great number of Remingtons come in the store to be sold or traded, which we are getting away from, but we are not selling very many Remingtons as compared to the other brands or even past sales history.... we continually hear the same as you read here, complaints as to the quality and most definitely the cost of the rifles.

Find one ten years old or older and you'll probably be golden. I shoot two older wooden-stocked 700s in 30-06 and .243 and I love them, though they are not as accurate as my Model 70. But I wouldn't buy a 700 made in the last ten years if they were half the current price.

we are not selling very many Remingtons as compared to the other brands or even past sales history.... we continually hear the same as you read here, complaints as to the quality and most definitely the cost of the rifles.

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Remington did the same thing with autoloading shotguns. Decades ago, they were at the top of the heap -- not necessarily the best shotguns at any price, but the best, well-balanced, reliable "working guns" for the money. Through the years, they really didn't improve the designs. Some say the quality went down.

Meanwhile, with 40 years to work with, other companies caught up, passed, and eventually beat the pants off what Remington was offering. Meanwhile, Remington, whose management were apparently vacationing on Mars, kept making the same stuff and trying to use their marketing spiel to sell it.

Despite what a few Remington fanatics on this board may post, the serious shotgunning world hasn't taken Remington's claims of greatness seriously for a very, very long time.

Remington is now doing this with rifles. The 700 was a hell of a rifle when pitted against what was around 20 years ago. Now, it has a whole list of worthy competitors. Despite this, Remington has raised the prices and, to hear what people say, lowered the quality. The Model 7 CDL at $750 retail is a joke, compared to the current Model 70 Featherweight at $650. Winchester made a lot of crap for a long time, making Remington's job a lot easier, but they aren't doing that any more. Meanwhile, I see a lot of younger shooters here learning to like Tikkas (and presumably lusting after their more expensive Sako brethren), and Savages, which give up nothing to a factory Remington's accuracy, but have nice little touches like a good, easily-adjustable, safe trigger system, and a 3-position safety. Love 'em or hate 'em, a Savage or Tikka will shoot with any factory Remington, for less money, with better features. Even Ruger seems to be making a pretty consistent bolt gun now, for a lot less than a Remington with similar features (their increased stainless offerings are a big plus for Ruger IMO).

The Model 7 CDL at $750 retail

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Model 70 Featherweight at $650.

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Found someone 'giving them away'...?

I see a lot of younger shooters here learning to like Tikkas

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They will hopefully 'grow up' and learn!

Savages, which give up nothing to a factory Remington's accuracy, but have nice little touches like a good, easily-adjustable, safe trigger system, and a 3-position safety. Even Ruger seems to be making a pretty consistent bolt gun now, for a lot less than a Remington with equal features (their increased stainless offerings are a big plus for Ruger IMO).

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Right you are! I don't understand it, I mean Remington had the market on bolt guns, then, just like that, or I should say, just like Cerberus, they just gave up to cheap.

Greed, baby....greed!

They will hopefully 'grow up' and learn!

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LOL

Well, a T3 with scope rings included for 500 bucks is a much better value than a 770, anyway.

Well, a T3 with scope rings included for 500 bucks is a much better value than a 770, anyway

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I hear you! The Tikka is the, SKS of bolt actions! whoops, did I say that!?! lol hehehehe

I think ArmedBear summed it up pretty well. When I was growing up and getting into hunting back in the '70's everyone used Remington and that is what I bought because the guy at the hardware store told me it was the best choice. Back in 1974 when I bought my 700 that was probably good advice. I still have that gun as well as another from the 80's that are great rifles.

I don't think Remingtons are necessarily a bad choice, it is just that other companies have been improving and may well offer better guns for the money in todays market.

It depends on what you want. Some people just want an accurate gun that costs as little as possible. The Marlin XL-7 and Weatherby Vanguard get my vote in that category. I can afford a little better rifle and appreciate the better features and Kimber gets my vote for the best rifle made today. In the middle of the pack I like the new Winchester and Ruger Hawkeye with a slight edge going to Ruger.

My first commercial high-powered rifle was a Remington Model 700ADL in 30.06. Bought new in 1974 at Western Auto for $154. It was GREAT! Looked good,the action was very smooth and it was ACCURATE! Last Reminton Model 700 was a BDL-DM in 7mm-.08 bought new around 2002 @ WM for $600. Absolutely beautiful rifle from the engraved receiver to the high-gloss finished stock. It was,however, the biggest disapointment I have ever experienced in a new rifle. Bolt would not close on a live round even after a GOOD cleaning and when it did the rifle could not group better than 4-6'' @ 100yds. Traded that turkey off post haste!

Seems like everyone's seeing the same thing. Remington is completely asleep at the wheel and a once great American company (an icon, even?) is going down the tubes. I am, however, glad that Savage, Marlin, and Thompson/Center are still kicking butt against Belgian, Finn, and Czech rifles at very attractice price points. My next shotgun - an auto loader planned for this Spring - will definitely be a Mossberg. Now if Savage ever introduces a pump or semi-auto centerfire I can be free of Remington. Well, at least free of anything they've made in the last ten years.

Savage's venture,(the model 170), into pump action centerfire rifles didn't go so well.

I have had a Rem 700 BDL .270 for about 14 years and it's been just fine. I am a lefty and I love it. (Its a LH) I have only taken one deer with it because I have not gone that often but starting next year I will start going more often and bird hunting less.
The only gripe I have is when you carry it on the sling the bolt can open which I don't care for. I have heard or read of people losing their bolts like this. So I am carefull.
Craig Boddington, another lefty uses them a lot and likes them just fine. I would certainly buy another.

KansasScout,it would be exceedindly difficult for a 700's bolt to fall out of the gun. The bolt release is inside the trigger bow and in front of the trigger. I had a problem,as you, with the bolt opening when carried slung over my shoulder but never had it leave the rifle.

I bought a brand new 700P just a few months ago. I have a VX1 4-12 X 40 on it and a Rock Mount bipod. Beautiful stock. Free floating heavy 26" barrel. That's it. Rifle is extremely accurate (.3 -.5 MOA with mil surp at 100yds). The bolt is tight, as in -- slightly too tough to open after a shot. The magazine feed seems to want only 3 rounds and the feed is not always smooth but mostly is. I have heard that the bullet sits back a bit too far from the rifling. But all things considered, the rifle is amazing and the minor sins of fit and finish can be easily absolved. As impartial evidence, I've had relatives visiting and I've taken all the males to the range. On the way back, after firing 6 "interesting" rifles and 5 handguns, this 700p is all they talked about.