Remington 700 Stainless or CM, Factory Scope for Hunting?

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cloudsrest

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I picked up a very lightly used stainless steel Remington 700 ADL chambered in 308 for getting into deer and elk hunting, and was absolutely ecstatic after waiting quite a while for one to pop up locally for a decent price. It has a factory scope and came with ammo, but I’m not sure what to expect from the scope.

Of course, when we get much-needed rain here in the West it often pours. Right after I bought it a 700 ADL in 308 with a CM/carbon steel barrel/action, Leupold Rifleman 3-9x40 scope, and Harris bipod showed up for some change more than what I paid for mine. I hadn’t considered the pros/cons of stainless, I just wanted a 700 in 308. I’m a newbie hunter and I’ll be hunting both in the Rocky Mountains and local high desert. That scope and bipod have me drooling though.

Is stainless a solid enough perk to keep the one I have and buy those accessories separately, or should I sell the one I just bought to a local hunter (already have one offering to buy it for more than I paid) and buy the non-stainless version with the upgrades? I’m all for low-maintenance and durability, but also want a bipod and a scope that I know will hold zero and won’t fog up on me.
 
I personally prefer stainless rifles, but even stainless will rust if you don’t treat it well after a rainy hunting trip, as will a blued rifle. I wouldn’t personally sell a stainless rifle to buy a blued version of the same model.

I would not consider a Leupold Rifleman 3-9x40 to be a “drool worthy upgrade,” it should be well within reach with a little disciplined saving. It’s better than the factory offered scope which came with the ADL package, but the difference isn’t anything which will blow you away - it’s still a cheap scope, just less cheap. The Harris isn’t really an “upgrade,” it’s simply an accessory your current rifle doesn’t have. They’re $80-130, again, nothing which should really take much time saving to buy, and if you’re really penny pinching, many Harris knock offs can be had for $50 which are nearly as stable and nearly as clean in quality.

So were it my money, I’d keep the stainless rifle, ignoring the buyer’s offer to resell it and ignoring the offer to buy the blued rifle.
 
SS will be easier to maintain and look nicer after years of use. Blue will develop a lot more character marks, surface rust and if used much the blue will wear thin in places. But none of that will effect function. If SS or blue either reaches the point where the rifle fails to function it won't matter. In a lot of ways I like to see a well used rifle with honest wear on it.

That said I do tend to prefer SS on a rifle used in harsh weather conditions. But a lot depends on the price. With some models the cost difference between SS and blue is $50-$75. I'll pay that. I have 3 Tikka's all with blue finish. With Tikka SS is a $150 price jump. Around $600 vs $750. It ain't worth $150 to me so my Tikka's are all blue.

In this case the Leupold Rifleman isn't anything to get excited about. You can do better. I'd keep the rifle you have and buy a better scope. The Leupold VX-Freedom is a starting point and the least expensive scope I'd even consider. I've had good luck with the old Burris FF-II scopes. They have recently introduced a new FF-IV scope that looks good for the money. I'd at least look at that.
 
I have a stainless/synthetic Model 7 that my dad bought about 20 years ago. It has been used most years for hunting albeit not real hard, but it looks basically new. I also have a blued 700 that's admittedly been used a bit more, but it has a lot of wear on it. Both function as good as new. Other things being equal I would say I prefer stainless in a hunting rifle as they generally don't get shot too much but they do get used and carried a lot in inclement weather.
 
My best rifles are stainless. I think it's worth it on a Premium rifle. Either way you have to clean them. Your call your money.
 
LoonWulf said:
Agree with the above answers. Especially with a Remington adl, the really rough finish the use on those tends hold moisture and rust quickly.
Click to expand...
Are you referring to the bead blasted finish ?
If so ..yeah those seem to rust even faster, now my polished stainless ..not so much.
 
Down here in the swamp, I'm dealing with insane amounts of humidity, as well as moisture, and occasional rainy hunts. So I wouldn't do well with a blued rifle. I'd say keep the stainless rifle, keep in mind you're in it for the long run. When the current scope compromises zero, then consider that Leupold or Zeiss upgrade. But for me, a blued finish, or a wood stock compromise the integrity of the rifle to the point it literally "just won't hunt".
YMMV, if you are in a low humidity environment, and never do any cold weather or foul weather hunts.
 
First thing I do with a new or used rifle is to check the tightness of all scope/mount screws. I've found that new rifles that have scopes on them usually have loose screws. Scopes also need to be adjusted forward or back for your eye relief. If it's a bolt-action, pull the bolt out and check the bore, cleaning it, if necessary.

When moving the scope and before tightening the ring screws too much, set the muzzle on a window sill and with your eye on the crosshairs, turn the scope so the vertical crosshair aligns with the bore. (Simple and accurate.) Then tighten ring screws, making sure the bore is still aligned.

I also rout-out the barrel channel to fully-float the barrel, after the first inch or so from the receiver. I also epoxy-bed the receiver, but you may not be ready for that. If you are, don't forget to use release compound or un-buffed auto wax on metal before setting it into the stock. JP
 
If you do scrape or route out the barrel channel in the forearm to float the barrel, make sure you seal that channel with at least 4 or five coats of a marine grade wood sealer, or even better, some thinned Acra-Glass bedding. Nothing was mentioned concerning that above, and if that step is neglected, the possibility of that forearm warping and making contact with the barrel due to moisture ingress is very possible.
 
SGW Gunsmith said:
If you do scrape or route out the barrel channel in the forearm to float the barrel, make sure you seal that channel with at least 4 or five coats of a marine grade wood sealer, or even better, some thinned Acra-Glass bedding. Nothing was mentioned concerning that above, and if that step is neglected, the possibility of that forearm warping and making contact with the barrel due to moisture ingress is very possible.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I do that automatically and don't even think about it when describing what else I do... "Gun maintenance/tinkering 101".
 
I’d keep the stainless, get a bipod if you’d like one and upgrade the scope. Like stated above the Burris FF-II is nice for the money. I’ve shot a couple guns with the Vortex Diamondback, that’s a nice scope for the money. My personal taste is for the older Leupold VX-II no frills models.
 
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