Asking for advice on Remington 700 upgrades

[hdon6]

I purchased a Remington 700 ADL in .243 Win. I do not plan to shoot long range matches or anything of the sort. It will be punching holes in paper for fun, and used for hunting.

I will likely be upgrading some parts on it over time and am asking for advise on where to limit upgrades due to diminishing returns. I don't plan to turn this into a sniper rifle.

The 1st thing I plan to do is remove the packaged scope. I have a Nikon Pro-Staff I intend to use, but am not sure which way to go for rings and base. Are the Remington rings/base that it came with good enough to reuse or is it worth the cost to get a picatinny and new rings, or should I consider something else?

I am aware of the trigger recall, and this is one of the newer triggers that is part of the recall. I am not looking forward to sending it away, waiting indefinitely and not knowing what its going to be like once returned. I am giving serious consideration to a Timney trigger. I see 2 models frequently recommended and wonder if the CE is worth the premium over the standard Timney, not shooting competition?

I will eventually likely upgrade the stock. Current considerations are to either go with a Boyds or Bell & Carlson. I like the look of the Boyd's, but not sure I have the necessary skill to make it adequately fit to be an actual upgrade. I realize the B&C would require a BDL conversion.

With the upgrades I've mentioned, I already have the scope so it seems to be the 1st upgrade that will happen. I suppose the trigger should be next, before the stock.

Any advice on my plans?

 

[maxxhavoc]

The best base I have used so far is the Weaver rail base. One piece bases have an advantage in accuracy, a disadvantage on how hard it is to load the rifle. I have not had loading issues, but I do miss the open access to the action when I am clearing a jam.
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/1477228687/weaver-1-piece-extended-multi-slot-tactical-picatinny-style-base-remington-700-short-action?cm_vc=ProductFinding

I like the Burris Extreme Tactical rings or SWFA SS-Tac models. They are wide to get a better grip with less torque.
http://swfa.com/Aluminum-30mm-C3056.aspx

As far as the trigger, I like my Rifle Basix, have not afforded a Timney.

 

[cat_IT_guy]

First upgrade on my 700 was a Timney trigger. Very nice break. I bought after R started their trigger recalls, didnt want to bother with that for a trigger that was only "meh" to start with.

 

[Mike C2]

My stainless 700 ADL has been upgraded with Leupold one piece SA base and dovetailed front/windage adjustable rear rings. It mounts a Nikon M308 4-16. I also upgraded the stock to an HS Precision for the sporter profile barrel.

 

[double bogey]

I don't like the single piece base, it gets in the way loading the magazine. I have a short adl (.243 late 60's mod ), and a long adl (7 mm mag. early 90's mod). Both have Timney triggers. The .243 has a youth stock currently, for the grandkids as they each begin to hunt. the 7 mag has a factory composite stock that I want to upgrade. Both guns shoot better than me.

 

[Tirod]

Shoot it as is until you are sure some particular part is actually holding you back. If and when you actually can detect the scope or trigger is an issue, then change it. At that point you will have an informed opinion about what is needed.

Not, what is popular or the cool part. Upgrades before you have had a chance to shoot it are just speculative at best. Like, attempting to assess exactly how a particular girlfriend would react as a wife.

They can be quite different once they are in your arms!

 

[DougW]

Tirod brings up some good points. I agree that you should shoot it first before making the major upgrades. I replaced the stock on my 700VTR because the Remington plastic stock flexed too much. I used a Boyd's laminated stock that took a lot of fitting, and the groups dropped drastically. It shoots <MOA now when before it would group around 1 3/4".

I have 2 700's that are in the recall zone, but I am in no hurry to change them out. I will wait to see how things pan out after the rumors and bad info stops. I have done my own unscientific drop testing of both rifles and neither will fire (empty chamber of course) when dropped of jamming the safety on and off.

 

[kwg020]

I have the same exact ADL if your came with the plastic stock. I also put on a Nikon Pro-Staff 4-12. I have not put it on paper yet but I did shoot it for the first time last Sunday with some hand loads I put together. It shot great and I was surprised at the accuracy.

I did put on a rubber vibration dampener half way between the stock and the end of the barrel. I used it on a previous rifle and it seemed to help so I put it on this one. I have never shot the rifle without the vibration dampener so I can't tell you how it shoots without it.

I still have the original trigger and no matter what I did I could not make the rifle discharge (it was unloaded) when the bolt was thrown or the safety was taken off. I'm not sure what I will do with the trigger issue right now. I did put a little weight on the trigger and most of the trigger creep went away. I put on about 6 or 8 ounces (my guess) of weight. I made no other adjustments to the trigger.

Right now I plan on doing nothing more until warmer weather arrives and I can put more ammo through it. kwg

 

[Flatbush Harry]

The Rem 700 is a great starting platform for a great rifle customized for any particular task.

The first thing I do is to shoot the stock rifle to get an idea of what my priorities are going to be. The first add-on is, typically, optics. For hunting rifles, I like Leupold STD bases and rings because when sighting in, you can zero the windage with the screw on the bases and not use the scope's internal adjustments. I like three brands of scopes for my rifles: Leupold (VX3), Zeiss (Conquest) and Vortex (Viper). The magnification and choice of reticle are made based on specific use. I have a 6-24x50 Vortex Viper PST first focal plane MOA/MOA scope on one of my precision .308s that began life as a Rem SPS Varmint.

Next, I change out the trigger. My preference is the Timney 510. I buy mine direct from Timney (wonderful customer service) and they set the pull weight at their factory to your request. My precision rifles are set to 2.5 lbs, while my hunting rifles are set to 3.5 lbs. They come with a wide grooved trigger that is crisp and reliable. Also, you can install these yourself.

I next replace the stock. I've found that Bell & Carlson Medalist stocks work well for me and I have them on my four Remmies. I have free-floated and skim-bedded each and they provide a great platform at a great price.

I prefer Harris bipods...the light weight swivel models.

These few changes have produced fine tools for target (.308), varmint (.223) and big game hunting (a .375 H&H built on a XCR II rifle with Quick Release Leupy bases and rings). Each is a sub-MOA shooter that I can count on...and have.

Good luck and good shooting,

Harry