Building a precision rifle: Remington 700 5R

[skypirate7]

Hey friends,

I'm interested in building a quality precision rifle and from what I've researched the Remington 700 5R performs very well right-out-of-the-box.

In .308 winchester it comes in either with a 24-inch non-threaded barrel or a 20-inch threaded barrel. What are your recommendations in this regard?

And do you feel it is worthwhile to spend $1100 to get a new 5R or am I better off starting with a less-expensive rifle like a Remington 700 SPS or Police? I've been shooting rifles with iron sights for years but this is my first adventure into the world of long range shooting and I was told to spend the money to do it right from the very beginning.

Your thoughts on a good build (and any general advice) would be greatly appreciated. And if you have a Remington 700 5R, please chime in.

 

[Bobson]

I don't own a 5R, but I've read up on them quite a bit. From what I understand, when you buy a 5R, you're paying more for the barrel. That's really what it's all about... without the 5R rifling, it's just another Remington. So the question is, is that barrel worth an extra $500 to you (over a Rem 700 SPS, which sells for around $600).

For what it's worth, those with 5Rs seem to be extremely pleased with the accuracy obtained after working up a custom load - seemingly without exception.

 

[skypirate7]

I also read that the 5R seats the bullet right where the rifling begins whereas other Remington 700's tend to have loose throats.

Any truth to this?

 

[aubie515]

Don't always believe what you see/hear online. People make the 5R out to be some sort of magical rifle. Fact is, it's a very good factory rifle, but it's not all that...before all of the fanboys jump in...I owned a 5R.

IMO, the Savage is a much better value compared to the 5R. You can buy a Savage/Stevens for roughly $330 and build it up to outshoot the 5R for less money.

I'd never pay $1,100 on a 5R...when I had mine, I paid $800 and at that price it was a good value.

You could have a much better shooting rifle for under $1,100 going the Savage route.

 

[skypirate7]

Thanks aubie. The Remington 5R is indeed pricey and that's even before optics, mount, bipod, etc...

Let's go in this direction then - if you were to build a great precision Savage, what would that build look like? Let's say you have a budget of $1500. Walk me through it.

 

[MtnCreek]

According to Krieger, their non-5r barrels shoot just as good as their 5r's. I've never owned one, so I can't say.

I may be mistaken, but I think you're also getting a better stock w/ the 5r vs the SPS. The Police rifle comes w/ a HSP stock; it's a good stock.

There's a lot of Savage rifles and I don't know their product line anymore. I would look for a rifle with a good, stiff stock and good trigger. I've not used a savage w/ the accua stocks/triggers, but a lot of folks say they're good. If you could get a good Savage for around $500, you could add some good mounts and pick up a gently used scope and come in at around your budget.

 

[skypirate7]

Thanks MtnCreek. Yes, the 5R and the Police versions have better stocks over the regular Remington 700's.

I'm very interested in exploring my options with Savage so I made a separate thread for it:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=696520

 

[MtnCreek]

Yea, they make so many Savages now it would take some research to go through them all.

On scopes, I bought a Vortex Viper 5-15 from Midway when they had a deal on them. It's been a good scope and was pretty cheap (around $500 if I remember). I've seen them for sale in some of the trading posts. It's mil/mil, so it would be a good one to start learning on.

Good luck with the rifle.

 

[skypirate7]

Thanks!!

 

[johnmcl]

That's an HS Precision stock on your 5R. Here's the rest of the specs;

Remington 700 R5 Specs

Part No: 29663
Model: M700SS 5R Milspec
Barrel Length : 24 Inches
Caliber : .308 Winchester
Weight :9 Pounds
Twist Rate : 11.25
Capacity : 4
Stock : HS Precision PSV74


I've had one for several years and find it to be a true joy to shoot. I find it works best for 308s in the 165 10 172 grain range. The optics on mine is a 3.5 to 10X Leupold with a CDI detachable box magazine.

As mentioned earlier, set your expectations. The 5R is fine production rifle, nothing more, nothing less.

 

[Jasper1573]

Rem 700 5r or Savage precision rifle, you likely will not be disappointed.

I have a 5r, and it shoots .33 MOA when I do my part. Have a friend who bought one with 20 inch barrel and it does the same. My Dad owns a Savage in .243 Win with a Vortex scope and he can hit a half-size metal silhouette at 500 yards...79 years old. Another friend is a real Savage fan (.308 Win caliber)...buys them used and puts a custom barrel and stock on them and is consistently accurate out to 1000 yards.

As stated above, you can build a custom rifle for the same price or less by purchasing a lower priced rifle in either Remington or Savage brand and using only the action...however, YMMV.

I am a fan of the Rem 700 5r...it came out of the box shooting .5 MOA as did my daughter's Rem 700 SPS in .243 Win. Agree that the 5r rifling may or may not make much difference depending on what projectile you shoot. Since the US ARMY has chosen the 5r rifling combined with the Sierra Matchking 175 grain HPBT, that is what I choose to shoot through my 5r, and it does very well considering the action has not been trued and blueprinted.

I don't own one, but from my experience with others' rifles, I suspect Savage is equally as good...you just got to choose.

My 2 cents.

 

[Vurtle]

I have shot my buddy's 5r a few times and it is a great gun. If I were looking for a 308 straight out of the box it would be the 5r. At 50 yards, I put three through the same hole. At 560 yards they were only a few inches apart.

 

[primalmu]

You can get a Savage with 5R rifled barrel for a few hundred bucks less than a Remington 700 5R.

http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/411540369

https://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/411540367

 

[juk]

For the price of a 5R, I would have to go with a FN. I'm just a little different I guess. I've only seen a few at the range, but the owners loved them dearly. Those FNs flat out shoot too.

 

[chad1043]

Honestly, with the results I've seen people getting with their SPS tacticals, I don't see the need for the 5R. What advantages does it have over the SPS? And the ACC gives you a threaded barrel for a muzzle break or a suppressor...