New Remington 700 M40 Sniper model

[igotta40]

I ran across an ad for the subject rifle offering a $150 rebate. The price makes it a temptation, but in doing a little research I'm finding split opinions on Remington QC. Some reviews are 7-8 years old. In general, I'm reading that accuracy is outstanding but manufacturing quality is at best, a roll of the dice.

I'd like a long range target shooter in 300 win mag that won't cost a fortune (yes, I know) not that I'm a Chris Kyle wannabe but kind of emulating him....

I'd like opinions from anyone with direct recent experience on whether this rifle, and Remington in general, has turned a corner in terms of quality, thanks!

 

[MtnCreek]

Which rifle are you looking at? 700P?

 

[igotta40]

Mtn, I haven't been to the lgs to see it, only going by the ad, exactly as I typed in the subject line. I'll look at it today if I can get the chores done soon.

 

[jmar]

Remington never sold the M40 new on the civilian market, plus M40s were all in .308. You make it seem like the gun is new, if it is an original M40 it would be 50 years old. Maybe it is just a remington 700 in a M40-M40A5 stock. Regardless I like Remington's so if the price is good I'd get it, just be sure to price match it on numerous sites.

 

[igotta40]

Yes, jmar I get that it's not a genuine USMC armorer's piece. At Remington's website it's called Model 700 long range, with Bell & Carlson M40 aluminum bedded tactical stock, 26" heavy barrel.

The lgs is calling it a sniper model in their weekly ad. Other Houston shooters probably know which store I'm referring to (CC).

I currently own two Remington's, a 12 gauge Model 1900 and a 760 from about 1971 that are both very nice shooters.

Just wondering about the quality of their current products.

 

[jmar]

I have heard a few people complain about their QC, yet Remington is still the standard on what people base their builds on. Really no way to tell other than examining it, it probably has better tolerances than a $350 ADL at least. Those B&C stocks look nice painted the original M40A1 colors, may be something to look into.

 

[horsey300]

I ran across an ad for the subject rifle offering a $150 rebate. The price makes it a temptation, but in doing a little research I'm finding split opinions on Remington QC. Some reviews are 7-8 years old. In general, I'm reading that accuracy is outstanding but manufacturing quality is at best, a roll of the dice.

I'd like a long range target shooter in 300 win mag that won't cost a fortune (yes, I know) not that I'm a Chris Kyle wannabe but kind of emulating him....

I'd like opinions from anyone with direct recent experience on whether this rifle, and Remington in general, has turned a corner in terms of quality, thanks!

Personally, I've sworn off the Remington name, the trigger needs work or replaced if you really wanna push your accurate limit. The action itself isn't terrible, but definitely doesn't trip my trigger. I like the barrels, but in general, the throat will be long if you're the type of person that wants to get anywhere near the lands. You can do worse. But in the grand scheme of things, you can do A LOT better too. My build combines savage and crf features and by chance has Remington round bottom, I really didn't go looking for that feature, it just happened to come with the rest of the features I DID want. As far as Remington being a standard, I want my guns to shoot and function better than a Remington, which is not as hard as maybe it used to be or as hard as others wish to think. I don't know exactly what your budget is, but handloading alone will take you quite far with whatever rifles you may already have. If you have a good barrel, mated up nicely to a decent action with a half decent trigger, then quality ammo and lots of practice are the missing components.

 

[entropy]

Remingtons are the Harley of the gun world, in that they are easy to work on, but they will almost always need some kind of work done on them. And yes, I've owned many Remingtons over the years, and a couple Harleys also. I started out gunsmithing by working to keep an old 1100 working, and it snowballed from there.

 

[Sunray]

The Model 700 Long Range isn't the same thing as an M40 XB 'Tactical' or the M40XS from Remington's LEO office.
The lgs is calling it a 'sniper model' as a marketing thing. A 26" barrel with a synthetic stock doesn't equal "sniper's rifle". MSRP's not bad though. $879.76. Odd that it doesn't come in .308, but it'd make a fairly decent entry level target rifle. .300 Mags are common, or used to be common, for 1,000 yard matches.
"...the trigger needs work..." All new firearms require a trigger job out of the box.
"...the Harley of the gun world..." Couple bikers(one was the da of one of my Cadets.) hung around the shop long ago. One had a Harley, the other a Gold Wing. The Harley guy would swear there no bike like 'em. The other would laugh and say, "I'll wave as I drive by you pushing it along the side of the road."

 

[Gordon]

Savage is certainly trying to win the LR market from Remington whose QC has gone down on the non LEO or 40x line. The thing is the Remington 700 is like Harley in that good aftermarket upgrades are readily available. Triggers , ACR mag lower metal, Stocks , Bolts, you name it, that require little finishing . .

 

[horsey300]

The Model 700 Long Range isn't the same thing as an M40 XB 'Tactical' or the M40XS from Remington's LEO office.
The lgs is calling it a 'sniper model' as a marketing thing. A 26" barrel with a synthetic stock doesn't equal "sniper's rifle". MSRP's not bad though. $879.76. Odd that it doesn't come in .308, but it'd make a fairly decent entry level target rifle. .300 Mags are common, or used to be common, for 1,000 yard matches.
"...the trigger needs work..." All new firearms require a trigger job out of the box.
"...the Harley of the gun world..." Couple bikers(one was the da of one of my Cadets.) hung around the shop long ago. One had a Harley, the other a Gold Wing. The Harley guy would swear there no bike like 'em. The other would laugh and say, "I'll wave as I drive by you pushing it along the side of the road."

I'm afraid we'll have to agree to disagree, I've had some triggers that I found quite acceptable after minor adjustments at most, savage, howa, and weatherby all put out a decent trigger that I would prefer to the remmy any day hands down.

 

[igotta40]

I didn't get time to see the rifle today, maybe tomorrow. I've purchased firearms and my safe there, not quite a 'regular' though, but I'll try to get them to let me do a close examination i.e. put in a snap cap & pull the trigger.

 

[DRYHUMOR]

I think Remmy QC is hit and miss, maybe the difference between Monday and Friday rifles; and. those built on other days. Seems like mid 90s to nearly mid 2000s are reasonable. Most anything from the custom shop gets better scrutiny. However, some of the actions I've seen in the past year or two have been pretty decent. Triggers are crap....

I have a M700 AAC in 300 BO. I really shoots; the extractor is crap. Or I should say was. I'm in the process of getting a Sako extractor fitted in the bolt.

 

[5R300WINMAG]

Just bought their 700 5R Mil Spec in .300WM. Stainless Barrel and Action, Cerakoted Black, HS Precision Stock, 24" Fluted Barrel, Threaded Barrel, Oversized Bolt Knob. Spent a chunk on it knowing it was rare to find one. BUT the barrel doesnt sit straight in the stock. The barrel doesnt touch the sides of the stock like in some peoples case but still its an issue Im trying to get figured out. I dont think you'll run into that issue with Savage as often. I have owned two Savages in .308 and three 700's in .308 and now this gem in .300WM. I hadnt had an issue with remington until this one. I knew it looked funky in the stock but knew id get it figured out one way or another. The person who said remington is the harley of guns put it perfect. Some people literally hate on remington because its the cool thing to do, others have had issues with em. Ive never run the bolt on the savage and went ...like I do on the remington 700. They both make an accurate rifle. Savage's trigger comes from the factory a little easier to shoot I think.

 

[igotta40]

Thanks for that input. I'm still on the fence about this purchase. Of all the firearms I've bought there have been few regrets and the price is pretty hard to resist $549 but I will say I don't want any buyers remorse.

 

[igotta40]

Forum, thanks for all your info, experience and wisdom, that helped me know what to be aware of, and based on that feedback, let me say this.

Buying from big box stores vs online vs lgs, you all know the story. I went ahead and bought this Remington 700 Long Range in 300 Win Mag from Carter's Country in Pasadena Texas. Unlike big box stores and internet, Tommy gave me one on one customer service at the counter and we did a close examination of the rifle. First, they had two in stock, which is a plus. We checked the barrel, bore, removed the bolt, examined the stock, trigger pull, and overall finish. I liked the rifle so I bought it. The $150 rebate and sale price combined put me at $549. I'm no expert but I've pulled a few triggers and I found this trigger to be light and crisp with no creep I could notice. Again, I'm no expert shooter. But the trigger is noticeably improved over my Dad's 1971 Remington 760 Gamemaster he hunted with a few times, in terms of creep and pull. It's on par with my Tikka T3 Stainless, which is my standard. The bolt isn't as slick as my Tikka, or Ruger Gunsite Scout but that's a Mauser action. I digress.

Long story short, I'll get the base and rings when I get back from Europe in August and have a scope mounted and get to the range. Wish me good fortune. No pictures til then.

Bottom line, thanks for your advice and support your LGS!

 

[horsey300]

Forum, thanks for all your info, experience and wisdom, that helped me know what to be aware of, and based on that feedback, let me say this.

Buying from big box stores vs online vs lgs, you all know the story. I went ahead and bought this Remington 700 Long Range in 300 Win Mag from Carter's Country in Pasadena Texas. Unlike big box stores and internet, Tommy gave me one on one customer service at the counter and we did a close examination of the rifle. First, they had two in stock, which is a plus. We checked the barrel, bore, removed the bolt, examined the stock, trigger pull, and overall finish. I liked the rifle so I bought it. The $150 rebate and sale price combined put me at $549. I'm no expert but I've pulled a few triggers and I found this trigger to be light and crisp with no creep I could notice. Again, I'm no expert shooter. But the trigger is noticeably improved over my Dad's 1971 Remington 760 Gamemaster he hunted with a few times, in terms of creep and pull. It's on par with my Tikka T3 Stainless, which is my standard. The bolt isn't as slick as my Tikka, or Ruger Gunsite Scout but that's a Mauser action. I digress.

Long story short, I'll get the base and rings when I get back from Europe in August and have a scope mounted and get to the range. Wish me good fortune. No pictures til then.

Bottom line, thanks for your advice and support your LGS!

Good luck indeed! Safe travels to you and looking forward to your range report!

 

[eastbank]

i bought the rem 700P rifle in .300 win mag and mounted a leupold 4.5x14 SF with a 30mm tube with a custom turret for semi long range hunting for deer-bear from a blind with a shooting bench, i have the blind set on a bend on a light line and can get 750 yards on one side and 350 yards on the other side. i have it zeroed in at 200 yards and run the turret to the longest shot possible 750 yards. i have it sighted in with the 178gr AMAX at close to 3000 fps. it does kick, but as its a hunting rifle and not used for target the recoil can be managed. and i got also picked up the rifle at a good price and already had the 4.5x14 leupold from another project, and i was ready to go with dual turn dovetail mounts and rings. 3 shot groups at 500 yards have been running at 3-3.5" so far. the factory trigger has been adjusted to 3.5 lbs and thats fine for me. eastbank.

 

[lovethosesooners]

The QC "issues" many talk about I believe were mostly limited to the minority of owners who perhaps had legit issues-Remington has spent $ and from my understanding, the short lived period is in the rear view mirror.

I've had excellent "luck" with the 8 Remington's I have, most of them bought during the time the complaints were coming from-I'm not a brand guy, as I also like my Winchesters, Browings and Savages.

The 700's I have are among my favorite bolt actions I have-the only thing I've done to them is to have a trigger job done by my gunsmith and they're excellent now-that's coming from a guy whose picky about the triggers.

I'll also say that most of the complaints were from the price lines, which have the cheaper stocks...if you get the upper versions with the HS or Bell & Carlson stocks, odds are very high you'll have a great shooter out of the box.

 

[Llama Bob]

I'd figure out clearly what model it is before considering buying and then price compare online. The information you've described does not clearly map to a specific model - there is no such thing as an "M40 Sniper Model".

Remington QC has been questionable since the Freedom Group bought them. I haven't seen any evidence any corners have been turned.

 

[igotta40]

i bought the rem 700P rifle in .300 win mag and mounted a leupold 4.5x14 SF with a 30mm tube with a custom turret for semi long range hunting for deer-bear from a blind with a shooting bench, i have the blind set on a bend on a light line and can get 750 yards on one side and 350 yards on the other side. i have it zeroed in at 200 yards and run the turret to the longest shot possible 750 yards. i have it sighted in with the 178gr AMAX at close to 3000 fps. it does kick, but as its a hunting rifle and not used for target the recoil can be managed. and i got also picked up the rifle at a good price and already had the 4.5x14 leupold from another project, and i was ready to go with dual turn dovetail mounts and rings. 3 shot groups at 500 yards have been running at 3-3.5" so far. the factory trigger has been adjusted to 3.5 lbs and thats fine for me. eastbank.

Thanks Eastbank, I have a Vortex scope still in the box, looks like it may finally have a home.

 

[igotta40]

I'd figure out clearly what model it is before considering buying and then price compare online. The information you've described does not clearly map to a specific model - there is no such thing as an "M40 Sniper Model".

Remington QC has been questionable since the Freedom Group bought them. I haven't seen any evidence any corners have been turned.

Thank you Sir, I'll keep that in mind.

 

[Nature Boy]

The M40A3 was an issued item, .308win, and I believe it was in a McMillan A4 stock........but don't hold me to that