Remington SPS = poor quality control...

[woodswarrior]

Well I had purchased my first ever Rem 700 SPS in 308. This was to be my "baby". it all started after unpacking, cleaning and inspection, I found a Divit near the crown of the barrel. SO I call rem cust svc and they say ,blah, blah and take it to a local guy, so more time spent only to find out it was not on the crown but is a defect. fast forward to the Xmark pro trigger, I attempt to adjust down but to no sucess, so call rem cust svc back and you guessed it, blah, blah so the guy tells me they have had problems with the trigger not adjusting at all, so I ask...can I put a timney on, sure he says. So I install a nice new crisp 2# timney and added a HS Prescision Police sniper stock to boot...oh wait there is a small issue of the glass, for this I had saved for a Leuopold VX3 4.5 x14x50 and with after trial and error with other R&B, I used Burris Sig rings and bases.
So out to the range, I am EXCITED, went thru about 20 breakin shots along with meticulus cleaning after each with 150 gr core locts, then switched to Gold Match 168 SBTHP, fire the first shot and I cannot get the bolt to pull back, after some frustration and investigation, we found that inside the throat that there are some burrs along the rim side that were there from the factory thus causing the spent cases to stick.

SO here is the rest of the story, I call remington to voice my concerns about there lack of quality control and to get the burrs taken care of....but wait there is another problem...you Sir voided ALL warranty the minute you touched the screws on that rifle.....GO FIGURE.....NO KIDDING...RIGHT....hence my frustration of having to put more money into a brand new rifle.

After all of this,
On the up side I did manage to shoot a 3 shot group with the gold match and got a cloverleaf, the guy next to me who had more money in just one of his rifles than I have in Several turned and said "son do you want to sell that gun right now" I did not know whether to laugh or cry............ I will get some sand cloth and a wood dowel and do my own quality control...and I wil NEVER buy another bolt action with out checking all up in its orifices (all of them) ever again........Lesson Learned...with Remington anyway.

Question for all of those astute individuals...burrs in any part of a functioning action or barrel are bad ??? Right???

Lets hear from the REMY fans on this story..

 

[bobleeswagger]

You're shooting cloverleaf's and aren't happy? I'd put up with the chamber roughness (it will break in with use) and just be glad you have an accurate rifle. As far as the trigger goes, who cares? If you're the type that was willing to put on a new stock right off, replacing the trigger with a Timney was an upgrade you likely would have done anyway. Congrats on an accurate rifle, I'd focus on the accuracy more than the bad QC.

 

[Flatbush Harry]

OK, I'll play.

I have owned 3 Rem 700s since 1976...a .30-06 SPRG BDL acquired in 1976 to which I added a Redfield (then current) 2-7X on Redfield rings and bases ($78 for the scope, $18 for rings and bases and mounting)...shot to <1 MOA (except for .223/.30-06 accelerators which were for poop) with a variety of factory loads, a M700 SPS SS in .308 Win with Zeiss Conquest 3-9x40 with Rapid Z600 reticle and Leupy 2 pc. bases and med. rings (2008 purchase) that shoots to 0.75 MOA with factory loads, including Federal GMM, and 0.5 MOA handloadfs using 168gr SMKs over 42 gr RL-15 and a Rem 700 XHR in .25-06 with Leupy 2 pc. bases, med. rings and a Zeiss Conquest 3.5-10xx44 that shoots to 0.75 MOA with factory Hornady 117gr SST and 0.6 MOA with handloads using IMR 4831 and 100gr Sierra BTHP.

Remington makes very good rifles and has done so for many years. That some have issues is not arguable, but in the experience of my friends (since I've not had a problem), they fix 'em. I have no affiliation with Remington and my next rifle will be a 700 CDL SF, a Savage, a Sako 85 (probably a mod. 85) or a Weatherby Mk. V DeLuxe or maybe, a Winny mod. 70 Extreme Weather SS, cal. to be determined.

Broad brush statements about any manufacturer are likely to be too broad, but, and this may be the result of my way of dealing with them, customer service always works.

FH

 

[d2wing]

If it is mass produced at a price point, no matter what it is, don't be surprised if it needs a little tweeking. I remember a car salesman that went over every nut and bolt in his brand new cars to make sure they were all tight. I know it is a dissapointment but it happens with just about any brand of anything in my experience. But you sure do have a right to complain and have them stand behind it. That's why they have costomer service
and one should buy from a reputable dealer.

 

[joed]

Interesting to hear your complaints. Recently I purchased a 700 SPS Varmint stainless in .22-250. My friend bought the same gun in blue a few months earlier. The stock . . . has to be the poorest excuse for a stock that I've ever seen. Going in I knew the stock was junk and planned on replacing it. I remember when my friend bought his in May. When he removed the stock I was shocked to see 2 tabs that touch the barrel. My only thought was Remington has not learned anything in all their years of business.

The trigger broke at 6 lbs. I didn't even attempt to adjust it as my friend tried his and couldn't get it below 4 lbs. At the range it feels like you are pulling on the trigger forever. It really is a total surprise when the gun fires. Didn't expect the trigger to be that bad. I too went to a Timney.

A cloverleaf? Count your blessings, my rifle shoots 1.5" groups as is. For a heavy barrel varmint rifle that's terrible.

This is my third 700. I have an older 700 VS in .25-06 and a Classic in .300 H&H mag. Both of these had bedding issues and I paid a gunsmith to take care of the problems. Also had the triggers done at the same time.

I'm still waiting for the stock to arrive. After owning other 700's I know this rifle will shoot too, it's just going to take a lot of work.

The New SPS Varmint was not my first choice. After seeing the stock on my friends rifle I made up my mind that my next rifle was not going to be a Remington. I no longer think Remington makes a quality product. The competition is tough and better.

First choice was a Winchester 70 Stealth in .22-250. I presently own one of the last to roll out of the old plant. Right out of the box this rifle was amazing. Unfortunately for me Winchester is not producing these or I'd have bought one pretty fast.

 

[Rob96]

I have an ADL Varmint in 308 that I bought from Dick's last November. With the "crappy" stock I get .59moa. Guess I got lucky.

 

[Fremmer]

burrs in any part of a functioning action or barrel are bad

It depends. If they are causing difficulty in extracting that spent shell, I'd say yes. If it's just a burr in the barrel of a rifle that shoots sub-moa, I'd say no.

Careful with doing your own burr removal. You could potentially rub off a lot more throat/rifling than is necessary. If the extraction problem is easing with use, I'd be inclined to just shoot the gun and see if the problem gets better with use.

voided ALL warranty the minute you touched the screws on that rifle.....GO FIGURE.....NO KIDDING...RIGHT....

Isn't that what the owner's manual clearly says?

On the up side I did manage to shoot a 3 shot group with the gold match and got a cloverleaf

That rifle's a shooter, keep it and be very careful about messing with the throat or barrel. If it really bothers you (or if it is causing problems with extracting that brass), then take it to a professional gunsmith who won't screw up the throat/barrel by trying to do a home-sand job (I'm not intending to be offensive by saying this, but a lot of people screw up rifles by messing with sandpaper and dowel rods, read some of the stuff written by McMillan on people who try to accuraize their rifles with rough bullets, etc). The rifle shoots that well because you have the skill to shoot a well-made rifle, or at least it is made well enough that it can shoot cloverleafs. There are a lot of guys who spend a lot more on other rifles and never get their guns to shoot sub-moa like your almost-stock, plain-jane Remmie does.

Look, that Timney trigger is going to be better than the x-mark trigger ever could be. You get what you pay for. My guess is that you won't need a warranty on the rifle, anyway. Keep shooting it, have fun, don't worry about burrs (unless you have to, see above), and be glad that a fellow shooter has already offered to buy your almost-stock rifle because it shoots so darn well. No, burrs shouldn't happen, but the sub-moa result speaks for itself.

 

[joed]

That rifle's a shooter, keep it and be very careful about messing with the throat or barrel. If it really bothers you (or if it is causing problems with extracting that brass), then take it to a professional gunsmith who won't screw up the throat/barrel by trying to do a home-sand job (I'm not intending to be offensive by saying this, but a lot of people screw up rifles by messing with sandpaper and dowel rods, read some of the stuff written by McMillan on people who try to accuraize their rifles with rough bullets, etc). The rifle shoots that well because you have the skill to shoot a well-made rifle, or at least it is made well enough that it can shoot cloverleafs. There are a lot of guys who spend a lot more on other rifles and never get their guns to shoot sub-moa like your almost-stock, plain-jane Remmie does.

Look, that Timney trigger is going to be better than the x-mark trigger ever could be. You get what you pay for. My guess is that you won't need a warranty on the rifle, anyway. Keep shooting it, have fun, don't worry about burrs (unless you have to, see above), and be glad that a fellow shooter has already offered to buy your almost-stock rifle because it shoots so darn well. No, burrs shouldn't happen, but the sub-moa result speaks for itself.

+1

I was one of the fools at one time working on the barrel, never again. I ended up doing nothing but shortening it's useful life. On the good side I replaced it with a Krieger match. But I will never fool with a barrel again other then cleaning after firing.

 

[Kachok]

I have owned two new remington 700s one would not chamber a round and the other I was always fighting rust, literaly it started three days after I took it out of the wraping. I tried Savages, Marlins, and Winchesters. I have finnaly settled on Tikka as my go to gun. Absolutly no issues whatsoever, top of the food chain accuracy and refinment second to none, lighter and thiner than any remington, all for half the money of a new 700 CDL. I see no reason to ever go back except for the wounderful walnut stocks on the CDL.
Note: despite fighting rust every other day I did like my second 700 it was a real tack driver, no that is not a figure of speech I shatterd a standard plastic thumb tack at 100 yards first try on a bet

 

[joed]

Kachok, interesting about the rust, the one thing I've never had a problem with on any the Remingtons I've owned. But then every rifle is different and has its quirks.

As I've gotten older my tastes have changed though. My latest 700 is stainless and I've sold off most of my blued revolvers for stainless versions. I've gotten lazy, but it's not a bad thing.

 

[Coal Dragger]

If you are having difficulty extracting a fired case then there is a big problem with the chamber. I don't care if the rifle is shooting cloverleafs or not, if you can't get a fired casing out with normal effort then all of your accuracy is obtained only in a marginally reliable rifle. Remington used to make a good product (aside from their well known unsafe triggers), it seems that lately they no longer do. There have been a few changes in ownership and none of them seem to have been positive in regards to quality control.

 

[Kachok]

Yeah the rust was a big supprise to me, the winchester 70 I had before that had survived a decade in the same conditions without a spec anywhere on it. Not saying that the 700s are bad but I have had two faulty ones now. One I bought new in 1998 the other I bought new in 2009, both were 7mm rem mags. I am absolutly thriiled with my Tikka though, not one seconds trouble, I just try not to think about all the plastic parts inside

 

[Coal Dragger]

I observed enough M700 problems (and Remington problems in general) while selling guns in college to not have any interest in owning one. I've had a few friends who owned them, most had no problems with them, mostly older guns made in the 1980's or prior. One had a BDL in .300 Winchester that simply would not shoot anything all that well, but it was reliable!

 

[Kachok]

Want reliability....buy a Winchester. Want reliability and accuracy buy a Savage. Want reliability accuracy and refinement buy a Tikka

 

[bobleeswagger]

Tikka for refinement?

 

[TonyAngel]

I had issues with my 700. At least I didn't hear you complaining about your scope mount holes being off center. Before I went to Burris Signature Zee Rings, I had to dial in almost 30 minutes of windage to center the cross hair. My extractor was bad out of the box. The X-Mark trigger sucked so I went with a Timney. The stock sucked, so I went with an HS Precision. I didn't want to send the rifle in because I've shot several .3" to .4" and some .2"+ groups with it. Oh well.

The only thing that ticks me off is that after all is said and done, I could have just bought a stripped action and built that and saved myself some money. My next rifle will be based on a Remington action, but only the action.

 

[Kachok]

Heck yeah the Tikka for refinment. That sucker is as slick as oil on ice. The action is so smooth I cannot feel it chamber a round. The trigger is A+++ crisp as glass easly tuned down to 2lbs. The synthetic stock is fiber/matrix and feels much better then the tupperwear that everyone else uses. My T3 feels like a million bucks and cost me less then half of what a Kimber would. Remember Tikka is Sako.

 

[Coal Dragger]

TonyAngel,

For all your time and trouble you could have just purchased a real rifle.... for hunting you could have bought a Cooper, Nosler, or some other semi-custom rig, or for tactical use there are several others you could have chosen of much higher quality. Not to rub your nose in it.

 

[Ridgerunner665]

All you needed to do was put the factory trigger back in it and the warranty would have been honored...

I sent mine back (also an SPS Tactical 308) to be rebarreled too...I had adjusted the trigger myself (Xmark) so I sent them the gun with no trigger because I knew they would re-adjust the trigger.

They rebarreled my gun and sent it back to me...with a new trigger in it.

 

[viking499]

My new SPS I bought awhile back had rust on it when it came out of the box. And it was a stainless rifle. I know that stainless will rust, but new, out of the box??? I might understand it if it was after the first week long hunting trip during monsoon season. Called Remington customer service and their advice was to invest in a container of Flitz.

 

[cowpoke]

I have and my son has a safe full of US made Remingtons. No problems with any of them. I cleaned them before they were shoot when they were new! After each shooting clean agian.

 

[CraigC]

ALWAYS thoroughly inspect a firearm before taking it home. Even a new one. Especially a new one.

NEVER modify a firearm that you KNOW is gonna need warranty work. Especially a new one.

NEVER modify a firearm without shooting it first. Especially a new one.

ALWAYS return it directly to the manufacturer at the first sign of a problem you can't fix with hand tools. Especially a new one.

 

[chrome_austex]

Got an SPS Varmint here, and other than the stock making a lot of contact with the barrel, I don't have any obvious quality control issues besides generally cheap components.

The gun itself doesn't shoot better than about 1.5" and the bore seems to copper foul fast. No issues with burrs in the crown or chamber, but the throat is extremely long, which makes reloading for OAL close to the lands a bit awkward. And yes, the SPS stock is pretty horrible, but I was always planning on replacing it eventually. In the meantime I've already ground a lot of plastic out and it still doesn't free float. Needs more filework. At least my trigger adjusts

I do wish the heavy varmint barrel was a better performer. Oh well.

 

[TonyAngel]

For all your time and trouble you could have just purchased a real rifle.... for hunting you could have bought a Cooper, Nosler, or some other semi-custom rig, or for tactical use there are several others you could have chosen of much higher quality. Not to rub your nose in it.

What would you call a "real" rifle? I wasn't looking for something to go hunting with. I wanted something that would shoot straight and do it repeatedly for long strings. My rifle does that. Yes, I did have some problems with it, but for the price I can't complain too much about it. For what is going to wind being around $150, I was able to get into a platform, shoot the crap out of it and decide if I liked it or not.

Once I decided that I liked it, I added the stuff that I wanted.

I had problems and shared my experiences with others, but as a whole, I don't regret buying the rifle. The action is slick. It's dependable and the controls are ergonomic. Besides, the M700 is sort of like the AR15 of bolt guns. There's all sorts of stuff that you can change to suit your particular needs.

 

[stonecutter2]

I have an SPS Tactical in 223. Has some problems chambering the last two rounds - the rounds nose upward when trying to go in the chamber. It involves backing the bolt out, nudging the rounds back into the chamber, and closing the bolt. I'm hoping it's just an overzealous new(ish) spring that will settle in eventually.

Out of the box, it had some of the styrofoam stuck to the barrel (the foam had melted - freshly fired then boxed?) and also a hunk of something orange-like mixed with melted foam. It all seemed to rub off well enough, but first appearance was disappointing. The trigger was very, very light - and i adjusted it UP because it seemed too much of a "hair trigger" for my tastes.

My biggest problem has been with rust. Parts have taken on an orangeish hue where it's been handled, even though i've oiled it lots. I now douse it in oil every chance I get. I just think that's a shame - and very peculiar that the rust issue comes up fairly regularly with these SPS's. I'm shocked to hear that a stainless was rusty out of the box - i would've sent that right back where it came from. That just sounds like straight-up poor metallurgy.

Anyways, the rifle shoots okay (when the first 3 of 5 rounds chamber without issue). I would have no issues trading it off for something different. I'm interested in the Tikka people seem to like - will have to look further into them.