Ruger American or Remington 783

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Desertrat357

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So ive decided id like to get a dedicated coyote hunting rifle. I don't need a super expensive rifle for this. And the new "value" rifles being made these days seam to be one heck of a bargain for the performance you get. I know the 783 is a relatively new so I don't know how many of you out there will have first hand experience with it. But anyways. Any personal experiences, pros and cons with either of these rifles? I guess in should mention I am pretty well decided on the 243 Win as the caliber. Thanks
 
Seeing that Dick's has a scoped 700 Varmint on sale for 399 bucks this week and every couple of months, I would pass on either.
 
I really like the Ruger. It is a very lightweight gun at just over 6 lbs in 243. For my uses that is an advantage. You might want a heavier rifle.

I just cannot recommend the Remington 783 after the 710/770 rifles that came before it The 783 may prove to be better, but I won't be product testing it.
 
I think the 710/770 is as bad as it gets, and given the price of the 783 rifles I would guess that if they were that bad they would sell very few before people were bashing them to death. Remington should have focused on bringing the quality of the low-end 700 rifles up to the standards of the other rifles in their price range. Releasing a new rifle that's a mash-up of the Marlin X7 action and the 770 and pricing out above the Ruger American, Savage Axis, and their own proven Marlin X7 seems strange to me.
 
Between those two, Ruger hands down. Or spend just a little more for a Savage 10/11 or Rem 700.
 
True. Ill start keeping my eyes peeled for sales or a good used 700. If that doesn't turn anything up I'll probably really be looking at the Ruger American
 
I haven't had a chance to examine a 783 in detail yet, so I'll withhold final judgement. However the 710/770 was one of the worst rifles I've ever seen, so be wary. Besides, as noted it's not available in 243 yet so the point is moot.

I'd look at the Marlin X7, the Stevens 200, the Howa 1500 (aka Weatherby Vanguard) and the Ruger American.
 
I like my .243 Ruger American. It's a sweet shooter and I got 1 MOA right out of the box with factory ammo. I'm still working on the best 80 gr varmint handload for it, but most of my trial loads have been under 1", and I'm fine tuning a 1/2" load.

If you run into a Howa 1500 at a comparable price, snag it. My $270 Mossberg (Howa) 1500 in 30-06 is a sub-moa shooter, too.
 
I'll mirror what some have said. Get an X7. I have one and it's a great gun for the money (and IMO a great gun period). I also have a Howa in 22-250 and love it. If you can pay a little more get a Howa as overall finish is better. Both shoot very well.

Regarding the RAR, I was close to getting one when I got the X7. I wasn't impressed with the stock, and worried about the long-term wear-ability of the mag. I think in general with a hunting rifle the fewer things to go wrong the better and a blind mag won't give you issues. Further, there are replacement stocks out there for the X7 and I think making one for the RAR's unique lugs will be difficult.

The 783's I've examined had poor finish on them and like others said why did they mess with the X7 (steal the trigger, etc. from it)? I dont' get Remington lately. Also, here's a great read on some of the options discussed:http://ammoguide.com/?article=pricescorner/130301
 
This thread has got me looking at both and I think the remingtin folks have really tried to put all the right fearures on the new 783. The ruger is likewise loaded with some really good features. Its hard for me to pick. I think I would try the 783 first.
 
The 783 tubular receiver looks rigid, they say button rifled barrel which is good, pillar bedding, all sounds simple and good to me. I dont dismiss a mayfield ky rifle out of hand my 795 shoots great.
Also a full diameter bolt feels slugish when you cycle it.
 
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One more thing that turned me on with the X7 is the ability to reload quickly with gloved and/or cold hands. I got it for hunting and if I need to drop another shell in quickly i need a hole that I can easily drop it in. I could see me easily fumbling with the hole in the 783 receiver and/or it's mag. The RAR is about the same. Just a thought...
 
You guys have brought up some very valid points. To be honest I had almost forgotten about the X7. I remember when marlin first brought it out I was drooling all over. I'll hop on the website and check it out!!
 
I picked up a 2nd hand American .308 for a friend of mine a couple of months ago. Scoped it up and just shot some extra ammo I had around.

Have to say for the price I was pretty impressed (paid 225.00 for the rifle). 7 1/4 lbs scoped and just a nice solid rifle for the price.
 
Let me jar this thread before it gets too old.
I barely knew of the Remington 783 before I picked one up in the store. I have a bunch of 308 reloading supplies but no 308 so I wanted something to put 308 downrange.
I did absolutely no research on the 783 before I bought it so I knew zero. What I noticed in the store that made me take it, beside the On Sale price of $319 was:
1) The barrel is fully free floated
2) The stock is really rigid for a plastic stock. It is very hard to flex it into the floated barrel.
3) Very stiff receiver construction
4) Magnum contour barrel.
5) Serious recoil pad
But what really tripped my trigger was the trigger. This trigger is adjustable down to 2.5 pounds but set at 3.5 from the factory. This thing has absolutely NO travel to it. You put 3.5 pounds on the trigger and it breaks right there on the spot.
So I decided right there in the store that there is a great possibility that I won't have to change the stock or the trigger on this $319 rifle. If the barrel shoots straight then this could be the greatest value in the budget rifle industry.
I bought a 4-12x40 Nikon demo for $170. I doubt I'll get the rifle cleaned up and the scope mounted before the weekend but I'll certainly have a report by next weekend.
Let me remind everybody who might compare this rifle to the 770 OR the 700. This rifle is a completely new design and shares next to nothing in common with the other two. It's a new gun design.
 
Of the two being asked about, I'd buy the Ruger American. In fact I was planning on buying one for this deer season. I've been doing a lot of research on the "economy" deer rifles (Axis, 770, American), and it seems to be the best of the breed. The local gun store can't seem to keep the Americans on the shelf. I was going to pick one up on Thursday. That is until tonight when I found a Remington 700 ADL in 243 for $417 at Walmart. I figured the American which was going to cost between $350-70, didn't come with rings or scope. By the time I bought those things I'd have more in the American than in the Remington 700 which comes with a cheap 3x9x40 scope. http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2012/03/patrick-carrube/gun-review-remington-adl-243/
 
I recently purchased the American in 243 and put an older Simmons Whitetail on it. It took 8 rounds to 1" @ 100yrds... I have -0- complaints about this rifle. The trigger is great, the balance is just right. I researched the Axis, XS7 and Ruger. All the stocks are polymer and felt the same. At $320 I think it's a great value and it's all American made. I purposely didn't include the 783 because of it's heritage (710, 770) and the fact that it's the same company that gobbled up Marlin (among others) and didn't bother to do a very good quality control job for some time. I understand that has improved now.
 
I'm going to help out the ones who don't know. Scopes that come packaged with a $350 rifle are not fit for a BB gun. LOL.
 
Bearhands said:
I recently purchased the American in 243 and put an older Simmons Whitetail on it. It took 8 rounds to 1" @ 100yrds... I have -0- complaints about this rifle. The trigger is great, the balance is just right. I researched the Axis, XS7 and Ruger. All the stocks are polymer and felt the same. At $320 I think it's a great value and it's all American made. I purposely didn't include the 783 because of it's heritage (710, 770) and the fact that it's the same company that gobbled up Marlin (among others) and didn't bother to do a very good quality control job for some time. I understand that has improved now.
Click to expand...
Although the Marlin stock is still flimsy Tupperware, it's not as flimsy as the Axis or American stocks. It is traditionally styled, as well, with classic lines and checkering unlike the other two. It also has pressure pads so the stock doesn't really flex up and down depending on how it is rested. Before I changed the stock on my X7 I never noticed any POI shift from how/where the rifle was rested (bipod, benchrest, improvised rest). The traditional pillar bedding of the X7 stock is something I prefer to the other budget rifle stocks.
 
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