Which Remington 700 series should i choose?

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remingtonfan

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Hello everyone,

This is my first post here, and I am hoping one of you can help me choose my first rifle and to make some choices. I plan to buy the rifle within 3 months or so.


(a) I have decided a Remington 700 P will suit my needs. I plan to do target firing at the range and also some outdoors. Also will use the rifle for hunting. My budget for a rifle at the moment is around $500 to $590.

From the sound of it I might have to change the stock to something else as there seems to be bad reviews of the plastic or injection moulded stock. Any stock suggestions or would you disagree witht he "bad" reviews?

I dont like the Remington 700 VTR. I like the look of the Remington 700P LTR but i dont seem able to compare it properly VS the other Remington 700 series. I like black so I prefer Remingtons with a matt black look.


Can I have your opinions as to if i should get a new Remington 700 P or a used one? I was really thinking of a used one and any extra cash i could use for the scope and or get more ammo? what websites should I look at if i am to look into getting a second hand rifle?


I really seem to like the "Remington 700 5R Milspec" but its too expensive (about $1100), plus i dont like that it is stainless steel. Its just too shiny if i was to hunt with it. I would guess it can be painted but i dont want to screw that up! Cannot seem to find a used one, as i dont know where to look (plus of course i have no idea to to see if the rifle is ok, like if the barrel is damaged etc)

I like bolt action as its fewer parts, easier to clean and.........i just like it.


(b) I would like to be able to fire the .308 ammo, and being able to shoot the 223 also from the same barrel would be nice. (from research only the Remington 700 P will fire the .223 and the .308 ammo but correct me if i am wrong).

(c) I would like help choosing the ammo (yes i know how to choose for the calibre but i am unable to make a choice based on brand, mainly as i dont know the differences or how to compare to make my selection). In other words if i want .308 ammo and was given the choice between WOLF ammo and WINCHISTER ammo who do i choose and why? Assume I do shooting at a range and hunting in the forest.

(d) My choice of scope from research is a Bushnell 3-9x40 Trophy XLT Rifle scope, although i will admit i cannot seem to figure out if this will fit on Remington 700 rifles. Any thoughts or suggestions on a "better" scope for my choice of rifle. My budget is about $150 for the scope. I would like the scope to be 0.5 MOA (or better) and dont plan to go beyond 800 meters. How do i know if a particular scope will fit on a given rifle? Any scope suggested should be resetable to zero.

(e) There seeems to be different bullet mouldings. I see there is three choices (Moly), Tungsten Disulfide (WS2 or Danzac), and Hexagonal Boron Nitride (HBN or "White Graphite"). Which one should i choose and why?

(f) What cleaning products / tools should i get for cleaning my rifle? I figured i should get a bore snake but what else?

(g) I would like a front mount, but i dont know which mounts will fit the Remington 700. Any suggestions please?



Looking forwards to hearing your replies.
 
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Sounds like you need a buddy. You will not be able to fire .308 and .223 ammo from the same barrel/gun. The barrel will be specific to the caliber you are shooting. So you are either going to buy a 308 or a 223. For all around hunting the 308 will suit you better. It will kill everything from squirrels, to elk and bear. The scope you want will fit any of the 700 rifles although you will have to buy a base and rings. 800 meters is a LONG way and as you seem somewhat new at this, I would concentrate more on 100-200 yard shots for awhile. Any standard cleanign kits will have the parts to clean your rifle along with some Hoppe's #9. The bore snake in my opinion is just a quick "half-ass" clean.

Good luck
 
Hello xManPike,

Thanks for chipping in. Yeah I do need a bit of help.

Thanks for the corrections. I am going to choose the 308 caliber.
I didnt know about the need for a base and rings! Thanks for pointing that out.

As for the comment about 800 meters is a long way....yeah it is, but i figured i would just state the max range i would be going for to narrow down the choices.

I will do as you suggest and aim for 100 to 200 yards initially.

I am not totally green at this. I have shot semi-auto handguns before, but yes i am new at rifles.


Regarding the scope is it a good one in your opinion?

Also any comments on point (e) ?
 
Some one is going to tell you to get a .22 also, so it might as well be me lol. Also i would highly suggest making friends with an experienced rifle shooter. Folks here on the board will be happy to answer questions, but having some one around to actually talk to, and show you stuff can be invaluable.
 
Loonwolf, give me a good reason to get a 22 as well ?

Yes, for sure i will be making friends with rifle shooters. I just have to feel them out :)
 
Cost of ammo is the major one for me. Very low recoil practice helps with working on sight picture, trigger control, and follow thru. Also dropping .22 rounds on target at 200+ yard is both very chalenging and fun.

As for what remington id suggest an sps or one of the variants (tac or varmint). They may not have as good a fit and finish as the more costly models but they are generally just as accurate.

Another thing to consider is weight. A heavier gun is generaly stedier but....obviously harder to carry. If your hunting from a stationary position no big deal but if you walk a 10-12 lb setup can be a bit much. My own 700 7mm reminton weights in at 11lbs and i carry it alot, but if i know im gonna be out all day i chose a lighter rifle.
 
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As for a good quality rifle your on the right track. but the rem 700 p right now sells for about a 1000 dollars new and as for finding one used good luck ive been searching every gunshop within a few hundred miles of me for the past few years with no luck so far . what you might consider is a remington 700 sps tactical or remington 700 sps varmint depending on the barrel length you want . they both are within your budget and you can have it restocked later . as for a scope i would look at the Nikon ProStaff 4-12 x 40 bdc it sells on amazon.com for $189.36 . below are links for the two rifles i mentioned

https://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/42070

http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/36_57_981/products_id/41046
 
For the .22, the best reason is the price per shot. for a $600 .308 rifle, after a thousand rounds you have $400 minimum in ammo costs alone.

The .22 ammo after $30 you will have the same thousand rounds of fun/skill/marksmanship practice with nearly all of your original $400 for ammo remaining.

This is just an example but you see what I mean.

With a thousand or even three thousand rounds of shooting the .22 you can work on trigger control, the three main positions of rifle shooting: standing, kneeling, and lying down prone. These skills with the .22 that you will be acquiring will carry over to any other rifle including your .308.
 
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Its just too shiny if i was to hunt with it. I would guess it can be painted but i dont want to screw that up! Cannot seem to find a used one, as i dont know where to look (plus of course i have no idea to to see if the rifle is ok, like if the barrel is damaged etc)
Click to expand...
No offense intended, but that is pretty much nonsense, my main Deer rifle is stainless and I've killed deer with it. Stainless is very nice for hunting because it will be more forgiving to the moisture of rain and/or snow in the field.

p851816651-5.jpg

a). Savage in .243 or .308 would be an excellent choice for you and your budget and might just leave room for a reasonable optic.

b). Not going to happen. .223 and .308 require different barrels.

c). It depends on the purpose. Winchester over Wolf for anything but plinking, just realize if you're going to hunt you sight the rifle in with the round you plan to hunt with.....I'm partial to Hornady hunting rounds.

d). Decent scope considering your budget. Might also want to look at Leupold VX-2 line or Nikon Buckmaster. Have the shop you buy the scope from install it with the proper mounts. I prefer two piece mounts like you see in the picture above. Most any scope, with proper eye relief will fit any rifle, you buy the correct mounts for the rifle. I refuse to use weaver mounts on a hunting rifle.

e). No idea what you are getting at here.

f). Hoppe's #9, cleaning rod, proper sized patches and bronze brush. Oil of your choice, or CLP.

g). Front mount what? The Scope? Don't do it, mount it as in the picture above or you'll not be able to see through the scope. You need a special scope to front mount and it will be way over your budget in all liklihood.
 
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You don't mention what you will be hunting. Unfortunately, it's difficult to find a rifle that is suitable for big game and also cheap to shoot at the range. .308 is about as good as you can do there. But, if you are going to be varmint hunting then I'd highly recommend going with something like a .223. You can find plinking ammo for that much cheaper than you can for a .308, 30-06, or any other centerfire rifle. Some would argue that .223 is enough for big game, but that's left for another thread. I think it's at least fair to say that a .308 is a better option if big game is what you're after. You'd also need to check state laws, as some states won't let you hunt things like deer and antelope with something as small as a .223.

You seem to have made your mind up on the Remington 700 series, but have you gone to a shop and taken a look at anything else? Researching online is a great way to get an idea of what you want, but ultimately you should go and check out the Remington and others in person. Sometimes certain rifles just don't feel quite right when you shoulder them, and you need to find something that fits you well. There are a lot of options in that price range: a blued Tikka T3 lite, T/C Venture, Savage, Stevens, Howa, the lower end Weatherby, etc, etc. You do'n't have to spend an arm and a leg to get a decent rifle these days.
 
Since your budget is under $600, your only options are the SPS or ADL models. Dicks sells the ADL with scope mounted for $450. They sell varmint barrel or stainless steel models for that price. SPS models sell for around $575.
 
pick yourself up an sps and if it leaves extra money do a better scope. Ive got a plain jane blued sps in 06 that will shoot a bit better then 3/4s of an inch at a 100 yards. I chuckle at the guys that say they dont shoot with those cheap stocks. All thats been done to my gun is a trigger job and its been bedded and floated. Im sure not going to shell out 300 bucks for a premium stock.
 
Look into the Remington 700 SPS Tactical in .308. Mine is the most accurate centerfire I've owned. It cost around $600, which allowed me funds to fit it with a Nikon Monarch scope. Good combo, IMHO.
 
HKGuns,

That is a beautiful rifle.

What rifle model is it?


What scope is mounted there?
For me I was gonna go with a Bushnell 3-9x40 Trophy XLT Rifle Scope with a Mildot Reticle. Any opinions on that? Ok for starting out?

I dont want to get cheap crap as even though i would be a beginner rifle user, i know the scope is important and needs to be quality.
 
The photo looks like a Sako (A7??).

I also prefer stainless. If you like you can paint it black or use camo tape.

Out here I have to wear 500 square inches of orange, a stainless rifle just doesn't matter much.

Under .24 is not legal for any big game in Colorado.

If you get a Savage you can swap barrels and bolt heads and magazines and maybe shoot .223 in a .308 gun - I wouldn't recommend it.

I had a .22 long before anything else.
 
Yes, it is a sako A7 with a Leupold VX3 50mm mounted on top. i am not familiar enough with Bushnell to offer an opinion. I stick with either Leupold or Nikon. I have a Simmons that is pretty much crap as compared to my other scopes.
 
OK noone else seems to want to say it so I will. Why are you so stuck on a Remington? Have you not read the hundreds upon hundreds of reports that are out on the newer Remington rifles and the serious quality issues they have been having? Yes there have been some good ones and not every single Remington rifle made in the last 5 years have been total junk, but personally, I would not want to take the gamble. Their customer "service", if they still call it that, is a joke. IF you do get one and find something wrong and you need to get it fixed, good luck is all I'll say there. For the money you want to spend, I would run just as fast as I could to somewhere that sold Savage and make yourself a happy shooter. On the off chance that something was wrong or went wrong with the rifle, customer service is VERY good with very quick turnaround. You get a hell of a lot of rifle for a very good price nowadays with Savage. I hate to say this but Remington is flat out finished in my book. The company that took over Remington has flat out ruined what once was a great rifle manufacturer.
 
+100 on rem 700 sps tactical and nikon scope have same set up, shoots VERY VERY WELL
no issues at all and if you load your own it can be dialed in on the dot. never regreated
buying this
 
I own a REM 700 SPS .223 which I bought new on a whim and got very lucky for my uses it is a fine rifle. Others have not been so lucky. Last year I bought a SAVAGE 114 in 300 WIN MAG this gun is out of the box accurate the finish was tops. All I can say is my next rifle will be a SAVAGE as well.
LUCK
T
 
Why I am stuck on a Remington 700 series, calibred in 308 is because of my budget and my opinions after reading multiple sites and asked many opinions of experienced professionals such as yourselves.

In my experience pretty much everything is "you get what you pay for", and from what i see SAVAGE rifles seem to be at the bottom on the heap and the cheapest (they seem around $300 or so).

I would rather spend a little more on a rifle and get what i pay for :)

I suppose it is each to his own.

You never know i might go to the range and shoot a savage and change my mind. I let you know if I do.

As for customer service, i really dont care too much if it is bad or not. The reason for that is that I can be a real prick on the phone (or in person) if the customer service agent is being difficult; which usually results in me getting what I want.
 
Well remingtonfan, you have been sorely misguided if you think that Savage is at the "bottom of the heap". Just because they may cost less does not affect the reality that they are a top of the heap product. Savage accuracy out of the box is top tier bud. Their actions are very nice and have won MANY rifle competitions. Remington is hit or miss (mostly miss lately) on quality and fit. This is just my experience with MANY people over the past 5 or so years complaining about Remington quality falling on it's face. I'm not a smith but I do a lot of "tinkering" with firearms and have a pretty large group of friends that will bring their rifles over to figure out what is wrong with them. I've had 2 brought over with VISIBLY crooked crown cuts. Now tell me this, HOW does that get through quality control inspection? ANYONE that knows anything about firearms KNOWS a crooked crown will absolutely ruin accuracy and it is supposed to be on the very top of the final inspection. There is a myriad of similar problems that should have never made it through final inspection that I could list off.

As far as you being a "P" to customer service to "get what you want" they have a little button for that, it's called a *disconnect* and trust me, they know full well how to use it. The main thing with Remington customer service isn't so much the phone call, it's the waiting for months on end for your rifle to be fixed. That's IF they even send you a shipping slip to send it to them! I had one guy that called a total of 26 times over a 4 month period of time to get his shipping slip! They finally OK'd him to take it 75 miles to the closest authorized Remington smith which in turn took a whopping 1 hour to find and fix the problem. Dropped in a new trigger group and away he went.

I have several Remington's in the safes. Have always been a fan until the past 5 or so years. Nowadays, you could not pay me to buy a new one.
 
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