Are Remington 700s really that bad?

Beautiful rifle!

What stock is that?


Buckmastr said:
The SPS is a good place to start. Replace the stock and bed it. This 308 win SPS varmint is as accurate as a custom barrelled rifle ime.

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Thanks. I bought it used off CGN. I believe it's the Marksmen pattern from Richards Microfit. I would buy another but their shipping to Canada is overally expensive with a 90$ usd import fee last I checked.
 
Hitzy said:
783's are accurate guns for sure, had a couple, one in 7mm one in 30'06, the synthetic stock hunting versions, both really sucked up the recoil and shot quite well, I forget what I traded the 7mm for (had too many) but I kept the '06, bedded it in a Boyds stock and it was night and day, made it an exceptional shooter. I'd still go the Savage route vs 783 personally, Savage has a ridiculous bolted together bolt design, but the bolt guide acts like a gas seal, and I'd put it right up there with a 700 for gas handling.
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This is a $400 Caballas 12VF in 6.5CM, threw it in a $500 MDT stock, it's now a worthy competition rifle, there are a lot of ways you can go for under $1000 to get something respectable.
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This was some load development for he 6.5, left group is 120gr PRVI bullets, it hates them. Middle is FL sized 140gr Nosler Custom Comp, right is Redding NS with same load as the FL sized, clearly this one like 140's and Neck Sizing. The bull is about .75".
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That is a real nice Savage, I've seen the 12s for pretty cheap and it seems like a good starter for a budget build. Aside from the Chassis, did you need to upgrade anything else to get those groups? How is the action feel on the 12s?
 
If a guy wants a nice Rem 700, maybe try keeping an eye out for an old short bolt shroud model.

I have one here in 222 probably from the 60s, that is obviously the kind of quality that Remington built a name on. This thing looks and feels better than many custom actions of today... seriously... no kidding. They really changed tolerancing considerably since then.

Next time I'm at a gun show, I'll be looking more closely at the older stuff. It doesn't take much to re-blue or parkerize an action.

For target shooting the problem with the Rem 700 is really stiffness. There isn't really much steel in the middle since its cleared for a mag on the bottom and fully cleared for ejection on top. An action with an integral pick rail would have a significant stiffness advantage... something like a Defiance Deviant Tactical... but I admit its a theoretical advantage and many rem 700 shoot well if it has a good barrel.
 
czfan499 said:
That is a real nice Savage, I've seen the 12s for pretty cheap and it seems like a good starter for a budget build. Aside from the Chassis, did you need to upgrade anything else to get those groups? How is the action feel on the 12s?
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12 is the same as the 10's except for the jewelled bolt body, everything else is identical. I find savages fairly smooth, never had an issue with them.
It's all stock except for the stock, nothing else done except work up a load it likes.
 
Maple57 said:
If a guy wants a nice Rem 700, maybe try keeping an eye out for an old short bolt shroud model.

I have one here in 222 probably from the 60s, that is obviously the kind of quality that Remington built a name on. This thing looks and feels better than many custom actions of today... seriously... no kidding. They really changed tolerancing considerably since then.

Next time I'm at a gun show, I'll be looking more closely at the older stuff. It doesn't take much to re-blue or parkerize an action.

For target shooting the problem with the Rem 700 is really stiffness. There isn't really much steel in the middle since its cleared for a mag on the bottom and fully cleared for ejection on top. An action with an integral pick rail would have a significant stiffness advantage... something like a Defiance Deviant Tactical... but I admit its a theoretical advantage and many rem 700 shoot well if it has a good barrel.
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That's where the solid bottom 40x shines. - dan
 
OP,
Some Remington's are better than others,by bolt handle design.

Any Rem bolt & handle is .080"-.150" out of TIME for primary extraction,out of the box,some better,some are worse.

Of 100+ in possession,I do not have any issues w/ my Remington 40X's,40XR's,40Xbbr's,40XC's,40XB's,722's,721's,725's,700's,600's,660's,XP-100's,XP-100R's,XR-100's,673's.

Those who quote cycling the bolt handle up & cycle it back down to #### the firing pin should PULL THEIR HEAD OUT & read the owners manual.
 
I have shot my friend's old Remmy 700 in 7.62x51, Remmy 783, and an Savage AXIS both in .223. The older 700 impressed me, but the lower priced newer rifles all feel cheap.

Ended up wanting a budget build .223, and 10 years ago there was not much of a choice out there. Needed BUIS, oversize bolt knob, matte finish, threaded heavier barrel, .223 because I shoot varmints under 500 yards, adjustable trigger and 1 in 9 twist. Bought a Savage Hog Hunter when the dollar was stronger for $469.00 CDN. Never liked the blind magazine, but the newer plastic magazines to me are cheap looking and won't hold up during cold years over the years IMO.
Bought an aluminum bedded Accustock, Model 10 bottom metal and magazines for $100.00. Added some parts I had in the parts bin, and added a upgraded extractor kit. With 75 grain Hornadys I am very impressed. The whole gun just feels so much better then a AXIS or 783. The 700 has the most support and aftermarket parts, if I had to do it again I would look for an older 700 that someone has built, but that said, my Savage will typically out shoot or stay with most .223s at the range.

Here is a cherry picked 119 yard group shot slight wind, 6 power cheap scope, knock off bipod, tried so hard to get all 4 shots touching but just never could. :(

Dime used for reference, tried 55, 62, 68, but 75 and 77 grain bucked the wind the best.


My fugly Hog Hunter truck gun.


Find the trigger and action way smoother on my Savage then the new guns as well, is Remington in receivership?
 
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ArmedGinger said:
We've had 4 brand new remingtons that came into the store that needed chambers polished. The worst was a Remington 700 Long Range in 7mm Rem Mag that I bought. Had same extremely nasty marks in the chamber that stopped you from opening the bolt once you fired a round. Took three trips to the gunsmith to get it ironed out.
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I had the exact same experience with a 300wm long range!
 
My brother bought a new 700 in 22/250 sold barrel sent action to Grettan and he did his majic on action and installed his firing pin and spring, man he did a good job truing etc. app 250.00. He got a new reamer made bye Manson in 30br, I had a krieger HV 26" 1/18 twist

Ian Robertson instaled barrel for him man does this gun shoot!
100 yard target
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He gave me gun and I fired 11 shots at 200y on a 100 yard Hunter class target 1/2" ten ring
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manitou
 
Granted this Remington 700 is hardly stock anymore but this is one of my favorites. 6 shots, 100 yards, factory ammo. Off a bench, resting on a rucksack.

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Had a lot of Remingtons over the years, never had one that was bad, never had a problem of any sort, they all shot and functioned well. Granted these were all "older" models.
 
Supposedly the latest gen Remingtons with the QR code on the receiver are actually pretty square/true out of the box. Likely new tooling/machining used to make them now. I've heard horror stories about nearly every rifle out there, Tikka bolts falling apart, Sako's not ejecting cases, Remington triggers, Ruger American mag issues, Kimber accuracy issues, Christensen Arms CF barrel issues. I don't think any company is completely exempt from making mistakes so to teach his own.
 
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