best caliber remington 700 for range only

007derek

007derek

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question for experienced shooters here !
Ive only been out twice to the range , i really enjoyed my .17hmr Bolt action rifle ,, and liked that there is next to no recoil .
BUT! Before i knew much about rifles and calibers ,
i went out and got a remington 700 SPS DM 300 win mag ,
my main question : is there any point in owning this high of caliber for range only and rec use? , or should I be trading it in for a .223 perhaps?
Im only going to use it for the range , and not hunting.....
feed back would be great!
Thanks in Advance....
 
.308win ,one of the best caliber for target shooting,easy to reload,plenty of good components avilable and a confortable recoil to manage,and if you want to shoot long range,it will do the job.
 
007derek said:
question for experienced shooters here !
Ive only been out twice to the range , i really enjoyed my .17hmr Bolt action rifle ,, and liked that there is next to no recoil .
BUT! Before i knew much about rifles and calibers ,
i went out and got a remington 700 SPS DM 300 win mag ,
my main question : is there any point in owning this high of caliber for range only and rec use? , or should I be trading it in for a .223 perhaps?
Im only going to use it for the range , and not hunting.....
feed back would be great!
Thanks in Advance....
Click to expand...

Trade it off on a heavy barrel .223... something like a VLS... no recoil to manage, cheaper to shoot than a .308... I shot competition with a 10 pound .308 and there is recoil to manage and it affects your accuracy a lot more than a .223.
 
There are lots of great cals. for the Rem 700 for range use only....any cal that uses the parent 308 case.....260rem, 7mm/08, and the .308 itself all are great mild cals.,accurate, and can be loaded down, my choice would be the .308. Any of the .223 case family would work too...221,222,223,7mmtcu, 300 Whisper, the last two are excellent but require barrel work or replacement.
 
I second the 223 recommendation for sure. Nothing wrong with the 308, but it recoils and it is more expensive to feed. You are less likely to develop bad habits and flinches with a gun that recoils lightly.
 
All my shooting is target.

I have a dream of owning a wackload of rifles good for precision and long range.

300 Winchester magnum is on my long list. It can get out to at least 1400 yards. High recoil, so a muzzle brake would make it more comfortable to shoot. relaoding cost is higher than most. Or some, at least.

You have to decide what range you are/wanna shoot at. Reloading is pretty well a must. Do you want to reload for multiple calibers or just 1 or 2? Is cost a factor? 223 and 308 are about the cheapest to relaod for due to being the most popular.

In order to be a good decision, it must be yours.

Good luck. Ask more questions.
 
I'll 3rd the .223, get a year's range time on the .223 or something like it that has little to no recoil so you can learn to shoot properly with out thinking about what the next shot is gonna feel like. You,ll learn to concentrate on the shot not the thump, it,ll help you develop good habits.

M.
 
Summer project...I just bought a Savage 7 mm Rem Mag. I did the numbers and I believe there is excellent potential in this Cal. as a paper puncher.


Recoil

165gr .308 180gr .308 165gr .300 Win Mag 180gr.300 Win Mag 140gr 7mm Rem

17.9ftlbs 18.6ftlbs 25.1ftlbs 26.7ftlbs 19.1ftlbs
 
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i would also suggest a .223 if you are concerned about recoil. i shoot a 700 in 7mm Rem Mag. Long range, accurate, and powerful, but a fair amount of recoil to deal with. and it ain't cheap to feed unless you reload.
 
CGN has a mentor list. It might be worth it to track down one of the mentors in your area and hook up with them at the range and actually try a few of these cartridges before buying.

There have been some sumOWKIN deals on 223's on the EE and for someone getting into shooting, I defy anyone to find fault with that cartridge.
 
Another part of this equation is wear on the barrel....some of those hotter numbers will wear barrels more then necessary for a "range only gun".
 
Just opinion but go 223 and when your done with that head to a 6mm.
Whether it be 243 or 6mm remington which I prefer for target.
 
when I asked the same question several years ago, I got an answer: "If you are going shot at the range more than hunt, get the .308......if other way - 270" I got a .270 at that point and never regret.....now I have both and .308 is better just for shooting at the range..... .223 will do it`s job as well :))))
 
Get a heavy barrel .223. As has been said, the lack of recoil will help you learn good technique and the more pleasant it is to shoot, the more you will shoot it. Plus the cheaper it is to shoot, the more you will shoot... I'll second the EE thing. There are tons of good deals right now!
 
Get a HB 223. Once you start shooting one you'll never be "done" with it.....it'll be with you for life. It may be a stepping stone to other calibers but you will always come back to it.
 
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