Decisions Decisions..

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I was just about to buy a Remington 700 SPS, and then figured that maybe I should look at the Stevens 200, and then while doing some research I came across the Marlin XL7..

In reality i'm not going to do anything crazy with it, and i'm not looking to spend a few grand..

Sooo.. What do you guys think? Any experience? Marlin XL7 vs Stevens 200.. Also who sells either pretty cheap?
 
Don't know that too many folks on this forum would classify your choices as Precision shooters. I did read many good things about the marlin and a great many folks have bought the Stevens 200. A pile of guys bought the Savage Axis last Christmas as both Cabelas and WSS were blowing them out in Edmonton. The SPS may come with a nicer trigger, FS
 
Marlin wins hands down for bang for your buck!

My .243 shoots MOA or better 3 shot groups every time.

The stock is much better/stiffer than the Stevens.(or the Savage Axis)

The trigger is better on the Marlin than the Stevens.

The only detractor for me was the cheap safety which developed some surface rust, but has been fine since a coat of oil.

The Stevens can be had for around $300, and the Marlin around $350.

It is well worth the extra $50 for the Marlin.

I am sure "Whynot", and "Omarechuck" will be along shortly to agree. ;)

Looks like Ellwood Epps has the Marlins for $350, but is calling them the X7. They were previously designated either XS7, or XL7 with the letters representing either long or short action. Not sure if that has changed.

They list the synthetic version for $355 in 7mm-08, 30-06, .270, .243, and .223.
 
Thanks. It's so hard with guns because everyone has a favorite and since they are not some of the higher end guns it seems to be an even 50/50 on what people like. Would like to grab something soon though.

Sorry if they are not precision enough for this forum, I guess I have seen people talk about them as cheap precision rifles. Thanks for the input though!
 
What do you want to end up with? What is your actual budget?

Savage is the DIY king. Nothing comes close for the money spent.

Rem is the stand by with a massive aftermarket, proven track record, awesome performance ONCE the bugs have been ironed out. Most will need professional help so costs more. Many many many shooters feel this is THE way to go (or Rem footprint custom action clones)

Marlin has little to no aftermarket support so if you want to change stuff, very limited in Canada. Still a solid base. I can help with some stuff.

Consider the Ruger American. Same thing - great base, no support, looks like a very useable product.

NONE of these would provide match winning performance. Savage is likely your most accurate out of the box of the above - bedding and handloading required.

So first decide on what the rifle will be, and how much you want to spend and the work you want to do to get it there. Then work backwards to the action that will do what you want.

Jerry
 
It will see the range mostly and then at some point I will. E playing with it outside. I want to spend under $500 for the gun and don't plan on doing really much to it. I'm going to take it out of the box, stick a scope on it and shoot.

Maybe in the near future I would consider doing something to it, but for the most part it's just to shoot at targets for now.
 
I just went through your dilemma and ended up with the Marlin XS7 in 223 from Epps.

Great gun, more accurate than me at the moment. Took it out once and now i'm reloading 223 to develop a load for it.

the trigger is amazing. adjustable and has the same mechanism as the accu-trigger. crisp clean break.

the worst part of the gun are 1. blind magazine and 2. flimsy stock. Both can be rectified but not with anything off the shelf. I truly hate the blind magazine when the scope and rails are installed. BTW it comes with a rail so thats a bonus.

I probably would have bought the Stevens 200 had they had it in 223. It IS a savage 10 action/barrel without the accu-trigger and different stock. All savage 10 parts interchange with it, so if u wanna modify i'd def go with it. The savage axis is a different beast and not a lot of savage 10 aftermarket stuff fits it.

If u wanna modify and make it "custom", Rem 700 followed by the Savage 10, followed by the Stevens, followed by Marlin.

If you just want to leave it alone, Marlin in your price range, Rem 700 if you can cough up a bit more.
 
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