Opinions....

gcarms

gcarms

CGN Regular
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Location
Grande Cache..... AB.
I've been a life long Remington fan and I'm torn on a new bush gun..... I need a small compact .223 for on the snowmobile and for general messing around in the bush. I've always waited until I could afford the higher end Remmy's but in this case, I'm trying to keep it around $1k all in. So basically, the SPS is the only option I have.

I've got about a $5-600.00 budget after I bought my glass, (VX-1) and one of my favourite gun shops has the Remmy SPS compact .223 on sale for $599.00 from $789.00. And I may go that way. Not a fan of the SPS line, but lets face it. That's all I'm going to get in a Remmy for my budget.

And then I'm reading all the rave reviews about the Ruger American Ranch compact .223. Its lighter, shorter, and its been getting lots of good press. I picked one up, I like the feel, etc. It has a magazine where the Remmy cant without expensive mods. The only negative thing I can see is the magazine itself, is a little flimsy for my liking. Other than that, I really like it and I may go that way.

So what are your thoughts? Should a 30+ year Remmy shooter settle for the SPS and stick with the tried and true, or should I grab a Ruger and start something new?
 
savage model 11 lightweight hunter in .223 if you can find it on sale?

cabelas still lists a 30-06 for 700 for what it's worth..

I recently put a cdi aics bottom metal on mine, with an mdt 223 mag and so far it seems to be a good setup!
 
Consider the howa mini action in 223. Not sure what they will end up costing here in canada, but probably not that far from your budget.
 
I love the Ruger m77 platform....... I have a .243 in it that scoped, weighs under 6.8 pound and is tiny...... I would look for a used one and put a Nikon prostaff on it....... Should come in under $1k......
 
gcarms said:
I'm still leaning towards the SPS that's on sale for $595.... then down the road, a Magpul hunter with the mag well added.

That would be a sweet little rig.
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The SPS is an epic piece of crap....... and I like rem rifles....... If you want something that will rust when you look at it sideways with a flimsy stock go for it........

Otherwise, steer clear IMOP......
 
Probably better than the other $5-600.00 rifles out there.

I have an axis, TC VENTURE, etc... all bigger calibers than I need. The TC is great, the AXIS is worth the money, but I don't really like it, and I cant afford the XCR Compact I want.

I guess I could sell my old Norc M14 to make up the difference. Sacrifice an old workhorse for the greater good.
 
I picked up a Howa Varmint in the White camo last fall New in box... I unwrapped for the counter guy as he was unpacking them. It was rusted at every seam. The crown, the action and barrel, the bolt.

It kinda put me off howa all together.
 
I would look at a Mossberg Patrol. Takes Ar15 mags so you can use 10 round LAR pistol mags. Compact but medium contour barrel. Very accurate, like most rifles these days. Has ok open sights, too. The bolt can take a while to smooth out and break in and the stock is Tupperware but unless you are going to pay for a Ruger scout, it's a great option for a bush gun.
 
OP......I'm going to go against the flow here and recommend the Remington SPS. I have a couple, and yes they are the low end of the 700s but they are still a 700. The rusting issue can be addressed by giving the whole exterior of the barreled action a good coat of paste wax, or a camo paint job. The flimsy forend can be stiffened by inletting and epoxying a wooden dowel or carbon arrow into the forend below the barrel channel and the barrel can be easily shortened and recrowned.........it's a five minute job. Then as you said, a magazine conversion can be had later for it. You can also get a better stock later if you want, in fiberglass or Kevlar. The nice thing about the SPS stock is you won't shed a single tear if the stock gets marked up a bit from hard use. They are still superior to the Ruger American or Zastava which are in the same price range, and even though you may have to do a little improving and smoothing you end up with a nice smooth 700........the Ruger and Zastava are still going to be a Ruger and Zastava and as far as I know there are zero after market goodies for the Ruger American or the mini action Zastava.
It is my opinion that the 700 SPS is more a diamond in the rough, it is, as I have said, a true 700, with a proper bottom metal assy and a descent trigger.........Yes they need a little attention here and there and some smoothing up, but they are not junk and if you are willing to do a little smoothing yourself, you can save 400 bucks over a nicely finished 700, but still end up with a good 700.
I bought my kid a 700 SPS stainless in 300 RUM for one of his first hunting rifles years ago. He treats it like a Jackall, never cleans it, throws it in the back seat of his truck......not on the seat of course, on the floor with all kinds of other assundried tools and junk, bounces it around in the back of his Argo, and that rifle has never let him down. I have a blued 700 SPS in 204 Ruger and other than the cosmetic shortcomings everyone has mentioned, it shoots just fine and I tweaked the trigger to a nice crisp, light release. I just wanted to play with a 204 and didn't want to spend a whole whack of money on one. The El Cheapo stock doesn't bother me, as the rifle has no recoil and it makes a utilitarian handle for the barreled action. I don't find it too flimsy for this application, and I don't shoot with a sling, so it has no effect to my shooting style at all. Despite all the griping I have heard about SPS stocks, I have yet to see a broken one..............
I personally believe you can do a lot worse for the money, than a 700 SPS............It is the only one of the "Sow's Ears" out there, that has the potential to be a "Silk Purse", if you are willing to do a bit of the work yourself.

PS... if you decide to go with the SPS and can't find anyone to shorten the barrel for a reasonable price, just send the barreled action over to me and I'll do it for you for the postage.
 
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I have 2 SPS, twins in 308 and 223. Both factory 16.5" barrels, and these ones came with Hogue stocks. I have no complaints about rusting, or any other issues with these 2 rifles, accurate and handy even with the heavy barrels.
Pic from the net....
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Superbrad said:
The SPS is an epic piece of crap....... and I like rem rifles....... If you want something that will rust when you look at it sideways with a flimsy stock go for it........

Otherwise, steer clear IMOP......
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To be fair, that's mostly the cheap finish and stock, both of which can be easily remedied, either with some cerakote, arrow shafts, JB weld and elbow grease, or through a gunsmith and an aftermarket stock.
 
Ar180shooter said:
To be fair, that's mostly the cheap finish and stock, both of which can be easily remedied, either with some cerakote, arrow shafts, JB weld and elbow grease, or through a gunsmith and an aftermarket stock.
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Or by buying a Ruger M77, Vanguard, or a better Remington......

JMOP, but never saw the point in buying a rifle in this class and then dropping a few hundred getting it right......
 
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