Remington 700 quality question

BLACKBRIAR

BLACKBRIAR

Regular
EE Expired
Rating - 100%
6   0   0
Location
Timmins, Ontario
Its my intention to pick up a Remmy 700 in .308 with a heay contour. The price range gap is fairly wide SO my question is. Excluding the stock, are all Remingtons (action/barrel) created equal? Is there a model that has the preferred action/barrel?
 
I bought a Remington Shotgun, just had to replace the firing pin.
My buddie bought a 700 Police Tactical, paid a pretty penny,

It could barely eject brass, had to stretch the ejector spring so they would clear the receiver.

The other day I was out at a local shooting pit, this guy has a 700 in 7mm Mag, kept jamming. The case would get stuck in the chamber, could not open it.

The young guy who works at a small local shop was telling me about his 870 not wanting to cycle anything but high brass. The smith at our big local store said the same thing.

I went into said store about 2 years ago, looking to buy a 700 VTR for about $900, he sold me a Tikka T3 Lite for $750. I shoot 0.2" when I Eagle. 0.4-0.5" when I birdie, and 0.6-0.7" is par, and that's just prone with a bi-pod.

When I use their primers, a lot perforate with not even hot loads.

That's my opinion on Remington, consider something else, they are really hit and miss these days and seem to have become the "McDonalds" of guns. Sometimes they really hit the spot, sometimes they are thrown together sloppy and have been under the head lamp too long.
 
BLACKBRIAR said:
Its my intention to pick up a Remmy 700 in .308 with a heay contour. The price range gap is fairly wide SO my question is. Excluding the stock, are all Remingtons (action/barrel) created equal? Is there a model that has the preferred action/barrel?
Click to expand...

If you want one of the best 700's currently made, consider a stainless 5R model. Excellent platform to start on and it will definitely be something you will enjoy for years to come. If I were in your position, I'd buy the 20" version over the 26". Take a look at the volume of information available on this rifle from members here and on snipershide.com.

Buy once, cry once, and do it right the first time.
 
Personally, I prefer a premium barrel. If you want a dandy shooter, buy an SPS to get the action, have a first class barrel installed, set the barrelled action up in a HS Precision take-off stock from the EE for $275 - $300.
Total cost isn't going to be much more than a higher grade factory Remington, and it is just abut guaranteed to shoot like a house on fire.
 
I have trued a few 700 actions. Ones made many years ago, some not so old, some new ones...

I have discovered some quite true actions in all ages and some not so true actions in all ages. They vary... so don't worry about getting a new or old action, it's the luck of the draw on just how true it will be, and you won't know that until it is pulled apart.

700 triggers of all ages can be reworked crisp and light for a fraction of the cost of aftermarket replacement.

As stated above, installing a quality custom barrel pretty well makes any 700 a great shooter.

I have seen .308 heavy barreled BDL's shoot factory ammo under 1/2 inch.
 
If you buy an SPS you might want to have a cericote finish put on it. If you forget to oil it they will rust in a warm closet with next to no humidity. Other than that id say pick one and enjoy :)
 
I refuse to buy any Remington bolt action rifle even for a bargain price. I repaired enough of them to realise that soldering bolt handles to bolt bodies (and they sometimes come off suprisingly easy) and the hopes that that kind of "safety lug" will stop the bolt from killing the shooter in case of main locking lugs failure is a pure Micki Mouse cartoon way of thinking. All the factory triggers made before newest X triggers are to prone to accidental discharge IMHO despite the Remington denials. Add to it crooked threads in the receivers and faces of them being cut by zip cut disks (some of them up to .006" off) and you have my 2c about them.
 
gunrunner8 said:
I refuse to buy any Remington bolt action rifle even for a bargain price. I repaired enough of them to realise that soldering bolt handles to bolt bodies (and they sometimes come off suprisingly easy) and the hopes that that kind of "safety lug" will stop the bolt from killing the shooter in case of main locking lugs failure is a pure Micki Mouse cartoon way of thinking. All the factory triggers made before newest X triggers are to prone to accidental discharge IMHO despite the Remington denials. Add to it crooked threads in the receivers and faces of them being cut by zip cut disks (some of them up to .006" off) and you have my 2c about them.
Click to expand...

So, other than your opinion that 700's are s**t, then what would you recommend then?
 
Remington just ain't what they used to be. I think about the only good ones now are the 5R( unless you get lucky with another model) or ones that are rebarrelled.
On the other hand any Tikka I have ever seen shoots( and I don't even own one).Too bad the varmit/tactical versions have a tupperware stock.
 
2bad4u2 said:
So, other than your opinion that 700's are s**t, then what would you recommend then?
Click to expand...

Savage bolt actions are way, way better machined IMO for an alternative bargain priced target shooting and so are Sportco's mod 44. Personaly for hunting I prefer; Bruno bolt actions, Rugers, Winchesters mod 88, older Marlins mod 336. With those I never been dissapointed jet.
 
Canuck525 said:
Remington just ain't what they used to be. I think about the only good ones now are the 5R( unless you get lucky with another model) or ones that are rebarrelled.
On the other hand any Tikka I have ever seen shoots( and I don't even own one).Too bad the varmit/tactical versions have a tupperware stock.
Click to expand...

You're right, they are not what they use to be. They've lowered their finish quality to be competitive price wise with Savage. That was a mistake in my opinion. The SPS finish is a let down compared to what was available in BDL's. They've also resulted to gimmicks such as the VTR series which I think is an abomination.

Let Savage have the lower end of the market. They're well suited to it. The Stevens & Axis aren't anything to write home about but they offer satisfactory performance for what is asked of them. Not so for Reminton's 770/710 Series.

FWIW, I've owned several Savages and I don't think they're superior to Remington. Depends on the models compared. Each has their own strengths/weaknesses.

Personally, as far as budget actions are concerned, a Howa 1500 is the equal or superior to anything in its price class. I've noticed that the price of Tikkas have come down somewhat in the last year or so. That's a good thing as far as I'm concerned.
 
what do you want to use the gun for? you don't want to spend a fortune, so is it just for having fun at the range? you will never go wrong with a remington. lots af #####ing about the sps line but these were designed to be a cheaper alternative to the fancy reminton hunting rifles out there. truth is, a remington is a remington is a remington. i always question the motives of someone that gives advice on one hand and then has everything for sale that goes along with that advice.

for what its worth, buy a gun, have fun with it, get into reloading and make the gun you have even better. if you think this will be the last gun you're gonna own, think again.
 
2bad4u2 said:
So, other than your opinion that 700's are s**t, then what would you recommend then?
Click to expand...

Buy the best Tikka you can afford and call it a day.
You won't regret it.

An entry level Tikka will hold it's own against a much more expensive remington, other then barrel weight factor to prevent overheating.

If you can afford a high end one with a heavy barrel and a "set" trigger, you're laughing.
 
gunrunner8 said:
I refuse to buy any Remington bolt action rifle even for a bargain price. I repaired enough of them to realise that soldering bolt handles to bolt bodies (and they sometimes come off suprisingly easy) and the hopes that that kind of "safety lug" will stop the bolt from killing the shooter in case of main locking lugs failure is a pure Micki Mouse cartoon way of thinking. All the factory triggers made before newest X triggers are to prone to accidental discharge IMHO despite the Remington denials. Add to it crooked threads in the receivers and faces of them being cut by zip cut disks (some of them up to .006" off) and you have my 2c about them.
Click to expand...

I have and still own lots of remingtons never had a bolt handle fall off but anything is possible, but just curious how many main locking lugs have you seen fail on a remington
 
Every once in a while you hear a diatribe like gunrunner8's.
He would have to have owned two thousand Remington 700's to have all the trouble he describes, so obviously is exchanging perceived woes with others who shed more heat than light on the subject.
Remington 700 rifles are still well up there as far as raw performance goes.
Most shoot very well, indeed, and that still carries over to new ones.
Bolt lugs sheared off a 700 bolt ?????? That I would like to see!!
Don't be taken in by the "All Tikkas shoot little bitty groups" either. I have seen otherwise, personally.
Just choose the Remington that feels best to you, and enjoy.
Tell all the naysayers to go pound sand.
Eagleye.
 
Eagleye said:
Every once in a while you hear a diatribe like gunrunner8's.
He would have to have owned two thousand Remington 700's to have all the trouble he describes, so obviously is exchanging perceived woes with others who shed more heat than light on the subject.
Remington 700 rifles are still well up there as far as raw performance goes.
Most shoot very well, indeed, and that still carries over to new ones.
Bolt lugs sheared off a 700 bolt ?????? That I would like to see!!
Don't be taken in by the "All Tikkas shoot little bitty groups" either. I have seen otherwise, personally.
Just choose the Remington that feels best to you, and enjoy.
Tell all the naysayers to go pound sand.
Eagleye.
Click to expand...

I have to disagree. In 2004 I bought 4 brand new remington 700 BDLs and everyone had to be replaced( 3 by remington and one I simply had ATRS rebarrel it. WHen Rick checked it he said it was hard to believe that remington ever let it out the door. WHen he rebarreled it it was a real nail driver.About a year ago I bought a new sendero which had to be replaced. All were sent to George Wortner in which remington out right replced all BDLs.After sending the Sendero Last year to George he sent it back saying there was nothing wrong with it. He included the target which was 10 shots at 100 yards. It measured 4.25 inches and said this was acceptable. I then contacted Gravel agency( June or was it Julie? was very helpful) and they replaced it.
As you can see I have had incredibly bad luck with recent remingtons but I know a number of other guys who had a few dud remington over the last 10 years.
If you want to verify this send me a PM with your name and Number and I would be happy to give you a call to give the specifics.
 
gunrunner8 said:
I refuse to buy any Remington bolt action rifle even for a bargain price. I repaired enough of them to realise that soldering bolt handles to bolt bodies (and they sometimes come off suprisingly easy) and the hopes that that kind of "safety lug" will stop the bolt from killing the shooter in case of main locking lugs failure is a pure Micki Mouse cartoon way of thinking. All the factory triggers made before newest X triggers are to prone to accidental discharge IMHO despite the Remington denials. Add to it crooked threads in the receivers and faces of them being cut by zip cut disks (some of them up to .006" off) and you have my 2c about them.
Click to expand...

Soldered? Or induction brazed? I've seen a few stripped off, or partially peeled and then snapped. Usually a large rock or hammer was involved. I've also seen M96 and M98 Mauser handles detached the same way.
Have you ever heard of a M7xx series action ever suffering a failure of both bolt lugs, with the bolt leaving the rifle?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom