Options for first Remington 700?

[Goosebrown]

Savage of today is not savage of 1970. Fortunately. Remington of today is not Remington of 1970. UNFORTUNATELY.

Having owned and shot both. Getting a Remington to shoot right takes time and money unless you simply start at the top of the line.

For target shooting out of the box, savages are scary accurate and the ability to swap barrels in under 5 minutes is stunning.

They have three accutriggers, regular, varmint, and target. The target is sweet. The others are OK. For a Remington target you have to get a new trigger. Period.

 

[Argonaut]

Savage of today is not savage of 1970. Fortunately. Remington of today is not Remington of 1970. UNFORTUNATELY.

Having owned and shot both. Getting a Remington to shoot right takes time and money unless you simply start at the top of the line.

For target shooting out of the box, savages are scary accurate and the ability to swap barrels in under 5 minutes is stunning.

They have three accutriggers, regular, varmint, and target. The target is sweet. The others are OK. For a Remington target you have to get a new trigger. Period.

The trigger in my 700P is factory (XB 40) and set at 1/4 lb. it is the best trigger in any of my gun safes.( with the possible exception of some of my German double set triggers) My other Remington's all are older with factory triggers that are very good. I think the M24 has a XB 40 trigger as well. I don't know about the newer low line rifles. I bought my 7mm mag 700 BDL in 1976, the only trouble I ever had was of my own making. I misloaded a small batch of ammo with the wrong powder. I was shooting at a large buck in south eastern Idaho when I touched one off. It was a massive overcharge. The bolt locked solid. I took out my Boise game saw and tapped the bolt with the handle of the saw and it came off in my hand. It seems that Remington bolt handles are soldered on the body of the bolt unlike most other high quality rifles that are welded or forged. My gunsmith got everything apart and welded it back together. It is the only weakness I have ever found with a 700. The very early 700 7mm magnum rifles actually had stainless barrels that went through a process to make them look like blued steel. They didn't want the 7mm mag to get a reputation for eroding barrels.

 

[thorborg]

I have a Tikka T3 and is as all others profess; smooth bolt, glass crisp no take up light trigger and sub MOA groups.
I am perfectly happy with it.
It is not a Remington 700 though. (Clarification; An older Rem 700) Few things new seem to please me these days.
Mine was made in 1970 and unlike others suggestions for trigger and stock additives, I find no fault in the bolt, trigger, or stock. They contain the smoothest bolt and best trigger of nearly any off the rack gun ever made which includes the almost there but not quite win 70, which is not to be sneezed at.
Buy a good condition, older, 700 BDL and you wont need to tinker or spend any more unless of coarse that is part of the pleasure.

Just like the way un-notable food is enhanced after a long day on the trail;
Each man walks his own trail.
The "best of"... or "worst of"... will be different among men, according to their experience.

 

[Argonaut]

I have a Tikka T3 and is as all others profess; smooth bolt, glass crisp no take up light trigger and sub MOA groups.
I am perfectly happy with it.
It is not a Remington 700 though. (Clarification; An older Rem 700) Few things new seem to please me these days.
Mine was made in 1970 and unlike others suggestions for trigger and stock additives, I find no fault in the bolt, trigger, or stock. They contain the smoothest bolt and best trigger of nearly any off the rack gun ever made which includes the almost there but not quite win 70, which is not to be sneezed at.
Buy a good condition, older, 700 BDL and you wont need to tinker or spend any more unless of coarse that is part of the pleasure.

Just like the way un-notable food is enhanced after a long day on the trail;
Each man walks his own trail.
The "best of"... or "worst of"... will be different among men, according to their experience.

Tikkas are incredible rifles. When they first came out, I looked closely at them. Didn't like the plastic stock and furniture. I still can't figure out how the barrel is mounted.....maby pressed in like some AK's? Anyway, my Tikka hunter wood stock 308 shoots very well. Not better than my 2 308 Remington's but very good. I imagine as long as the barrel holds up, it will be a great gun. Not sure about barrel replacements or custom acessories but in truth not most hunters do much of that anyway. I think for a casual shooter or hunter they are tough to beat.

 

[Goosebrown]

The trigger in my 700P is factory (XB 40) and set at 1/4 lb. it is the best trigger in any of my gun safes.( with the possible exception of some of my German double set triggers) My other Remington's all are older with factory triggers that are very good. I think the M24 has a XB 40 trigger as well. I don't know about the newer low line rifles. I bought my 7mm mag 700 BDL in 1976, the only trouble I ever had was of my own making. I misloaded a small batch of ammo with the wrong powder. I was shooting at a large buck in south eastern Idaho when I touched one off. It was a massive overcharge. The bolt locked solid. I took out my Boise game saw and tapped the bolt with the handle of the saw and it came off in my hand. It seems that Remington bolt handles are soldered on the body of the bolt unlike most other high quality rifles that are welded or forged. My gunsmith got everything apart and welded it back together. It is the only weakness I have ever found with a 700. The very early 700 7mm magnum rifles actually had stainless barrels that went through a process to make them look like blued steel. They didn't want the 7mm mag to get a reputation for eroding barrels.

XB40 triggers are excellent but don't come with most 700s. That was my point. I agree they are very good

 

[Goosebrown]

I have a Tikka T3 and is as all others profess; smooth bolt, glass crisp no take up light trigger and sub MOA groups.
I am perfectly happy with it.
It is not a Remington 700 though. (Clarification; An older Rem 700) Few things new seem to please me these days.
Mine was made in 1970 and unlike others suggestions for trigger and stock additives, I find no fault in the bolt, trigger, or stock. They contain the smoothest bolt and best trigger of nearly any off the rack gun ever made which includes the almost there but not quite win 70, which is not to be sneezed at.
Buy a good condition, older, 700 BDL and you wont need to tinker or spend any more unless of coarse that is part of the pleasure.

Just like the way un-notable food is enhanced after a long day on the trail;
Each man walks his own trail.
The "best of"... or "worst of"... will be different among men, according to their experience.

I might add ALL my Remington comments are 2007 and following. I have no experience with older rifles which I always thought were excellent.

 

[thorborg]

I might add ALL my Remington comments are 2007 and following..

I'm glad I did not buy A new 700 when I ended up with the T3.

 

[CountryGent]

I'm not really up on all things bolt-gun, but my brother, who is an avid hunter, owns a number of 700s. His primary is a late-80s vintage 700 BDL and he swears by it. He's bagged a lot of big game with that rifle over the years. The only customization I'm aware of that he did was optics and, if I recall correctly, glass bedding.

 

[joken]

For the OP, This isn't a 308, but is an example of what you can do if you are patient. Great rifle with a good scope and it might be had for $600
http://www.gunbroker.com/item/695665240

 

[Ura-Ki]

My wife had a little 700 in .243, and it had some minor issues, the bolt lugs were not true, and the trigger was super sloppy and needed a new unit installed. She offed that 700 and replaced it with a Tikka T-3 light stainless, and that little rifle is stunningly accurate right out of the box! Her 700 wasn't bad once I fixed things, but that Tikka is so light compared to the 700, that she never looked back! For the time and money it takes to get a Remmy to run properly, your into a better rifle like a Tikka or a nice Ruger M77 or a nice Winny M-70!!!

 

[Blane67]

h4344... here's the solution! buy my 700 in 7mm Rem. mag, customise the heck outta' it and we'll both be tickled!

 

[RicInOR]

Well I just found this tread cause I just bought one out of our classified section.

Just one of those I wanted to have a 308 in the safe, just cause.


I'll need a telescope - probably a 1x-4x cause I can't see shooting over 400 yds -
and the seller recommend a brake, as this has a 20in barrel.


I wasn't really looking, but it found me.

 

[Member 5605]

If you want a new 24" Remington 700 SPS in .308 for $500 I will help you out, no need to mess with the entry level stuff. You are still going to need optics, PM me if you want to discuss further.

Jeremy

I liked mine so much I added a .223 in the same flavor... (SPS Tactical, 20")

 

[DirectDrive]

Very likely the best deal this season...
ADL Varmint .223, 22-250 or .308 ___ $379
Remington® 700™ ADL Varmint Bolt-Action Rifles : Cabela's

 

[RicInOR]

This is an internet photo - dead stock AAC-SD
Remington 700 in 308





I read quite a few posts overnight.

I would like it to be a "handi-rifle" or "Scout"
- if I say scout that often implies a forward of the ejection port scope, I don't see that as a requirement.

I would want it to be quick on a 25yrd target,
and be able to reach out a quarter mile.

I am not going to change the stock, barrel, trigger.

To keep this within a reasonable, for me, budget of say $500 I am not applying for a suppressor at this time. Maybe next winters project - paperwork. (of course this could be a mistake ... congress is opportunistic)

First up is some glass and the appropriate mounting hardware. I'd like to pick something on one of these "black Friday" deals.
I went to OpticsPlanet and the filter for prices starts at 16,000 ! Low end offered $3,900!!!

What should I be looking for?
What should I stay away from?

I do want' simple - I don't want to have a shooting calculator hung on the gun .
Durable -



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Other questions
What are typical bullet weights for factory 308 ?
147 Winchester white box, 149, 150, 165, 168, 175-subsonic ~$1.50/rnd, 180,
Should I avoid 7.62 NATO?
Should I avoid surplus?






Feel free to point me to posts/threads
TIA







--- I think I'll edit in some links that I find ---

Thread
Scope Research
Post - discussing selecting an optic
Scope Research

---
Suggests heavier bullets - over 168gr
Suggests slower - perhaps subsonic -
Due to 1 in 10 twist

---
--

https://www.opticsplanet.com/howto/how-to-riflescopes.html

 

[DirectDrive]

I would want it to be quick on a 25yrd target,
and be able to reach out a quarter mile.

Bottle this and you will indeed be rich.

 

[LuckySG]

If you want a new 24" Remington 700 SPS in .308 for $500 I will help you out, no need to mess with the entry level stuff. You are still going to need optics, PM me if you want to discuss further.

Jeremy

I am still waiting for someone to ask for a super steep discount...

 

[IRY]

I think for the price point I would go with a used Rifle. The Tikka suggestion above is a good option too. You can find a T3 on sale for around $450. My friend has one and it shoots -1/2" out of the box.
I am in the middle of a build now(my first) and I wish I would have done things differently. I started with an action and went from there. I ended up with a lot of duplicate parts form the trigger and bolt assembly. At this point the stock is done and I am waiting for my barrelled action to get back from Pac Nor.
Good luck and have fun