Remington 700 Detecting Defects

commandernavi · Dec 15, 2012

Hey all,

I am planning to buy a Remington 700 SPS Tactical (remington 700 SPS Tactical), but have heard a lot of stories about issues and "acceptable" (from Remington's point of view) defects in the manufacturing process that decrease accuracy and aren't covered by Remington's warranty such as ridges in the barrel that strip part of the bullet's copper jacket off, extraction difficulties due to faulty extractors, misaligned scope mount holes, etc. If anybody knows what I can look at exactly to see any warning signs please let me know what to check and what looks right and what looks wrong.

Basically what things would you look at in particular at the store before buying and warnings signs can I see?

Thank you!

iamme · Dec 16, 2012

Easiest is to stop reading the blah and just buy one. Every gun/manufacturer can have issues.

That or buy a custom action. People can't keep thinking they'll get custom quality from off the shelf mass produced parts.

osprey · Dec 16, 2012

I beleive most Rem 700s still have a pretty decent track record for off the shelve accuracy. As stated by iamme, you can't beleive half the crap on the old interweb. If you really are concerned about getting good accuracy from a production gun buy one with the garantee. Like Sako, Tikka, Moa Vangaurd, TC, and there are more that I can't think of at the moment.

longcolt · Dec 16, 2012

The Remington 700 SPS is a fantastic platform. Defects are rare and they will fix a problem. I have one in 30-06 and love it.

A lot of the problems were with the older rifles and most of it related to lack of proper maintenance and cleaning.

If you shoot a box or two you will resolve about any minor barrel issues.

Most of the Remington flaming on the internet is just folks looking for a lawsuit payout. Pure crapola.

Greenbug · Dec 16, 2012

I've yet to run into a Remington 700 that I couldn't get to shoot accurately and group consistantly. You just need to have the mindset to keep trying different kinds of ammo & bullet weights until you get the right combination for that rifle. It will tell you what it likes, you just have to listen. Most production rifles today (not just Remington) are capable of incredible accuracy right out of the box, usually the only thing holding the gun back is the shooter & conditions. That being said, you are not likely to take your new rifle, slap a scope on it and go win a local shooting match with whatever ammo you can find.

Some things I look for/at when I am considering purchasing a new or used rifle are listed below, not a complete list, but it should give you some ideas on what to look for.

1.Even wear on each of the bolt lugs. (indicates good true even lockup on a bolt action gun)
2.Scope base holes not buggered up and do not appear to be out of line or off center.
3.Nicks, chips, scrapes, machine marks on the barrel crown. (fairly inexpensive fix, but a bad crown is an accuracy killer)
4.Good trigger, preferably adjustable.
5.Safety functions properly. Put the safety on, squeeze the trigger, let off the trigger, then take of the safety. (gun should stay cocked, if it fires when removing the safety it is dangerous, pass on that one!)
6.Fit and finish of the metal and stock. (does it have an even finish?, do the metal and wood/plastic parts mate up properly?, does the barrel sit in the center of the barrel channel of the stock?)
7.Any abnormal wear that might indicate other problems.
8.Look down the bore for any obvious signs of wear or defects.
9.If new, ask the salesperson about the warranty and or accuracy guarantees.
10.Remember free advice is worth what you paid for it.....

chrisk86 · Dec 18, 2012

CNBC Under Fire - Mike Walker -Remington Recall Rebuttle review.mpg - YouTube
the only bad things I have ever heard about the 700 is from people who have tampered or modified their rifles outisde remingtons specs and have damaged the interior parts causing the malfunctions. I own two 700 models in .270 and .308 and I will say hands down one of the most reliable rifle models I can think of. As said above stop listening to all the hoopla and buy the thing you will not be disappointed.

commandernavi · Dec 19, 2012

Thanks for the replies everyone! I ended up getting an SPS tactical yesterday and hope that it isn't messed up. I am a bit worried however and hope that you can tell me if this is a concern.

This was the only one they had left and it had some strange wear on the bolt. Very minor and I am hoping cosmetic, but it is still worrying me. Can you please tell me if this will affect accuracy and whether this is normal? The finish on this part of the bolt is worn off completely exposing the bare metal. Thank you!