Tired of hearing about Remington 700's!

[Horseman]

Many times people attack something because they have read something or their father hated them or some other ridiculous reason. I have taken flack for years over my love for Weatherbys. I have many and all are shooters. Now all but one of them are West German rifles so in my opinion there is a difference in quality. Just as early Remingtons and Winchesters differ from the mass produced rifles of today.

That's an excellent point. Some of us may have formed our opinion of Remingtons produce over the last 30 years, and some of us our opinion may be of guns produce in the last 30 days. There is a difference in quality.

I'm not finding the article now but I believe the record setting gun was a rebarreled 700 that was not sleeved but sqaured off with lapped lugs as is standard with any rebarrel job. I think it was a wildcatted WSM of some kind too. I'll keep looking for the article.

[Horseman]

Its the fanatics who belittle anything other than 700's and their attitudes that I am tired of, not even pre 64 fans are so rude. Its the same reason it took me almost 20 years to buy a 30-06. Fanatics simply put a bad tatse in your mouth. No matter how good something may be, after hearing about it and listening to everything else being bashed you simply shy away from it.

Another excellent point. This is why I don't own an AR. Those of us that used this forum years ago remember when every other thread wasn't about AR's and AK's.:barf: And I was reading here years before I joined.

[accordingtome]

I was very anti 700 my first five years of shooting. I wanted anything but one. then i got a deal on a 700 mil spec still in the box. $800 so i bit and bought it. I have never looked back.

[j.chappell]

I like any rifle and any caliber that I feel shoots to its intended purpose and ability for the platform on which it is built.

[22-rimfire]

Its the fanatics who belittle anything other than 700's and their attitudes that I am tired of, not even pre 64 fans are so rude. Its the same reason it took me almost 20 years to buy a 30-06. Fanatics simply put a bad tatse in your mouth. No matter how good something may be, after hearing about it and listening to everything else being bashed you simply shy away from it.

I can't say I'm a fanatic about anything (other than perhaps 2A topics) nor have I considered what I have said to be in the least bit rude. I have not bought a Remington Model 700 in 10-years and can not really say what they shoot like from current production. If I were buying a new center fire rifle, it is the one I compare all others to. I might buy something different. I resist choosing Ruger rifles in general although I almost bought a Ruger #1 in 375H&H for giggles a while back. I definitely considered it seriously and then reason took over as I really don't need anything in 375 H&H or that general power range. I would look at a Tika these days. I would also look at Savage rifles pretty hard. People have different experiences with rifles and other firearms. It makes the world go around.

I do have a inherent Remington bias because of my expereince with their rifles and shotguns. I have acquired two Remington rifles this year (541-T and 547) and I'm happy with both.

I felt the same way about the 30-06. I tend to run the other direction when all you hear is 30-06, 30-06, 30-06 as the answer to all caliber choices for animals sized from wood chuck to bull moose.

[wyobohunter]

I grew up shooting a Sako 30-06. Haven't fired one for at least 10 years. When I was considering what cartridge to get for my mountain rifle I almost held my nose when I bought an 06', not because it isn't a good choice for my intended purpose, but because I've heard 30-06 is the cure all so many times I could:barf:. Most Posters who make this claim probably don't really understand ballistics. When all you have is a hammer; everything starts to look like a nail.

[j.chappell]

rimfire,

I in no way thought you were rude, I am speaking of others not even in this post who are, and you know the kinds of guys I'm talking about.

Hey, thumbs up an that 541. I bought one when they first came out and like an idiot traded it for something I wanted more at the time. I then decided I wanted another after they stopped making them. Well three rifles later I finally found another that shot like the first and now it is not going anywhere.

I am one of the only shooters I know who has never gotten a bad Ruger, be it a 77/22, 77, 77 MKII, or No.1. Every single one is a shooter. I know, I know, I have been lucky, very lucky as there are many out there that simply wont shoot.

My favorite dual purpose rifle right now is an early No.1 B in 243WIN. With Berger 88gr match bullets, IMR 4064, and WLR primers it shoots in the .4's all day long every day. This combination has proven deadly on everything from pests to whitetail. I restrict myself to broadside shots and have never had a deer move from the spot.

[j.chappell]

Its a great caliber! You just get tired of hearing "My ott 6 this, my ott 6 that, blah, blah, blah". They act like no other caliber is capable of doing what it does in the rifles it is chambered in. I really get upset when they start bashing the 308 and act like its some sort of childs caliber cause it wasnt chambered in their freaking 03 or garand. Well correction the Navy did rechamber the garand to 7.62x51mm (not exactly 308WIN, slightly longer chamber, like .013"-.016", thought I'd put that in there before someone jumped me on it.

[22-rimfire]

Sadly the truth hurts when it comes to the 30-06. Guess that's why I choose a 270 win!!

[Cerick]

Ive kinda always had a bias towards Remingtons. The first gun I ever owned was a remington 870, and now I have 2 870's. My dad recently bought a 700 alaskan ti in 7mm-08. With the x-mark trigger that he worked on himself, the gun shoots well. I've only been to the range with him when he first got it and was sighting it in, but I think he is now shooting .4" groups at 100yards. Not bad

[thinkingman]

I love this....

Quote:
Originally Posted by j.chapell
I get so tired of the “The Remington 700 is the best rifle made" comments that I could just crap.

You better stock up on toilet paper because its true. Since 1962.

Maybe some other bolt action will be able to claim being the U.S. military's sniper rifle platform of choice for over 42 years, but it does not look likely.

On something I will spend good money on I want it to be the best, and 42 years of battle proven sniper performance sells me more than any match grade rifle you can show me.

Just like Chevy tells you to buy a Monte Carlo because that's what Dale drives on the track

Between Remington and Leupold, I can't imagine anybody ever buying anything else.

[j.chappell]

I never really addressed that post about the battle proven performance. I did note that he at least said "platform".

I'm going to start a new thread on this one.

[guntotin_fool]

J chapelle, I never said remington or big green in my statement about software and hardware. I just meant that when someone keeps buying something that they say does not work, I begin to wonder about the user interface. I just think that now adays, you have to work very hard to find a rifle that will not shoot 1.5, and pretty hard to find a rifle that won't shoot 1 inch groups with the right ammo.

I used to work in gun shop, every year, we would get 15 or so rifles that customers said just would not shoot, Either I or the store owner would take the rifle to the range with the buyer and test fire it. The only rifles we ever ran in to that would not shoot were a couple of years worth of Rugers, everything else shot just fine. We would ask the buyers, what accuracy does the rifle need to show before you will change your mind. We got a lot of "MOA" or 1.5 inches and every darn rifle we tried would shoot that good. three different loads, one of the three would shoot great.

You talk about being a target shooter, and varmint shooter, and I find the comments you make about accuracy hard to grasp. What loads have you tried in all these 700's that won't shoot? What are they doing, stringing, shotgunning? flyer's? everything down and left?

[mkg]

I only have experiance with one Remington, 700 SPS in .308.

It would not shoot !
I tried -
1). varying handloads ( bullet weights and powder charges )
2). changing scopes and mounts
3). having different people shoot it
4) varying ranges

Any maker can turn out a bad rifle . But this one soured me on Remingtons period.

And as far as the "700" being a "sniper rifle " , it's about as much a sniper rifle as Jimmy Johnson's race car is a Chevy.

Mike

[j.chappell]

I stated that they were factory guns and factory loads were fired in them. I do not consider 2" plus groups shooters.

I hear about all of the stock Remingtons that shoot these .5" groups all day but my experience has shown that this is not the norm as a lot of people would have you believe.

I expect only 1.5" groups with factory ammunition from a factory sporter out of the box, nothing more. I can tell when a rifle shows potential and when it does not.

Like I have said before I am more than capable of shooting, and have some Remingtons that shoot great. I simply do not sink money and time into a rifle that does not show potential.

Could all of the rifles be made to shoot, maybe, but like I have stated previously if they are so darn good why should I have to replace the trigger, replace the stock, bed the action, and run through a hundred or so rounds of reloads to find something that works.

[Horseman]

And as far as the "700" being a "sniper rifle " , it's about as much a sniper rifle as Jimmy Johnson's race car is a Chevy.

Our county SWAT team practices at our local range and they use bone stock 700 Police's in 308. That is an off the shelf rifle anybody can buy, and I did. Mine shoots Hornady AMax's in the .2's and .3's.@100yds.

[mkg]

Horseman , I'm not knocking rem 700's .

Any maker can turn out a bad rifle

However the Police 700 isn't exactly a stock 700. It's had a few upgrades, more like a 700 run through the armory, stock upgrade , barrel upgrade not sure but I'd bet the trigger is nicer also .

If you have good luck with your police 700 great ! I'm honestly happy for you.

The 700 SPS " I had " was not worth the money I paid for it.

Mike

[GAR700]

I have a 700 and I love it. That being said it is not the finest rifle I have. I didn't expect it to be though. I think the 700 is everything it should be; relatively inexpensive, extremely reliable, and reasonably accurate.

There are exceptions to all of these things but the overall product is a quality one. Letting one bad experience ruin you on Remington 700's is a little short sighted and will no doubt deprive you of a fine rifle choice in the future. Maybe not the best of all worlds, but it ranks very high in my book

GAR

[VonFireball]

I think the Remington 700's are a real nice gun.

The problem is, they are pricier than a Savage, and the Savage will shoot circles around a Remington when compared fresh out of the box.

The only Remingtons that will match Savage accuracy out of the box are big money (in my world of peanuts) higher end Remingtons.

In my world, choosing a Remington 700 over a Savage 10/110 doesn't make sense at all. More money, less gun. Who wants to have to work on a new rifle to obtain it's accuracy potential? I'll save more time and money and just go Savage.

The only advantage would be the plethora of aftermarket accessories that aren't always quite so readily available for the Savage.

[model70fan]

I too am kind of sick of the "this is better than anything else hands down" argument. I have many model 70s (pre-64s mostly but a few others) some shoot (IMO) some don't, I have multiple 700s, again some shoot some don't, same with rugers, savages, etc... I say, whatever floats your boat. You may believe a rem 700 is always better than such and such, I may not, who cares. If it gets the job done does it matter who made it? The target won't be able to tell, I promise
Whatever fits your price/accuracy/function/superficial criteria is what should matter, not the brand/model.

[mkg]

Letting one bad experience ruin you on Remington 700's is a little short sighted and will no doubt deprive you of a fine rifle choice in the future.

My bolt action rifle choices are covered ,

Savage model 12 / 300WSM
Savage model 12 / 22-250
Savage model 116 / .270
Savage MKII BTV / .22 lr

The .270 is destined to become a 7mmWSM as soon as I get the parts together. Bolt face , barrel and an hour in the basement, I'm good to go.

Mike

[5RWill]

I think chappel is reffering to the mid class remingtons. All the remingtons that we have shoot great but they are old. Now the 1200$ remingtons better shoot for the money, which i shot a VSF II the other day and hit a crane at 377 yards. So im thinking of getting one of those. Personally i would never buy a mid class remington they look like crap to me. And if im going to get a nice wood rifle or a rifle from a trusted brand, i go sako or kimber, or CZ. Just my personal preference. But i do know what your talking about chappel and your right remingtons are by far not the best rifle out there even for the money. Remington has gotten to inconsistent lately.

[j.chappell]

Amen! I believe the last 5 posts say what I have been saying the whole time.

A long time ago you could count on quality from every major firearms manufacturer. But times changed, labor and material prices increased, not to mention corporate greed, and now firearms are largely thrown together in the cheapest and fastes way possible. Heck you cant even get hand cut checkering from Remingtons so called Custom Shop anymore.

If you really want a quality firearm you need to buy an American Semi-Custom, an Import, or an all out custom firearm.

That being said there are 2 American manufacturers that deserve credit for their current production rifles; Weatherby and Savage.

Now watch the posts fly on the Weatherby statement!

[model70fan]

Not me, I love my weatherbys along with all the rest

[dgludwig]

Off the point (accuracy or lack of) but my only beef with the 700 is their two-position safety revision.Up until sometime in the eighties, the 700 two-position safety locked the bolt when it was on "safe". Since then, thanks to our sue-happy society, the modified safety allows the bolt to be retracted when on "safe" so that one can unload the rifle without shooting somebody. The trouble is that while hunting in heavy cover, the bolt handle can be inadvertently jarred upwards, rendering the rifle inoperable when you might need it most.

I'd like to see Remington return to their original design (not likely) or adopt a three-position safety, ala Winchester, Savage or the Ruger Mark II series.