Hi beemanbeme,
Remington don't deal direct with dealers in the UK anymore although they once used to, easier to artifically control the prices this way no doubt which is why they are so high here. The factory appointed importer replaced the first rifle but it's replacement shot equally badly and that was the final straw as far as this gunshop was concerned. I was in there this afternoon buying some more CCI Velocitor as I was down to 10 rounds after range testing, hopefully I can catch a couple of Rabbits on the field with it as with a 25 meter zero at 75 meters the POI is just on the thicker point of the duplex of the Simmons scope just need to check POI at around 50 meters or yards
. I actually saw a Remington tucked away in the corner at the shop probably one the importers refused to take back
not surprising as it was one of them plastic jobbies either a 710 or 770.
I see they have replaced the Remingtons with Howa's on the racks and that's a recent thing as they didn't have them the time before I was in there that I noticed and that was a week ago. Howa's have a fairly new importer here which also might account for it?
Whilst I never owned a Savage a good buddy in Missouri used to shoot 600 yard high power with a Savage 112BV I think the model was. It's a heavy barreled varmint/taret type with skeleton buttstock I say was as it's now a custom bench rest gun with Lija 243 AI barrel and fancy BR stock he shoots 600 yard Hi Power and BR with it although last year he built two more rifles with Broughton barrels in 6.5x284. The Savage is getting on for a comp gun as he built it up back in 04 however he was getting 1/2 MOA groups at 600 yards with it. The other Savage bolt rifle that I came into contact with most was one owned by the Club at Bisley as a loaner, it was a .223 synthetic stocked rifle that was accurate with RG 5.56 ammo however it developed bolt problems from abuse over a period of several years and so was replaced. I moved while the replacing was going on so don't know what they got as a replacement.
As for making a call on only one rifle ................. nope not guilty your honour
the shop got a replacement which was just as bad ( No2) and the same buddy in Missouri brought a pair of new Remingtons early in the new century ( 2001-2002) a 700 ADL in 280 and a model 7 in .243 both were rubbish and returned to Remington for appraisal and correction but both were returned as meeting Remingtons quality standards as well as being pretty poor in the accuracy department the Model 7 has a butt stock that was like the sea all wavy and plainly improperly finished however it was the ADL which really dissapointed being really poor in grouping ablity. This guy shoot BR and Hi power competively and was unable to get this particular rifle to group in under 3" at 100 yards. Remington said it was fine so it was traded off probably to be ripped apart for the action that once it was re-machined to correct the poor manufacture would be the bassis of a BR rifle. I am not sure that's what he did but he really was peeved with Remington for selling such junk and vowed never to buy from them again. so thats' Nos 3 & 4. Actually I only know one other person who brought a Rem bolt action and that was an early VSS in .223 which was fine. I shot that one several times and it was shooting this rifle which proved to me that the Rem 700 is a horrid rifle. Sure it was accurate with his handloads but an awful thing to shoot, uncomfortable and frankly quite rough in operation. Now I would not have a Rem 700 or Model 7 as a gift.
So tell me, Brithunter, do you folks hunt rabbits with .22s? Some of the most enjoyable memories of my life involved a few hundred acres of woods, a.22, and a fall day hunting squirrels, and rabbits. I have been to the Cotswolds, and thought at the time how much fun it would be to walk some of those rural paths with a .22.
Oh you mean like this :-
BSA Superpsort Five fitted with a sound modrator, barrel has been cut back to 16 1/2 inches and threaded 1/2 UNF.
Although shooting from a Public right of way such as footpath is illegal!
I also used to shoot these with the 22LR:-
We don't have many round here too flat and not enough trees.
Talking to the guy in the gunshop today he was saying that up on the hills they have a major rabbit problem again and the pest controllers are shooting up to 80 rabbits a night and that's just by sitting on one spot using Sound Mods and .22LR rifles with sub sonic ammo. The game dealers are swamped with rabbit right now. We don't have the same problems here on the fens but with the harvest going on we should see more rabbits about so fingers crossed
More pest control but with centerfire:-
Nice Dog fox, rifle is a BSA Model E from about 1952 in 303.
As for the resident nutter well I have several good friends in the US all of which shoot and have guns, some have lots of guns and even collect as well as shoot and compete. Funny thing though only one has any affection for Remingtons so from my small sample less than 15% like Remingtons! Nice sharp sticks though don't ya think?