Remington 700 SPS Tactical .308 opinion

[m67176]

What do you think about this as a treestand hunting rifle with its 20 inch bull barrel?

[Bart Solo]

It depends on the tree stand.

Seriously, that is a lot of rifle to drag up a tree if your stand doesn't have a built in rest.  It weighs 7 1/4 pounds without a scope, so it is probably between 8 1/2 - 9 pounds loaded.  Even though the barrel is only 20 inches I bet it shoots as long as your beanfield, so I don't know what the problem would be if that is your only rifle.

[teddy12b]

I've done a lot of reading about this rifle.  They used to be made with the hogue stocks and now some are made with the varmint stocks.  The accuracy seems to average hovering around 1/2" at 100 and beyond that it's a regular 700 with a heavy barrel.  I really like the way they look and feel.  If you buy one let us know how it shoots for you.

[charles p]

If it shoots 1/2 groups, it should be worth taking to a tree stand.  Maybe you can "out tactic" a deer with your SPS Tactical. 

[kyelkhunter3006]

It depends on the tree stand.

Seriously, that is a lot of rifle to drag up a tree if your stand doesn't have a built in rest.  It weighs 7 1/4 pounds without a scope, so it is probably between 8 1/2 - 9 pounds loaded.  Even though the barrel is only 20 inches I bet it shoots as long as your beanfield, so I don't know what the problem would be if that is your only rifle.

That would be the same weight as just about any 22" sporter bolt action by Remington, Winchester, Ruger, etc.  No big deal.  Unless you have a gun that weighs less than 6lbs, you're toting that much weight anyway by the time you put a 14oz scope on, 4 oz of ammo, 4 oz sling, and 6-8 oz of scope bases/rings.

Biggest problem I've found about guns and tree stands is that 90% of climbers/ladder stands/non-permanent stands is the fact that the stand itself isn't solid enough to provide a suitable rest for shots past 200 yds.  Trees sway, wind blows, stands vibrate or shake...etc.  Unless it was a heavily built permanent stand or box blind, I wouldn't try anything past 250yds.

[wareagleguy]

Here is what the 308 VTR can do.

[mcwoodduck]

I guess it would depend on what scope or sights you want to put on it and what kind of hunting your going to do from the tree stand.
If it is brush work then sure with small power scope.
To cover an open area.  The the standard 3-9 X 40 or 50 will work perfect.
The gun is a little heavy but if you have a rail or rest in front of you it should not be too bad if no rail or rest then.
In you store see if you can sit in a chair and hold the rifle up on a target for a while with out being cramped or having the rifle start doing circles.
You will be seated in the stand.

[deerandduck]

I picked up one of these about a month or so ago.  At the range, it does indeed shoot to about 1/2" to 1" depending on "the nut behind the trigger".  Since rifle deer season has just opened for us, I have yet to take a deer with it.  I have used it several times while in a tree stand.  I really like its size and its weight is not much different than any other rifle I have.  All my hunting buddies really like the fact that it is slight foward balanced, thus making it easier to hold steady for an off hand shot.  Overall, I  am well please with this gun.  I have a bushnell 4200 scope mounted on it.
Good luck find one.  They seem to be hard to find.
Deerandduck

[backstrap]

Gunbroker.com has them a lott of times even with the hogue stock

[PartsMan]

It would make a nice all around rifle and 20" is enough to get a 308 moveing but I think the model 7 would be nicer to carry and climb with. The heavy barrel doesn't gain you much in the deer stand. It's mainly for the range so you can fire a lot of rounds without heating your barrel up.

[mcwoodduck]

Partsman,
That is one of the added features to the heavy barrel.
A short thick barrel has less flex in it and will distort less when fired.
All barrels flex a little when shot, even cold.  A thin ling barrel will flex and launch the bullet a micro fraction of an inch up, down, side to side or diagonal and the rate at how much it moves and if it moves in the same direction every time will effect your 100 yard accuracy.  The bullet is not in the barrel for a long time.  On a M700 it takes longer for the firing pin to move from the trigger release point to the primer than it does for the Primer to fire, ignite the powder charge, expand the crimp and for the bullet to reach 2000 Feet per second and leave the barrel and trigger pull has more effect on accuracy than most other factors and the heavier rifle will tend to stay in the same position and not have over travel move the barrel.  one degree does not sound like a lot of movement untill you extend it out over space and what looks like the same line in 3 inches grows to 3 inches over 150 yards.
The longer the barrel the more the flex and the more the bullet will move.  Enough to tell between a model 7 with a light 20" barrel and an SPS with a heavy 20" at 100 yards with all things being equal.  Probably not.  Will both work.  Yep! 

[Bart Solo]

 If you are a young guy full of piss and vinegar the 20 inch heavy barrel could be a world beater, because over all the rifle really isn't all much heavier than a standard rifle with a 24 inch barrel, but having just lugged my standard weight Weatherby Vanguard around for a season of still hunting, a light weight rifle seems more and more attractive to this 60 year old.     

[mcwoodduck]

Ron,
I had the same problem four years ago when I went pig hunting.
I'm an office jockey and do not do as much as I should physically.
I walk a couple miles a day but walking up and down the hills with the rifle had me tired and using the rifle sling.
When I got back home I saw in Sport Challet  step aerobic sticks They come in 3 to 25 pounds.  I purchased the 9 pound stick and started to carry it with me on my walks.  I went up to a 15 pound stick and now even my remington M700 SPS in 223 tipping the scales at 12.5 pounds does not seem heavy on hunts.

[Bart Solo]

Great tip. Thanks. 

[PartsMan]

Don't get me wrong I love heavy barrels and they have there place.
Tree stand deer hunting is not it.
A decent quality thin barrel that is floated will put two or three in a nice tight group.
More than enough to kill a deer.

[mcwoodduck]

Partsman,
I am not disagreeing with you.  I was just pointing out that there are other reasons for the heavy barrel that add to accuracy than the added steel for heat distribution.  For deer at most deer ranges you can not beat a short 308 with either open sights or low to meduim power scope and you will need a freezer to hold the steaks.  And even the old military rifles that shoot 3" groups at 100 yards are shooting minute of deer for most of the shots I have ever taken.  Until two years ago the longest shot I had taken on a deer was 75 yards and did that with buck shot.  Two years ago I went to MT and shot a my first mule deer at 275+ or - yards and my 308 did the job then.
Now if your talking about the Bean field guns that are set up to shoot 500 yards plus but those are different critters as far as guns go and any added advantage to accuracy is welcome.

[nomosendero]

I don't know if your stand is a stand with a gun rest or a rail to lay the gun until you are ready to use it or a small hang-on like I use when bow hunting or my climber & that makes a major difference. You could hunt with more gun-bearing comfort in a big stand with a big & heavy gun than with a light rifle in a small stand.
I should know, I have done it several times this year in both types of stands & both types of rifles. But as far as a 20" Tact. is concerned, no problem. No biggie