Remington 700 - Looking at getting my first

[Diesel40]

I am looking at getting my first 700.  It will be in 308.  I have been researching them for a little while.  Wanted to see what you guys recommend.  I am looking at buying a gun to build a target gun out of and am looking for advice on what platform to start out with.  I am sure I will probably shoot a few coyotes with it but mostly looking for a target gun.  Open to all opinions and comments.  Thanks.

[Swampman]

The 700 SPS Tactical or Varmint either one would work fine.

[JPShelton]

I don't own one, but a LOT of people in my neck of the woods have Remington 700 VTRs.  The majority I see at the range are .223 but I've got to the .308 version in action, too.  I've got to shoot several examples of each, and I found all of them to be accurate.  I'd personally be leaning in that direction, because I've been so impressed with the VTR's I've shot.
 
Of course "Target Shooting" means different things to different people, and in some cases there's a rule book that dictates how your rifle will need to set up to compete.  But for the kind of informal target shooting most people do, I'd think the VTR would be fine and especially so if carrying it across terrain is part of the projected use.  The triangular cross section barrel used might look a little goofy at first, but I think it's a neat solution to getting a stiff barrel in a totable package. 
 
If I wasn't going to haul one around farther than my truck to the shooting bench at the range, or maybe even if I was, Swampman's suggestion would work for me, too.  Few could argue against the value that a 700 SPS Varmint represents in terms of performance vs. dollars spent.
 
In the end, though, Remington has so many choices in accurate .308 rifles....  I can't imagine being dissapointed with any of them, but I can see how some might want more than one ! .

[Lloyd Smale]

ive got a cheap sps matte blued 06 that is probably the most accurate sporter weight rifle ive ever owned. It was so accurate that i sprung for a nice cdl stock for it to doll it up. I dont think that rifle EVER shot a group larger then one inch.

[Swampman]

Mine does like wise...

[bigswede]

+ 1 for the Remington 700.  I have owned or shot ones in everything from 260 rem up to and including 375 h&h and everything in between including several wildcats and all of them have shot 1" or less.   I don't think you'll be dissapointed in which ever version of the model 700 .308 you get.  Good shooting.

[charles p]

I picked up an older ADL about 15 years ago and never fired it for 10 years.  It is a 270 and is possibly the most accurate rifle I own.  I love Rem 700s because I understand them, and can adjust their triggers, and mine will shoot good groups.  Had one blue printed once and chambered to 280 Ackley.  Doesn't shoot any better than the standard versions even with its Shilen match grade 26" stainless bull barrel.

[Diesel40]

Thanks for the imput.  The SPS Varmint is what a lot of people have suggested. They said the main thing with it is to replace the stock though.  Other than that it is a great gun. 

[Buckskin]

The 700 platform is THE choice in my opinion if you are going to be doing any type of a rifle build. Very easy to work with, countless aftermarket potential and reliable base to begin with. Many of them need nothing but a shooter behind them, but if you are going to build a target gun, I would just buy a standard BDL and go from there. Or find a used one in any short action caliber and build it up to your liking.  Put on a new pipe, maybe have it blueprinted, new stock or bed the original if it's decent, new trigger and you will have a dead nuts shooter.

[SHOOTALL]

The heavy bbl police version is a nice gun and already has a good stock . It has a 26 inch heavy bbl . then there is the 20 inch threaded bbl with hogue stoch which is very accurate and ready for a muzzle break , flash suppressor or suppressor ( nice on a target gun).

[BBF]

Swimming against the current.....again. Take a break from looking at Remington and have another look at Savage.

[Swampman]

Savage makes a cheap rifle.  If you can bare the looks of them.  I can't.

[Buckskin]

Savage has come a long way, just not long enough for me. Maybe someday I will give them a shot, but it will be when I really don't care about the outcome and just in it for the experiment. They do have a couple interesting commercials though, but that doesn't quite sell it for me....

[bigswede]

I got ruined by Savages years ago.  the first one I ever picked up scared me with that ghastly barrel nut.

[Doe]

SPS tac or this 5R-308

[BBF]

I got ruined by Savages years ago.  the first one I ever picked up scared me with that ghastly barrel nut.

I can take a certain amount of "ugly" if it turns out to be a shooter and that barrel nut is within my tolerance.

[rzwieg]

Most Savage bolts are very accurate but I've seen the extactor break on two new ones and one ejector after less than 100 rounds. I don't know if they still have that problem. The M700s I've owned and others I've shot have been accurate and more reliable than the M110 types.
 
I'm no expert but the older (pre 85) 700s are great as I've shot thousands of rounds through them. The QC on some newer ones leave something to be desired.
 
 

[Lloyd Smale]

Ive broke an extractor on one of my 700s last year so they too can break. Ill also add that last year I bought a cdl in 257 wby and if anything the fit and finish and quality of that rifle is as good or better then anything remington EVER produced. I think the guys who bash the newer rem 700s are looking at the adl and sps guns. Sure they have cheap plastic stocks and matte bluing but look at the price. If you compare them to a gun bought in the 70s for a 250 bucks that same gun would cost you a grand today and your buying sps guns for less then half that. What does a guy expect? Turkish walnut and hand polished bluing for 400 bucks? Look at a savage at a comparable price range. They sure dont have better fit and finish. bottom line is a new sps is probably the best bang for the buck of ANY 700 ever produced and one of the best bangs for the buck of ANY BOLT ACTION rifle ever produced.

[mannyrock]

Diesel,
 
   Do yourself a big favor, and save some money.  Go to a couple of large gunshows, and look until you find a walnut stocked Rem. 700ADL, made in the 1980s.  You should be able to tell by the serial number range.  These are excellent rifles and you can get them for between $350 and $450 IF you look and take your time.   I wouldn't waste my money on a new one, simply because the quality control is way too spotty.
 
  If you find you don't want the walnut stock, you can probably sell it for a $100 or so on Ebay.
 
    I don't know what year they switched over (definitely by 1980), but the early Remington 700s had a weaker extractor, that was much more prone to breakage than the improved one.   I've never seen one of the improved ones break.
 
   And, if you are really concerned about the extractor, it is a standard project for a gunsmith to replace the extractor with a Sako type extractor, which I have heard are even better.
 
Good luck,
 
Mannyrock
 
 

[Swampman]

It's dangerous, unnecessary, and greatly weakens the Model 700.  Sako extractors will blowout if a case fails.

[rzwieg]

Ive broke an extractor on one of my 700s last year so they too can break. Ill also add that last year I bought a cdl in 257 wby and if anything the fit and finish and quality of that rifle is as good or better then anything remington EVER produced. I think the guys who bash the newer rem 700s are looking at the adl and sps guns. Sure they have cheap plastic stocks and matte bluing but look at the price. If you compare them to a gun bought in the 70s for a 250 bucks that same gun would cost you a grand today and your buying sps guns for less then half that. What does a guy expect? Turkish walnut and hand polished bluing for 400 bucks? Look at a savage at a comparable price range. They sure dont have better fit and finish. bottom line is a new sps is probably the best bang for the buck of ANY 700 ever produced and one of the best bangs for the buck of ANY BOLT ACTION rifle ever produced.

Now, now...not bashing. My main hunting rifle for years was a 700 in .30/06 and my varmint gun is a .223.
 
In the past my friends and I have sent more Remington products back for warranty work than most others including a broken extractor. I got real testy when I noticed very uniform chatter marks in the barrel of my new .280.
 
Would I buy another 700? Sure... after a good once over.

[Swampman]

I'll stick with the best selling and most accurate production rifle in the world.  You can't beat the Model 700.

[Lloyd Smale]

If it shoots or if you look threw it too shoot ive sent at least one back for service. Guns scopes and most other things are mechanical devices. If you put them in the safe they will stay good forever. take them out and shoot the snot out of them and at one time or another they ALL can fail. Its probably why every gun and scope manufacture on the planet feels a need to have a repair facility. Ive had every american made brand of bolt guns at one time or another and in fact probably many of each. Yup ive sent rems back for service. But ive sent savages, winchesters and rugers back too. If anything id say ive sent rugers back more then ther rest combined! Yes too ill agree with you that you can get a bad remington right out of the box but again it can happen with any of them. My buddy once picked up a marlin 4570 guide gun that he had a dealer order for him that didnt even have the chamber cut. I sent back two rugers that were new just last year for barrel problems one a 77 in 264 and one a #1 in 257r. thing is that kind of stuff doesnt bother me. As long as they make it right. By the way since your a savage fan ill share this one with you. I bought a 110 used a few years ago. Looked like new. Got it for a steal and found out why. When i mounted the scope the holes drilled for the mounts were so far from being straight you could actually see with your naked eye that the scopes went off to the right. No big deal  I sent it to savage. they paid the shipping and sent me a new gun.

Ive broke an extractor on one of my 700s last year so they too can break. Ill also add that last year I bought a cdl in 257 wby and if anything the fit and finish and quality of that rifle is as good or better then anything remington EVER produced. I think the guys who bash the newer rem 700s are looking at the adl and sps guns. Sure they have cheap plastic stocks and matte bluing but look at the price. If you compare them to a gun bought in the 70s for a 250 bucks that same gun would cost you a grand today and your buying sps guns for less then half that. What does a guy expect? Turkish walnut and hand polished bluing for 400 bucks? Look at a savage at a comparable price range. They sure dont have better fit and finish. bottom line is a new sps is probably the best bang for the buck of ANY 700 ever produced and one of the best bangs for the buck of ANY BOLT ACTION rifle ever produced.

Now, now...not bashing. My main hunting rifle for years was a 700 in .30/06 and my varmint gun is a .223.
 
In the past my friends and I have sent more Remington products back for warranty work than most others including a broken extractor. I got real testy when I noticed very uniform chatter marks in the barrel of my new .280.
 
Would I buy another 700? Sure... after a good once over.

[Lloyd Smale]

dont know if id go that far. Ive had just as many tack driving savages and winchesters as remingtons. I think the remington action has the ablility in a custom gun to be the most accurate production action but in factory guns theres just to many variables. You cant expect EVERY sps sold using that cheap plastic stock and factory barrels to shoot like a army snipers 700. Yes you might get lucky and get an exceptional one but most of them are just average shooting rifles.  right now today if i had to go out and buy an o6 or something simular as an only gun and wanted not only a good looking well made gun but one that was an exceptional shooter id probably buy a win model 70. As much as i like remington 700s i think winchester has caught up and passed them in quality control. thing is you pay a bit more for that quality control though.

I'll stick with the best selling and most accurate production rifle in the world.  You can't beat the Model 700.

[Swampman]

Now that the Model 70 assembly is being moved overseas, I'm done with Winchester.