REM sendero question

[Mr.Moa]

I've been debating on looking into these rifles for a while. Remington just hasnt ever stood out to me for some reason. I love their guns but i feel like i can get more for my money ... but the sendero seems to be a great gun. a neighbor has one that shoots great and i know other people that like them just as well. I want to know anything you can tell me about their preformance and pros & cons of this gun, because it's a high contender for my next gun. what caliber would you suggest ... 300 ultra ??? then after awhile rebarrel to 338 edge ... or 300 win mag or 7mm stw.

 

[freebird63]

I have a sendero 300RUM, its an ok gun. But having said that after I bought mine I was at a local gunsmiths shop and took a look at his custom 1000 yard 3000RUM and wished I would have known about it and would have paid the price for the custom gun over the sendero. I have had my sendero accurized, installed a jewell trigger, installed a wyatt extended box magazine, put a 20moa nightforce rail and nightforce rings on it, had a limbsaver recoil pad put on it.
They are ok guns, they are not the gun Remington claims they are. I have a friend who has a sendero 7RUM and he feels the same way as me, he went out and bought a tikka 308 and has found that he enjoys shooting it more then the sendero.
The sendero's are very deep throated, I can load a round, from tip of bullet to base its 4 inches long and I am still not touching the lands.
If I could find someone that would buy it with all the supplies I have for it, I would sell it in a heart beat and go buy a full custom or semi custom 7MM Rem mag. I just wished I could find someone to buy it. Good luck on your decision.

 

[rscott5028]

Cartridge is mostly personal preference relative to your desired application.

I bought a used 1st generation Sendero on Gunbroker just over a year ago.

It was a great buy and is an excellent rifle.

Mine is 7mm Rem Mag.

I own many rifles. This was my first Rem. It's not a miracle stick. ...although my 14 yo son killed a doe at 548yds last season which I think is a fine accomplishment and attributable in some part to a solid rifle that shoots Berger 180 VLDs sub-MOA out to 940 yds which is the farthest he's had a chance to shoot.

In any case, it's a great rifle that I can build into a very nice custom going forward. I would not be too ashamed to own a few more in various calibers.

-- richard

 

[SBruce]

I've got the VSSF, nothing more than the short action version of the Sendaro.
Only thing I did was put in a Jewell trigger set at 10oz. and mount a Nightforce 3.5-15X56 on it.

I may have got lucky, but I have absolutely no complaints on this rifle at all, except maybe it gets just a little heavy when walking all day long.

Here's a few targets I saved from when I was working up loads for it.

3 shot groups and 5 and 6 shot groups at 100.
3 shot groups at 200,300 and 400.
It's taken many, many coyotes at 400-500 yds.

 

[Eaglet]

My son William at the age of 16 y/o had just shot a small doe at 482 yards. One shot.
Same, rifle, 300 RUM Sendero, was used by my son Marlon to take an Elk at 470 Yards. Again one shot! I'm a happy owener of this gun and intend to keep it for
many years to come, the Lord willing!

Here is William at 17 with an antelope shot at 350 Yards with the same rifle.

This same rifle, shot 18 shots at 302 yards; 6 "3 shot groups", each group had diff-
erent powder charges and the grand average for all groups was 0.737 MOA at 302 yards.
Two of the groups had 0.537 MOA and 0.507 MOA.... Not bad for a skim bedded
and re-adjusted trigger factory rifle. Yeah, it also has a muzzle break!

 

[baldhunter]

They are great rifles for the price.I've got one in a 7mag and one in a 7STW.Both rifles shoot really well,but I did bed the recoil lugs and adjusted the triggers on them.

 

[WyoElk2Hunt]

I think Remington rifles are good the sendero being the best but gives you a great platform to work off on. I own 3 Remington rifles.

 

[Elkslayer1]

Eaglet,

What muzzle brake do you have on that sendero? How did it tame it?

Thanks,

 

[rscott5028]

My son William at the age of 16 y/o had just shot a small doe at 482 yards.
[...]
Here is William at 17 with an antelope shot at 350 Yards with the same rifle.

That's what life's about right there!

 

[roninflag]

most of the questions on LR can be answered : sendero and leup 6.5X20

 

[venom600]

Bought my first Sendero SF ii in February of this year, in 300 RUM. Couldn't be happier. I've got over 150 rounds through it already, doing load development. Shooting 1/2 MOA at this point (1" groups at 200). I scoped mine with a Huskemaw 5-20LR and am pleased with the scope as well. I can't wait to actually get it in the field and harvest some game with it.

--Ben

 

[runshort]

Bought a Rem. Sendero in 7mmrm probably about 4 years ago now. We have several other Rem. 700 and have pretty decent luck with those. We had the trigger adjusted to 3 #s and started some load developement. After about 3 months about the best we could do was 1.25" groups at a 100 yards. Tried a lot of powder/bullet combinations and never could do much better. Wasted a lot of barrel life but what the heck. The HS Precision just never really felt right to me. The palm swell just didn't feel normal. After about 1 year we bought a Greybull Precision stock and did the drop in thing. We torqued the action screws and started shooting. The new stock fit me much better than the HS Precision. Using some of the same handloads we had been shooting groups went from 1.25+ to well under 1" in just a few weeks of shooting. Looking back now I think we just lost confidence in the rifle. I would buy another Rem. Sendero and I think they are a good platform to build off of. I think the .300 WM would be a good choice and is capable of taking just about anything that most people hunt. Good luck on which ever caliber you chose.

 

[rscott5028]

Bought a Rem. Sendero in 7mmrm probably about 4 years ago now. We have several other Rem. 700 and have pretty decent luck with those. We had the trigger adjusted to 3 #s and started some load developement. After about 3 months about the best we could do was 1.25" groups at a 100 yards. Tried a lot of powder/bullet combinations and never could do much better. Wasted a lot of barrel life but what the heck. The HS Precision just never really felt right to me. The palm swell just didn't feel normal. After about 1 year we bought a Greybull Precision stock and did the drop in thing. We torqued the action screws and started shooting. The new stock fit me much better than the HS Precision. Using some of the same handloads we had been shooting groups went from 1.25+ to well under 1" in just a few weeks of shooting. Looking back now I think we just lost confidence in the rifle. I would buy another Rem. Sendero and I think they are a good platform to build off of. I think the .300 WM would be a good choice and is capable of taking just about anything that most people hunt. Good luck on which ever caliber you chose.

When I bought mine, I took it out of the stock and noticed the front sling swivel stud had been rubbing the bottom of the barrel. So, I ground it down with a Dremmel. I had not shot it beforehand. But, I often wonder if that's why I got such a good deal on it.

 

[johnnyk]

Mr.MOA,
there are mixed reviews/opinions on the Sendero but for the most part they are solid performers. I have had a couple/three over the years (try to keep one or two!) and they have all shot under 1/2" with tailored handloads.
The first two I owned were the first generation, unfluted and blued. The first was in 7mmRM and it shot absolutely wonderful. It was one of the most accurate rifles I ever owned. I liked it well enough I bought another but in .300WM. It too was accurate but I didn't need the extra recoil and eventaully traded it for a 700VS (BDL wood stock) in .243Win.
I eventually shot the barrel out of the 7mag and traded it for a 700P in the same caliber. Once the barrel got broke in good it started printing sub 1/2" groups also. The trigger was terrible and I swaped it out for a Shilen. Nice trigger.
In the mean time, I traded that cute little 700VS (.243) for a Sendero SF (stainless, fluted) in .25-06 and still have it. It too shoots sub 1/2" groups and dropped its first Georgia whitetail last season.
I have owned one other 700 VS (Varmint Special - wood stock) in .22-250 and another VS (Varmint Synthetic) in .22-250. Both were fine, sub 1/2" rifles.
In my youth I was a dedicated Remington man but over the years I have gravitated toward others that I have found to be just as capable and as accurate.
I currently have two Savages, one a 112BVSS (.300WM) the other a 12BVSS (6.5-284Norma) and both can hold their own and do shoot sub 1/2". I also have a Win70 HVB in .243 that is as accurate, if not more so, than that first Sendero I owned.
The common denominators with all these is; heavy barrels, solid foundations (stocks), crisp triggers, good optics and handloads and lots and lots of shooting experience.
Good luck with your decision. JohnnyK.