remington sps stainless

[pat86004]

I'm getting ready to buy a Remington to put new stock and trigger on and try to use as a long range rifle. The main complaint that people seem to have with the sps is the finish. This got me thinking, I've never actually laid eyes on a stainless sps, I asked some friends and no one else has either. Does anyone have an opinion on them? How is the finish? Any concerns that I should know about before I order one?

 

[Jud96]

I'm getting ready to buy a Remington to put new stock and trigger on and try to use as a long range rifle. The main complaint that people seem to have with the sps is the finish. This got me thinking, I've never actually laid eyes on a stainless sps, I asked some friends and no one else has either. Does anyone have an opinion on them? How is the finish? Any concerns that I should know about before I order one?

My cousin just bought a Remington 700 ADL stainless that is identical to the SPS except it doesn't have a floorplate. His finish is a nice matte stainless that doesn't catch the sunlight and isn't shiny at all. I like it a lot.

 

[Max Heat]

The 7RUM build that I just completed recently is based on an SPS that I bought last year. Matte stainless is definitely the ticket for a really clean, but not shiny, look. And the durability of the finish is unmatchable.

They say that once you go black, you never go back. I do agree that is probably true in MOST cases. But as we all know, very rule has it's exceptions, and this would be a primary example of one of them.

 

[mrultramag]

I have a SPS stainless. The finish was rougher than a cobb. If you wiped your gloved hand up and down the barrel it would tear threads out of your clothed glove. I had it bead blasted and am much happier with it. To me its a rougher finished/cheaper built version of a 700 BDL SS. That said; I restocked mine and it shoots fine with either the cheapo synthetic that came on it or the aftermarket I put on it.

 

[Max Heat]

I have a SPS stainless. The finish was rougher than a cobb. If you wiped your gloved hand up and down the barrel it would tear threads out of your clothed glove. I had it bead blasted and am much happier with it. To me its a rougher finished/cheaper built version of a 700 BDL SS. That said; I restocked mine and it shoots fine with either the cheapo synthetic that came on it or the aftermarket I put on it.

Huh? Rougher than a cobb?? Tore threads out of your glove???

MY (2012) SPS stainless was nothing like that - AT ALL!

I thought that "matte" stainless finish IS created by bead blasting.

What's going on here?

 

[dig]

Finish is decent, absorbs oils well. If it's to ruff a smith can blast it with a finer media for a smoother finish. I just picked one up, finish is fine to my taste, certainly not wearing out any gloves handling it, lol. You can also coat them pretty in expensively, if that is to your likening. I will concede older models were better finished.

 

[lewwetzel]

I have the Varmint version of the stainless SPS that Cabela's and a few others sold a while back. The finish does indeed seem smoother than the lighter-barrel versions now do, but haven't done a side-by-side comparison. Mine has some real nice jewelling of the bolt. Not a bad looking package after I put an olive Medalist stock on it. (Too heavy with that 26" barrel, though.)

 

[mrultramag]

you think I'm shitting you but I'm not.. it is a sps 700 ss in 257 wby. The finish was so rough it would snag fibers on cotton/flannel. It didn't feel good to the hand. Additional bead blasting to approximate the bdl cured that issue.

 

[Max Heat]

Sounds like there must have been a period of time where they went too extreme on roughness, before the situation got corrected.

 

[Dixie Rebel]

SPSs can be VERY rough and yes, I have seen them so rough as to catch fibers.

 

[lloydsmale]

only stainless sps i have is my 300 win mag. Never noticed the finish any rougher then some of my other stainless guns. One thing i have noticed with it is it has a tendency to rust. It gets little speckles of rust if it gets wet and sits without being oiled. I havent seen that with any of my other stainless guns including my other stainless 700s. I dont know if the alloy they used was a bit differnt or not but it does do it.

 

[lewwetzel]

I hear you on the rust speckles; my SPS does that, too. Same with my LVSFs, mostly in the barrel flutes. Stainless steel will rust.