A curious absence: Rem 700 5R

[wklohr]

Hey all!

New guy here. First post. I joined because I am a hunter at heart, but my experience is back east (WVa) with deer hunting <150 yards. But there is a club in town with a 300 yard range, and I want to start using it with the hopes of elk in the future if I can master the skills necessary. Plus, there are always more guns to play with. So...

Always have had eyes on a 308 Win and a shop nearby has a Rem 700 5R (stainless) on the rack in that caliber. From what I read, its quite a rifle. But when I searched this forum group for some comments, I didnt find any posts. While I understood this is not a typical field rifle, I would have thought that it was used to reach out and touch a few deer, elk, mullie, goat. ?

Am I barking up the wrong tree with this choice?

And! Glad to be part of the forum. There is powerful mojo in this group from what I can read so far. Whew.

wkl

 

[Nimrod1203]

Hi,
Let me be the first(not last) to welcome you to the forum. There is a ton of information here, and will serve you well in the future for information reguarding shooting and hunting. There are a ton options out there, and the members here will help you make a good decision on what to choose. Now to your question....That rifle would be a great choice for 300 yards. plenty of oomph to do what you want plus the 308 bullet choice will not steer you wrong. You can load 110 for coyotes/groundhogs or 168 bergers for elk or anything in between. The rifle should prove to be very accurate, and ammo can be had cheaply for quality practice. at 300 yards, that 5r will be plenty of gun. plus it's a solid build platform if you get a bit more serious down the road. Again, welcome and I'd buy that rifle with confidence.
Nimrod

 

[silvertip44]

The Remington M700 5R is a fine rifle so don't hesitate to buy it if it is what you want. As previously stated, it is not designed as a field hunting rifle, but mine has spent a lot of time in the woods. I have all three calibers offered, 223, .308 and .300 WM.
Although it is extremely accurate right off the shelf, it can certainly be improved. Bedding and installing Jewell triggers are a big help. Buy it shoot it and hunt with it. It's a bit heavy for hauling around but it will serve the purpose well.

 

[Caleb]

I have a shooting buddy that owns one, just like the one you are looking at. It is an exremely nice, heavy rifle. I like it, and usually shoot from prone when I hunt anyway, so I don't think I would mind it too much. I have a varmint gun that is even heavier but I dont do too much hiking when I'm shooting coyotes, so who knows. At the shooting range however, it shoots really well, and does well out to 600 yards. It shoots extremely tight at 300 yds but the performance of a 300wsm and 300wm are exceptionally superior out further. Nevertheless, it's a beautiful gun that I would like to own myself. If I'm not mistaking, I believe they come from Remington with HS Precision stocks....I think.

 

[SBriggs]

Hey wklohr

I just bought the very rifle that you speak of! Got mine used but like new!

Excellent shooter, the 5R rifling does like the heavier bullets! I've done a load work up with 168 gr noslers and 180 gr noslers and it really likes the 180s, best group so far was half inch at 200 yds! Only did that once but still really shows some potenial!

Get some good glass and have fun!

SB

 

[WildRose]

Hey all!

New guy here. First post. I joined because I am a hunter at heart, but my experience is back east (WVa) with deer hunting <150 yards. But there is a club in town with a 300 yard range, and I want to start using it with the hopes of elk in the future if I can master the skills necessary. Plus, there are always more guns to play with. So...

Always have had eyes on a 308 Win and a shop nearby has a Rem 700 5R (stainless) on the rack in that caliber. From what I read, its quite a rifle. But when I searched this forum group for some comments, I didnt find any posts. While I understood this is not a typical field rifle, I would have thought that it was used to reach out and touch a few deer, elk, mullie, goat. ?

Am I barking up the wrong tree with this choice?

And! Glad to be part of the forum. There is powerful mojo in this group from what I can read so far. Whew.

wkl

Nothing wrong with those rifles at all except for the caliber. In all honesty while the .308w is a great round for target shooting, even tactical use, it lacks the gas to really be an adequate LR hunting rifle for most of us.

You just can't push heavy enough bullets fast enough from the .308W for it to compare well to even the .300wm, much less the 300 RUM or the big .338's.

They are cheap to shoot as there's a lot of quality factory ammo and components to reload very economically so it is a great rifle/round to use for the purposes of building your skills as a shooter when you need to practice, practice, and practice a lot more.

I do believe I've seen some of the 700P's in the 5R barreling chambered in 300WM so if it were me I might start there as the 300wm is also one for which there are very reasonably priced factory ammo and components available if you want to start with a good .30cal.

 

[Caleb]

Nothing wrong with those rifles at all except for the caliber. In all honesty while the .308w is a great round for target shooting, even tactical use, it lacks the gas to really be an adequate LR hunting rifle for most of us.

You just can't push heavy enough bullets fast enough from the .308W for it to compare well to even the .300wm, much less the 300 RUM or the big .338's.

They are cheap to shoot as there's a lot of quality factory ammo and components to reload very economically so it is a great rifle/round to use for the purposes of building your skills as a shooter when you need to practice, practice, and practice a lot more.

I do believe I've seen some of the 700P's in the 5R barreling chambered in 300WM so if it were me I might start there as the 300wm is also one for which there are very reasonably priced factory ammo and components available if you want to start with a good .30cal.

This is kinda what I was trying to get at. While the .308 has its place, I just really believe there are too many better options for hunters. The drop that we have to compensate for at 400yds and beyond would be a lot to deal with in the field. I know that the .308 has its following but we often put lesser marksmen behind lesser rifles of a superior cartridge and get on target at longer ranges better than we can with the 5R. While you cant argue with the .308's inherent accuracy, and history, sometimes a flatter trajectory is easier to work with, especially while hunting at variable and intermediate ranges. If I run across the rifle while at a gun show for a good price, I would pick it up, but there are better hunting set ups for less money that would be easy to build on.

 

[WildRose]

This is kinda what I was trying to get at. While the .308 has its place, I just really believe there are too many better options for hunters. The drop that we have to compensate for at 400yds and beyond would be a lot to deal with in the field. I know that the .308 has its following but we often put lesser marksmen behind lesser rifles of a superior cartridge and get on target at longer ranges better than we can with the 5R. While you cant argue with the .308's inherent accuracy, and history, sometimes a flatter trajectory is easier to work with, especially while hunting at variable and intermediate ranges. If I run across the rifle while at a gun show for a good price, I would pick it up, but there are better hunting set ups for less money that would be easy to build on.

You also have a tremendous energy advantage along with higher BC's in heavier bullets with the 300wm or 300 Rum.

It just doesn't have the punch to be a decent long range hunting rifle for large game.

It is however proven many times over as a highly effective short range big game rifle as well as a tactical rifle round but that's a totally different set of applications than we discuss here.

 

[wklohr]

Gents! I thoroughly appreciate your input on this topic and the warm welcome. Much obliged!

I know the 308 is the lightweight around this huntin' lodge but I supspect that "I" fit the caliber as well. I've not had nearly enough experience with long range shooting nor the larger energy loads, and I want to practice (Good advice from above) without getting spooked by recoil/noise. The 308 matches my 375 Win lever almost exactly in this department. Go with whatcha know, so for now, this is the plan. My brother, however, has a 358 Norma, so I may borrow it to start getting accustomed to the heavier recoil.

I am about to spend the most I have EVER spent on a firearm so it and I will grow together in the longer distances and when I am up to snuff, I will consider moving onward and upward to that 300 or 338. A man can never have too many shootin' irons.

Again, thanks for the sound advice and input. Good to be here.

William
Frederick, MD

 

[Caleb]

Gents! I thoroughly appreciate your input on this topic and the warm welcome. Much obliged!

I know the 308 is the lightweight around this huntin' lodge but I supspect that "I" fit the caliber as well. I've not had nearly enough experience with long range shooting nor the larger energy loads, and I want to practice (Good advice from above) without getting spooked by recoil/noise. The 308 matches my 375 Win lever almost exactly in this department. Go with whatcha know, so for now, this is the plan. My brother, however, has a 358 Norma, so I may borrow it to start getting accustomed to the heavier recoil.

I am about to spend the most I have EVER spent on a firearm so it and I will grow together in the longer distances and when I am up to snuff, I will consider moving onward and upward to that 300 or 338. A man can never have too many shootin' irons.

Again, thanks for the sound advice and input. Good to be here.

William
Frederick, MD

"A man can never have too many shootin' irons"....You couldn't be more right about that! Luckily, my wife is a photographer and she knows the value of having quality equipment, and the different grades of "good". She can tell the difference in a $500 lense and a $2000 lense, so lucky me.....being able to tell the difference in a $500 rifle and a $2000 rifle. Just take your time in deciding what is best for you. Seems like every time I buy a gun I quickly stumble across what I should have bought. There are tons of options. Reguardless, I don't think you will ever regret the 5R.

 

[twoftagl]

I've never heard a single 5r owner complain about their rifle. Great out-of-the-box rifle with room to expand.

The 5r in .308 is really best suited for long-range target, sniper or plinking, and long range for deer-sized game on down. That rifle should shoot well for you out to 1000 yards with little to no modifications, using the right load. Most 5r owners with the .308 shooters report 1/2" groups AND LESS at 100 yards out of the box with factory loads.

If you're looking for Elk, the 308 can be adequate with the right bullet, but most folks prefer a little more power for elk...that extra power really is necessary when shooting at longer ranges. Maybe some .308 shooters can chime in on what they consider their max Elk range due to ballistics.

If all you really need is 300 yards, most hunting rifles will be more than adequate for that range, and easier to carry.

It's a great rifle for what it's meant for...just keep in mind what you want the rifle to do and buy one that fits those needs. If you don't mind the extra weight and don't plan on shooting elk at really long ranges, then that rifle will work very well for you. Again, I've never heard any 5r owner speak poorly their rifle.

Chris