Buying a new rifle: Which Remington 700 to buy?

[djm670]

And here we go, add a trigger, action bedding, scope rail, etc., etc. You're up to over $1,000, without a bullet having been sent down range.
Usually better bargains to be had from rifles that have already been modified. Nothing wrong with buying virgin steel, but... it may be worth it to keep looking.

The only issue with that is that peeps tend to keep or hang on to the really good shooting ones.... and off the ones that don't shoot so well. Not that there are not bargains to be had better than new buying each piece individually.

 

[swe123]

I'd much rather have one over a B&C. The palmswells on the newer HS stocks suck, IMO. But the stock is still much higher quality than most any other factory offered rifle stock.

No argument on the quality between BC and HSP. I will not contribute financially to HSP.

 

[swe123]

The only issue with that is that peeps tend to keep or hang on to the really good shooting ones.... and off the ones that don't shoot so well. Not that there are not bargains to be had better than new buying each piece individually.

There are some people that just complete one build, work up loads and move on to their next build. Kind of like politicians that are more into the process than anything else.

 

[Frog4aday]

BryDawg512,
Do NOT be distracted by people arguing over things like triggers and stocks and calibers. You are on the right track. I swear it seems people are only happy if they are planting doubt and seeds of confusion. Buy the Remington suggested in post #2 with the SS barrel (5R rifling) in the HS Precision stock and don't worry about the factory Remington trigger as it will be FINE for hunting (safe and not heavy or creepy.)

Also, you couldn't have picked a better caliber as the .300 Win Mag will do everything you want it to do in life. And you'll ALWAYS be able to find ammo for it, even in the back woods, Ma & Pa stores where the best hunting spots tend to be.

You have been given good advice (initially!) Stick with your choice and be happy. Remington makes excellent firearms. The .300 WM is a classic, great choice in caliber. Others may prefer different upgrades, different calibers, and that's great. Get the gun, use it, and then only change what YOU don't care for, which might be...nothing! Seriously. You are buying a high-quality firearm with upgrades already made to it. It will be a great hunting/shooting tool that you can tinker with over time, if you so choose.

 

[carl1775]

I've purchased a few firearms from members here and have yet to be disappointed. Some people just hate their money, I guess.

 

[5.56×250]

I really like the R5 Remington Milspec. I think it's one of the best kept secrets amongst factory rifles at a decent price. Several years ago for factory class, Egg Shoot competition where the Remington Milspec qualified as factory, I went through three Milspecs getting approximately 2400 rounds before accuracy began to exceed .25-.5MOA. Barrels ran long strings and very hot in the summer months. While the BTO of these rifles were ran pretty long, in +.150" range, they produced great accuracy with almost identical loads between rifles. My only modifications(allowed) were trigger/stock upgrades to a Jewel or a Timney, and, while not really necessary, a McMillan A5 on one of the rifles. The fit, finish, and reliability of these rifles were IMO, a notch above the other Remington 700's. The biggest surprise was that when Bore-scoped, even after a couple of thousand rounds, the bore looked more like a one of my custom barrels then the rough sewer pipe appearance quite typical with most factory grade barrels. Given my satisfaction with the 308's, I later purchased a 300WM with 24" barrel. Added a muzzle brake, trigger, A3 McMillan stock, and 5x25x56 ATAC-R scope, and this rifle continues to this day to be my go-to LR hunter for larger sized game.
Shown: My Mil Spec 300WM hunter with typical 200 yard oerformand with the 200gr ELD-X,
View attachment 139505 View attachment 139506

Hammer forging a barrel usually gives a nice clean bore. Less stress too, so the point of impact isn't as likely to shift when it gets hot. The quality of the rifling and bore finish are directly related to the mandrel that the barrel is shaped to. Hammer forged barrels are also the most durable way to make a barrel. The surface of the bore is work hardened during the hammering process so you can run the accurate round count a good bit higher than a cut or buttoned barrel. I'm glad to see the major American manufacturers starting to use this method . Ruger had been hammer forging for a while now on some models . It's a smart move on Remington part to get in on it too, IMO.

 

[RevJim]

Go on Gunbroker and find you a nice Remington 700 Classic in 300 WM or 300 Weatherby. have the rifle pillar bedded and floated. Have the trigger worked on or replace it with a Trigger Tech Primary. Done, unless you want a Limbsaver Pad put on it too. Happy hunting.

 

[LDHunter]

I've been shooting rifles with the "tactical" HS Precision stocks for almost 20 years now and have yet to have one on a rifle that wouldn't print really small groups. I've found that they all needed to be skim bedded to get really reliable small groups. The first ones I became familiar with were on the Model 700 PSS and LTR rifles with the fat barrels and every one of those rifles shot very well.

Now that Remington has come out with the 5R Gen 2 rifles I'm confident that there really IS something very special about those rifles and have yet to hear of one that wouldn't really shoot well. Yes... There is something very special about these rifles and it is crazy how an off the shelf factory rifle can shoot like a custom rifle costing upwards of $3500 but there you have it.

With simple skim bedding done properly and a good trigger and match grade factory ammo such as Federal Gold Medal Match or Berger's excellent new factory ammo offerings with the Lapua brass it seems that my handloading days may be over and my quest for rifles with a total cost under $1500 after bedding and triggers cost are here.

Of course then I go out and spend another $1500 or so on a scope before I'm done but that's another issue... LOL