Opinions on the Remington 783 ?

[Overkill338]

I traded a chainsaw for a NIB 783 in .308 Win. The scope has no markings, so I'm thinking cheap Tasco package scope?

Anyway, I only had $75 in the chainsaw, so I feel I got an "ok" deal. I'm giving it to our 15 year old son. He has a Savage .270 already, but he wanted a 308, so I traded. It looks like a 700 to me. What is different about it other than the cheap flimsy stock? Are they accurate? The trigger looks like an Accutrigger.

Anyway. Let me know the good or bad.

Thanks!

 

[436]

I traded a chainsaw for a NIB 783 in .308 Win. The scope has no markings, so I'm thinking cheap Tasco package scope?

Anyway, I only had $75 in the chainsaw, so I feel I got an "ok" deal. I'm giving it to our 15 year old son. He has a Savage .270 already, but he wanted a 308, so I traded. It looks like a 700 to me. What is different about it other than the cheap flimsy stock? Are they accurate? The trigger looks like an Accutrigger.

Anyway. Let me know the good or bad.

Thanks!

They are actually not bad rifles at all, like many rifles you can get a lemon or a death ray of a rifle; most the ones I've shot have just been good everyday meat rifles. Good luck

 

[Overkill338]

They are actually not bad rifles at all, like many rifles you can get a lemon or a death ray of a rifle; most the ones I've shot have just been good everyday meat rifles. Good luck

So ideal for a 15 year old that still bangs them on trees or drops them in the leaves.

 

[Frog4aday]

Seems like every report I read from people that actually own one is that they are an accurate rifle. For a person that just wants to shoot and hunt and isn't looking to 'customize' they are a good value.

 

[Overkill338]

Seems like every report I read from people that actually own one is that they are an accurate rifle. For a person that just wants to shoot and hunt and isn't looking to 'customize' they are a good value.

Looks like it has a barrel nut like a Savage.

 

[Frog4aday]

Well, Savages have been known for accuracy for years, so nothing wrong with that system. I wonder what thread pattern the 783 barrels use? It would be too much to hope they'd follow the Savage pattern, which would make barrel swaps easy-peasy. I just figure for a guy looking to get into guns, hunting, and shooting, the 783 is probably as good as any other 'bargain' rifle out there.

 

[Mike 338]

I got one in 308. Had a faulty magazine and wasn't very accurate with Federal Match 168 gr. ammo. I got it as a project gun anyway but wanted to shoot it just in case it was one of those rare "Wednesday" production type things. It wasn't.

Because it has a barrel nut, I ordered a Criterion barrel in 6.5x47 on a Boyd's Stock. PT&G bottom metal, EGW base and a SWFA 3x15 scope. Left the trigger alone as it was good enough. I even found a trick little screw-on tactical bolt knob on ebay. Turned out to be a great little fun rifle to shoot mid range stuff on the cheap (actually, nothing is cheap about a project rifle).

On your gun, I'd shoot it and see. Even the worst guns they make now-a-days out shoot all those beauties ("hunting accurate") those expert gun writers raved about in the 80's.

 

[Mike 338]

Well, Savages have been known for accuracy for years, so nothing wrong with that system. I wonder what thread pattern the 783 barrels use? It would be too much to hope they'd follow the Savage pattern, which would make barrel swaps easy-peasy. I just figure for a guy looking to get into guns, hunting, and shooting, the 783 is probably as good as any other 'bargain' rifle out there.

It's an odd thread pattern and the threads are "rough". I thought I was going to cross thread it when putting the barrel on but it turned out OK. That's why not a ton of pre-fits are made for them but Criterion (best price), Pac Nor and one or two other do offer pre-fits.

I picked up another 783 in '06 that's been sitting around for a long time. Was thinking I'd make something like a beater backcountry horse hunting rifle. Like I need another project!

 

[hrnhntr]

In most cases they are a very accurate rifle. They were designed to be Remington's answer to the American, Axis, etc. Fit and finish is rough but built to function and be accurate. There is an article on this site from when they came out that is very detailed.

 

[cohunt]

I had one in 7rm-- wouldn't buy another one
barrel was super rough from the factory, always wanted to copper foul real easy..put over 500 rounds through it, tried 5 different bullets, 4 powders, 2 types of brass, 3 different die sets, 4 different primers, different seating depths, neck turning, you name it, I even filled the forearm to stiffen and skim bed the action--could never find a load any better than 1.25 moa--waste of time and $ in my shoes, for a general beginners rifle it will work ( but I feel there are better values out there). I had a few different kinds of factory ammo that would shoot at 1.5-1.75 moa, good out to 300 yards max for hunting accuracy i my eyes

I see some good reviews on them, so they must be hit/miss for accuracy
some claim they are good basis for custom builds as the receivers are tubular design and pretty strong and use a barrel nut nut style like savage. but I feel there are better options if you are going to be doing a custom build, as they don't have much aftermarket support for parts.

as far as the one the OP got for $75 chainsaw trade--shoot it and see if it shoots well, if not get rid of it. just 1 opinion though

 

[Frog4aday]

COHUNT, I've just gotten to the point on any gun that won't shoot (or fouls like mad) to do two things: Recrown the barrel and 'fire-lap' the barrel. Seems to work like a charm. But with a gun as 'inexpensive' as the 783, you'd be out nearly $100 doing the crown via a gunsmith and buying the fire-lapping bullets from David Tubb, so I'm not sure it'd be worth the time and effort.

As for the 'faulty' magazine MIKE 338 mentioned, seems this is becoming the 'norm' for the budget rifles. When researching for which 'short' .300 Blackout bolt action to get (Ruger American or Howa 1500) there were tons of reports of the .223/.300BO mags from Ruger not feeding properly. People would complain to Ruger, then Ruger would send them a new magazine that also failed to feed correctly. Genius (not.)

Thankfully I found a YouTube video showing how to pull the mag apart, wind the spring another turn tighter (more spring tension) and that seems to 'fix' the rounds getting stuck in the mag issue on the Ruger. Not sure what the problem was on the Rem 783, but if a manufacturer is going to go the 'detach mag' route, they should make it fool-proof as that's how the gun is going to be a repeater and not a single shot. I guess we pay our money and get what we get. Thankfully MOST glitches are fixable on these budget guns...it's just a matter of how much it costs to do that.

To the OP, I just can't see how you could possibly go wrong with a Remington bolt action .308 Win for the equivalent of $75. If it doesn't shoot well or the mag is finicky, you can easily sell the gun and get triple your money out of it. A 'no-lose' situation. And if you are one of the lucky ones that gets a 'shooter', then awesome.

 

[Overkill338]

COHUNT, I've just gotten to the point on any gun that won't shoot (or fouls like mad) to do two things: Recrown the barrel and 'fire-lap' the barrel. Seems to work like a charm. But with a gun as 'inexpensive' as the 783, you'd be out nearly $100 doing the crown via a gunsmith and buying the fire-lapping bullets from David Tubb, so I'm not sure it'd be worth the time and effort.

As for the 'faulty' magazine MIKE 338 mentioned, seems this is becoming the 'norm' for the budget rifles. When researching for which 'short' .300 Blackout bolt action to get (Ruger American or Howa 1500) there were tons of reports of the .223/.300BO mags from Ruger not feeding properly. People would complain to Ruger, then Ruger would send them a new magazine that also failed to feed correctly. Genius (not.)

Thankfully I found a YouTube video showing how to pull the mag apart, wind the spring another turn tighter (more spring tension) and that seems to 'fix' the rounds getting stuck in the mag issue on the Ruger. Not sure what the problem was on the Rem 783, but if a manufacturer is going to go the 'detach mag' route, they should make it fool-proof as that's how the gun is going to be a repeater and not a single shot. I guess we pay our money and get what we get. Thankfully MOST glitches are fixable on these budget guns...it's just a matter of how much it costs to do that.

To the OP, I just can't see how you could possibly go wrong with a Remington bolt action .308 Win for the equivalent of $75. If it doesn't shoot well or the mag is finicky, you can easily sell the gun and get triple your money out of it. A 'no-lose' situation. And if you are one of the lucky ones that gets a 'shooter', then awesome.

I think my son will get a lot of enjoyment out of it. In a few weeks I will test it. I've only fired it once. Just wanted to see if the scope was set up. Nothing major, I shot a 20oz coke bottle at about 30 yards. But that dont mean its "on", it could just mean I swayed the correct direction lol

 

[cohunt]

Those scopes have a short eye relief on them-- ok for lighter recoiling guns but not so nice on magnums.

Remington actually sells that scope with rings on their website for $75...non branded "made in China"

Remington also sells a scope base/ring 1pc combo mount (like a talley) that is quite a bit better than the 2 PC short rail sections and rings that come with it. I would only buy those if the rifle shoots well.

The issue with magazines was the feed lips/angle iirc, I never had any issues with feeding in the 7rm.

I'm not saying they are horrible guns, I'm just saying to shoot it-- if it shoots good then it's a keeper, if it doesnt- then get rid of it and try something else (that's the way I feel about entry level rifles)

I guess my opinion on entry rifles is they are just that- entry level. Some can be extremely accurate, others arent but I feel they arent worth spending $ or upgrades on of they dont shoot well right off the bat. If you are going to upgrade stocks, triggers, barrels, optics, mounts etc it is often better to start with a better known platform with lots of aftermarket support.

The thing I see about entry level rifles is that if they only shoot 2moa, then as the new shooter progresses and learns you now dont know if its shooter problems or rifle problems... if you have a rifle capable of 3/4moa but the shooter cant do better than 2moa, you know you still need to work on shooter skills.

 

[Overkill338]

Those scopes have a short eye relief on them-- ok for lighter recoiling guns but not so nice on magnums.

Remington actually sells that scope with rings on their website for $75...non branded "made in China"

Remington also sells a scope base/ring 1pc combo mount (like a talley) that is quite a bit better than the 2 PC short rail sections and rings that come with it. I would only buy those if the rifle shoots well.

The issue with magazines was the feed lips/angle iirc, I never had any issues with feeding in the 7rm.

I'm not saying they are horrible guns, I'm just saying to shoot it-- if it shoots good then it's a keeper, if it doesnt- then get rid of it and try something else (that's the way I feel about entry level rifles)

I guess my opinion on entry rifles is they are just that- entry level. Some can be extremely accurate, others arent but I feel they arent worth spending $ or upgrades on of they dont shoot well right off the bat. If you are going to upgrade stocks, triggers, barrels, optics, mounts etc it is often better to start with a better known platform with lots of aftermarket support.

The thing I see about entry level rifles is that if they only shoot 2moa, then as the new shooter progresses and learns you now dont know if its shooter problems or rifle problems... if you have a rifle capable of 3/4moa but the shooter cant do better than 2moa, you know you still need to work on shooter skills.

Very nicely put!