New Remington Rifles-Quality?

[Tommie]

Bought a new 700 Classic in 17 Rem. Fit, finish etc was pathetic. Didn't shoot worth a crap. When I was a young lad, 700's were gorgeous and generally shot nice groups with factory ammo. My, my how things have changed. I'll stick with my 788's.

 

[K22]

I have a j lock era vls in .223 that is extremely accurate with 40 v maxes. I think the new Remingtons are hit and miss with quality and accuracy. I would look for an older one but I wouldn't expect the 12 twist .223's to shoot 55s all that well.

I have seven 223's, all with a 12". They all shoot the 55 grain Nosler, Hornady, and Sierra bullet extremely well. With my match barrel rifles group are in the 1/4 moa range.

 

[JarheadAZ]

Dick's sells a private version of the Savage, the 11VT.

Mine is the .223 and with only a trigger weight adjustment, it is my short/medium range match rifle. It handles 75gr HDY HPBT Match handloads very well at 250yd.

I replaced the 'package' scope with a $250-ish Mueller 8-32x44 target scope and 30mm rings, and I can even see the 22 caliber holes at 250yd well enough to leave the spotting scope at home.

Very simply put, get the Savage.

Greg

 

[Riesel]

Plus one on the Mueller scope. A great buy for the money and all of mine track very well and repeatedly.

 

[JarheadAZ]

Plus one on the Mueller scope. A great buy for the money and all of mine track very well and repeatedly.

I own a pair and intend to buy more.

Greg

 

[carnivore]

I own a pair and intend to buy more.

Greg

Buy a Savage and don't look back.

 

[NC308]

I bought a rem 700 VSF. It was ok. Shot ok but not great. The throat was so looooong! It was in a 308 and I could not get at 155 bullet close to the lands! And as other have mentioned the triggers are crap!

 

[dryhumor]

Hit and miss anymore. I have a Jlock (replaced with Gretan assy) .204 ADL that shoots 1/2 MOA. I have a VLS I picked up for the action and stock that had a out of square receiver face from the factory.

I think from mid 1990s to around 2000 ish the quality was pretty good. I've had 4 police rifles that all shot 1/2 MOA or less. 3 were .308 and one was .223 in a 12 twist.

Look for an older 700 would be my suggestion if you are wanting one. If you can get the serial number; call Remington and they can tell you the date of manufacture.

 

[Swift4Yotes]

Savage 12fv at cabelas. Heavy barrel with accu trigger for 419.99 with 100 dollar factory rebate right now. We picked up 2 in 308, one in 204 and waiting on one in 22-250 to be shipped. So far we set up and shot one of the 308s and the 204. 308 shoots one hole groups with 150 sierra match hps and the 204 put 3 in one hole and the next group 2 in one hole and the last at about .375" with 35 bergers. For 375 ish bucks after rebate I am sure they can't be beat. I have several rems but it is hard to argue with Savage accuracy in a bone stock rifle. Varmint model accu triggers easily go down to a crisp 1.5 lbs too.
They are available in 223, 204, 22-250 and 308.
If you get a Rem plan on dropping 150 to 225 on a trigger and plan on a new stock as well. Savage offers 1-9 twist as well.

 

[Paddyd]

Look hard at the Savage LRPV. It's single shot, but very stiff action. The Savage target and LRPV actions are probably the stiffest actions on a factory rifle. That .204 LRPV I have has a mammoth 1" OD barrel with that tiny .204 hole down the center. Great stock which I think is made by HS Precision with alluminum bedding block. I can shoot for quite awhile before it even gets very warm to the touch. Accurate as any factory built .204 out there and better than most. Screw in a Krieger or similar barrel and I bet it would be competitive against rifles costing thousands more.

 

[DaveTooley]

I just got in two Remington's that started life as bare actions and came in as barreled actions. One didn't have the scope base screw holes tapped. Of course I didn't catch it until after they were Cerakoted. No big deal to run a tap in but no good deed goes unpunished. I broke a tap. Finish on the bolt got chewed up.

 

[dixieppc]

I just got in two Remington's that started life as bare actions and came in as barreled actions. One didn't have the scope base screw holes tapped. Of course I didn't catch it until after they were Cerakoted. No big deal to run a tap in but no good deed goes unpunished. I broke a tap. Finish on the bolt got chewed up.

You know, with each passing year, I hear more and more quality horror stories about Remington. And I'm a Remington Man. I'm not talking about deep hidden issues but grade school, easily noticeable stuff that should never have made it by QC much less out the front door. It's as if there's a bunch of monkeys slinging stuff out the back door any more. I mean, if you can't even drill the scope base mounting holes in top of the action in a straight line then I have to question their ability to handle more complex tasks.

Regards....

 

[vonb]

Have bought some of their recent stuff and have some older stuff. I've had great luck with their varmint contour barrels in .223 and .308. In fact, I couldn't ask for better accuracy out of a factory tube. Their recent sporter barrels are OK for hunting and will hold MOA for 3 shots. What I do see is a canted recoil lug as well as a horrible finish on the blued (i.e. SPS/ADL) models. While I've not had rust issues (I keep them oiled), it does feel like there is grit in the action when running the bolt due to a rough bolt and raceway. I'll give $297 for a package Remington 700 from Wal-Mart. I won't give any more. Maybe I'm to blame.

 

[Paddyd]

Have bought some of their recent stuff and have some older stuff. I've had great luck with their varmint contour barrels in .223 and .308. In fact, I couldn't ask for better accuracy out of a factory tube. Their recent sporter barrels are OK for hunting and will hold MOA for 3 shots. What I do see is a canted recoil lug as well as a horrible finish on the blued (i.e. SPS/ADL) models. While I've not had rust issues (I keep them oiled), it does feel like there is grit in the action when running the bolt due to a rough bolt and raceway. I'll give $297 for a package Remington 700 from Wal-Mart. I won't give any more. Maybe I'm to blame.

While that $297.00 Remington might be a good deal if all you're looking for is something to put meat on the table you have to realize that they will not get better as long as people are OK with an inferior rifle. What drives quality control is sales. Stop buying those cheap guns and they will be forced to build better guns or go out of business.

 

[Superx1]

Have you seen the UTube about the manufacturing of a 700

. The rifles move slowly on a conveyor as parts are added while the conveyor is moving. Remington is proud of that. I haven't bought a new Remington in 20 years but have many old ones that have the nice polish and fit. Nearly all my old 700s have bolts tightly fitted to the action so there is no side play or bushing needed. Just ask a smith that trues up 700 actions and they will tell you the new ones need a ton of work compared to the ones made in the 60's -80's.

 

[mic2377]

I think the most recent actions are alright. Despite all 700 actions supposedly being created equal, I do not think that they are. I have a long-action SS action and a blued short action, and they seem much better finished/smoother than the SPS/ADL actions I have handled.

They have definitely incorporated more automated (read: CNC) tech into their manufacturing process, and for the better in my mind. I have a Versamax 12-gauge shotgun and it is an amazing piece of machinery that I could not imagine being made without well-refined CNC equipment.

 

[vonb]

While that $297.00 Remington might be a good deal if all you're looking for is something to put meat on the table you have to realize that they will not get better as long as people are OK with an inferior rifle. What drives quality control is sales. Stop buying those cheap guns and they will be forced to build better guns or go out of business.

I bought it for what it is. If I want quality out of the box, I'm buying Sako in a factory rifle. A Remington isn't worth much more.

 

[expiper]

well,I did it,,,I was out grocery shopiing a few days ago and while wandering about in wal-mart in the sporting good dept,,,,there they were,,,Remington 700's on special sale,,,many polular cals. (06..243..223 ) ,,,so I thought "Why not see for myself,,??,,,,I purchased one in .223 just to see for myself,,,it is a 700 ADL w/24" bbl.,,,,I took it home and removed the 4X12 factory installed scope/and rings, and replaced it with an old Lyman LWBR 20x that I use as a shop scope on customer guns, and used Sig Z rings on the Weaver bases provided by Remington in the original package,,,,I have pile of ammo loaded for rattle guns so I scoped out 20 that were all LC --2011 and dedicated them to this rifle ,,,I centered the turrets and fired the first shot ,,it was ~2" left and 4" low,,,I cranked the reticle to the bullet hole and then shot three- 3 shot groups ,,,,cleaning between each group,,,,they were all ~1" @ 100yds,,,this ammo is loaded to mag length for rattle guns (CFE 223--Sierra 52 SMK) ,,,,I took the gun bak to the shop and removed the little pressure point at the tip of the forearm and put a .030" shim under the action fore end which gave a free floating bbl,,,,and I adjusted the much malighned modern day trigger to 2 lbs....(it was ~5 lb originally),,,,the next day I took it out to the range again and the first shot was ~5" low,and perfectly centered,,,I cranked to the hole and shot three -3 shot groups ,,,first one ~3/4 " (all horizontal with stiff 10mph wind) next 1/2" ,,next first two shots touched and third sitting directly above them and about a bullet width of paper between them ( prolly .4" ,,,) I cant wait till I use some 133 and Barts "Boutique" bullets ,,,,more to follow,,,Roger

 

[clowdis]

It doesn't matter which brand you buy you will always find good ones and bad ones along with people that love and hate whatever brand you're talking about. Anything that is commercially made is that way. I've repaired and or modified them all! There are just no guarantees. Buy what you want!

 

[Steve Ladino]

I drank the Sako/Tikka KoolAid and lived to regret it; only now getting my A7 to shoot (after 150+ test rounds), but still doesn't always eject and rounds pop thru the mag in warm weather. Wish now I'd just re-barreled one of my "known-entity" 700s to desired chambering.
The low-end Sako A7 and Tikka T-3s are IMO just Euro-trash versions of Savage Axis, Rem 783, etc.; you have to get into say, at least an $1800 Sako 85 to break into the accuracy, quality - and (barely) prestige (according to the snotty Sako Owners Club). But, the T3 Tikka Varmints do seem to be almost always accurate; wish they sold the .243 here. Another issue with Tikka-Sako is their purchase by Berreta; not sure their QC and CS is any better than the conglomerate that owns Remington is.
Another option would be to just spend the extra bucks for a semi-custom 700 from RedHawk Rifles (or, if one's a Savage fan, Shaw's), and save some worry while getting somewhat of an accuracy guarantee. Or, buy a 700 action from Bud's or Northwest and go from there...

I have two Tikka heavy blue in .223 , one NIB the other has been shooting winning groups for two years now...paid less than 1 k for each. the stocks can be helped with pillars and some relief of forearm material, all the best scores are shot with Tikka and Savage rifles at our Tuesday fun matches....in .223 and out to 300 yds.