Opinion of calibers and guns

[Kenneth66]

Have a friend who has a Remington 700 Rocky Mountain Federation 300 mag , with stainless looking plating .
Is there anything special about these , bedding , trigger , or is it just a good looking 700 ?
He also has a stainless appearing Vangaurd in 257 Weatherby Vangaurd magnum .
I know these are the lower end Weatherbys , but are they shooters ?
Bedding , trigger ?
My next question is , what kind of barrel life can you expect from these two calibers ?
Would like to hear likes and dislikes you may have of guns and calibers .
He also has the 700 in a mountain rifle configuration in 257 Roberts .
Thanks , Kenneth

 

[CaptainMal]

Lots of things to answer. As for the rifles, a Remington 700 is a Remington 700, no matter what kind of special lettering you put on it. Unless it came from their Custom Shop it's just a 700.

The Weatherby Vanguard is a nice factory rifle. Few deal with them because they are not what most on this forum like to make modifications. I do not know anything about the bedding or trigger but they do have a reputation as "shooters"...whatever that means as "shooter" is quite subjective. That's a rifle I would not touch.

I have a Rem 700 Mountain Rifle in 257 Roberts. One of my favorite rifles for hunting. Killed a big 8 pt at 540 yards with it. Have used 257 Roberts in different rifles to take many big game and varmint animals. Bedded my Mountain and set the trigger. To me (subjective), best cartridge for long life and ordinary, varmint/deer usage there is. Fun rifle to carry and shoot. That thin barrel is for hunting. Three shots and it's too hot for #4. I say if you can't hit it in one you are a sad rifleman. Mine really is sub MOA with 115 Nosler Ballistic Tips.

You do not say what you want to do with the rifle. These three are both the same and different. The 300 mag is an excellent elk, bear and long-range cartridge. it's a somewhat big kicking thing for bigger game, really not much fun to shoot and shoot. Same with the 257 Weatherby. Expensive factory ammo and way overbore, it's reputation for medium game (deer) killing is good. Barrel life is horrible. I say avoid that creature.

 

[K22]

Calibers - depends on purpose - I assume you're interested in big game calibers from the one's you listed in your post.

For the average North American big game hunter any of the following old standbys in my opinion are excellent choices: 30-06, 270, 308. (Doesn't include the big brown bears). Too much emphasis is placed on which caliber debates - most suitable big game cartridges will do the job very well - There needs to be more emphasis on field shooting skills i.e. better marksmanship.

Guns - At one time Remington made some of the finest factory rifles in the world. Not sure anymore that's the case. For value, currently - I think the Tikka's are very good. The triggers are excellent, the actions smooth and reliable, accuracy good with tailored reloads. Factory rifles are always a crap shoot but usually you can get them to shoot reasonable well with reloads and / or bedding the stock / adjusting the triggers.

If I was starting all over again I'd bite the bullet and have a custom rifle build with the twist rate matched to the bullet I intend to shoot, with a Timmey trigger, match barrel, mauser action, and a bedded stiff high quality fiberglass stock only because I'm an accuracy bug not because it necessary to be successful in taking big game.

Most factory rifles are capable of adequate accuracy for big game hunting at reasonable ranges, i.e. under 300 yards. You don't need a 1 moa rifle for big game hunting unless you're one of those long range specialists with master class shooting skills.

 

[Kenneth66]

Thanks for the responses . Was thinking along the same lines as far as practical use . I realize the magic one inch shooters aren't nessacary for big game , just tight groups makes me smile and gives that extra edge of confidence , and no I am not the guy who takes shots and hopes for the best .
I am supposed to be getting a pre 64 70 in 257 Roberts from my uncle who bought it new .
Thanks , Kenneth

 

[Boyd L.]

.....I am supposed to be getting a pre 64 70 in 257 Roberts from my uncle who bought it new....

Very generous uncle.

 

[Kenneth66]

Yes sir , he is a good man , Kenneth

 

[butchlambert]

Has Remington quit making the 700 in different versions? A couple years ago the made them in several configurations.
Did a search:
https://www.remington.com/search/ri...kfinish=All&additionaloptions=All&passion=All
19 versions and if you add the different calibers it is about 100 different variations.

 

[Kenneth66]

LMAO , I got it bad , saw several on that site that sounded really interesting .
Kenneth

 

[K22]

Thanks for the responses . Was thinking along the same lines as far as practical use . I realize the magic one inch shooters aren't nessacary for big game , just tight groups makes me smile and gives that extra edge of confidence , and no I am not the guy who takes shots and hopes for the best .
I am supposed to be getting a pre 64 70 in 257 Roberts from my uncle who bought it new .
Thanks , Kenneth

One of the finest calibers ever developed. I had one in the 60's and like a fool sold it. Great white tail caliber with mild recoil.

 

[butchlambert]

I have a Hyper Single falling block and a 722 in 257 Roberts.

 

[hogan]

Looking to buy or looking to buy from a friend?

Leaving nostalgia and relations out of the picture, let's discuss caliber; aka bore diameter... The .264/6.5mm caliber has about the best variety of quality bullets available. Being able to shoot 140 to 160 grain bullets is a plus the .257 caliber can't compete with. For further bullet refinements look at the 6mm or .243 caliber. Probably the most developed match caliber going, at least for precision shooting.

The 6.5/284 Norma is basically a magnum performing standard boltface cartridge. Want 3000fps, wouldja settle for 2950 if you got better barrel life. Although it is a stretch to say the 6.5/284, a real hotrod, is better than a magnum; yet the small bore dia magnums are often real throat burners. The Win 70 in .257 Roberts reeks of nostalgia, and may be collectible. The newer USRAC stainless Classics are arguably the best ever Win 70s, but any 70 is preferable to a Howa or a Rem 700.

The 6.5 creedmoor is the hot ctg of the decade for beginning precision longrange shooters. Great bullet selection and a bit less recoil than a .260rem or the 6.5/308.

The 6.5 chamberings offerr same or better velocities than .25 cal chamberings with same bullet weights readily available. What the .25 lacks is anything over 120gr unless you find some old Barnes Originals bullets somewhere. The 7mm and .30 cals offer similar advantage over the 6.5, but more bullets developed in the past 15 yrs for the 6.5mm and .338 cal than any others. Newer designs better performance, at least usually.

Lots of fun to scan the used bolt rifles on gunbroker.com to educate yourself a bit as to values. Tikka and Savage and the standard chambered Howa rifles are excellent values especially the stainless Tikka. A varmint Tikka is a serious longrange rifle at a great price. Savage has really come into its own in the past 10-15yrs, There's a lot to learn and a lot of missteps to try and avoid.

 

[284winner]

To answer the barrel life question is really tough. When you talk to guys about how long there barrel lasted, you'll hear one guy say 1000 rounds and yet another will say 4000. This question has so many variables. How hot do you get the barrel while shooting it ? How often do you clean it ? How hot are your loads ? Is it a target rifle or hunting rifle ? The list goes on. I would say that both cartridges are going to be real close with all things being equal. Minimum of 1000 Rds if you shoot them hot, clean less than ideal and use it as a target Gun. More than double ( probably triple )that if it's a hunting rifle loaded at moderate velocities and cleaned often.