Hello all. My name is Matt and I am new to this forum. I need some help. I am interested in getting my first rifle. I have seen in magazines and heard a lot of people say good things about the Remington 700 series and I have been told to get one in .308. However, now that I have begun to look for one I find that they come in many different configurations. So what I need is a crash course in the 700. Primarily this will be a hunting rifle, probably deer and elk. However, I am a competetive pistol shooter so I don't want to rule out the possibility of competing with it. What advice can you give me? Is the 700 a good choice for my intended purpose? Is .308 a good caliber? What options should I be looking for? Please feel free to provide any additional information that you feel is relevant.

Thanks,
Matt

Ok Matt, first of all Welcome to this site. The remington rifles are great rifles indeed. After a little work that is. Most remingtons these days have crappy triggers. So you want a gun smith to see about that. The action is by far one of the best. For deer and elk .308 will certainly do it. And its very accurate. I plan on getting a .308 very soon. I was looking at the remington 700 SPS. That would be a good buy for the money. I own a Savage in .270WSM and the Accutrigger is the best i have seen in a while. So look at the remington i mentioned (STAY AWAY FROM THE REMINGTON MODEL710!!!) and some savages. All great quality for a low price. .308 will do it. If this is your first rifle. I take u will need to practice to be a good marksman. SO [practice practice practice. And try to find a barrel around 22 or 24 inches.

Matt,

Welcome to the group! Remington 700s used to be a fine rifle, but you might want to take a look at other brands, too. Remington (along with Sako, I believe) has incorporated something that they call an Integrated Security System into their bolt. Unless it is set just right, the bolt won't close and the rifle is useless. I have heard at least one report of the ISS malfunctioning, so the rifle couldn't be used.

As with anything that has moving parts, things can go wrong, and I question whether this 'safety feature' is worth the risk of having a hunt spoiled because of a malfunctioning rifle. After all, the best safety feature is always between the hunter's ears.

Can someone tell me the difference between ADL and BDL (I hope those are the right terms)? Also what is a heavy barrel? Wood vs. synthetic for the stock? Are there advantages to changing the stock to something aftermarket? Critter_Killer mentioned poor triggers on the 700s, what can be done about this? Is there an advantage to stainless vs. blued? Is there another brand, Savage was mentioned, that I should look at also?

OK OK OK... take a breath your in good hands. ADL and BDL are diffrent models of 700 go to www.remington.com and look at thier diffrent models. A "heavy barrel" is a extra thick barrel. It allows you more wieght on the end for stability and it wont heat up as fast as a normal barrel. In any case some like them some dont. In the wood vs. synthetic, it could go on forever. Wood adds more weight wo the rifle. And is more fragile. And in rainy or damp inviorments it can drawn in moisture and warp. Synthetic in most cases is lighter and more durable. stainless vs. blued is the same case. stainless is more durable and wont rust as quick as blued barrels. I preffer a stainless synthetic for those rainy day hunts, or in thick brush where you wont mind scratching a stock.After market stocks are better or worse depending on what stock is already it on the rifle. I like most factory stocks (the ones taht are already on the rifle). For the poor triggers though its an easy case to solve. Just have a gunsmith install a custom trigger or adjust to the best of his ablilty the one thats alreay on the rifle. Because most people like a 3 or 4 pound trigger. I like mine at 3 and one half. Most remingtons along with other brands have 8 or even 12 pound triggers which is very bad for accuracy. I am also getting a .308 and i found a very nice rifle at the savage website that i will be getting for those sunny days in the stand. Savage rifles have a type of trigger called the "Accu-Trigger" its user adjustable and its set at a very low pound setting. My savage .270WSM has a "Accu-Trigger" and it is an even 3 1/2 pounds. Very nice trigger. Also savages have great barrels and are very accurate. a barrel length of 22'' is just enough for a .308win. If i left any question un-answered please tell me and i will get back to you. Have fun with selecting your new rifle.

A couple more questions. What does it mean to have a free floating barrel and what is fluting?

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Remington (along with Sako, I believe) has incorporated something that they call an Integrated Security System into their bolt. Unless it is set just right, the bolt won't close and the rifle is useless. I have heard at least one report of the ISS malfunctioning, so the rifle couldn't be used.

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According to the latest advertising,remington has discontinued their j-lock for the 2005 models.

There are a lot of things to consider when buying a rifle:
Price, Style, Uses, Quality and of course Resale value.

There are a ton of brands out there. Most are decent, some are better, some are at the top. A Remington M700 can be in any of those 3 catagories. I have a Remington M700 Sendaro in 25-06 (they don't make it that way anymore) that shoots .386 five shot groups at 100 yards.

I have another Remington 700, a 338 Winchester, Custom Kevlar Stocked Mountain Rifle from the custom shop that was 3 times as expensive as the 25-06. It shoots 1.5+ groups and the safety is really hard to move (no matter what I do to it).

A custom shop M700 can be as expensive as most factory guns made ($2000-3000). An ADL which is the vanilla plain version cost around $400.

Price just one variable. Style is a bigger concern to most. If you like "classic" stocks (straight buttstocks without a hump) don't get a Weatherby or a Remington M700 BDL. If you like european-cheek pieces don't get a BDL or a Weatherby get a CZ or a Voere. If you like monte carlo stocks get a Weatherby or a BDL.

Gun makers make a dizzing array of rifles, in about 50 calibers. Pick a caliber, then look for the rifle style you want in that caliber. Then check around to make sure that Manufactuerer good.

There are very few bad manufacterers of rifles. Here are a couple good ones: Blaser, Ruger, Weatherby, Sako, Tikka, Voere, Remington, Winchester, Savage, Verny Carron, Sabatti, Mauser, Dakota, HS Precision, Steyr Mannicher, FN, Browning, Kimber, CZ, and Howa. I might have forgotten a few but these are the most common in Europe and the USA. I have about a 3rd of these and love most of them.

Stainless or CM? Stainless is more "stainless" than wood. It is a more durable all weather finish. CM is stronger and easier to machine.

Synthetic or Wood? Synthetic stocks can be made out of fiberglass, kevlar, boron, graphite, and injection molded polymer (or IMP). IMP is the weakest and easiest to warp. A good mixture of the others hand-laid into a fiberglass stock is stronger, more stable, and straighter.

Wood comes in walnut, maple, and laminates there of. Laminates are stronger than any wood, maple, or even most fiberglass if properly put together. They are heavy though. A solid Walnut or maple stock is like all wood and is always moving from the time it get's chopped down till it rots back into the earth 1000 years from now. It is the most beautiful though.

Triggers for most factory guns just plain suck. A competant gunsmith can work on most. Some have to be replaced at an average of $80-250. That would be $250 for a match grade Jewell the best on the market for a Remington M700. Most gunsmiths charge $50 to work on a trigger.

Resale value depends on how much you changed it for the worse from original and how much wear and tear is on the gun. Buy high sale low seems to be the industry mantra!

Good luck welcome to the sport.

www.blaser.de
www.weatherby.com
www.tikka.fi
www.sako.fi
www.remington.com
www.savagearms.com
www.dakotaarms.com
www.hsprecision.com

IF you're looking for just a hunting rifle mfor deer and elk in .308 WIN., I'd recommend a Model 7 if you want a Remington. Otherwise, look at the Ruger Ultralight. You need a light rifle if hunting in mountains!

Regardless of which rifle you choose, don't let anyone tell you that there's anything wrong with a .308 for deer and elk both. It is an excellent all-round caliber!

Free floating barrel means that the barrel doesnt touch the stock it "floats" some like it better some dont. But a good free floated barral u can slide a piece of paper between it and the stock. And fluting is pieces cut out of a barrel to increase the time it cools and the wieght.

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Originally posted by El Deguello:
IF you're looking for just a hunting rifle mfor deer and elk in .308 WIN., I'd recommend a Model 7 if you want a Remington. Otherwise, look at the Ruger Ultralight. You need a light rifle if hunting in mountains!

Regardless of which rifle you choose, don't let anyone tell you that there's anything wrong with a .308 for deer and elk both. It is an excellent all-round caliber!

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Dead on the money ElD, either model in synthetic and stainless topped by a 2X7 compact is hard to go wrong.

Free floating. As for some liking it and some not. It depends on the rifle not the person. Some rifles do fine without any part of the barrel touching the stock. Some do better with the forend of the barrel pushing up on the stock (this is called pressure bedding).

A rifle should never be free floating unless the action has been glass bedded to the stock. Irregularitys do occur but this is the best way to insure proper stock contact.

Stubblejumper

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According to the latest advertising,remington has discontinued their j-lock for the 2005 models.[/QUOTE]

I sure hope you're right about this!


Rich Elliott

So I emailed the Remington folks and, guess what? Stubblejumper is 100% correct! Thanks for the info.

Rich Elliott

My son wanted his own rifle. After thinking it through he decided on the Remington 700 BDL in .308 in a lefty model.
We picked it up the begining of the week. What a really nice rifle. It will take about a week to get the mount, rings and scope. We should be shooting by next week sometime. If we don't get snowed under.

The 700 is a good bread and butter rifle and the 308 is plenty adequate for deer and elk. One can make all sorts of recommendations for different brands ( I like Model 70s and detest Remingtons) and calibers ( I'd pick a 300 Win Mag ), but you really can't go wrong with a 700. Now, as some of the guys told you, there are several variations of the 700. You need to avail yourself of the different types, go to a gunshop and fondle them, then make your choice. Your initial pick is a sound one so all you have to decide is whether you want wood or synthetic, matte finish or glossy, etc. The new CDLs are rather attractive. Take a look at that model and let us know what you decide. jorge