I was just curious specifically what kinds of crappy attention to detail you all were referring to about the remington rifles being manufactured recently. I dont want to buy one that is a horror story. I looked at one tonight and it seemed like it was well made. It was a VLS. I was impressed although it was heavy. Then I looked at the savage. Although it may be accurate, it was ugly, heavy and the bolt was very sticky-it paused in 3 places on the one I looked at. I would still like to get the best option available, I did not like the j lock thing either-how does it work? Also the sales guy said the trigger could not be adjusted- is this true? Thanks Nathan

Save your money...buy a Savage. With their new trigger they are the best bang for the buck on the market.


swede

Nathan-

Remington-bashing seems to be in vogue, especially on this board. I've got a bunch of Remingtons, and am very happy with them.

Yes, the VLS is heavy, but it's SUPPOSED to be with that thick barrel. Yes, the triggers can be adjusted easily, and if you still don't like it, just about every aftermarket trigger manufacturer makes one for the M700. The J-lock can just be "unlocked" and throw the key away, or you can swap out the bolt shroud for an "old style" one at minimal cost.

I'm with you... Savage may be accurate, but they have got to be the ugliest, cheapest looking rifle out there.

Coldbore, Do you have a vls? They are supposed to be really accurate and I have heard good things about them - just not on this board.

Nathan, not ALL current Model 700s feature crappy detail work, although all too many do. If yours is sound, shows good workmanship, and shoots well, count your blessings and hang on to it!

In general, the best Model 700s were built between 1962 and 1988 or therabouts. I've owned a ton of 'em from that era, and just about every one of them shot well, worked well, and showed good workmanship. Since these rifles were produced by the hundreds of thousands, there's a lot of them out there and still available for sale on the secondary market.

For example, I recently purchased, for a ridiculously low price, a newish Model 700 BDL in 7mm Rem. Mag. that was built in 1963 (vintage 3-9X Redfield scope included!), and that rifle is a real shooter. I doubt that it's had more than a couple of boxes of shells fired through it since it was made. I'll work up a good handload recipe and then likely give this gun to my nephew as a HS graduation gift this coming May, but it's the sort of rifle I encourage guys to look for when they're in the market for a Model 700.

These older Model 700 rifles are out there if you can find it in yourself to look past the local discount retailers (like Walmart), prowl enough used gun racks at legitimate gunstores, and walk enough isles at gunshows. I found that 7mm Rem. Mag. in a dusty corner of a used gun rack at a small-town gunshop here in Oregon, about a forty-minute drive from my house.

AD

I think that the truth here lies in the details. If you aren't too picky about the external finish of your rifles, you will be very pleased with any rifle that Remington ships. If you are picky about the external finish, then you need to buy only a rifle that you can hold in your hands. Do not put yourself in the position where you "order one out" and you are obliged to take the gun when it comes in.

As to the internals, this is where it gets tricky. One of the Remington defenders on this board carries a borescope with him to the gunshop. No joke!!! For the rest of us, it is imperative that we do business with a shop that will stand behind the product it sells, and send that product back to the factory at no cost to the buyer if necessary. This way you are covered.

I personally have had more major problems with Remington than all of the other brands combined. I will concede that this may just be bad luck ..... but I doubt it. As far as the trigger goes, it's probably the best in the buisness and fully adjustable. No problems there at all.

Gabe

Forget Rem and Savage and get a Sako. Sakos are at least as accurate as Rem and Sav, but are much better quality and pleasing to use.

I JUST go by what my gunsmith tells me of
bad chambers,
rough chambers
misalligned scope mounting screws
bad bbls

this is not counting at all any cosmetic blems.

It appears to be endemic with the newer Remeingtons. older ones are less prone to the problems.
When folks come in looking, he tells them to buy Savage even though they are cheaper.

Nathan,
I have a 700VS pre-jlock. It shoots pretty well,,, that is to say it will hold about .5-.6 @ 100yds. if I do my part. The barrel is not as smooth as I would have expected, and is a little harder to clean than some of my rifles. I can find no problems other than this. The barrel is not really that bad, but with a bore scope you can tell a differance compared to a Ruger VT I also have,,, the Ruger barrel is notably smoother.
The only thing I have against the Savage, is the barrels seem to be a little softer. The only one I had much experiance with was a .22/250 and it shot out much sooner than expected.
Give them all a good look, and get what makes "YOU" happy. You can always change the barrel if one is ruff, or shoots out.

Good Shooting,
MaBell