Hi

Been looking for a new varmint rifle and am thinking about either a Ruger M77 target grey or Remington 700 sps varmint.

I know the Remingtons pretty well but not this tipe but have read the stock aint nothing special,
the Ruger i know nothing about but it does look pretty good

Price for these are about the same locally with the ruger slightly more expensive..

What would be a better buy for paper puncing and some low volume medium range(300-400yards) varmiting?

Remington would get my vote any day! I have a 222 and 6 mm. varmint. Hard to beat the model 700. Thinking about a 22-250.

Remington is a hard rifle to beat out of the box, there is a reason they have been in business for so long.

But I would also consider Savage rifles, they have really stepped up into the rifle building world and are producing some high quality rifles for great prices. There Accutriggers and accustocks make things very nice and accurate right out of the box. A little smith work to a Savage or Remington and you have a solid match capable rifle these days.

If I were gambling the cost of a new varmint gun that what I bought would be a good shooter out of the box I'd take Savage over either Ruger or Remmie.
I own two Savages and both are 1/2 moa without much fussing around.

I have a Remington 700 SPS in .223 and find it to be very very accurate with the factory stock. No doubt there is some flex is that cheaper stock and one day I'll replace it with a laminated Boyd.

Until then I'll continue to enjoy those .5" groups that occasionally get down to the .3" area.

I'd go with the Remington. There are more after market products for it, and if you ever want to build it into something else, you smith will thank you.

I would go Savage also. Easy switch barrel. I have bought 2 brand new Remmy's in the last year and lets say they have been dissapointing. One was even their highly touted R-5 barrel model and it shot like a shot gun at 100 w/ several different handloads and Fed gold medal match.

My two best are Savage and Ruger in that order with a Stevens barrel swap in third. Hope this helps. roger

I shoot a Ruger M77 that started life as a heavy barrel varminter in 22/250. Shot well with handloads, in the order of .6MOA and was quite a useful rifle cartridge combo.

Over the years it's on in second stock, a laminate that is a carbon copy of the Sako 85 and third barrel, the previous two having lost guilt edge accuracy at 3800 and 5500 rounds.

Ruger's are pretty good. Can't help thinking the top end Remington varminters might be better.

At the end of the day your choice, can't help thinking either would work pretty well.

Do you drive a Ford, Dodge or Chevy? It's so tough to say one is necessarily better than the other.

The remington is believed to outshoot the Ruger but the Savage is said to outshoot both of them.

Get the one you like and make it accurate. That's where the fun is, anyway.

Good luck with your choice. Keep us posted.

Savages are consistently shooting very well. Savage is still putting button rifled barrels on their better grade varmint and target rifles ( maybe on the economy grade as well, I don't know about them ) Remington and Ruger are using hammer forged barrels, no matter what their advertising says, they are inferior. 10 or 15% of hammer forged barrels shoot good, most of the rest are just so-so. If you want a so-so rifle buy a Remington or a Ruger.

I have both, 1 Ruger and 2 Rem. in .223, Rems. average .464, & .471. while the Ruger averages .489 with 40 Gr. V Max. The Ruger averages .241 with Nosler 40 Gr. BT's. I usually shoot V maxes as I have over 8000.I do not shoot Benchrest, and I never notice the difference in the field. The Ruger looks the best. I also have 2 Winchesters, and they will all shoot better than me. Pick what you like, as your the one you have to please. I know nothing about a Savage, and hear they are accurate, but I am fussy about looks, and the Savage just never set me off. Not sure today, but the trigger gaurd used to be held on with 1 wood screw, and I was not impressed.

quote:

Originally posted by swampshooter:
Savages are consistently shooting very well. Savage is still putting button rifled barrels on their better grade varmint and target rifles ( maybe on the economy grade as well, I don't know about them ) Remington and Ruger are using hammer forged barrels, no matter what their advertising says, they are inferior. 10 or 15% of hammer forged barrels shoot good, most of the rest are just so-so. If you want a so-so rifle buy a Remington or a Ruger.

Button rifling is the most economical way to rifle a barrel. Hammer forging is somewhat more expensive and (when done properly) is considered by most superior to button rifling. Rifling by either method can result in both good barrels and bad barrels; it depends on the workmanship (and quality of machinery) applied to the method, not just to the method.

Cut rifling is still believed by many to be the way to get the best barrels, but it is also the easiest way to get a messed up barrel through poor workmanship or equipment.

Called a rifle guru friend of mine today and asked him the same question and the first thing he said was, forget them and get a model 12 savage!

Handled the Rem SPS varmint rifle this week and am not too impressed with the stock.
Not had a chance to look at the Ruger or a Savage yet but know there is a ship arriving full of savages next month so i guess ill wait and see if there are any M 12 ones there...

Dont know about hammer forged barrels but those ive had have shot good to damn great,
My Sauer 202 300 win mag shoots much better than i am capable of and i belive they are hammer forged.

Regards Ben

I would go with a CZ over either of them. If I had to pick between the two I think it would be Remington. I have several Remingtons and one Ruger. The Remingtons are both the Sendero model and both are extremely accurate rifles. The Ruger is a so so shooter but has seen years of shooting prior to me owning it. My CZ is easily the most accurate rifle in my safe. The CZ is right around the same price as the other two as well.

Hector,

you can't see it sitting behind the buttstock, but you can see those 1/2moa groups pretty easy thru the scope.

Rich

They're all pretty good guns, but something tells me you're more of a SAKO kind of guy.

Just to be different...
A few years ago, one of the gun magazines did an accuracy test of some of the usual suspect rifle makers. Weather Vanguard came in first.
Never having owned a Vanguard, I had to have one. I bought their two stock(Youth stock, and an adult stock), model in 223 with a 20 inch barrel and a 1-12" twist. The gun rag had it right, as far as the one I bought is concerned. With loads the rifle likes, and there are several of them, the rifle shoots 3 shots at 100 yards into 3/8" to 1/2" groups.
I'd suggest looking at the Vanguard as an option.
I know the Savages are reputed to be the most accurate out of the box rifles sold. But, they are butt ugly.. The Ruger, Rem and Vanguard are far better looking, and shoot well enougth for a varmint rifle. A note here; that is, the Rugers and Rems will require some tweeking to get the best accuracy out of them. I did nothing to the Vanguard other than swapping out their terrible trigger for a good one. Other than that, The vanguard is as it came from the factory.

Don

yep. the hammer forged Krieger barrel on the $399 vanguards. mine (6) have not failed to be under an inch, and 5 of them do 3/4 MOA or better on average.

krieger obviously isn't supplying their top of the line $700 barrel for the $399 rifle, but whatever they're doing is working damn well.

I will take U.S. made,,I can take scan/euro made,,but please,no Japan made,,even if it shares billing with the Weatherby name

I have Rem HBs in 223 and 308, standard bbls in 221, 222, 25-06. They all shoot sub MOA with handloads. I have a Savage 220 Swift 26" that I 0-ed 15 yrs ago with a hot load of IMR4064/55gr Sierra HPBT that I killed a feral dog with @ 355 yds off a truck hood last month! My wife hunts with a Ruger Compact 7mm08 SS laminated stock. POI from last season changed 15" down from this year! Action not as smooth as Rem either. Up to you.