Does anybody have any opinions on the Remington SPS in the newer Varmint model? Thanks.

I have one in a 223 and sont mind it but the stock flexes to much.

I purchased a Rem SPS Varmint 204Ruger.

I own and am happy with 2 other Remingtons, 700BDL .17Rem and .243s.

However, when I got this rifle home and cycled the action, it felt as though there were large amounts of shell grit all through the action.

The synthetic stock, and I own other rifles with these stocks, is to my mind, maybe not others, a piece of rubbish.

Never been so disappointed with a rifle purchase in my life.

It is going back to the gunshop today; if they will not give full refund,then will just downtrade?? to perfectly acceptabel Howa 204, which I have shot and they are far better rifles.

Maybe I got one of a bad batch.

But the rifle I purchased should never have got past Rem QC, if that is still in place!

Don't like putting up such a negative post, but this has been my experiece.

May yet purchase one the lovely , light, nicely balanced Rem 700 LVSFs in same calibre. Have had a shoulder of these in several gun stores and was very tempted to purchase.

I was not able to "try" the SPS Varmint before purchase.

Simple and big mistake!

I had a choice between the SPS-Tactical and the 700 LTR, both in 223. I chose to pay the extra for the LTR, and have not regretted it...

I picked up a SPS Varmint in a .223 about a couple of months ago and have been happy with the purchase. The fit and finish isn't midas grade but the darn thing shoots very good and after working on the trigger I think that it will work out great for the intended purchase.

I did find it a lot heavier than indicated in the specs which for a stationery rifle is ok but for a walk- a- bout rifle it could be a tad heavy with a large scope attached.

Accuracy has been ok with groups around .5-.9 depending on the trigger puller. I'm looking forward to using it this spring for rock chucks and will see if it holds up. So far so good.

quote:

Originally posted by TEANCUM:
I picked up a SPS Varmint in a .223 about a couple of months ago and have been happy with the purchase. The fit and finish isn't midas grade but the darn thing shoots very good and after working on the trigger I think that it will work out great for the intended purchase.

I did find it a lot heavier than indicated in the specs which for a stationery rifle is ok but for a walk- a- bout rifle it could be a tad heavy with a large scope attached.

Accuracy has been ok with groups around .5-.9 depending on the trigger puller. I'm looking forward to using it this spring for rock chucks and will see if it holds up. So far so good.

In other words, buy a Savage...
1/2 MOA to 1 MOA is just OK accuracy for a .223

When the SPS first came out, alot of guys thought it might stand for Serious Piece of Sh*t

That's probably why they didn't call it a CPS...

Even the Savage/Stevens comes with an AccuTrigger...

Buy this instead:

What costs less than $600 and will out shoot your SPS out-of-the-box?

All WITHOUT FIXING THE TRIGGER!!!

the sps is popular in Australia, but only because its cheap !!

This gun is strictly for shooting off of the bench at 100 to 200 yards. I thought the wide forend of the SPS V would be better than the Savage 12 FV which I also considered. That being said, would this change any opinions, or stay with the Savage? Thanks again.

quote:

Originally posted by Leo M:
This gun is strictly for shooting off of the bench at 100 to 200 yards. I thought the wide forend of the SPS V would be better than the Savage 12 FV which I also considered. That being said, would this change any opinions, or stay with the Savage? Thanks again.

I would stay with the Savage. Trigger, trigger, trigger.
You can always put a Boyd's or whatever stock on it later if the original stock is too narrow. I would rather spend $150 and fit a decent looking stock than $100 for a aftermarket trigger.

Plus if you decide to upgrade to a better Savage (SS, etc.), you can put the original stock back on and have a nice stock for your next one. Just a thought...

quote:

Originally posted by Flippy:

quote:

Originally posted by TEANCUM:
I picked up a SPS Varmint in a .223 about a couple of months ago and have been happy with the purchase. The fit and finish isn't midas grade but the darn thing shoots very good and after working on the trigger I think that it will work out great for the intended purchase.

I did find it a lot heavier than indicated in the specs which for a stationery rifle is ok but for a walk- a- bout rifle it could be a tad heavy with a large scope attached.

Accuracy has been ok with groups around .5-.9 depending on the trigger puller. I'm looking forward to using it this spring for rock chucks and will see if it holds up. So far so good.

In other words, buy a Savage...
1/2 MOA to 1 MOA is just OK accuracy for a .223

When the SPS first came out, alot of guys thought it might stand for Serious Piece of Sh*t

That's probably why they didn't call it a CPS...

Even the Savage/Stevens comes with an AccuTrigger...

Buy this instead:

What costs less than $600 and will out shoot your SPS out-of-the-box?

All WITHOUT FIXING THE TRIGGER!!!

Never been a fan of the Savage line and have had good luck with the Remingtons. An actual .5-.9 shooter seems to serve my needs just fine, that means that some of the rounds are in the .5 group size and for an off the shelf rifle that's not bad. Never said it was a bench rest beast. The trigger job can be done by yourself easily and who knows maybe after a lot more roads down the tube the groups might tightened some more. Stickin' with the Rems.

quote:

Originally posted by TEANCUM:
Never been a fan of the Savage line and have had good luck with the Remingtons. An actual .5-.9 shooter seems to serve my needs just fine, that means that some of the rounds are in the .5 group size and for an off the shelf rifle that's not bad. Never said it was a bench rest beast. The trigger job can be done by yourself easily and who knows maybe after a lot more roads down the tube the groups might tightened some more. Stickin' with the Rems.

Good for your "luck"!

Nothing personal, I just can't understand how people continue supporting an outdated, ignorant, inflexible, American company with their head in the sand! Go Big Green!

I still own several Remingtons (sold most of my centerfire models, but I kept the Match Masters and Nylons...) and having said that, I probably won't support Remington on another for many of the same reasons as stated above, unless Remington pulls their head out and starts building a better product.

I like tweaking and fiddling as much as the next guy, to get the most out of a good rifle, HOWEVER it is frustrating when you spend good money buying what you are told is a "premium" brand only to have to fiddle and FIX it to just get it to shoot worth a darn. Any rifles marketed as a "Varmint" model should shoot well under 1" @ 100 consistently (especially in .223) right out of the box without having to fix the trigger! Not 2 or 3 out of thousands, but ALL of them should shoot well! Is that too much to ask? Apparently so...

As for the "benchrest beast," apparently Leo M IS going to use it for the bench.

"Punishing" remington by selling your older rifles that work because they are making new rifles that have issues?
I'm sure remington will see the light because of your "action" against them.



LIABILITY is the reason why factory triggers
(pretty much ALL OF THEM) suck.

I have never NOT "tuned" a trigger on a newly purchased rifle.
and on most of the rifles I purchased I was forced to "un-tune"
the work of some nameless "Gun Plumber" who screwed them up even more.

Both my 7mm Mag and my 223rem were tuned so poorly by previous owners that bouncing the rifle on the recoil pad from a height of no more than 4-5" off the floor would cause the striker to fall. (grotesquely insufficient sear engagement)

Problems with the 7mmMag were further aggrevated by the
aftermarket "speed lock"striker spring that was rubbing
(HEAVILY) against the inside of the bolt body resulting in
inconsistant firing pin strikes.

I've test fired many rifles that people said "shot like shit"
and half the time I can shoot them better offhand then these jackasses can shoot them off the bench, so I take many complaints of "poor quality" along with a railroad car full of salt
chased with a shot glass of ipecac (puking tastes better then their bullshit)

And most of the time people make them worse not better.

Oh, and BTW, remington is NOT a "Premium" rifle brand.

Cooper is a premium rifle brand
Dakota is a premium rifle brand

If you don't want your remingtons I'll give you my adress so I can properly dispose of them.

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Flippy

Please add my name to your Remington disposal mailings.

quote:

Originally posted by Allan DeGroot:
"Punishing" remington by selling your older rifles that work because they are making new rifles that have issues?
I'm sure remington will see the light because of your "action" against them.

Whoa, whoa, whoa.
I never said that I sold my older Remington rifles because the new ones have issues, you did.
I never said I sold the ones that worked, you did, sir.

quote:

Originally posted by Flippy:
I still own several Remington’s (sold most of my centerfire models, but I kept the Match Masters and Nylons...) and having said that, I probably won't support Remington on another for many of the same reasons as stated above, unless Remington pulls their head out and starts building a better product.

When I worked at a gun shop, I bought used guns at 60% or less of the "market" price and I turned some Remington’s as well as other brands and made a profit. I kept a couple of the Remington’s, the ones that were accurate, or looked really good. I could care less if Remington continues to make crappy rifles for you guys to buy and "fix."
I said that I probably won't support Remington on another, which would mean not buying NEW guns from them obviously, which would be the only way I could support Remington, not that I sold my old ones to “punish†them.
That would be ABSOLUTELY STUPID.

You, sir, are assuming a whole lot. And you know what happens then…

I DO understand that Cooper, Dakota, Rifles Inc., Ed Brown, Lazzeroni and maybe even Kimber, to name a few brands, are considered by most firearms enthusiasts to be premium makes.
However, the way many people on this forum “worship†the Big Green Machine, it is apparent that they may consider them in this class. I certainly do not. Hence the “premium†in quotes.

And yes, Mr. DeGroot, I do understand that is product liability determining factory rifle triggers, as they are often referred to as, “lawyer triggers.†And products completed liability is the main reason many gunsmiths now will not tune a trigger for someone they don’t trust or know won’t come back and sue them into oblivion.

Leo M, yet another reason to buy a Savage…

quote:

Originally posted by TEANCUM:
Flippy

Please add my name to your Remington disposal mailings.

I sold them all at a hefty profit, see post above.
Again, too little, too late...

Haven't bought an SPS ... was considering a 7mm/08 but I doubt I'll go that way now ... the rough cycling mentioned by HoldenV8 seems a built in feature of the SPS. The SPS's I've handled are not a patch in smoothness against an older Rem78. Both budget models, both same rifle ... something very different is being done to the SPS's though. Perhaps the rough textured finish is being applied to the rails?? Dollar for dollar ... you just can't beat a Savage.
Cheers...
Con

I don't worship ANY manufacturer, and as for anyone else worshipping them? No.

what people do is to Defend them against people with an unreasonable hatred of remington products.

I understand that no mass produced product is perfect and so I don't expect perfection.

What I expect is a product that I can get that will do what I want with a minimum of major tinkering.

Note that I said a "Minimum", not an absence of tinkering.

Frankly even if I had the money to buy a Kimber/Cooper/Dakota
I'd probably pass, because for their prices I could get the Remington of my choice AND afford a Leupy/Zeiss/Swaro scope to go on it and still have money left over for loading supplies to feed the rifle.

It's a matter of frugality.
though I'll concede that those rifles are "better" I don't believe nor will I agree that they are ENOUGH better to justify their price tags which in the case of a cooper or dakota START at three times what a Remington remington lists as their MSRP!


Now as for practicality...
I drive a Ford because I can get parts for it anywhere.
(If I lived in Japan I'd probably drive a Toyota)
I prefer to shoot a Remington for pretty much the same reason.

I also choose Remington bolt rifles for familiarity
I've owned enough of them that operating one is more
reflex than thought, which again, is as it should be!

I have my preferences, I do not accept even vague derisive comments about it.
I respect your right to make your own choice based on your preference if you can refrain from insulting someone who disagrees with that preference.


If you want to "convert me" to the kimber/cooper/Dakota fold feel free to send me a rifle made by one of them and I'll be honest about what I think of it's design, quality and accuracy.

You want my Adress? I'd prefer a Dakota in stainless steel, preferably chambered in 338winchester.


Frankly for the price of two Cooper or Dakota rifles I could replace every rifle I currently own AND the scopes, mounts, cases and loading dies for them

MY very next rifle will most likely be a
Marlin 1894 in 44Mag.

a toy more than a rifle


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Allan, funny thing, I agree with pretty much EVERYTHING you said. I am no convert of Cooper, Dakota, et all. I understand the familiarity thing with Remington, I own a couple.
I just wish the new ones shot like my buddies $389 Savage without having to tinker.

I also don't see the difference for the price of the afore mentioned premium brands, except you can show all of your buddies at the range you paid too much.

For the price of a Cooper or a Dakota, I can build a custom gun the way I want and it WILL shoot well. Plus, have a little extra to "upgrade" my scope choice. And I built it myself.

I drive an old CRX because it gets 40 MPG and it's paid for...

---Mike

I have one in 223. Last one they had in the store and the price was cheap. I think they marked this particular rifle wrong and with rebate only had $400 in it. The factory stock is an abomination. The action cycled smoothly. The trigger broke clean and had a smooth pull. The crown was awful. I mean really AWFUL. Looked like it was cut with a draw file. Never shot it in its factory form.

Sent out to the smithy and had barrell cut to 22" and recrowned. AI'd the chamber. Had the action blueprinted. I hastily put together some fireforming loads with lapua brass/ramshot x-terminator/53gr TSX's. I mean hastily. Just far enough into the die to round out the case mouth to seat the bullets and dropped charges without weighing individually.
Darn thing shot all loads into less than an inch to almost the same point of impact.

Tossed the stock and bedded into skim bedded HS precision as well.....so moral of the story: It's just ok in stock form but as the basis of a semi-custom I don't think you can go wrong. Best Remington barrell I've had of late. All fouling out with gunslik foam and 3 patches after the first 80 rounds and no cleaning. Abuse? Maybe but I think that speaks to the quality of some if not most of the barrells they put out.
All told I've got a 1 hole 3 shot group gun for less than a grand.....

My Remington 700VSSF in 223 is yet another rifle I got because it wouldn't do what someone else wanted it to do.

THEY wanted to shoot the long bullets (why?) and it wouldn't. their loss my gain.

I got it for $600, topped it with one of Cabela's Alaskan guide scopes (a 6.5-20x44) that I also got a deal on
they were discontinuing this reticle (a plain jane duplex)
and had marked the scope down by $100, I got the last one, the VERY last one and because it was a demo they knocked off even more money.
So On my bargain rifle I have a scope that I essentially
paid half price for, even with the Harris Bipod I'm still $100 under retail on the entire package as compared to the
price of the bare rifle.

Frankly, I'd have had a tough time building a complete varmint rig around a savage for this price.


My base comment about the Coopers is essentially what Savage shooters could say about remingtons
"Diminishing returns, quality Vs Dollars"

And remember that a typical diminishing returns curve is a geometric progression.

From what Ive seen the actually retail over the counter price on a cooper runs dead on three times the MSRP of a remington and about 3-1/2 times the OTC price.

If you compare a Cooper to most remington custom shop
rifles it's only 1.5-2x.

As for Dakota? I know where I can get a nice USED 22-250 cooper for $2250... a NEW Dakota? what? $3500?

My thought on spending $3500 on anything?
I'd better be able to fuck it afterwords (I.E. a boob job on a girlfriend) OR buy tires for it (I.E. a used pickup truck or car)

Short of winning the lottery if I spend $3500 on rifles (plural) it had better take me three trips to carry them all out to my truck!

My general thought on rifles if I walk into my favorite hardware store with $3500 in my pocket?
That iunless I walk out with more than one I'm still going
to have >$3000 in my pocket when I leave.

What does that rifle do for that extra $3000?
Generally speaking it shoots groups that are 3/8"-1/2" tighter than most "untuned" bolt rifles are capable of.

Frankly I think people who spend that much on ONE rifle
are either masterbating their ego or have completely lost touch with reality.

for me $3500 is a nicer pickup truck than the
one I currently drive.... with a new-to-me
$500 rifle behind the seat.

we can ask the same thing about a Swaro scope, what exactly does it do for it's $1800 price tag that a $600 Leupold (or for that matter a $200 Tasco) won't do?

Well, the Leupold won't impress your guide with the idea that he should expect a $500 tip like a Swarovski will



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