Opinions on Current Rem 700 rifles

[hchntr]

Heres one that’s in the classifieds now, it should be a heck of a shooter.


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[Mike D]

I have several “modern” R700 rifles. All of them are easily under 1moa with some being 1/2 MOA (mostly 5R models).


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[Encore]

Never seen a Tikka that wouldn't shoot good groups.

[Stick1]

I get a little chuckle out of the "old vs.new" 700 debates that pop up from time to time. Fact is, you can get a good one or a bad one from any era. There are things that are "better" from each generation. I'm going to leave barrels out of this and focus just on the actions. Barrels are chucked in a collett and chambers punched with a production reamer. You could get an ace or a **** depending on where the bore lands in relation to the centerline of the barrel. You pays your money, and takes your chances there

Actions - Old school prefixes are SMOOTH....as they should be. They were hot blued and polished. Most folks seem to equate this "smoothness" with higher quality for some reason. To me, it just means they're smoother. Lol. The tennon threads most often look like a dumpster fire in relation to the center-line of the action. The actions also tend to exhibit the most warp, as they were heat treated after machining. Bolts very often, resemble a banana for the same reasons. But despite that, they tend to shoot well and feel smooth......so they must be better? Remember, these parts were made on machines using punch card technology.

New actions(RR prefix) = notably rougher(cheaper SPS) finish coming out of mostly the AL plant. There were some polished versions still coming out of Illion, but shared some of the old issues as a result. Finish aside, vastly superior actions coming out of AL on newer equipment. Tennon threads that were reasonably inline with center-line of action thanks to modern cnc equipment. Action bodies and bolts that are noticeably straighter than their predecessors, more square action faces and headspace numbers more consistent than older versions. The trade-off..........the $@!%^@ist primary extraction ever offered on a factory action. Count on having minimal primary without remedial work to correct.


There are some other quirks that pop up from time to time, but this is the basic "then vs. now" assessment of Remington quality. Bottom line is its a mass produced rifle and consistency will be inconsistent. If the stars align it will be awesome, if not.......it won't. Luckily, most were. I bleed green, as the 700 is what got me into building custom rifles. I also make my living "fixing" their shortcomings. I feel that I have a fairly balanced and informed opinion. Big Green is an American legacy and institution. I hope to see them come back into the market with a vengeance and the quality of the old, old days!

[WyoBull]

Great explanation, Stick1! I love my older 700's, even have 721 and 722's that are wonderful. The last 700 I bought is my VSSF in 220 Swift that I bought in about 1993. It was their first edition of the VSSF and is still my favorite varmint rifle in my stable.

Since then, having bought a CZ 527 Varmint in 17 Rem and most recently a Tikka T3x Supelite in 243 Win, I have to say my loyalties to the Big Green is not near as strong. I do want them to re-emerge stronger and better than before as they have a legacy and heritage that runs deep in this country.

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[Javelin]

Great explanation, Stick1! I love my older 700's, even have 721 and 722's that are wonderful. The last 700 I bought is my VSSF in 220 Swift that I bought in about 1993. It was their first edition of the VSSF and is still my favorite varmint rifle in my stable.

Since then, having bought a CZ 527 Varmint in 17 Rem and most recently a Tikka T3x Supelite in 243 Win, I have to say my loyalties to the Big Green is not near as strong. I do want them to re-emerge stronger and better than before as they have a legacy and heritage that runs deep in this country.

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I just sold my tikka to get another 700 action lol. Of course Robert will have it as soon as I get up that way to tweak it but as much as I liked the tikka those 700 actions just fit me.

[nckrsamford]

You can also check the serial number of the rifle to the machining catalog at the Remington factory that it was produced. The newer the machining tools during the machining process the tighter the tolerances. Most of the machining tools are switched out at the same time to keep QC as consistent as possible before the bankruptcy. But like Stick1 said. You get what you get. If you don’t like how it shoots take it to a gunsmith like him and get the action tried to spec along with mic’ing the barrel run out. If it’s good, stick with the barrel and get it reamed for your desired bullet seating depth. All in all it will normally cost you about the same as a custom stiller action after buying the rifle. So it’s a toss up really.