Looking at a Remington 700

[warbirdlover]

jtyson,

Not familiar with the older 700 triggers although many in here have said they were great. This new trigger came out a couple years ago after the lawsuit thing on tv that said the triggers were unsafe.

 

[MOshooter65202]

All of my Rem 700's are older and very accurate with excellent triggers.

 

[Eagle0711]

Well... here in southern Or it's common for used Rem 700 BDLs go for $500-700
Sounds like you might get some knocked off that $400.

The Rem 700 is tops. I'd take a 270 Win over a 308 anytime. It shoots flatter, more MV, and has enough energy to take an elk at 300 yds. Jack O'Conner has shot elk at 600 yards. This JMHO.

 

[WildBill45]

.270 at 600 yards on Elk???

Jack O'Conner has shot elk at 600 yards.

I have shot Elk that far or more, but with a Weatherby .300! Elk at 600 yards is beyond the effective range of a .270 for large game like Elk. They are tough, and ELK run far when wounded! Jack may have hit one at that range, but the energy levels are fringe at best, probably around 950 foot pounds at best ... he may be still looking for it!

I love the .270! I write a lot about my Steyr Pro in that caliber, and have taken many bears with it in Canada, and antelope and deer here in the good ole' USA. But every caliber has its effective range, with the most limiting factor being the shooter. Everyone can't shoot far, because they can't shoot well enough up close. Shooting deer at 500 yards is like shooting dimes at 50 yards ... off hand, breathing hard, and in the wind, just like it is when hunting! You throw in the other dynamics like wind, and drop, and it raises the skill-set bar even higher!

The Winchester .270, one of my favorite cartridges, but, and there always is a but in life, I think 600 for Elk is a stunt and not smart in my opinion.

 

[Doodlebugger45]

I would pass on that particular rifle.

Nothing wrong with Remingtons. When I bought my first bolt action rifle 37 years ago, Remington 700 was an obvious choice for decent accuracy and good looks. Winchester model 70 cost a little bit more but was still affordable to an average guy. Savages shot well but were butt-ugly. Weatherby, Browning, etc were just way too expensive for most of us.

But back then, it was extremely rare for a normal Remington or Winchester to be able to shoot under 1" at 100 yds. 2" at 100 yds was more typical.

Things have changed a lot since then. Now, Savages are king of the hill when it comes to accuracy. Marlin X7, Weatherby Vanguard, Tikka T3 all make nice rifles that routinely shoot less than 1" and they all cost less than new Remingtons or Winchesters.

I still have 3 Model 70s and a couple Brownings and still cherish them, but they can't compete with my Savage for accuracy.

But when it comes to hunting, just how much accuracy do you really need? Yeah, I get a lot of satisfaction when I put 5 shots into 0.6" at the bench. But that is with no wind, using a sandbag, and taking a minute or longer in between shots. That's a whole lot different than huffing and puffing after a long hard climb up a ridge, having a 20 mph crosswind, and seeing a big bull elk about 200 yards away, ambling towards the dark timber, knowing you have about 5 seconds to take the shot. Sure, it''s important to have an accurate rifle, but under real life conditions, it's probably not going to matter whether your rifle shot a 0.5" group or a 2" group the week before.

Same thing with the debate about various calibers. Yep, a 270 or a 30-06 would be hard to beat for versatility and fairly cheap ammo. There's a reason why they are the most popular cartridges around here. But at 200 yards, the 308 will kill them just as dead and the trajectory isn't important at all under 250 yards.

Go to a gun store that allows you to hold and handle all the rifles. One or two of them will just feel "right" to you. Get that one and shoot the heck out of it so that it feels like second nature to you. That way when you do stumble across that big trophy bull, you won't even be thinking about if you can make the shot. You just will.

 

[WildBill45]

Elk rifles...

Get that one and shoot the heck out of it so that it feels like second nature to you. That way when you do stumble across that big trophy bull, you won't even be thinking about if you can make the shot. You just will.

GREAT ADVICE!

If I may add a word or two:

With Elk rifles in particular, find one bullet weight, and stick with it! Shoot it at 10 yards at cans, and at 300 Yards across an open park. Learn that rifle and load until it is second nature, as big Bulls do not give you that store-bought-paper-target broadside, standing shot, waiting 10 minutes for you to shoot!@
No Sir, they give you glimmers, and moments at best, and you better be ready to shoot without your calculator, and high-tech gizmos, just shoot as my friend noted!

 

[jtyson]

Well patience paid off for me. I ended up picking up that Remington 700 in .270. The guy had the barrel fixed up so no more etched name and social. and I got it for $375. I am looking forward to shooting it and hopefully taking it out this season. I may not have got it for a steal, but it was right in my budget and after doing more research on cartridges and ballistics, I am happy.

All in all, its in pretty good condition. Now that the barrel is fixed, there are only two flaws which don't bother me much at all. Here are a couple pics!