remington 700 cdl or browning X-Bolt Hunter

im gonna get a rifle soon and i cant decide between a remington 700 cdl or browning X-Bolt Hunter,im gonna get it in either a 7mm rem mag or 300 ultra mag and the gun will b used mosly for white tail deer and elk.i need help picking a 7mm or 300 ultra mag and also need help picking a remington 700 cdl or browning X-Bolt Hunter.:confused:
 
With your choices I think I would lean toward the 7mm REM in the Remington 700 CDL.

Why, I don’t like the Ultra Mags or the new X-Bolt. Also you state that it will be used for whitetail and elk but not which more often so I would rather have a 7 over a 300 Ultra for use on deer seeing as most people hunt deer more than elk.

I would also pick a 300 Win Mag over both but that’s one of my favorite cartridges so I am biased. Also I would pick a different rifle but that again is my preference and not part of your question.

I say....

Buy the Remington in 7mm Remington Magnum, have it bedded, trigger adjusted, mount a good mid range variable or fixed 6 with nothing larger than a 40mm (ok maybe a 42mm) objective and hunt, hunt, hunt!
 
Either rifle is fine...my preferences run to the 700 CDL because of my favorable experiences with Remington. For CDL money, however, you might want to look at the Savage 116 Weather Warrior with AccuTrigger, AccuStock and built in muzzle brake (analogous to the Browning Boss system), particularly if you are dead set on magnums. The Savage 116 is actually about $100 cheaper than the Rem and likely to be more accurate.

Having said that, why do you feel you need a 7mm Ultramag or .300 Ultramag? For white tail, with the majority of specimens coming in under 200 lbs, it's more than a little overkill. For elk, a .308 Win or .30-06 Sfld is more than adequate if you do your part on hitting vitals. A number of my hard-core elk-hunting friends feel quite well-armed with a .30-06 and appropriate 180-220gr bullets (the choice bullet being a bit more important than the choice of caliber).

I have shot all the above rifles and all of the above calibers and have been shooting for a bit more than 50 years. I find the Ultramags in full-house loads unpleasant in the extreme, more so than the .375 H&H. If you are not an experienced shooter, you won't shoot those cartridges enough to sight in your rifle, much less practice, so your likelihood of hunting success will be as low as your enjoyment of shooting them. Disregard the mag scribes who will tell you you can't kill much of anything above a groundhog with anything less than a .300 Win Mag, not to mention a Rem Ultramag...shooting is fun for its own sake and you won't do much of it with a gun that boots you silly on each shot.

All of the above should be taken with a grain of salt at the least, and a whole bag of salt if you're going to rough it in Alaska. In the latter event, I'd be using a .375 Ruger or .375 H&H (a Ruger Hawkeye in .375 R is much more affordable than a rifle chambered for the H&H), but not for the deer, caribou or moose, but for the brown bears who might view your incursion into their home with disdain.

All the above IMHO, but I kinda doubt YMMV.

FH
 
Last edited:
I think i would go with the xbolt over the cdl becasue the xbolt is a lot lighter and easier carrying around the field or through the mountains. I have the X bolt, but in a .243. When i was looking for the rifle it came betweenn the xbolt and the cdl, but i choose the xbolt cause ti is lighter and i liked that it had an extractable clip. With the 7mm and the 300 im not sure which one to get but if your not going to hunt anything bigger than elk i would mayb go to a smaller caliber because who wants to get hit with all that recoil after a shot.. i no i dont and that is why i went with a 243...when i was looking i was looking at either a 264 or a 270, but i went with 243

i hope this helps with ur decision
 
The X-Bolt is a very nice light, ergonomic gun to point and carry. The fit and finish will be superior to Remington. The accuracy will likely be as good or better. And I have a cabinet full of 700's so I'm not biased.
 
Just to recycle a thread rather than start a new one, I'm left handed nad have been looking for a LH bolt 30-06.

I've been offered a lightly used (50 rounds is the claim) Remington 700 CDL for $675. Do the LH Remingtons cost more than the RH version? It seems a new RH CDL would be around $700.
 
I would buy the CDL because I just bought one in 35 whelen and it's a fairly light rifle and shoots lights out . My gunsmith made a simple adjustment to the trigger for $10 and it's now got a sweet trigger. The X Bolt is also a great rifle but I would still go with the CDL.
 
Both are darn nice rifles. I suppose your choice would depend on what you are looking for in rifle. For me, the feel of the rifle counts for a lot. I was sold on the CDL because it has a balanced and lightweight feel, but you may find the X-bolt to be better handling.

I prefer the satin finish of the CDL over the gloss finish of the X-bolt.

For mostly deer hunting I would go with the 7mm Remington magnum. The case volume of the 300 Remington Ultra-magnum still amazes me! :eek:

700cdl-1.jpg


xbolt-1.jpg
 
I wish I could recommend the Browning, given Remington's recent quality control problems, but there are several things I don't like about Brownings that would keep me from owning one.

First, the short bolt-lift may suit newer shooters, but it drives me crazy. The bolt handle doesn't have a round-ish knob and that bothers me. The garish streamlined look is not appealing to me. The finish is way too shiny for a deer rifle. Browning triggers are not as good as the Remingtons...even after adjustments by the owner or gunsmith.

That said, both rifles have a great accuracy reputation. I haven't worked on many Brownings, but can easily get every Remington 700 to shoot sub-MOA with some bedding. Some of the synthetics shot extremely well out of the box. Though accuracy isn't as relevant on big-game rifles, it's very nice to know that when someone misses, it's probably not the rifle's fault.
 
The X-Bolt comes in several non-shiny versions. In fact, the 2009 Hunter version is in subdued satin walut & matte-finish blueing. I hated the new lines as well, but after holding one in person, I can't wait for the left-handed version to come out.
 
Last edited:
The finish is way too shiny for a deer rifle.

I prefer the satin finish of the CDL over the gloss finish of the X-bolt.

WOOOOOW. The "Hunter" model of the X-Bolt or A-Bolt are far more common than the shiny medallion model. Unfair comparison. It would be like me saying I like the X bolt hunter over a 700BDL because I don't like gloss. Bad argument.
 
I have the xbolt in 7 rem mag in the stainless/composite and after hunting with it this season absolutely LOVE it. It shoots like a 243 really no noticible kick and accurate as heck.

You'll love the xbolt magazine and trigger

got a Leupold VX-L on mine...sweet.

The 7 mag is a wonderful cartridge for elk and whitetail - I use the 150 gr winchester ballistic silvertips.
 
I have 2- 700 BDL's, 30.06 and 243.

I have a 243 Browning xbolt stainless stalker.

I like the xbolt far better.

Fits me better, I like the composite clip, the adjustable trigger, the dura touch stock, the palm swell, the tang safety, the bolt release and just EVERYTHING about it better than the Remingtons.

To each his own, but IMO buy the BROWNING! You will LOVE IT! and I paid $615 for it which was a great deal!::D
 
CDL .257 Weatherby in BLUE (not stainless) fluted barrel:
425.jpg

421.jpg

422.jpg

Sort of rare because it was a special production run. For whitetails why go heavier in caliber?
 
Back
Top