Huh12345 said:
The finish on it isn't good imo. The integral magazine is a nussence. The stock is mediocre. The action feels pretty loose. And quite frankly the rifle I plan to replace it with (the tikka t3x lite stainless) seems like a significant upgrade given my personal preference. Not a fan of the trigger. The 700 has been ok but I have some issues that are hard to get by at this point. There are definitely a lot of positives with the gun but I guess in my mind the tikka is much better for what I want (an accurate, durable, low risk of rusting rifle)
I'll agree that the finish isn't great on the SPS, but it can be fixed with a
DuraCoat kit at home. It'll have a more rust resistant finish on the coated metal than stainless steel. However, the stainless barrel would have longer wear in the chamber and bore. That said the .308 isn't really hard on barrels.
The action is supposed to be loose so it doesn't bind. It should lock up tight when you close the bolt. If there is play with the bolt closed then you have a problem, other than that it's working as designed. I don't understand nuisance of the of the magazine, but every internal M700 magazine I've had has worked as intended.
Trigger can be replaced or you can have a gunsmith who works on them adjust it and make it better. Remington 700 have more replacement stocks available than any other make of rifle so that's easily replaced as well. You have options to fix the rifle to what you like but it'll cost more money, and that's the down side.
However, you're looking at trading in your rifle for the Tikka. Before you take that trade, consider the difference you'll have to pay. Will that extra money you have to come up with go a long way to fixing your issues with your current M700.
Also Tikkas will rust, and rust quickly if you use them in the rain a lot and don't take care of them at the end of each day. I hunted Alaska in the rain for a week, and even though I wiped down my T/C Encore every day with oil after I dried it, I still had rust on my stainless steel rifle by the time I got home. IMO the new coatings you can use on rifles are far superior to any stainless finish as far as corrosion resistance goes.