RateItAll: The Opinion Network

An elk-hunting buddy had a Rem. 700BDL in 8mm Rem. mag. A real hard shooter that he bought new and used every year for deer and elk. One hunting trip we got back to camp and he was removing the rounds by cycling the bolt and about the second time he closed the bolt the round went off! Well that scared the heck out of all of us and we thought he'd done something stupid so he carefully ejected the spent shell casing and slowly closed the bolt on the next round and it fired again! He took it to a gun smith who repaired the problem but his wife made him get rid of the rifle after that exciting experience. This was back in the mid 1980's so I would guess the rifle was made about 1980. I've never seen or heard of that happening to anyone else until I read some of these reviews. Never heard of the firing upon release of the safety either until now.

Im looking at purchasing a Rem. model 700 SPS or the XCR .308, I was just wondering what the difference was between them and if they would be an alright medium to long range rifle. The ones I have found are a 20" barrel and also was wondering if there is other barrel lengths for this type of gun. looking for 22"-24" heavy.

How's this? Bought a brand new Remington 700 30-06 yesterday and went out to the range today. Pulled the gun out of it's box and aimed for the bulls-eye at 150 yards. On my very first shot...Bingo. Bulls-eye! This is a great gun and out of my 20 shots 16 were dead on(with the other 4 being very close). I would recommend this gun to anybody who wants an accurate rifle for not so much money!!

The Remington 700 is NOT a sniper rifle although it is so good that snipers may modify it and use it in their trade. I have maybe a half dozen 700's in various big game and varmint calibers.

I own a Remington 700 BDL, in 30 06 caliber. I have owned this rifle for 28 years. I bought it used. I am very satisfied with it's performance and I would highly recommend it to anyone shopping for a rifle. It is accurate, the price is not too bad, and the build quality is (in my opinion) outstanding.

Hmm. Guns firing when the safety is moved to the "fire" position. Could happen I suppose but has the shooter or someone else been kitchen-table tinkering with adjusting the trigger? I've owned a number of Remingtons since the early 70's and have not had any problems. Fact is they are sturdy, reliable and dependable firearems. Are triggers stiff? Yep, but blame the trial lawyers and the public who are always ready to file a class action lawsuit for mega-millions of dollars. Remington makes great rifles (and other products).

Very pleased with this rifle. I purchased a SPS DM in a .270. It holds remarkably tight groups (about 1.5" at 150 yds) considering the cheap ammo I use (not to mention user error). I think one would be hard pressed to find a better rifle in this price range. This gun will out-shoot most shooters.

I am 17 i just a got a model 700 in a 30-06 cal. for Christmas. i was amazed at what a good gun this was. a was shooting half dollar sized groups at 100 yards. i highly recommend this gun to any age hunter .

I purchased A new Remington 700 270 cal. stainless, synthetic with A stainless Bushnell 3-9x40 about A year ago. It's A beautiful gun, At 50 yards its very accurate(all shots within a silver dollar)but when I shoot at 100 yards there's no grouping whatsoever.I'm not into making my own shells(I don't have a clue about it)I have done alot of target shooting with a 22 as a youth and alittle with my fathers's 30 year old 30-06. I don't own alot of guns, and don't have a need for many.I figured A 270 would be an all round good gun to buy(I was told that it's A flat shooter and one of the more accurate) I've tried Remington,Winchester 130 and 150 grain and a few other cheaper brands of shells at 100 yards with no grouping at all. I'm almost ready to buy something else.. Appreciate any and all suggestions. Thank-you

I have owned and hunted with many Remington 700's but of them all nothing comes close to the:700 CDL! From the custom yet clean styling to the bedded and floated barrel. This rifle has class! on the range less than 1/2" groups are normal and 1/4" is common at 100 and 200 yd. with Leupold 3-9 40mm VX 1. the ONLY problem i found with the rifle was the trigger pull at 7 lbs. it is excessive, but a trip to a gunsmith and $15.00 fixed that! I recommend a 3 1/2 lbs. or 4 lbs. pull. Regardless of what your Hunting needs are I guarantee you won't be disappointed with this new addition to the Remington line!!!

I have been shooting Rem. 700's since 1971. I have or have dad them in .22-250, 6mm Rem., .270, 30-06, 7mm Rem. Mag., 300 Weatherby Mag., .338 Ultra Mag and .416 Rem Mag. I've had very few problems with any of them. I'm a tinkerer and shoot them out of the box 1st-thing to see how they shoot. ALL have needed trigger lightening. I do almost all of my own work on them (I have years of experience). Most have needed BBL channel clean-up (sanding and/or light shimming at the forend). Some have needed lapping of the bolt raceways. ALL have then shot pretty well (1 to 1-1/2 inch groups at 100 yards) with the above tuning! That includes my .416 Rem. Mag. 1-inch and that is quite impressive with those big holes cutting each other. I've had Winchester, Sakos, Rugers too. All are good with a little tune-up work. I now primarily hunt with a Stainless Synthetic 700 in .270. It was a special run - Mountain rifle version they made in the early 1990's in 25-06 thru .338 Win. Mag. It's light, accurate, doesn't kick, and the size and shape of the slim stock fits my gloved hand better than any other rifle I own whenever I'm chasing Idaho Elk and Mulies. I also have two wood stocked 700 mountain rifles I love and use in warmer weather (.270 & 30-06) but the texture of that synthetic is so much less slippery when wearing gloves in the cold, that I always grab it for cold weather mountain hunting.

I just bought an inexpensive ADL and it shot OK out of the box (1.5-2.0 inch five shot group at 100 yards). Mine had a really stiff (but crisp) trigger and a lot of pressure on barrel from a "warped" forend. I've adjusted the trigger down to three lbs (yes, Remington 700 trigger are easily adjustable, as are pre-accutrigger Savage 110s and many other rifles) and free floated the barrel. I really like the stock design on these rifles and the matte finish is good for practical hunting, especially for coyotes and other predators (mine is a .243). The wood stocked Rem. 700 often need glass bedding to shoot well; this doesn't seem to be an issue with most synthetic stocks (the action in mine fits the stock very well). With a little tuning, most 700s can be very accurate rifles. I can't wait to get mine back to the range and see if there is any improvement... If not then I'll have to bed the action and fire lap the barrel...

Since 1995 I have purchsed or won (ELK banquets and such) 5 Rem model 700's (.270,.22-250,.300SAUM,.300 ultra mag, and 7mm mag). I also have two older (late 60's/early 70's) 700's from my dad and uncle. I have never had a safety problem with any of them, but completely agree that the trigger pull on all is much to heavy and there is creep. I'm actually going to get the .22-250 a trigger-job next week, and hopefully the 7mm mag by Thanksgiving for deer season. They are still good guns and my groups at 100 yds are not bad. I even went 5 for 6 on groundhogs last week with the .22-250 with all shots between 120 and 250 yds. My most acurate rifle is a Weatherby Mark V Delux in 300 wby mag, and I also have a Browning A-Bolt Medallion in .300 win mag that is real nice to shoot. Buy what appeals to you looks and price wise. Any gun that can group in a 4-5 in circle at 100 yds will work for deer.....practice and quality ammo plus (maybe) a better trigger will tighten the groups up.

I have a 270 model 700 and its ok the safty does go off when fliped and the can be a problem when hunting. I have a savage 30/06 and i would prefer the
savage.

I've compared w/ Remington 7mm mag BDL w/ my other friends rifles (Browning,Weatherby,Ruger) and still believe Remington still makes the best gun overall when it comes to shooting tight. My 7mag shoots two in a row w/ one bullet landing dead center while the nest follow up shot lands just a hair over on the second shot where as the other guns shoots here and there-hardly the second shot is near close to the first one. My father-in-laws 7 mag shots all three in the bulls eye range just like looking at your three fingers tight one above while two bottom together. Now that is what I call good tight shots. Not what some say when only one shot hits bulls eye and the rest misses. And my ranges are 250 yards range too-not just at 100 cuz I tend to do lots of long range shot during my deer hunting seasons. In the last two years I shot two deers 400+ yards dead on...

SNIPER RIFLE? Not hardly. I own a 700 Classic in 8x57mm Mauser. It is well made, pretty, and accurate. But it has the worst trigger I have ever used! I am trying to decide whether to adjust it or add a Timney or Jewell trigger. Either way, the stock trigger MUST go!

I have a 700 cdl 30-06, 2- 700 sendero's 300 rum/300 win mag, a 700 bdl 243 and a 700 synthetic 300 saum. I have never had a problem with any gun in accuracy or function but a custom trigger job is needed in all models most factory are around the 4.5lb range which is far to heavy for any longer distance shooting, 300-1000yds. I have the chance to shoot all different types of guns and I am still a remington man!

i own a 700 in 222 mag and find it the best rifle in my gun cabnet it was passed down from my father

I purchased a Remington Model 700 Mountain Rifle a couple months ago. Previously I had purchased Winchester, Thompson Center, Kimber, Ruger, and Browning guns. I wish I had stayed with one of those brands. I had to send the gun back due to two major manufacturing defects. They changed out the stock and sent the rifle back with one that was totally unacceptable. So I will have to send it back again. I have spoke to several friends and gun shop owners that tell me that Remington's service is now poor. My experience with other manufacturers puts Remington at the bottom of the list by comparison.

I bought a Remington 700 Sendero, 300 Ultra Mag, stainless fluted barrel a few years ago and never got the chance to go out and shoot it until this last summer (I was active duty military and just never had the time). Well, I am incredibly DISAPPOINTED in the performance of this rifle. I started out with factory ammunition, then reloaded my own ammunition, I played with seating depths, different bullets, different powders, crimp and no crimp, full length resize and neck size only, etc., and I even changed scopes. And yes I checked all the screws and bolts to make sure everything was snug and tight. The best group this firearm ever shot was a 4 inch group at 100 yards!! In my opinion this thing is nothing more than an expensive fence post! I hope someone from Remington sees this becasue now I am taking this thing to a gunsmith today and probably will have to spend several hundred dollars to get the thing to shoot right. Something I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO DO considering the cost of this firearm!! If this is the kind of quality one can expect from Remington I will probably not be looking at buying a Remington again and will tell friends and family to follow my lead.

the rem. model 700 is one beautiful and effective rifle. the cost is reasonable and they are stone reliable. the only complaint i have is the trigger pull, which is notchy at best. they should be sent to the factory for adjustment and crispness. there are a couple of trigger aftermarket options you can go to, but they are pricy $150.00. they are worth the extra cost to make the 700 a perfect rifle

The Remington 700 is about as good a rifle as there is. I've owned a 700 BDL .30-06 and a 700 Custom KS Mountain Rifle in .270 and regret ever selling them. Both were accurate, reliable, and one shot killers on deer and pronghorn. If I was to buy one for hunting today, I'd consider a .270, .308 or .30-06 unless hunting Brown Bears. I like their power and range, and the choice of available ammo. Nearly any style (CDL, Classic, Mountain Rifle) would prove functional and good looking.

I own a rem 700 vs. At 100 and 200 yards all my groups can be coverd by a u.s. quarter. If they cant its my fault. I recommend it to anyone. i could only wounder how good my groups would be with hand loads.

have a kevlar stocked factory standard remington 700 vssf in .220 swift. no reloading permitted over here but it'll digest any make bullet that you care to use and the accuracy remains fantastic. this type 700 is very heavy but thats a small price to pay.. if you miss anything furry that you aim at its never going to be the faulf of the rifle :-)

Over the years since 1968, I have purchased seven Remington model 700's, in different calibers, for hunting as well as range shooting with them. I gave three of these as gifts to my son and grandsons. We had two of these rifles that would fire when the safety was released, and one when the bolt was closed on a live round it would fire. These mishaps did not happen all the time, but on enough occasions that could not be ignored. Being a gunsmith myself, and not wanting to send these rifles back to Remington, I did the necessary work myself to make these rifles work. With each rifle also, I replaced the factory triggers, with new ones from another well known trigger manufacturer. I like my model 700's, and other wise have been well satisfied with using them. I have heard some compalints the last few years about quality control, and accuracy problems from experienced hunters and shooters I am aquainted with. These are first hand stories, and I have seen and handled those problem 700's too. Some gun shop owners I know in my state, have told me of problems over recent years with customers 700's. And one Wal-Mart store manager I know told of some real serious problems of some 700's that were sold there. With the increase of hunters and shooters buying foriegn made quality rifles now, I think the quality is being restored at Remington. The new model 700 CL is a good example.

I own a remington 700 .308. I have had no problems with this weapon. It is a great brush gun. I shot a 10 point through thick brush and still knocked it down like i was 30 yards away. The saftey has never went off flipping it on or off. This gun would be a great investment.

I know what these people are talking about in regard to lousey trigers.My new 700 VS FS in 22-250 has a 5.5lb. trigger thats creepy enough to be an R rated scarey movie(Restrictive to acuracy).I also Know others who's 700s suffer from the same affliction and some people's who are fortunate to have decent trigger's.On a high note the rifle shoots 3/4 moa with Remingto n Accutip 50gr cartridges.IMPRESSIVE GREEN ONE!

I'm not a rifle afficionado, personally, (in spite of my NRA membership) but if you're ever in the area of the Baseball Hall of Fame, you're not far from the Remington Plant in upstate New York. The HOF is in Cooperstown but the Remington factory is in Ilion, NY, about 50 miles northwest. There is a great six room museum depicting the history of hunting, particularly the evolution of firearms. Many examples are on display, along with much local, and North American game. Give yourself at least 2 hours if you want to see it all, and longer if you want to get into some depth. It's well worth an afternoon, if you're in the area.

I dont really know what these people are talking about lousy triggers. I have a Rem 700 VS SF in .308 that has a 2.5 pound trigger and will put every shot in a 5 inch circle at 1000 yards. So having said that, there are obviously some haters posting, and by the way my gun never misfired when taking the saftey off and I purchased it back 5 to 7 years ago. After the initial test for accuracy I sent it off to ROBAR to have it Roguarded and NP3 process done on the internals for a smoother action and also had my stock polymaxed in matte black. I have a Leupold 8.5 x 25 x 50 LRT scope and it is great as well. Great gun, great out of the box dependability and accuracy. Well able to put any shot were you want it, without the custom work that makes it look like a full out sniper rifle. Cant be beat, PERIOD.

I currently own a model 700 BDL 26 with a stainless steel barrel in 300 rem ultra mag, with a carbon-fiber stock. This rifle is superb. I recomend this rifle to anyone who is interested in an accurate, reliable, and rugged rifle. I also think the power, accuracy, and reach of the 300 rem ultra mag is amazing.

When I buy my 700's I like to firelap the barrel by throwing a hand full of sand down the barrel. I got me one of them 300 ultra magnurms and I dun firelapped that barrel my way and I got 45 minute of angle accuracy on er. I like the remington cause when I was a professional sniper for the French legion, it was light and made it easy for me to run away from even the easiest battle. So yes buy a rem 700 and firelap it just like I do you will be very satisfied.

Snipers and hunters alike love it.

Remington 700 is a great gun, but does everyone know about the class action law suit because the gun misfires when you put the safety on? Please be careful, never point a gun of any sort at anyone even if it is emty. Get in the habbit of pointing the barrel in a safe direction. This gun has killed people because of the safety issue.

I have heard that 700's have had better production years than other (similar to the famed pre-64 winchester) but have never heard when the better years were. Any help?

model 700 is an excellent rifle. The quality, accuracy, and reliability is excellence, as good price. The model 700 is the basis for many police and military sniper rifles. If you are looking for a rifle that is accurate, smooth action, and reliable, that is reasonably priced, then get the model 700. I own a Model 700 VSSF in .308 It is fitted with a fixed 6x scope from leupold. This rifle very accurate, like a sniper rifle. At 100 meters with Federal 150 grain factory loads it shoots 5 shots in the same hole. The 700 VSSF and VS as well as sendero's are the most accurate guns that remington makes. 26 Heavy barrels, HS Precision stocks, sturdy action, excellent triggers. Closest thing to a sniper rifle.

Remington is the best a Man can get...

Can't believe it! I didn't want to believe there was a problem with Remington, because I love my Rem 700 7 mag rifle, but I just got home from a terrible hunt due to my 700 firing when I flipped the safety off. I was pointed in a safe direction, no injuries, but ruined my stalk to within 80 yards of a huge 5x5 muley! And it could have been a disaster, even though I TRY to always remember to point it safely, I'm only human. My finger was not in the trigger guard. Scared the hell out of me, and now I can't wait to trash this accurate shooting, smooth actioned, nice handling piece of garbage Rem 700!

The remington 700 is an awesome weapon... I just switched from a 24" 22-250 to a 20" .308 police barrel and had a trigger job...I couldnt be happier. The stock trigger was a little strong with a bit of creep, but the 2 lb trigger job took care of everything...Feels almost like a Jewell.. The gunsmith who done the work (PERFECT WORK) was Scott Edwards at RSE CUSTOM GUNS IN 29 palms California. I would like to buy a Accuracy international sniper stock but there way too much money for me... Word to the wise: Just cause someone gets 1 bad gun doesnt mean all the guns are bad...only about <1%... I had a bad mossberg pump shotgun a long time ago..But I have friends with the same gun and theirs are working fine.. So I think 1 star might be a little harsh for such a great firearm... My favorite firearms companies: Remington Sig Beretta Bushmaster Colt Mauser Kimber

The 700 is a classic. Anyone who says otherwise is a bozo.

In 1982 I bought a 700BDL in 25-06. This rifle has performed exceptionally well, especially with my reloading experiments. Try 100gr. Nosler Ballistic Tip, IMR4831 54.0 gr. and CCI primers. Great all-round for chucks through whitetail. You'll have a hard time reading the target at 100 yrds. cause you will be placing the same holes! That gun has now gone to my 12 yr. old boy so I picked up a 700 Sendero 7mm Ultra Mag. After blowing a few boxes of factory loads with mediocre groups, I started playing with some loads. I have now set-in with 140 gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips (love 'em), 93 gr. Alliant RL25 and Federal 215M primers. This now shoots just as well as the 25-06. I am not a pro so I can only go so far in testing accuracy. I always wanted a 'Supercartridge' and this one fits the bill. The bruise on my right should proves it! If your looking to have fun, feel good and impress some friends, this is the one. Even though it's heavy, it's well ballanced and comfortable. Be SURE to use good optics to take full advantage. A good scope will take the recoil. Thanks

Here are a list of known users of the Model 700 rifles; US Military (all branches), FBI, US Secret Service. I could go on and on. These people can use anything and they choose the Model 700 rifles and rifle actions. Is there any doubt which rifle action is best?

I currently own (5) Remington Model 700s in variou calibers, and have owned others down through the years. If I had to state a fault with the 700s that I own (friends of mine that own them state the same), it would be that they have lousy triggers, but considering the price of one at a Walmart, then I guess that it is understanable that Remington would cut corners somewhere. But my question is; "why put a lousy trigger mechanism in an otherwise decent rifle, straight out of the box from the factory? Once in a while you will luck up and get one with a decent trigger, but not often. You cannot possible have very good accuracy with a lousy trigger mechanism, and the 700s are a prime example of that. I have had to go to the extra expense of putting adjustable triggers in all my 700s, and now they perform fairly well, but nowhere in comparison with the out of the box factory rifles from Savage Arms, or Steyr by Manlicher. My comments are intended for the novice or less experienced shooters that might read these articles. In summary, If you get a Rem 700, get a trigger job, or a replacement trigger, and you will have an acceptable hunting rifle. Better yet, get a rifle from Savage Arms, they are building them with adjustable triggers for 2003. Sorry Remington! You seem to have grown complacent. Anyone with any knowledge of marksmanship, and the effect of a sorry trigger on groups, will validate my opinion. I also disagree with the saying that you have the most accurate rifles right out of the box. Not so, and I challenge you to prove me wrong, at your range or mine.

A REAL tried and true bolt action rifle. IF all branches of the Military have adopted the Model 700's action to all of their sniper rifles and attain a .5 MOA, thats asying something about the worksmanship. The only time this weapon will miss is if you flinch, or have a VERY sh!tty scope.

I own a Remington Model 700 .308 and it is amazing how accurate it is. It is overall the best rifle i've ever handled , of course I have a big 'ole bushnell sittin on the top of it which makes it even better. I had to pay around $600 for mine because it is a Classic ADL woodstock. I could'nt ask for a better all around rifle. From prarie dogs to wild hogs! If you are looking for reliance,style,accuracy,and performance boys i'm gonna tell ya its all in the Remington Model 700!

the model 700 in sendero sf is the most accurate out of the box rifle i have ever had the pleasure of pulling the trigger on.and the fit and finish is excellent.the stock from hs precision is top notch.in 7mm ultra mag 1/2 groups with no problem at 100 yards.

The comments here about the Model 700 Remington are all justified. The good and the bad. Over the years I have purchased a total of 7 Model 700's myself. I have experienced 4 bad triggers, on the 7 rifles I own. These 4 did indeed drop the hammer sometimes when I pushed the safety from "safe" to "fire. On all 7 of these rifles I replaced the triggers, with Timney triggers. I have never had a problem since. I never returned my rifles to Remington for the repair of their triggers. I just did away with them for the Timney ones. I have always been partial to my 700's over other choices. They just fit me so well, plus the sleek design.

I own a few of these from a very modest plain ADL to a beautifully checkerd and finished BDL. For the price you can't buy a better rifle, the Remington arms Co.has allways been known for there quality and relibality. My Rem 6 mil I have owned for better than twenty years and my farther owned it before me, years before me and it still looks and shoots factory new. like any firearm,if you take care of it (clean and oil it) even if you have'nt shot it in a while it will last you a lifetime...

Truly a great weapon. Solid. Reliable. Accurate. I had one chambered for .223 and it was by far the best plinker/varmint gun you could want. Fool that I am...I sold it.

The 700 I had was a lemon. After a couple hundred rounds I noticed one of the locking lugs on the bolt was wearing and the other one wasn't. After close inspection by a gunsmith we discovered that the reciever was faulty. The lugs were not even. I am glad that it was only a 22-250 or I may have had the bolt in my forehead.

for the money,i think there a great rifle.and just like the add says"the most accurate out of the box bolt action rifle there is"one can not go wrong with a BDL or ADL rem. rifle.only complaint is the trigger but then again most rifles(to a certain degree) do need some trigger work.

The best high powered rifle i have ever shot! very accurate! i just got it callibered in .280.

Inherently accurate rifle. Very impressive, fits like a glove. I have a Sendero .300 Win. Mag. shoots them in one hole all day long. My 22+ year old BDL .30-'06 is the same way. I just got a model Seven .308 that does 1.5 inches at 100 yards with a Gilmore red dot. Gotta love these things!

One of the best designed bolt-action rifles made. This is a tried and true design, with high reliability; it is even the basis for the sniper rifle used by most police services. I can ping a quarter at 200 yards with my Remi-700 30.06 and Bushnell optics. The number of options available for this rifle (stocks, triggers, barrels) and the variety of calibers make it a wonderful base rifle for any shooting sport. (Try the Hogue over-molded stock....it's great!)