My new and first Remington 700

Badboymelvin

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Hey guys,

Thought I'd post a pic and give a bit of a range report about my new - and first ever Remington M700.

I've never really been a fan of M700's, being more of a Winchester M70 guy - but I got this for an absolute steal and it looked pretty good in the ad, so I thought I take the plunge and venture onto the dark side!

My new rifle is a Remington AAC-SD 'Tactical' model and it's in .308 caliber.
Although a tactical model I plan on using this for deer hunting in Australia - and in fact I traded off my .300Wby so I could purchase it.

Now, while the .300Wby was and is an AWESOME caliber, the longest shot I've ever taken on a deer with it was 60m...
And although a great caliber, I just wasn't utilising it to it's fullest potential so when someone threw some money in my face wanting it, I let it go... albeit a bit sadly...
The last 2 deer I shot with it were a couple of small Fallow and I got them at the staggering long distance of 40m! :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
I remember saying to my guide at the time, "I could've done that with a bloody .308!"
And I could've too...
With half the muzzle-blast and recoil...
And a lot cheaper...

So here we are!

I purchased this Remington already fitted with the Bell & Carlson M40 stock and as soon I got the rifle home the first thing I did was put a spare Vortex Crossfire II 6-18x44 scope that I had lying around on top of it.
To be honest this scope is a little big for a hunting rifle, but it's what I had on hand and I can always swap it out for something smaller later on down the track.

All up with scope and a full mag, it weighs spot on 4kg (9lb) which although heavy for a .308, feels quite nice in the hand.
Because of the heavy-ish weight, recoil is very mild. In fact it's under half what the .300Wby was - and is about 1/5 of what my .458WM is shooting the 550gn!
It was actually really nice shooting a rifle that didn't try to KILL you every time you pulled the trigger...

Today saw me at the range to put it through it's paces - and it had big shoes to fill. I loved that Weatherby and this Remington - a rifle I had no prior experiences with, had better perform.

And it did.
It functioned flawlessly. Extraction and ejection was positive and feeding was smooth. And it was very accurate.

That's the good! Now the bad...

The magazine only holds 3 instead of 4 which is no biggie and didn't really bother me - but what did give me bother was the trigger... it is HORRIBLE. Although crisp enough it was very heavy. This made shooting small groups with it off the bench hard work.
But even before picking the rifle up I knew the trigger would be heavy as most factory rifles are in this day and age of lawsuits.
But I'll get used to it. Given enough time I believe you can get used to nearly any trigger.

The ammo I was using was the Australian Outback factory ammunition.
I specifically chose this ammunition as it's loaded with the Sierra Gameking 165gn projectile and I believe this is the best bullet weight in the .308 for the hunting I do.
It should work well on small Fallow and the Elk-sized Sambar.
At the 50m range it put 3 shots in a fraction over 1/4" - which I was really happy with considering the trigger.
Velocity from the short 20" barrel averaged 2630fps and I've got it sighted in:
1.5" high at 50m,
3" high at 100m,
zero at 200m
- 12" at 300m.
Luckily I have mil-dots on the scope and utilising these, shots out to 400m are possible although I have a self-imposed rule of not taking shots past 300m.

So there you go, I'm feeling pretty good about this rifle so far.
The bolt handle didn't fall off, rifle didn't self-discharge and the extractor didn't break.
The rifle had a 'quality' look and feel about it and it was accurate. It feels good in the hands and it looks fantastic.
This weekend we're heading off to try and bag a deer and that will be the final test for this rifle. I just know it's going to be wet, muddy and cold so there's no better test for it.

I'll keep you all posted on how it goes - and thanks for reading (y)

Russ


FcVeXNz.jpg
 

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I like the M40 style stocks, although I haven't handled the B&C offering.

Some don't like them, but they suit me very well, and I am not tall or heavy. To me, such stocks, with a short, heavy barrel like your rifle, handle and point very nicely, and hold very steadily.
 
Congrats on the new addition!
 
Nice rifle, is it the Xpro trigger? I’ve had some that were good and some that had to be swapped out with a Timney. I much prefer the old Walker trigger. That rifle will serve you well!
Cheers,
Cody
 
700's are like adult Lego's. Lots of aftermarket parts: stocks, triggers, bottom metal, etc. Im a fan of 700's but always say swap the trigger. Makes all the world of difference. I used to run Jewel and Timney but Ive switched all to Trigger Tech's in my 700's. If available by you, give them a look. Best hunting trigger Ive used to date.
 
700's are like adult Lego's. Lots of aftermarket parts: stocks, triggers, bottom metal, etc. Im a fan of 700's but always say swap the trigger. Makes all the world of difference. I used to run Jewel and Timney but Ive switched all to Trigger Tech's in my 700's. If available by you, give them a look. Best hunting trigger Ive used to date.
The Trigger Tech are nice, been wanting to try one out, I believe that’s what Christensen Arms uses in their rifles
 
TTundra beat me to it-everybody makes replacement parts for the 700, more than for any other make/model of hunting rifle. I’ve bought a lot of Timney triggers and take that p.o.s. trigger and throw it in the rubbish bin! Remington would be soooo smart to team up with some of the many companies that have improved on their designs-but sadly they have not. . .
Big fan of the gameking bullet-
 
The Trigger Tech are nice, been wanting to try one out, I believe that’s what Christensen Arms uses in their rifles

It was an "ah-ha!" moment after I installed and shot my first. The concept behind them is ingenious yet simple. No more shooting lighter fluid down my trigger assemblies. And the ease of field adjusting the weight with audible clicks? almost brings a tear to your eye...:love:
 
700's are like adult Lego's. Lots of aftermarket parts: stocks, triggers, bottom metal, etc. Im a fan of 700's but always say swap the trigger. Makes all the world of difference. I used to run Jewel and Timney but Ive switched all to Trigger Tech's in my 700's. If available by you, give them a look. Best hunting trigger Ive used to date.

I agree with replacing the trigger. I’ve replaced all mine with Jewell’s.
 
Badboymelvin, if you don't want to swap out the trigger any competent gunsmith can "clip" a couple of coils off the trigger spring and lighten it up a bit. After-market options are probably the better way to go.
 
https://xmprecall.remington.com/

SEE IF YOUR MODEL 700™ OR MODEL SEVEN™ RIFLE IS AFFECTED
If you own a Remington Model 700™ or Model Seven™ rifle with an X-Mark Pro® trigger, please enter your serial number below to determine if your rifle needs to be inspected as part of the recall:
 

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Nice rifle. Looks like a deer killing machine. It should serve you well.
I have a 700 Long Range in .25/06 with the B&C M40 stock which I like very much. As others have stated, you’ll probably want to swap out the trigger.
 
Wishing you the heartiest congratulations , Russ . Remington Model 700 rifles are exceptionally accurate tools . The last client in my life whom I have ever guided ... Took a 10 foot 7 inch ( Nose - Tail length) male royal Bengal tiger with a Remington Model 700 “ Classic “ chambered in .375 Holland & Holland magnum .
 
Hey guys,

Thought I'd post a pic and give a bit of a range report about my new - and first ever Remington M700.

I've never really been a fan of M700's, being more of a Winchester M70 guy - but I got this for an absolute steal and it looked pretty good in the ad, so I thought I take the plunge and venture onto the dark side!

My new rifle is a Remington AAC-SD 'Tactical' model and it's in .308 caliber.
Although a tactical model I plan on using this for deer hunting in Australia - and in fact I traded off my .300Wby so I could purchase it.

Now, while the .300Wby was and is an AWESOME caliber, the longest shot I've ever taken on a deer with it was 60m...
And although a great caliber, I just wasn't utilising it to it's fullest potential so when someone threw some money in my face wanting it, I let it go... albeit a bit sadly...
The last 2 deer I shot with it were a couple of small Fallow and I got them at the staggering long distance of 40m! :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
I remember saying to my guide at the time, "I could've done that with a bloody .308!"
And I could've too...
With half the muzzle-blast and recoil...
And a lot cheaper...

So here we are!

I purchased this Remington already fitted with the Bell & Carlson M40 stock and as soon I got the rifle home the first thing I did was put a spare Vortex Crossfire II 6-18x44 scope that I had lying around on top of it.
To be honest this scope is a little big for a hunting rifle, but it's what I had on hand and I can always swap it out for something smaller later on down the track.

All up with scope and a full mag, it weighs spot on 4kg (9lb) which although heavy for a .308, feels quite nice in the hand.
Because of the heavy-ish weight, recoil is very mild. In fact it's under half what the .300Wby was - and is about 1/5 of what my .458WM is shooting the 550gn!
It was actually really nice shooting a rifle that didn't try to KILL you every time you pulled the trigger...

Today saw me at the range to put it through it's paces - and it had big shoes to fill. I loved that Weatherby and this Remington - a rifle I had no prior experiences with, had better perform.

And it did.
It functioned flawlessly. Extraction and ejection was positive and feeding was smooth. And it was very accurate.

That's the good! Now the bad...

The magazine only holds 3 instead of 4 which is no biggie and didn't really bother me - but what did give me bother was the trigger... it is HORRIBLE. Although crisp enough it was very heavy. This made shooting small groups with it off the bench hard work.
But even before picking the rifle up I knew the trigger would be heavy as most factory rifles are in this day and age of lawsuits.
But I'll get used to it. Given enough time I believe you can get used to nearly any trigger.

The ammo I was using was the Australian Outback factory ammunition.
I specifically chose this ammunition as it's loaded with the Sierra Gameking 165gn projectile and I believe this is the best bullet weight in the .308 for the hunting I do.
It should work well on small Fallow and the Elk-sized Sambar.
At the 50m range it put 3 shots in a fraction over 1/4" - which I was really happy with considering the trigger.
Velocity from the short 20" barrel averaged 2630fps and I've got it sighted in:
1.5" high at 50m,
3" high at 100m,
zero at 200m
- 12" at 300m.
Luckily I have mil-dots on the scope and utilising these, shots out to 400m are possible although I have a self-imposed rule of not taking shots past 300m.

So there you go, I'm feeling pretty good about this rifle so far.
The bolt handle didn't fall off, rifle didn't self-discharge and the extractor didn't break.
The rifle had a 'quality' look and feel about it and it was accurate. It feels good in the hands and it looks fantastic.
This weekend we're heading off to try and bag a deer and that will be the final test for this rifle. I just know it's going to be wet, muddy and cold so there's no better test for it.

I'll keep you all posted on how it goes - and thanks for reading (y)

Russ


FcVeXNz.jpg
Welcome to the "dark side", I guess you'll be fine as long as you don't shoot at anything that can kill you back.
 

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