Drank the Kool-aid for decades.

[dverna]

I have always believed the press about the superiority of the Remington M700 when it comes to accuracy. As a result, I have owned a lot of them.

A few years ago I got a deal on a Winchester M70 Coyote in .308 but never shot it. This year I decided I would use it as my deer gun.

Today I went out to shoot it for the first time. To break in the barrel, I had some Norma match ammo. After the break in shots, it was making a few 1/2 MOA groups....nothing over 1 MOA.

I then started testing my reloads using the Sierra 165 Gameking bullet. I shot six loads and they were very good. Two loads were 1/2 MOA. I am impressed.

It is a fine rifle. I do not know if my M70 is a fluke, but I wish I had tried the Winchesters earlier in my life when I could shoot better.

I am set for deer season. It is the most accurate hunting rifle I have ever owned. I am a lucky man.

Next year I will give a it go with cast bullets

Don Verna

[runfiverun]

Don:
I got some Rugers you'd like, and a couple of push feed model 70's, and a Bergara

the only Winchesters I have never favored was their stupid rebounding hammer 94's and their real late model 70's right before they folded. [when they went away from the red butt pads]
their new ones are some very, very nice rifles.

[Scharfschuetze]

I believe the Remington may be tweeked to be a bit more accuracy than a Winchster. I've only owned two Remington Model 40X match rifles and, while very accurate, they never seemed as usable as my Winchester Model 70 match rifles. In the National Match course of fire in which up to 40 rounds (four 10 shot strings at 200 and 300 yards) are fired during a match, the superior camming action of the Model 70 really proves to be more user friendly. I actually wore out the extraction cam on a Remington when the wear (always lubed well) and friction of primary extraction wore through the surface hardening of the bolt handle stem/cam.

My .223 Winchester Model 70 doubles as both a varmint rifle and with a change to Redfield International aperture sights and a clip guide, a National Match rifle.

[toallmy]

I love the safety and the smooth bolt on m 70 , plus adjusting the trigger pull .

[MostlyLeverGuns]

Agreed, I have a few Savage 99's and a Marlin or two that shoot better than many Rem 700's also.

[Ola]

You guys, hopeless romantics..

The brand tells you very little about the accuracy. It is quite safe to say that if you buy one without test shooting you are participating in lottery

In my mind the best way think about is to concentrate on the ACTION. If you like action of the brand x rifle, buy one. If it isn't accurate (probably isn't), change the barrel.

[ole 5 hole group]

Best listen to Scharfschuetze, as that Remington 700 action is just plain easier to properly bed and set-up.

Maybe look at the benchrest crowd - most are using complete custom-made actions, but the few that aren't, are using Remington actions - XP100's and M700's. In my day, a lot of us couldn't afford the customs, so we ALL (those of us that were a little financially embarrassed) were using the Remington actions - a few high power boys were using Winchesters but M700's were still favored. Of course, all commercial 700 an XP actions are "worked over".

[Scharfschuetze]

Of course, all commercial 700 an XP actions are "worked over".

Roger that Ole 5 Hole Group. Sometimes called blue printing or squaring, it is an integral part of making an accurate rifle, no matter what the brand is. In the process, locking lugs are lapped in so that they have equal bearing of the surfaces against their abutments. The recoil lug is 90 degrees from the bore and the bolt face is also square to the bore as well as the face of the action.

The Winchester in my post above is a fully squared rifle with the barrel set back and a very tight chamber with minimum headspace. Many rifles shoot well enough out of the box, but most will benefit from the touch of a good gunsmith.

[osteodoc08]

Roger that Ole 5 Hole Group. Sometimes called blue printing or squaring, it is an integral part of making an accurate rifle, no matter what the brand is. In the process, locking lugs are lapped in so that they have equal bearing of the surfaces against their abutments. The recoil lug is 90 degrees from the bore and the bolt face is also square to the bore as well as the face of the action.

The Winchester in my post above is a fully squared rifle with the barrel set back and a very tight chamber with minimum headspace. Many rifles shoot well enough out of the box, but most will benefit from the touch of a good gunsmith.

The key words being a GOOD GUNSMITH. Unfortunately this craft is not one learned overnight and a good gunsmith is hard to find. The big name ones charge $$$ (deservedly
i might add) and there is a lengthy wait.

[Tenbender]

Never owned a Remington Mod. 700 that would shoot. Not to my liking anyway. I have never had a Winchester mod. 70 that would not shoot. 1/2" moa is normal with the 70. With a 700 only one in fifty will do that.

[Texas by God]

Buy a 700 in 30-06. Buy a 70 in 30-06. Buy a Tikka in 30-06. The Tikka will outshoot the others. Everytime. There. There's my generalization. I've owned a Pre 64 m70 .270 & a post 64 m70 .243- neither would group 3 in .5" I've owned Remington 700s, 600s,788s, 721 & xp100s- all would outshoot those two Winchesters. My Tikkas(box stock) are more accurate than the Remingtons. This is my experience over 44 yrs of reloading. Best, Thomas.

[Clark]

Over the past 15 years I have bought 6 of the Rem700 rifles.
Never shot one with the original bore, but I have shot 4 of them rebarreled to 6mmBR, 7mmRemMag, 6mmBR, 7mmRemMag.

I have shot a 7mmRemMag Rem700 barrel that I put on a 1908 Brazilian Mauser.

I like Shilen select match stainless barrels, Pac Nor Super match stainless barrels, Krieger stainless barrels, Benchmark stainless barrels, and Lothar Walther chrome moly barrels.

[Three44s]

My '04 vintage Rem 700 SS in 7mm Rem mag runs the Speer 145 gr. spitzer boat tail at .460" for three shots @ 100 .......... and it did so for three groups in a row!

In my book that's a shooter!

My 788 in .22-250 ran .420" for five shots @100 all day long until the original barrel burned out. I have two used factory take offs to try with it before I break down and go custom with it ........ that one sports a Canjar single set trigger ...... makes coyote's skin crawl when it's a workin'!!

My Ruger Liberty M77V in .243 runs the Hornady 75gr. HP sub .3" @ 100

Accurate rifles are fun!!

Best regards

Three 44s

[RU shooter]

Never owned a Remington Mod. 700 that would shoot. Not to my liking anyway. I have never had a Winchester mod. 70 that would not shoot. 1/2" moa is normal with the 70. With a 700 only one in fifty will do that.

I guess everyone's experience is different with rifles me and my dad have always been Remington shooters all are from the beginning days of the 700 series his 308 is a first year model 1964 and the two others a 6mm and 30-06 are again early late 60,s early 70's also had a 222 HB and a 22-250 also a model 600 in the group too all are bone stock and all shoot very well few years back dad wanted a 7-08 for some reason only one he could find was a win 70 featherweight so that's what he bought he still curses that gun best it will shoot is 1.5" 3 shot groups at 100 and that is with rem factory ammo he could not find any bullet powder combo that would do better than the plain green box ammo he still has it and killed a few deer but I jokingly will never let him live down the day he bought a Winchester 70 .

[Artful]

Well, I like my Remington 700 and my Winchester post 64 Model 70 but my surprise was when I saw what all the Savage bolt guns gave out of the box. You know I went to a class thru the local community college and the instructor said basically if you plan to shoot it enough to wear out the barrels go for the Remington 700 as much more after market support but if you just want to buy it out of the box and shoot good buy the Savage as the money went into the barrel making at Savage. And to prove the point his Dept issue was a Remington and his personal rifle was a Savage.

[dverna]

Opening day yesterday and the M70 did its thing. One shot kill. Aimed behind the front shoulder and the doe went down immediately. A few movements once it hit the ground but I knew I did not need a second shot. Easy shot at 130 yards and the 165 gr Sierra Gameking blew right through it with nearly a 2" exit wound.

It is my first deer, and I am 66. I either never had the opportunity to hunt deer, or had a partner that did not approve of harvesting game. So almost my shooting has been on targets and in competition.

Don Verna

[Budzilla 19]

Have one Remington 700 in 30/06, and one Winchester in 7 STW, both shoot very well. The Winchester is a 26" Classic Sporter with the pre 64 style extractor action, Browning Boss muzzle brake, (it is needed) shoots 140's at 3300+ if you want to go that fast, sub moa at 100 yds. Remington 700 is a plain gun, synthetic stock, free floated barrel, trigger adjusted, near max loads of H414, 150 grain Nosler, also sub moa at 100 yards. Which gun is better? Don't know as each has a specific range of use! Bench rest gun, 308 Win.,Remington 700 short action, blueprinted, Shilen barrel, trigger, McMillan stock. Buts that a whole different animal. Savage tactical I had would shoot with both of these guns I have now. '06 is my cast boolit slinger. Best gun? Your choice. Just my .02

[deepwater]

Best listen to Scharfschuetze, as that Remington 700 action is just plain easier to properly bed and set-up.

Maybe look at the benchrest crowd - most are using complete custom-made actions, but the few that aren't, are using Remington actions - XP100's and M700's. In my day, a lot of us couldn't afford the customs, so we ALL (those of us that were a little financially embarrassed) were using the Remington actions - a few high power boys were using Winchesters but M700's were still favored. Of course, all commercial 700 an XP actions are "worked over".

Many of the custom actions are Remington clones, built to closer tolerances. Stocks and bottom metal interchange.

My local smith, Jack Keister - internationally acclaimed lightweight hunting rifles that shoot in the .1"s & .2"s, uses Remington actions that are "blueprinted",and the custom clones, and occasionally others. Some of the customs may still need additional machining before they leave his shop.

[Landy]

It is my first deer, and I am 66. I either never had the opportunity to hunt deer, or had a partner that did not approve of harvesting game. So almost my shooting has been on targets and in competition.

Congratulations, both on the successful hunt and on tackling new and demanding pursuits at a time that too many think that they must slow down.

M70s will shoot nice groups, especially the push feeders; and the CRFs only cost a bit in accuracy, or in effort to get accuracy, in return for their reliability payoff.

[Tackleberry41]

I have never owned a Rem 700, didnt avoid them, just never bought one. Only time I came close was when I sold off a browning abolt in 300 win mag, and was looking to replace it. But with a left handed one as I got tired of reaching over. Shop I went to tried so hard to push me into a 700 they had on the shelf and not in the caliber I wanted. Pretty much refused to order me anything. Not that it mattered, few 700 come in lefty. So I shoot Savage. I know people who wont shoot anything but a 700, maybe bought into the hype.

The 700 being so popular has alot to do with the aftermarket. Look at glocks, you can find variations of any part in a glock, and has helped with their popularity. A rem 700, tons of places make stuff to modify them, other rifles not so much. Its like the 10/22, is it really that much better or simply the fact you can upgrade any part you care to in one? Its the aftermarket thats at least partially responsible for their popularity.