Just how bad are the current R700s

[pineoak]

Looking at a left hand varmint as I am looking for a lefty .223 that has a barrel thick enough to thread a can onto.

For an affordable (under $1000), may be the only option right now. Can't afford a custom for this particular project.

 

[TMR137]

Tikka T3X and don’t look back. They make what your looking for

 

[Codiekfx400]

For inside 400 yards it should work okay. Rust will more than likely be a problem on the matte finish.

 

[pineoak]

Tikka T3X and don’t look back. They make what your looking for

Will you please help me locate a lefty .223 Tikka under $1000 that can take a suppressor?

Would be interested in taking a closer look at one that didn't as well if it's under the price cap.

 

[Kevins750]

i don't own a Ruger rifle but they have
Some new lefty models out.

I do own a new R700 and it isn't as refined as my older 700 but it serves it's purpose well.

 

[TMR137]

Will you please help me locate a lefty .223 Tikka under $1000 that can take a suppressor?

Would be interested in taking a closer look at one that didn't as well if it's under the price cap.

Both the varmint and lite compact series rifles come in lefties and can be had for under a grand. Might have to have your favorite FFL order you one though. Not a lot of them can be found in the wild. As far as threading that might be on you to get done as well. Tikka does make thread barrels so if ordering one you can probably get the exact rifle you are looking for from the factory.

I used to shoot 700’s exclusively (thanks to my work assignments) but I have sold all my personal ones and replaced them with better actions. The 700 is a good base but you might get one that shoots or you might not. The Tikka offers so much more out of the box vs the 700. When you break it down there really is no comparing the two for an OTS rifle.

 

[Codiekfx400]

Remember guys he is looking for a lefty.

 

[Lunchbox27]

About 4 years ago I bought my sps tac in 223. With in a month, rust had covered the entire barreled action. Tore off the matt finish and did the rattle can duracoat thing ( about to cerakote it ) Threaded it, dropped it into a B&C stock and added a Timney 510 trigger.

Its a god damn laser with 25.4 grains of varget and a 69 Smk. If you can get past having to swap triggers, stocks, getting it repainted, etc... buy it! If you don’t want to fuck with that then buy a Tikka or a Howa.

 

[Prophet78]

$1,000 for a Remington is a waste of money. Buy the cheaper SPS models.

I have quite a bit of experience with 700’s. I used to love them. But it’s just throwing good money after bad.

 

[JMGlasgow]

Buddy of mine has a Tikka 223 heavy barrel with rifling missing about 4" from the muzzle. Pushing a patch through it feels like there's nothing there for about 2". I had a Tikka bolt fail (not a hot load) and Tikka gave me the finger on any repairs.

I own three Remington 700 rifles and they're all very accurate. One is an SPS 308 in a Grayboe, one is a CDL 30-06, and the other started as an SPS 308 that I put a trigger on, changed caliber to 6.5 Creedmoor, and put into a Grayboe stock. No blueprinting performed. All LH rifles, all will easily shoot sub 3/4 MOA.

Frank's Snipershide rifle is a factory 700 in an APO chassis with an added layer of QC and they are hammers.

6.5 Creedmoor

30-06 hunting rifle

308, factory varmint barrel.

But those Tikka bolts are so smooth...

 

[wade2big]

The Remington hate is way overblown. I have several that shoot well. The 5R .308 rifles shoot exceptionally well.

 

[Kickin45]

Try a Howa. Great Japanese rifle

 

[JMGlasgow]

Howa to my knowledge doesn't make LH rifles. The OP specified LH.

 

[wade2big]

OP you wouldn’t have nearly the trouble if you would just learn to shoot correctly instead of ass backwards.

 

[Eurodriver]

I will never buy another Remington. I bought an AAC-SD I 308 a few years ago and it wouldn’t group FGMM or Hornady match <4”. I sent an educated well written email to Remington with pictures and talked for about 20 minutes with one of their rifle smiths.

In short - unless the rifle groups over 5 MOA they don’t consider it a factory defect and will not repair or replace it. I ended up getting the action trued, a McMillan stock, Krieger barrel and Timney trigger and was shooting 1/2 MOA out to 500 yards with it but I could’ve gotten a junk action for less than that rifle cost.

Never again. Good luck if that’s the route you go.

 

[Kickin45]

Weatherby or Browning maybe?

 

[earthtrekker1775]

I will never buy another Remington. I bought an AAC-SD I 308 a few years ago and it wouldn’t group FGMM or Hornady match <4”. I sent an educated well written email to Remington with pictures and talked for about 20 minutes with one of their rifle smiths.

In short - unless the rifle groups over 5 MOA they don’t consider it a factory defect and will not repair or replace it. I ended up getting the action trued, a McMillan stock, Krieger barrel and Timney trigger and was shooting 1/2 MOA out to 500 yards with it but I could’ve gotten a junk action for less than that rifle cost.

Never again. Good luck if that’s the route you go.

Ouch, that is a lemon for sure. I have an AAC-SD in .308 from about 7 years ago that I dropped in a McRees chassis and it shoots FGGM 175's at 3/8 MOA.

 

[MK20]

Tikkas are nicer. Their customer service (Beretta) is HORRIBLE.
The new Remington’s seem much better than the ones from a few years ago. If you can find an action from the early nineties those are pretty good in my experience.

I would look at a Howa. They aren’t bad either.

I would buy an action wherever you can find a decent one. Buy a remage barrel from Northland Shooters Supply. Buy a KRG bravo stock or a Choate or something like that. You are looking at right around 1K and it will be a really nice rifle.

 

[pineoak]

I'm a righty and own a T3x Varmint .223

Piecing together a lefty bolt gun to train a young left eye/left hand dominant shooter. He can shoot righty fine, but it's not optimal for positional stuff.

 

[sid]

I'm a lefty too..
Just get a Remington.. I have one, and it works well, it is more refined then a Ruger American, and cheaper than a tikka .

Once you are willing to spend more you can get a custom action, and still use your trigger, stock and scope rails if you upgrade them and have money invested in the 700 platform.

You can find the varmint model around 500$ and it has the thicker barrel that works well with a can.
If it turns out to be a lemon, a risk you take with every rifle you can get the barrel replace everywhere.

 

[Gunfighter14e2]

I have an AAC-SD in .308 from about 7 years ago that I dropped in a McRees chassis and it shoots FGGM 175's at 3/8 MOA.

Agree, I have owned 3 AAC-SD's in the B/S factory stocks in 308 an not a one shot over 1/2moa with factory an with hand loads they all were in the .3-.4 range or better at times. I've a 16.5" .223 AAC-SD that with 25 grs of H335 an a 55gr Amax an 10X scope will do 1/4 moa at 400yds with most anyone behind it, who can shoot.
What I find interesting as my experience with some of the other sticks touted have been way different than the internet reviews state, but then again the target has no way to twist words or tell/spread an untruth.

 

[rookie7]

@JMGlasgow what did you do about the bolt since Tikka wouldn’t fix it?

 

[JMGlasgow]

@JMGlasgow what did you do about the bolt since Tikka wouldn’t fix it?

Parted out and sold everything except the bolt body and the receiver. Those went into the metal scrap pile.

 

[Codiekfx400]

I had the exact same situation as the op. Needed a 223 LH to teach my 7 yr old son to shoot. I ended up with a Bighorn Origin xcaliber 223 prefit and a mdt lss chassis. Since he is so small I went with a ar buffer tube and a Magpul CTR stock. So the lop is adjustable very quickly. Buying everything on sale it still cost me over $1600 which would be out of your budget.

 

[garandman]

Buy an older Rem 700. Get a barrel. Add a trigger and stock. It takes time, to save up, and ya can't have it right away. But you'll never regret actually getting what you want.

 

[30338]

I bought one of the lefty 223 Rem 700s used with the intention of putting a 8 twist pacnor on it in 223ai, which I did. It shoots 75 amax amazinly well and is a mtn contour now. Before then, it shot 55 grain ballistic tips with the factory barrel very nicely. I'd not hesitate to buy another to train a young lefty shooter with.

 

[Fn260]

Buy an older Rem 700. Get a barrel. Add a trigger and stock. It takes time, to save up, and ya can't have it right away. But you'll never regret actually getting what you want.
[/QUOTE]


This.

 

[pineoak]

I've been eyeing the $500 lefty R700 varmint in .223 and been actively looking for used LH .223s that'll take a suppressor.

I'd love the used route, but LH rifles just aren't that common. Not a fan of buying online from random gun store as there aren't many fixes if there are issues with the purchase.

 

[Deleted member 10043]

It would be better to order a 700 action from someone like NSS along with all the barrel and nut goodies then pick out a stock and trigger. After that you can change out the barrels yourself. Even change caliber if you become so inclined. A little sweat equity goes a long ways. If you can measure, adjust, and change a spark plug than you can build a good rifle.

 

[pineoak]

It would be better to order a 700 action from someone like NSS along with all the barrel and nut goodies then pick out a stock and trigger. After that you can change out the barrels yourself. Even change caliber if you become so inclined. A little sweat equity goes a long ways. If you can measure, adjust, and change a spark plug than you can build a good rifle.

Fascinating options as I never knew this was available before without trashing a factory stock. Went to their site and am wondering if it's worth the $100+ difference for

"The receiver face has been squared and the lugs have been lapped for the Trued Actions." or if I should have my local smith do it (he's really good)

 

[Jackomason]

Bergara Ridge or the HMR, they've announced a lefty and people have them on order but I'm not sure they are in the wild yet.

 

[antithesis]

If you regularly buy stock stuff then get a cheap borecam (Lyman). As soon as you get something home take a good look at the chamber and barrel. Most shops won't take it back if it has a problem, but sending it back to the manufacture is pretty easy especially if you do it before you start putting rounds through it. I have sent firearms back to Springfield, T/C, and Tikka. They all came back better than anything that you will find on a shelf.

Even with Tikka, if I am buying off the shelf I have them bring out however many of the same rifle they have in stock and then choose the best of the lot. The guys at the counter would get a bit frustrated with me, especially when I pull a flashlight out, but its my money. The other side is if you are in the mood for negotiations, point out the flaws and tell them you want money off or you walk. You can always walk.

 

[PAYDIRT]

Here's a 20" 223 @ 430, rr prefix that everyone loves to hate.

 

[MK20]

@pineoak just call Jim at NSS. Hands down the best guy to talk to and his stuff is good to go. Get something with a 308 boldface and build it up in a lighter recoiling round and you have endless flexibility. I saw a KRG bravo stock on he Hide here a few days ago for 300 bucks. Piece it together to get what you want instead of some factory offering. If it is for a youth shooter you can run a super heavy barrel from NSS to reduce recoil too.

I have all the tooling for the barrel install if your local gunsmith doesn’t have it.

 

[Deleted member 10043]

Fascinating options as I never knew this was available before without trashing a factory stock. Went to their site and am wondering if it's worth the $100+ difference for

"The receiver face has been squared and the lugs have been lapped for the Trued Actions." or if I should have my local smith do it (he's really good)

Make sure a trued action can accept a barrel nut.

 

[spife7980]

Make sure a trued action can accept a barrel nut.

The NSS true job is only the action face, bolt face and lugs, they leave the threads unchanged for remage compatibility.

 

[Fig]

The last 700 I bought was a fluted, heavy barrel, .308, LR. It was OK, out of the box. Best load I could get was not quite a minute. I took it to my smith who blueprinted and trued the action and put it in a better stock with a cleaner float, and it vastly improved. Should have stopped there...

I probably put another $1,000+ in chopping the barrel and threading it, new timney trigger, bottom metal for mags, etc. I put an $800+or- Athlon scope on it. It would shoot a 20 shot group sub MOA, which is as good as any of my built rifles. This is the rub; it cost nearly as much as any of my built rifles cost to get it to function and shoot as good as I can shoot. If I has kept it I would have gotten a 6.5CM barrel for it.

I traded it to a gas-gun buddy (yes, there are one or two in the woodpile), who did not have a suitable bolt action rifle, for a Spike's AR with two .300BLK uppers. There's probably $3K in the rifle, and it's probably not worth $2K.

That was probably the last off-the-shelf rifle I ever buy. I just don't have the time or the money to be disappointed by or to improve a production rifle to where I want it to be. I feel like nothing is going to be what I want unless I have it built. I would honestly feel a lot more confident buying a used rifle with known components from a SH guy than I would a brand new one over the counter. The best situation would be someone who has a rifle with the barrel that's shot out that they're selling, and I can have it re-barreled. To me that's essentially like getting a new rifle. I always feel like I'm shooting a new rifle when I re-barrel!

 

[ilmonster]

I bought a Rem 700 SPS Tac in .223 a few years ago, and have been very pleased with it. The finish is just fine (no rust as some others mention). I came with the Hogue tupperware stock which I knew I'd replace as I needed some comb adjustability. Out of the box, it was a 1/2 - 1 MOA rifle. Now that I have it in a KRG Bravo stock (love it!) and have replaced the X-Mark Pro trigger with a Timney 510, I can consistently shoot 1/2 MOA 5 shot groups and sometimes get 1/4 MOA. The factory trigger was actually fine, I just wanted a lighter and more adjustable trigger. It shoots Hornady 75 gr. BTHP's really well. For my first bolt action rifle, and being just under $500 new, I am pleased. With my upgrades, I have under $1,000 into it. I know this is an anecdotal sample size of 1, but it sure shoots well for me!

 

[Codiekfx400]

What is the cost of a lefty trued 700? Why not just buy the Bighorn Origin?

 

[Fig]

MSRP is very close to a complete Rem 700. Pretty hard to put together a complete rifle for under $1000 when you have $175 after buying the action...just sayin'!

 

[Ledzep]

If you want a M700 that shoots very well, you can gamble on factory options or you can build from parts (mostly the barrel). I've seen factory barrels shoot anywhere from .3's to well over 2", and as another poster mentioned, good luck getting anything done about it if it doesn't shoot great. Average is probably in the 3/4-1.25 MOA range. I've even seen visibly bent barrels out of BNIB rifles. Personally, I'd rather start with a bare action.

As far as blueprinting goes, I would check to make sure there is contact on both lugs-- if so, leave it alone. Maybe square up the face if it's visibly bad, but most don't need anything done up front (as in; realistically, you won't be able to shoot any difference before/after blueprinting the same action with the same barrel). What IS important on newer M700's is to have the bolt handle timed for primary extraction. Single best thing you can do to improve "feel" of the action. YMMV. If there's a Tikka option available that works for you, I'd hop on that before building/buying a 700.

 

[702lineman]

I just built a lefty 223 rem 700. Bought a complete gun to rob the action. If I had it to do over I would have just got another aftermarket action. I have just as much in this gun.

I used to own a 223 tikka varmint and it straight hammered. Was one of my favorite guns I've ever owned.

I also owned a 223 rem 700 vtr a few years ago. No matter what load, free floating, whatever, it was just not a sub moa gun. Didn't shoot bad, but wanst the best I've owned

 

[bschneiderheinze]

I have a remmy 223 it doesn’t have the factory barrel on it anymore it has a Bartlein bugholes but the people talking about rust must be dipping these things in water or never oiling them. Mine sits on the wall in a basement and doesn’t have a spot of rust on it and I have the same rifle in 308. Mine shoots 1/2 moa now and was 3/4 before I rebarreled it. The only reason I but a barrel on it was I wanted to get to 1000 (it was a 16.5”) with it and I can without any truing or blue printing. I don’t know if you can get them left handed but dicks sells an adl varmint for around $450. I’ve owned a couple and they were all hammers after being restocked. Tikka is definitely a good option I have a custom in 6.5 creed but try to by a tikka for the price of remmy.

 

[bschneiderheinze]

What is the cost of a lefty trued 700? Why not just buy the Bighorn Origin?

An origin is $850 plus trigger and barrel/stock

 

[AK4900PA]

For a factory rifle shooting factory ammo I'm happy with my 5R Gen2. As soon as Triggertech releases them, I'll be adding a 2 stage trigger and eventually when the barrel is shot out I'll send it to LRI to flute the bolt, true the action and spin up a barrel. I don't have any experience with any other brands other than Savage, but one of the biggest draws to the R700 for me is the huge aftermarket. Nothing else compares.

 

[wade2big]

View attachment 7089130

For a factory rifle shooting factory ammo I'm happy with my 5R Gen2. As soon as Triggertech releases them, I'll be adding a 2 stage trigger and eventually when the barrel is shot out I'll send it to LRI to flute the bolt, true the action and spin up a barrel. I don't have any experience with any other brands other than Savage, but one of the biggest draws to the R700 for me is the huge aftermarket. Nothing else compares.

That is typical Remington 700 5R with good factory ammunition.
The gen 1 5R rifles in .308 shoot just like that. With FGMM 175gr I would avg about 5/8” at 100 yards (the few groups I actually shot with it). Solid rifles. I kick myself for selling that thing.

 

[Codiekfx400]

An origin is $850 plus trigger and barrel/stock

Remington 700 lefty will be $450 plus $225 to true it plus $75 for a 20 Moa rail. So now your within $100 of a origin. The origin will take a savage pre fit which is cheaper than a remage.

 

[wade2big]

Remington 700 lefty will be $450 plus $225 to true it plus $75 for a 20 Moa rail. So now your within $100 of a origin. The origin will take a savage pre fit which is cheaper than a remage.

I think most guys skip the truing of the action when they run a barrel nut setup on a 700. They still shoot. I am almost starting to believe that truing actions is just gunsmith bread and butter.

 

[JMGlasgow]

Where are Rem700 prefits more expensive than Savage? They're the same price from Criterion. And who says a Remington must be trued?

 

[Ledzep]

I think most guys skip the truing of the action when they run a barrel nut setup on a 700. They still shoot. I am almost starting to believe that truing actions is just gunsmith bread and butter.

Read my post above. By and large it's a "warm fuzzy" under the thought process of "well, it won't hurt and I'd hate to find out my action is the one in 390292039420390 that doesn't shoot by not blueprinting" and "XYZ blueprinted his action before building to get "tight tolerances" and "square everything up" because it's conducive to precision etc.. etc.."

In the real world, what matters is upper and lower lugs are both supported. Really doesn't matter what % contact each one makes. They'll elastically deform under firing to the tune of a couple .0001's of an inch. And if you think a non-square bolt face is the end of accuracy potential, pull a barrel once, plug a loaded round into it, and tell me how much misalignment there is available for the round to be "Biased off center".... Then tell me how much of that bias remains when you touch off 60ksi behind the ass end of the bullet. Then quantify the accuracy loss on account of it.

I'm not saying there's no threshold where it starts being bad or even dangerous.... But I am saying the VAST majority of factory actions don't really need anything done to them, other than a properly chambered barrel to be installed to shoot extremely well. Win a BR competition, meh probably not... Shoot well enough to print .3-.6" 5-shot groups @ 100 consistently, absolutely.