Remington 700P 26” .308 or Magpul Hunter 22” 6.5 Creedmore

[Airspeed247]

Long story short I’ve been wanting to get into this for a while. Have some basic shooting knowledge but really enjoy sitting at a bench and testing out different ammo. Just sold my basic Remington 700 ADL in .308 that I was using to learn on and want to upgrade. No I’m trying to decide between the Remington 700p 26” barrel .308 or the newer Remington Magpul Hunter 6.5 Creedmore 22”. This will be mainly a range gun, with local access to ranges up to 1,000 but primarily 300-500.
I actually prefer the 700 Police stock and 40x trigger but like that the Magpul version comes with a 5R barrel and the magazine, threaded barrel and bolt knob already included are a plus.
Any advice would be appreciated as I’d like to pick the one I can spend time learning on for a while. Thanks.

 

[jpspeeddemon]

I'd recommend a Tikka CTR in 6.5 creedmoor

 

[roggom]

Go with the 6.5 CM, and if you want less frustration and ready to hit targets out of the box, go with JP's suggestion.

 

[Airspeed247]

Well, I have to admit I wasn’t planning on being tossed another good option. To be candid I’d never even considered a Tikka before. I just preferred the classic 700 and flexibility of aftermarket parts.
My thought being the 700p is essentially ready to go with a 26” minus a scope and .308 is plentiful.
The magpul because it too is essentially ready to go, has a slightly shorter barrel but with what is often described as a “better” round.
Tikka aside, it sounds like the 6.5 is still better to learn on than the .308 regardless?

 

[jpspeeddemon]

Well, I have to admit I wasn’t planning on being tossed another good option. To be candid I’d never even considered a Tikka before. I just preferred the classic 700 and flexibility of aftermarket parts.
My thought being the 700p is essentially ready to go with a 26” minus a scope and .308 is plentiful.
The magpul because it too is essentially ready to go, has a slightly shorter barrel but with what is often described as a “better” round.
Tikka aside, it sounds like the 6.5 is still better to learn on than the .308 regardless?

The 6.5 creedmoor is flatter shooting and bucks the wind better than the 308. Factory match ammo is plentiful from 120grains upto 147 grains. Ammo cost for the 308 and 6.5creed are about equal.

Regarding the Tikka, there are also a lot of aftermarket options, so I doubt you will be limited in that department. Tikka, Savage, and Remington are the big 3 for aftermarket components like stocks, bottom metal, scope bases, etc.

 

[Lunchbox27]

Tikka will not disappoint. I cannot say that for Remington with the two I have owned. Aftermarket options for the tikka are there. Lots of chassis options, stocks, bolt handles, etc.

 

[308pirate]

Tikkas are great rifles, but there are other options that outstrip Remingtons right from the get go.

The Howa Chassis Rifle and the Ruger Precision Rifle are two that come to mind immediately. Neither needs anything more than a scope and a bipod and you're off to the races. Both are available in several calibers including 308 Winchester, 6.5 Creedmoor, and 243 Winchester.

Rumor has it that Howa will be releasing a new match rifle in 6.5 Creedmoor, 6 Creedmoor and 308 based on their Model 1500 heavy barrel action plus the new KRG Bravo chassis.

Do NOT make the mistake of assuming you like a traditional rifle stock better until you try a chassis. You may end up being right, or like me you might end up being wrong.

Howa also sells their heavy barrelled actions without stock and you can drop it into one of the several excellent chassis (all of which take AICS magazines) available for it. Howas take Remington 700 2-piece scope bases (but not 700 one-piece bases) and there are more than enough one-piece picatinny scope bases made for Howa 1500s too. They come with an excellent two-stage trigger that does not need a replacement (unlike Remingtons). They flat out shoot too.

 

[steve123]

Op, anytime you buy a stock rifle in this price range you are taking a gamble on how well it shoots. I've got a handful of examples but I'll tell the latest one. A friend bought two identical Tikka T3's in 300WM, one for him and the other for his son. His son's shot great and his never did. Basically his son's shot sub moa easily and his didn't.

Now might be the best time to start investigating the custom rifle world. In which a $300+ premium barrel and a great gunsmith can just about guarantee sub half inch groups at 100Y.

When I was young and poor I went through this dilemma often. The day came when I walked into a gunstore and there on the shelf was a custom sleeved 40x benchrest rifle in 6PPC with the dies, brass, his load and plenty of targets with one ragged hole groups, some at 200Y. Back then it was my fantasy rifle! I could have put a down payment and sold some crappy guns I didn't even really like, lol, and had that cool 40x. Nope, by the time I realized I had to have that thing some other guy bought it. So what did I do, I went and bought other stock rifles for years(some shot okay at best and some shot bad) before I said to myself this has got to stop!!!.....

It was only ten years ago I got into long range. I went to a benchrest match and bought a used rifle for cheap. Went home and shot it for a few weeks and was astonished how accurate it was, hardly a group was not touching all five shots. Had it rebarreled to 6.5-284 and beat my closest competitor by 15 points in a 1000Y match not a year later.

My lesson was don't waste time or money.

 

[308pirate]

Op, anytime you buy a stock rifle in this price range you are taking a gamble on how well it shoots.

They may all be gambles in this price range, but the odds sure as hell aren't all the same.

 

[SRPowah]

I would buy a barreled action with an aftermarket barrel from the PX here if you really want to go Remington. If you want a factory rifle, Tikka is popular around here for a reason. I haven't personally shot Tikka, but I have been behind enough Remington rifles to not recommend them to those that ask me...even with my current R700 shooting FGMM 168 sub-moa consistently.

Could shoot great, could be a 2moa gun that Remington won't do anything about.

 

[steve123]

They may all be gambles in this price range, but the odds sure as hell aren't all the same.

Life is funny that way. There's certainly worse rifles than the Tikka, that's for sure. If I were to pick any stock action to build off of it'd be a Tikka but I'm past that point and so is the friend I mentioned who took the plunge and loves his custom rifle now.

And interestingly enough the action I consider horrible actually has a good reputation for accuracy in stock form but the last thing I'd use for a custom build.

 

[powderBurnz]

remington has an aacsd in 6.5crd too, itd save ya some money. add an hs stock and whatever trigger you want.

 

[Airspeed247]

A lot of really good advice and I really appreciate it. Looks like everyone is steering me away from the Remington. My first choice really was the 700p 26" but I'm really sold on the 6.5 and thats not an option for the 700p. I really just like the setup it provides: Heavy barrel, good stock and good trigger but now I'm doubting a .308 decision.

Did go and finally get my hands on a few all at the same place this morning. Tikka CTR (20" / can't find the 24" locally) and the Remington magpul which I hadn't got hands on. CTR definitely has a smooth action but I hate the stock and am not looking forward to having to replace it at that price range, which is the top of my budget already. I'd really like a setup I enjoy right of the box. TO throw something else in the mix, there was a Bergara HMR right next to all of these as well. Looked like a decent setup and nothing I would have to upgrade. Still nervous about these shorter barrels at long distances but it has a 22". Would this be a good contender? Basically I have $1,000 budget and don't want to have to buy something and then swap new parts in. Thank you guys all again as I don't want to just throw a grand at a rifle that isn't a good option or something thats going to disappoint . I'm being steered in a good direction.