Would a Remington 700 sps tactical in 223 be a good starter gun?

[Alabama556]

I want a 223 with a 20 inch barrel for messing around my farm. My son would love shooting it as well. I am not ready to build another rifle yet and was going to see if you thought this would be a good starter rifle.

the idea would be to buy a gun I could upgrade down the road if needed.

I have heard they shoot good out of the box. I would have to get it threaded but that is not that big of a deal. The 16.5 inch model is too short for me ( it comes already threaded)

thanks for your help and opinions.

 

[The King]

Remington is sort of on the way out gun company wise. I like the tikka t3 in 223 if 223 is your thing. Mine had magazines that worked great which was a plus.

 

[308pirate]

I want a 223 with a 20 inch barrel for messing around my farm. My son would love shooting it as well. I am not ready to build another rifle yet and was going to see if you thought this would be a good starter rifle.

the idea would be to buy a gun I could upgrade down the road if needed.

I have heard they shoot good out of the box. I would have to get it threaded but that is not that big of a deal. The 16.5 inch model is too short for me ( it comes already threaded)

thanks for your help and opinions.

https://www.legacysports.com/catalog/howa/howa-heavy-barrel-varminter/

 

[tevans0707]

Maybe consider tikka. I can't recommend Remington rifles unless it's an older action. You can find a T3X Varmint 223 for around $750. It gives you a good stock, awesome trigger and a detachable magazine. And if you wanted to run AICS mags, all you would need is to find someone selling off an old CTR stock then find a bottom metal for it. And the aftermarket is finally catching up to the popularity of Tikka and many stock and chassis manufactures have options for them.

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[Alabama556]

Are there gunsmiths out there that will rebarrel a tikka?

 

[tevans0707]

Are there gunsmiths out there that will rebarrel a tikka?

There's a bunch out there now. Especially with how popular the actions have become.

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[cook1536]

I want a 223 with a 20 inch barrel for messing around my farm. My son would love shooting it as well. I am not ready to build another rifle yet and was going to see if you thought this would be a good starter rifle.

the idea would be to buy a gun I could upgrade down the road if needed.

I have heard they shoot good out of the box. I would have to get it threaded but that is not that big of a deal. The 16.5 inch model is too short for me ( it comes already threaded)

thanks for your help and opinions.

I bought an SPS Tactical 223 last year for me and my daughters to shoot. I hand load 55 gr V-Max Hornady's with Varget and this is the result of a 3 shot group at 100 yards off a Walmart bi-pod and a rear bag. The only modification done was the action is bedded and the barrel channel was opened a little at the end of the forearm so the P.O.S. Hogue stock doesnt touch the barrel when on a bi-pod. it will also bang 6" steel at 650 yards with 69 gr BTHP all day long. Remington is not on the way out, they completely revamped management including the CEO and from what I understand they have some new products in the works too. While Tikka is an awesome gun for the price point, I agree the quality of the older 700's is way better than todays but the 700 can still be a good starter option.

 

[...]

Despite what some on here will tell you.....the remington 700 is hardly "on its way out".

there is a reason its coppied as much as it is..

im not saying there arent other fine choices.....but you wont be disapointed with a remington.

most remingtons shoot around 1 moa out of the box.....and will do a touch better tgan that with some fiddeling.

part are readily avaliable, and every smith in the country knows how to work on them

 

[tevans0707]

It also comes down to what you intend to do with it. If you are staying inside of 500yds then the Remington maybe the easiest, but it only have a 1:9 twist so it can't handle the heavier bullets. If you want to get out further then that, you need something with a 1:8 or 1:7 twist barrek.

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[Greg Langelius *]

It will work. My preference in that application would be the Mossberg MVP .223 Predator. Mine is a very fun gun, with Bushnell 3-12x40 .223 Drop Zone BDC scope. For plinking, Prvi-Partizan (PPU) 55gr FMJBT, and for anything more significant, Federal Fusion MSR 62gr. This setup matches so well it just about clicks.

Greg

 

[Stuey]

I have one developed as a trainer to my 6 Dasher. It shoots 1/2 at 100 yards with my handloads. I do not regret purchasing it because it has a good barrel life and shoots well. I wanted a Tikka but got this one at 1/2 the cost. Do get rid of the stock.

 

[-=boone=-]

Purchased one and haven’t done anything to mine yet.
I haven’t decided if I want to cut it down to 11.5” sbr bolt gun, or open the bolt face and punch it out for the Valkyrie.

 

[346ci]

Tikka, Howa, Ruger, or Savage. Plenty of Smith's that will work on a Tikka.

A 700 would be my last option...

 

[346ci]

Despite what some on here will tell you.....the remington 700 is hardly "on its way out".

there is a reason its coppied as much as it is..

im not saying there arent other fine choices.....but you wont be disapointed with a remington.

most remingtons shoot around 1 moa out of the box.....and will do a touch better tgan that with some fiddeling.

part are readily avaliable, and every smith in the country knows how to work on them

The foot print is copied, every aspect of an aftermarket 700 type action is upgraded. You gain nothing by starting off with one, 10 years ago maybe since everyone only had stocks for 700s.

 

[...]

The foot print is copied, every aspect of an aftermarket 700 type action is upgraded. You gain nothing by starting off with one, 10 years ago maybe since everyone only had stocks for 700s.

"upgraded" how?....other than price?

the only real "upgrade" i see is integral scope rails, and a pinned recoil lug.....

people put FAR to much emphasis on the action than they should........the vast majority of your accuracy comes from your barrel and ammo........if you take a good barrel and screw it onto a factory 700 (or any other factory action).......and then screw it onto a "aftermarket action".....its honestly going to shoot the same.

 

[supercorndogs]

The foot print is copied, every aspect of an aftermarket 700 type action is upgraded. You gain nothing by starting off with one, 10 years ago maybe since everyone only had stocks for 700s.

But you don't loose anything either. You can't honestly come in here and try to tell people a savage action is better than a remington. That is just fucking silly. All the cheap rifles have their place, and have their lemons. All choices have their pros and cons.

 

[346ci]

But you don't loose anything either. You can't honestly come in here and try to tell people a savage action is better than a remington. That is just fucking silly. All the cheap rifles have their place, and have their lemons. All choices have their pros and cons.

I would bet out of the box a Savage shoots better than a 700, as far as cheap parts both are guilty of that. I've put money into both and won't again, sold on Tikka.

 

[346ci]

"upgraded" how?....other than price?

the only real "upgrade" i see is integral scope rails, and a pinned recoil lug.....

people put FAR to much emphasis on the action than they should........the vast majority of your accuracy comes from your barrel and ammo........if you take a good barrel and screw it onto a factory 700 (or any other factory action).......and then screw it onto a "aftermarket action".....its honestly going to shoot the same.

Rails, lug, material, surfaces and a squared face. Why not start off with a nice action to begin with though?

 

[snorkygunner]

Another vote for Tikka or Savage. I've got a Tikka, Savage, and Remington, and based on my preferences, the Tikka is the best rifle out of the box. Plus that trigger is pretty good from the factory.

 

[supercorndogs]

I would bet out of the box a Savage shoots better than a 700, as far as cheap parts both are guilty of that. I've put money into both and won't again, sold on Tikka.

LOL. Which one.

 

[Niles Coyote]

R700 223 tactical is what I started with. My best loads came from 69gr smk's. Unless Remington has changed something, the Stock will need to be replaced to free float the barrel. After that it should start grouping well. IIRC, my best load was varget at 25.3gr and would produce mid to high 2800s.

 

[Vodoun daVinci]

I'm going thru the same evolution and looking for/building my first long range precision rifle. Did a lot of research and have shot a few guns in various caliber. I'm no expert but I just bought a Savage10 FCP-SR in 6.5CM. I shot a few Tikka guns and a few Remington's and a few Savages - my favorite gun is a Savage right now. The AccuTrigger is really nice on the Savage.

I'd imagine you could find a nice .223 Savage and be set for building/adding on.

VooDoo

 

[bigscarymonster]

Remington aren't on their way out for producing rifles. A ton of people still buy new Remington rifles each year and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. This site isn't really an accurate cross-section of the entire shooting community.

I have a few year old 700 SPS. It shoots an inch or less no problem. Is it the best rifle I have ever owned or handled? Nope. Is it easy and reliable and shoots pretty well? Yep. Was I able to purchase it from the local gun shop in my tiny town, thereby supporting my local merchant? Yep.

You'll be happy with a 700. You'll be happy with a Tikka. Personally, I like the Ruger American Rifles. Any of them will produce plenty good accuracy for shooting around the farm and make you happy.

 

[L.R.Novice]

I started with a remington 700 SPS in 308. If I were to do it again, I’d start with a Ruger Precision Rifle. By the time you change out the stock you’re in the same price range. The RPR accepts magazines and is threaded out of the box. Plus you can purchase prefit barrels for it.

You need to have a good idea where you’re going to know which starting point is best. The remington 700 is a good rifle that can be found at a very reasonable price and has a huge aftermarket of great parts. You can easily start there and make it as accurate as you want. However, there are other more accurate rifles with better stocks, smoother triggers and more features out of the box.