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Which Rifle for you?

  • Remington 700 SPS Tactical

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trying to decide on my first L/R rifle : 700 SPS or 10FP?

5K views 21 replies 11 participants last post by  nismophreek 
#1 ·
Hi guys,

I love my M-14 and am a total .308 head. I was going to build out a "Snipish" M-14 but, after looking at the USMC M40, I realized If the Marines don't need an autoloader, I don't either. So I dug a bit and have narrowed down to two choices in NATO 7.62:

Remington 700 SPS Tactical or Savage 10FP LE1 Hogue

I really like both brands and both weapons seem evenly matched from the box. I'm having a problem picking one, although I'm tending slightly toward the remington b/c there seems to be more available swag if I feel like tweaking it later.

Any advice would be much appreciated. I'm most interested in what you DON'T like about your rifle. I really think the choice is going to be more about little things that annoy me than any real major differences in performance. Thanks all.
 
#2 ·
I choose the rem tactical. I dont like the 20" barrel but thats me. the rem has way more aftermarket items and in my opinion is the better choice ,I would use the sps varmint and restock and possibly shorten the barrel . I personally dont want/use savages although many do. just my thoughts/opinion
 
#3 ·
Both are pretty good guns. I have owned both and the Savage was more accurate right out of the box. Both have pretty good aftermarket parts. The 700 prob. has more but the Savage has a pretty good selection now days.
 
#4 ·
Remington!!!!!!!
If it's good enough for the Marines, you will like it.
 
#6 ·
ok, The I's have it

seems like everybody pretty much likes the SPS, and I agree. I've also come to think the SPS Varmint is a better base platform than the tactical. Of course, now I need a system instead of an off-the-rack rifle.

I've already got acceptable glass (it's not killer, but it's good enough to get me going n hold the line until I can get a $$$ upgrade)

So, I'm thinking SPS varmint in .308, aftermarket stock, rail and rings. possibly a bipod but that's negotiable as I much prefer shooting from a sandbag on the forestock.

Do I need a supressor? Also, which stock (don't say McMillan I want an A-4 but I'm not made of money).

You guys have been really helpful, so far. Thanks again for your time and I'm learning a lot just reading the forum
 
#10 ·
looking to get out the door under $1500. I have a tasco Mildot scope that I'll be using intially (I know I know, Tasco's not that good. But it's $0 option and It'll be fine while I recharge my toy fund to buy something nicer than I could without blowing my budget, now)

What'll I be doing? Shooting. A Lot. Targets, mostly and maybe some hunting. I might be billeted as a small arms instructor, soon. In case that appens, I want to be a better shot - I'm barely eking out sharpshooter, right now (M14, iron sites). This is one way to motivate me to practice more.

Somebody's about to mention that I'm talking about more rifle than I need and a stock SPS varmint would be fine. Maybe, but I hate to buy things twice. I figure if I buy a better rifle than I'm ready for, I can either a) grow into it and have a familiar friend the whole way, or b) Sell if at less of a loss than a Kmart special would suffer.
 
#11 ·
Both great rifles, and yes the Savage bolt feel is a bit sloppy, but I DO subscribe to the floating bolt head rationale. If you try to bust off shots Lee Harvey Oswald style, you will notice the bolt sometimes wants to bind, rather than travel forward. In reality, its really not an issue.

I am a mechanical engineer and I really, really dig the simple yet absolutely effective solution to a problem, and I believe the Savage takes the cake in that regard.

For $100 in tools (Headspace gage and Locknut wrench), you can EASILY rebarrel your savage at home in 20 minutes. You can switch between 22-250, .243 etc etc in minutes.

I think the only thing I don't like about my Savage (10FP LE) in comparison to a 700 is the finish. I don't know what it has on it, I guess its black oxide, but it essentially has zero corrosion resistance. I live in a humid area and don't have AC, and I have to chase off the rust freckles with oil on almost a daily basis.... I'm about to send the whole thing off for Nickel Teflon coating to stop this.
 
#12 ·
whoa. you might've just changed my religion.

I didn't know you could change calibres by just rebarreling. I didn't know the same bolt / action would shoot 7.62 and .22-250 (which i love but never HAD planned to own).

That's a powerful option. You might've monkeywrenched my steadily progressing negotiations towards a 700 system.

damn. I thought it was all settled.

Thanks a lot for the advice.
 
#14 ·
I might add that out of the box, the savage trigger is just flat better than the 700. I know there will be those that disagree, but my room mate and I both have savage model 10's in .308 and both rifles arrived with a trigger that just breaks like glass, without a tick of creep. I have the trigger turned down to its lowest setting, which I believe is 1.5lb. When I let people at the range try it, they are just astounded by it, and can't believe the rifle came out of the box with this trigger. After some use, I did have an issue with it however... I've also seen on this forum others with the same issue, and its caused by the sear needing some slight retouching to basically sharpen it up like a knife. My roomie's rifle hasn't had this issue.

I really subscribe to the accutrigger. Once you see how it works, you will realize that unless the accutrigger is pushed in, the rifle simply can NOT fire. The sear is completely blocked from letting go of the rifing pin. If you turn the trigger down on a 700, you must be MOST careful not to bump or jar the rifle for fear of an AD.

Another thing to consider is that (and I am not an expert with the 700) the new rifles have a different trigger than they used to, and most gunsmiths much prefer the old style. You'll have to search to find out more about this.

The rebarreling aspect is a definite plus. I shoot my rifle a lot I think - around 20-30 rounds a week. At this point I figure I've got about 600 rounds through it, and it just keeps getting more and more accurate. They say a 308 is good for somewhere between 3000 and 5000 rounds. I'm looking forward to spending 20 minutes putting the new custom, lapped barrel on and heading back out to the range.

Again - both rifles will deliver excellent performance to you and be very rewarding to own.
 
#15 ·
Im having the same problem.

I am currently in the market for a new rifle and have narrowed it down to either the 700 sps or the savage. I really cant decide and have really no idea what to look for. I love the feel of the forearm of the sps with the rubber coating but have been told by one experienced shooter that the savage is a much better rifle for the money. And this particular shooter owns both brands of guns in a couple different calibers. (law enforcement..gun nut). I am really confused about which gun to purchase. Glad to know that Im not the only one having this problem.
 
#18 ·
turbo54 said:
The 700 SPS and the M24 are not the same rifle... Nor can you buy an M24, so I don't understand your point.
uuuummm...yeah,ok.Your kidding,right? If your not,go educate yourself before opening your mouth and making yourself look foolish.Your utter lack of knowledge is why you dont understand my post.
Let me do a kind deed and try to enlighten the less fortunate:
1.The M-24 is commercially available.
2.The two rifles in question are based on the tried and true Remington 700 action.It doesn't matter what barrel or stock is on the rifle,they are Both remington 700's.
3.What about the Marine Corps and their world famous M-40a-1's and M-40a-3's that are based on......care to take a guess??? I'll be a nice guy and give you one hint,it isn't a savage.(Que Jeopardy music).Bingo..a Remington 700 action.Wow,learning can be fun!
OP,get whichever you can afford and whichever appeals to you more.My remmy 700 explanation is not a knock against savage.I know plenty of guys have em and are happy with them.
 
#19 ·
bigglee was referring to the fact that the US military bases their sniper rifles off of the Remington 700 action. So, no, the M24 and the SPS may not be the SAME gun, however, they are both based off of the same action.
 
#21 ·
So your point is that because the 700 SPS and the M24 are based on the same action, they perform the same?

The barrel and stock have no significance in the performance of a rifle?

The Tac Ops rifles are also based on the 700, so therefore the SPS is also a great rifle....and you should clearly choose it instead of another?

Am I the only one this doesn't make sense to?

Don't misunderstand me - the 700, and all variants of it are pretty much great rifles, but because someone has been able to trick theirs all out and get great performance doesn't mean its the only choice!

By the way: Why so rude, insulting my intelligence etc?
 
#22 ·
he was only stressing the reputation that the remington 700 has. He was not referring to any particular model. Calm down a little, you're getting all worked up over nothing.
 
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