So I have inherited a Remington 700 chambered in 7mm Rem Mag and would like to try some medium range shooting (200 to 500 yards).
But . . .
. . . I have not done any rifle shooting or hunting before now!
Which scope?
(Under $300, please. $500 at the most. Not sure how serious this will be.)
Which ammo?
(Factory please, I'm not hand-loading.)
Gear/accessories?
(Bipod or not. Etc).
Thanks.

Oh! The trigger.
Serial number seems to imply 1976 build date (so pre-recall).
But it is not an adjustable trigger.
Replace it?
With what?
Something under $200?

Bad start.

No bipod, get sand bags for now. The 7MM Mag isn't a particularly hard kicker, but it'll take some getting used to. Not up on glass worth the money in that price range but be sure whatever you get has decent eye relief to prevent getting bloody from scope cutting you. Trigger will likely be good enough. Not a great rifle to learn how to shoot, it'll be a fast learning curve. Good luck.

quote:

Originally posted by cas:
Bad start.

CAS, how so?
Gun?
Caliber?

quote:

Originally posted by DukeMinski:

quote:

Originally posted by cas:
Bad start.

CAS, how so?
Gun?
Caliber?

Or my NEWB requirements???

My opinion….
The older 700’s such as yours are the best bolt guns of the time! The 7mm mag is a great round as well! Awesome hunting combo for most anything you’ll find in the lower 48.

It’s likely not a heavy barrel or set up to be a target gun, but no reason it can’t do 300-500 yards with practice. If you’re new to rifles, and hunting/shooting, the 7mm is probably a little much to start with. It’s not brutal, but it will get old quick. In the $500 and less range you can get a nice new Vortex, or a a few options in Leupold. If you don’t mind used, lots of options are available. Those are my 2 brand choices in that price range. I’d skip the bipod and use a bag. I’d probably wait on a trigger too, the factory one probably isn’t that bad, especially not if you’re just starting out. I’ve had really good luck with Hornady factory loads across the board, as well as Federal Premium loads. Sounds like you have a nice rifle to start enjoying, and learning with!

quote:

Originally posted by DukeMinski:
So I have inherited a Remington 700 chambered in 7mm Rem Mag...

Nice.

7mm RM works well for hunting just about any game you'll find in North America. A flat shooting cartridge with good energy.

Recoil is a little stout for extended target shooting sessions, especially for someone new-ish to rifles. As I see it, the 7mm's recoil is in the ballpark of a 30-06. Definitely more recoil than say a 308 or 243. The 7mm bullets fly well to 500 yards and beyond.

Expect factory ammo costs of $2.50 to $3.50 per round. Every barrel reacts to different ammo differently, therefore some ammo experimentation will be necessary to find what works best for your target shooting accuracy. Accuracy for hunting ammo generally isn't quite as critical, and there should be more options. Maybe start with looking at Midway USA's ammo offerings to see what's out there. Note that there are often better pricing options than Midway USA. Ammoseek.com is a decent search engine for on-line ammo purchasing. Hornady & Federal are good places to start, if you're not familiar with factory rifle ammo.

Scopes with decent glass clarity can be found for under $500. Understand that the lower price options are quite often made in China. I have real issues buying anything that I don't have to from China, but it's your decision & your money. Start with what kind of magnification you desire, turret features, and reticle options.

Older Remington triggers can be quite good. I have 2 of them in precision rifles -- but the triggers have been tuned by good gunsmiths. I'm uncertain of the exact nature of the tuning process, but I suspect it involves polishing rough contact surfaces.

quote:

Originally posted by fritz:
Older Remington triggers can be quite good. I have 2 of them in precision rifles -- but the triggers have been tuned by good gunsmiths. I'm uncertain of the exact nature of the tuning process, but I suspect it involves polishing rough contact surfaces.

My 700 that I bought new in 1989 had a squirrely trigger. It would measure anywhere between 2.5 and 6 pounds. Made it kind of unpredictable. I replaced it with an aftermarket trigger that measures a consistent 1 pound, for less than a professional trigger job would likely cost. Just a thought.

quote:

Originally posted by Expert308:

quote:

Originally posted by fritz:
Older Remington triggers can be quite good. I have 2 of them in precision rifles -- but the triggers have been tuned by good gunsmiths. I'm uncertain of the exact nature of the tuning process, but I suspect it involves polishing rough contact surfaces.

My 700 that I bought new in 1989 had a squirrely trigger. It would measure anywhere between 2.5 and 6 pounds. Made it kind of unpredictable. I replaced it with an aftermarket trigger that measures a consistent 1 pound, for less than a professional trigger job would likely cost. Just a thought.

I don't know how much it costs to tune a Remy trigger. Mine were done by GA Precision as a integral part of their Crusader rifle model. The variation in pull weights is only a few ounces, based on my Lyman trigger pull gauge. GAP employees told me that they stopped using tuned Remy 700 triggers a few years ago when their supply of the old & good ones dried up.

I have 2 precision rifles with new TriggerTech triggers. These triggers are much more adjustable for pull weight than the old Remy 700s -- they also have a slightly cleaner break and slightly less over travel. When the two Remy 700 triggers eventually crap out on my Crusaders, I will almost certainly replace them with TriggerTech models.

When my local 'smith built my other rifles with the TriggerTechs, I asked him to adjust the Remy 700s to a slightly lighter pull weight, and set the TriggerTechs to about the same pull weight. He was impressed that the feel of the old Remy 700s was pretty close to that of the new TriggerTechs. But I do admit that the new TriggerTechs are superior to the older Remy.

Thanks for the feedback.