remington 700 XHR

Hey guys,

Been looking to get a hunting rifle for awhile now. I've never been hunting before but have a lot of people that want to take me "under their wing" and show me the ropes.

I've got my eyes set on the Remington 700 XHR in 30-06. The best deal I can find in Tucson is $725. Sportsmans has it for $749 on sale and a couple other gun shops are in the upper 700's.

Its a little more than I want to spend but I figure I might as well spend a little more now on what I think is a quality rifle than buying an okay rifle which I'd eventually want replace down the road.

Sooooooooooooooooo....


To buy the XHR or not to buy the XHR?

P.s. Plan to use it on blasting deer and elk down the road once I put a quality scope on it.

p.p.s. I most mess around with handguns, shotguns, and bows. So whatever info you guys have is appreciated!

 

If your budget is between $600-$800 please consider the following rifles that are just as good if not better than the Remington.

Thompson Center Venture: You can get it for around $500

Browning A Bolt: I got a 30-06 stainless steel with a Nikon Pro Staff stainless steel scope at Dick's in November for $799.

Weatherby Vanguard: I have heard good things about this rifle and you can get for under $500

 

Ive shot rem. 700's my whole life so i cant say "yay" or "nay" on the xhr. I have heard mixed reviews about the triangle barels on these guns. they say they are the same weight as the slim barrels but have improved accurracy, where other reviews say they are less accurrate. if you can, take one to the range and see how it shoots. When I was in the market for a varmnit gun I had the choice between a heavy barrel .308 and a .223 triangle barrel, for what its worth I went with the .308 and could'nt have been happier.

 

yep im with keason1 on this i heard the same thing from 3 gun shops if you want a nice gun get a heavy barrel savage .308 with a nice scope on it that should be in your price range and shoot well at the range

 

get a savage. most accurate centerfire on the market

 

Buying a Rem 700 is a gamble.
A lot of lemons come out of those factories.
I would consider Tikka, Savage, Howa/Weatherby before Remington.

 

I would also consider the Tikka T3. They are very accurate, have better triggers, and can be bought for a good bit less.

Google Tikka T3 and read the reviews.

 

I have had nothing but remingtons and they all have been flawless. Several years back I would laugh at anyone that bought a savage... but they have stepped their game up alot and they actually put out a good rifle now.

 

thanks for all the responses.

I was looking at Savages awhile ago but wanted one with the accutrigger and accustock but no one had them. I'm going to see how much a local gun shop here would be able to get either the Savage 116 FHSS or the Savage 111 FHNS. If either of those are cheaper then the recent $699 remington xhr then I will buy it.

 

$650 is about the average price for the Savage 116 FHSS.
and $550 is the average for the 111 FHNS.
then you have to add in the scope with rings and base. so thats atleast another 350

 

Nice. Thats more than doable. The guy is supposed to call me in about an hour with the numbers. If its anywhere around those prices I'll for sure get the Savage. Heard a lot of great things about them and the Remingtons. I would love to hold the Savage but no one has the one I want here. The XHR just felt so solid and the bolt action was smooth as silk. Decisions decisions..

 

try looking at used ones as well. this is what I had, not mine, but the same model, remington 700 .308 SPS. it had a smooth action and a very crisp trigger. I bought Mine used with a scope and 60 rounds for $600
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.eaglehurstsporting.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/remy_700_sps_varmint_308_2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.eaglehurstsporting.com/%3Fp%3D73&usg=__COiVSw3DldQa7b7xkDrtnMAR9SU=&h=1944&w=2592&sz=940&hl=en&start=4&um=1&tbnid=73P-a3uBFBN_iM:&tbnh=113&tbnw=150&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dremington%2B700%2B%2B.308%2Bsps%26ndsp%3D20%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26um%3D1

 

I would look at the Remington 700 SPS in 30-06. It is $579.00 at Gander Mountain, and probably similarly priced elsewhere. It has a synthetic stock so its good to go out in the elements. I have a Remington 700 SPS Tactical in .308 and it shoots great.

 

Another good quality gun especially for elk would be a Browning in a 7mm mag with the BOSS system. Little on the pricey side, but you get what you pay for. The BOSS system on them alone is worth the extra cash IMO. Especially when dealing with the higher calibers.

 

You can find the Savages all over gunbroker.
Nice choice.
When do we get to argue about what scope you should buy?

 

well I was told that leopold(sp) was the way to go. I haven't researched the scopes yet. Probably get a scope with my tax refund, unless its an IOU...

I've seen a bunch online but I'd rather be able to hold the rifle before just buying one online just cause its a good price. Maybe I'm just stingy with my money but I do believe you get what you pay for.

So now its between the Savage 111 FHNS and the Remi 700 XHR. Only in 30-06.

 

And I don't think the 700 SPS comes in 30-06. I may be wrong though.

 

Bah! I think you're ludicrous for wanting to drop that much on a hobby you've never done before (only NOT a hobby if you NEED to hunt, ie, live in the wilds of Canada and no grocery store within miles and it's too damned cold to try and grow something and your kids are stunted in growth from lack of adequate nutrition).

Personally, I'd buy a used something or other. I have an old WW2 mauser - $180. If I felt so inclined, I could buy a new stock or add on sights for less than $200. So, half price, a rifle with very similar cartridge to the .30-06. And lets face it, cheap ammo too (if shooting surplus).

If you don't like that route, you could still buy a used name-brand rifle for less than brand new.

 

I agree. My first gun cost me $40. I had it sporterized and scoped for another $120. I killed many a deer with that rifle. It was a British 303. I could drive nails with it. Still own it!! Only problem is it was a heavy rifle.
I tried many other calibers and finaly stuck on a 3030 lever action Remington. Ammo is cheap, it shoots good up to 100 yards and that is as far as I shoot these days where I hunt.

You need to consider how far you will be shooting before you buy a rifle. You also need to consider alot of other factors. cost of ammo, how much you will use it (shooting 3 times a year with a $600 rifle is overkill for me), will you be shooting through heavy brush, will you be shooting animals at 120lb or 300lb., how thick the hide is on the animal you will be shooting and if you don't use the gun alot,,,,how much could you resell it for? Also consider how safe it is to handle in the woods and how heavy it is.

 

ive always shot 700's except for my 30-30, but if its a rifle you wanna keep in the truck year round and dont mind what happens to it. the best thing i would recommend is a new savage very good rifle, forget everything you ever new about the old savage the new ones are wicked and cheaper then the 700's. I too would also recommend stepping up to the 7 mag with a heavier grain bullet the 30-06 is a good round, been around for a long time but there are better rounds out there for the combo of deer and elk