I have or have had a dozen Remingtons and a coupe of dozen Winchester Model 70's. A model 70 is as or is more likely to shoot well out of the box than a Remington 700. A lot of gunsmiths love the 700's because they are easier to work on. They are round and easier to chuck up in a lathe and don't require an extractor cut. Winchester need a more experienced gunsmith to bring out their full potential. Remington's are also beloved by gunsmiths because the NEED work to shoot well and that keeps the young gunsmith in business.
A custom M-70 by a good smith will shoot every bit as well as a Remington 700 in a Hunting rifle, again I've shot dozens of custom 70's and have a firm experience base for my opinion. People that say they won't shoot don't know what they are talking about.
For a Benchrest style target gun a 700 is easier to sleeve and is slightly stiffer than a 700 but until you are getting in 1/4 minute or better guns there isn't a realistic accuracy difference in 70/700's.
As far as handling, crf, safety and trigger in a HUNTING rifle IMHO the 70 is a far better gun than a 700. The 3 position safety is better, the steel floorplate on a 70 is stronger, The safety blocks the firing pin not just the sear. The claw extractor can be tuned to feed much better than a 700's snap over. And the Trigger is simpler and requires less wood removal.................DJ
