Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Winchester 70 or Rem. CDL?

I would go with the remington. My cdl sf in 7mag shot excellent and had no issues.

The action on the Winchester will be smooooooth.

I'll throw another punch for Remington but i may be a little bias because that's all I've ever had. I can't speak for Winchester because I've never owned one but know those who have that are equally pleased. I've heard and read lots of negatives about Remington but I've personally and honestly never had any issues with the ones I've owned or own now. In the past I had a Sendero 25.06, Classic 25.06, ADL 30.06 and a really older ADL wood stocked 25.06. My current rifles are a CDL 25.06, 700p LTR .308, and my daughter has a Rem 700SPS .260 that I put in a CDL wood stock. All these rifles have functioned flawlessly and been accurate for me and I wouldn't hesitate to buy another one.

Fell hard for the 700 CDL when it was introduced. Bought a 25-06 and it quickly became my primary hunting rifle for deer, pronghorn & coyote. Topped mine with a 6x Leupold. Have taken mule deer at an honest 400 yards. Coyotes farther.

Love the trim, lean lines of the CDL, just a great handling rifle and quite accurate.

That said, today's Winchester Model 70 is a fine rifle... I honestly think it's just a matter of personal preference.

Regards, Guy

I have a CDL in 25-06 on its 10 day wait right now. Obviously I have not shot it yet but it is an incredibly nice rifle, the action, handling, wood, the way it shoulders.......are all spot on. I looked at the M70 featherweight as well (online), it seems like a great rifle as well. The 2 inches of barrel length probably won't be a big deal but you will lose a little FPS, not enough for a coyote or deer to know the difference. I have a 700 ADL tactical in 223 that has been an amazing rifle, I have yet to find a load that shoots terrible in it. That is part of the reason I went with a M700 CDL.

My first bolt action centerfire rifle was a Remington 700 BDL in 25-06. I used it plenty on woodchucks and NY State deer. It was very accurate, and knocked the snot out of anything I shot. I sold it and bought a Tikka 243 in 1995 as the 25-06 was a bit much for varminting around here. I like the 24" barrel in this round. Remington also has the advantage of so many aftermarket parts. The CDL model is really a pretty rifle. Remington took the best of the BDL and the Classic and made a very good looking package.

On the other hand, since 1995 I have come to appreciate the Model 70 design. I like the safety especially. However, that is not a deal breaker. I think the Winchester Featherweight will be lighter than the Remington CDL. My DBL wasn't a light rifle.

Looking at the Wichester featherweight pretty hard, and the Extreme Weather. The stainless featherweight doesn’t come in the quarterbore. That would interest me. Bmoney, I saw your pics, Looks like a nice rifle. The first pic makes it look like the recoil pad to stock fit is off? Probably just the pic. I think I like the longer barrel in this caliber, as well, but the two inches won’t cost me that much. Decisions, decisioms.

If I was buying new, the quality issues with Rem lately would make me look real hard at the particular rifle before I threw down my coin. FN is doing a good job with Winchester and IMHO have the better quality at this time. If looking at used, it depends on when they were made.

I’m a Model 70 guy, but a Model 700 would be fine for the uses that you have in mind. I prefer the old-style Model 70 trigger but they’ve been discontinued so you might need to add a Timney to the Model 70.

Accuracy is about the same and both may need tweaks so that’s a wash. Remington has more aftermarket support but most of what’s offered for a Model 700 that’s not offered for a Model 70 is for precision and tactical rifles, so that’s also a wash. That said, get a Tikka or a Sako if out-of-the box accuracy is an overriding factor.

You don’t need CRF for deer and yotes, so all that’s left is the three-position safety, which is a matter of taste.

I’d look at balance. I shoot a lot of offhand so I like a rifle that’s a bit muzzle heavy. I’d handle both rifles, see which one hangs better, and buy that. The longer barrel of the Remington might win there, especially compared to a Model 70 Featherweight. The EW is worse since the stock is so much heavier toward the rear. You can ignore this if you typically shoot from a rest.

With all of that in mind, I’d look at the total cost (price + shipping + tax, etc.) of the rifle, plus the price + shipping + tax, etc. required to make any upgrades that it’s likely to need (McMillan stock, Timney trigger, etc.). That figure might open up your options to include semi-custom rifles like the Barrett Fieldcraft that don’t need those things.

You could also buy parts on the Classifieds and build a Frankengun. It would take longer but it might be more fun.


Okie John

Good thinking, Okie John. As a walking rifle offhand shooting will be part of its repertoire. Balance will matter. Of course putting a featherweight or EW into a McMillan Hunter Edge could affect balance to the positive. Either rifle will be getting a new stock, most likely. The Barrett and Kimbers are lighter than I care for, and I like my bolt to lock shut on safe. Spend too much time threading my way through thickets and such for a non locking bolt. This rifle is moremfor open country, but that by no means rules out thick cover use at times. Which means finding an old safety would have to happen for the Remington. The 70 Sporter has a 24” barrel for the .25-06, and weighs two ounces more than the EW, according to Wichester specs. The extra is either in the non fluted barrel that is two inches longer, which I expect is the case, or the difference between the wood sporter stock and the synthetic EW stock. A McMillan like I am looking at would put the rifle under 7 lbs. bare. Add some Talleys and a lightweight scope, should end up under 8-1/2 lbs. all up. The CDL SF weighs a bit more as it comes, so the weight issue is nonexistent. An 8 or 8-1/2 lb. rifle in this caliber will be a soft shooter, I think. And settle nicely for offfhand shooting and shooting off a pack. I am going to have to get my hands on these and figure it out from there. But it is probably going to end up being some flavor of Winchester before it’s all over. That just seems to check more boxes, overall.

I have two M700s and one M70. Love them all. Since you specify 25/06 I would go Remington as this caliber likes 24" barrels. If it wasn't for that I'd say handle them both and pick the one that feels right.

But, but, you're gonna need that CRF in case you get charged by a wounded coyote or deer, that can be lethal!

The CRF is the least of your worries with a Rem abortion. I'd be worried about the gun going off when the safety's engaged, not to mention the POS won't even lock the bolt, the flimsy, sheet metal extractor breaking, the brazed on handle falling off....

And I suppose you've had all those things happen to you.....you know, first hand experience.

Buy the Featherweight.

James, last yr. Mule Deer wrote a lengthy uhhh, response to JorgI about Newer Production 700s. He addressed issues directly and the
conclusion from M D was that he hunted & shot the 700s AND would buy new ones if he needed to.

I wish I could find that 'thread'. It's in either Ask Gunwriters OR Hunting Rifles forums.


Jerry

i would rather buy a different brand rifle than a Remington 700 if you are going to be in extreme wet - cold weather and camping. reason Remington 700`s have a problem of freezing up in the bolt and firing pin gets froze ,rifle will not fire. it has happened to me and others in the mountains on pack hunts and in northern Minnesota callin coyotes at night. i also don`t like the way the bolt will just fall open on safety either when bumped when on a long pack hunt. but Remington does make a good accurate rifle and for a day hunt guy in warmer weather they work fine for that. for durability give me either a Winchester,Weatherby,Savage,Browning or a Ruger they do not freeze up as easy and these brands have a better safety system too.

So are you calling me a liar? Or better yet a troll with nothing better to do?
I've never bought a Yugo, but I knew what POS they were. It's called research. On record here as having owned TWO (2) 700s,one went back to Remington for a over cut chamber for the locking lugs (35 Wheelen Classic), the other is a 22-1250 that I still have up in our place in PA and it serves ONE function, shooting ground hogs from our porch. The safety is never used and the rifle is loaded one round at a time. On the bolt handles, seen more than one at the range. extractor issues, never seen, but I sort of believe the likes of Don Heath and another 700 user who used to post here (AFP) who admitted to a few extractor failures due to debris getting caught behind the extractor. As to the bolt not locking, surely you can attest to that. Fire on Fail safety, there's probably been a dozen incidents posted here from fellow members with pretty good reputations, not to mention internet searches on myriad litigation on the subject. How's that or again are you questioning my veracity?

Biggest poser on this site.....

Typical hayseed response to simple opinions supported by facts. That's ok...