I recently picked up one of the early wood and polished blue Remington 700 Mountain rifles with the drop floor plate in 280 Remington. It’s in excellent condition, except for a bunch of scratches on the floor plate. Are those available for a decent price anywhere? Also, I’ve read a few places where guys have had better luck getting good groups out of these light weight barrels with heavier 150-160gr bullets, at least in the 280 variant. I realize every gun is different, but is there any truth to that? Lastly, I’m leaning towards a 2.5-8x36, a 3-9x40, or 3.5-10x40 scope, or something similar to keep it on the lighter side. I would prefer to find something with a gloss finish. Any suggestions?

I've used both the 2.5-8 and 3.5-10 on my 280. Both are good choices that would depend on the type of hunting you will expect with that rifle.

Regarding the floor plate: I assume it's the same floor plate (bottom metal) as on the BDL? With the demise of Remington, and the new RemArms not yet producing the 700 or parts, the availability of OEM Remington bottom metal has dried up. You might be able to find some bottom metal on the used market. But I think new bottom metal has been all bought up.

The "blued" BDL bottom metal is just painted cast aluminum. You can always sand the scratches and repaint.

There are makers of aftermarket bottom metal out there, some of it better than the OEM bottom metal. I have two 700 BDL long actions and bought Sunny Hill bottom metal. Quality wise, it's far and away superior to the bottom metal that came on the rifle. It's steel, blued, well finished, and IMO has a better closure locking system than the OEM part. The issue is that it looks a bit different than the OEM bottom metal, and seats a little deeper in the stock relief. But it is a direct drop in replacement. You have to use the spring and follower out of the OEM part in your rifle. Weight difference between the OEM and the steel bottom metal is negligible.

I have a review of this bottom metal on Brownells with some pictures.



Sunny Hill top, OEM bottom


Sunny Hill



https://www.brownells.com/rifle-par...0.aspx?avs%7cManufacturer_1=SUNNY%2bHILL .

I notice now that I pull up the link that this bottom metal is $200. It was $175 last year when I bought it. Back then, $175 wasn't a whole lot more than OEM bottom metal.

Regarding the scopes, I just bought some of the new Leupold VX-3HD scopes for a couple of Browning X-Bolt Composite Stalkers I have. I put a 2.5-8 x 36 on my .30-06 and a 3.5-10 x 40 on my .270. Both are very fine scopes and I really like them. (I need to start shooting with glasses as you can see I have the eye pieces backed up a lot to focus to my eyes.) But there's almost no noticeable difference between the two in terms of magnification. I hardly ever go to max magnification on any of my scopes and keep the 36mm pre-set to 4X and the 40mm pre-set to 6X. The 36mm scope is a bit shorter than the 40mm, and I suppose it weighs less.



In terms of a scope in high gloss, good luck. Not sure gloss scopes are made by anyone anymore. I do know that some dealers sell cerakoted Leupold (and other brands) scopes, some in gloss black. These aren't cerakoted by Leupold (but are professionally done by some company) , but I understand it doesn't affect the Leupold warranty if it doesn't touch the lenses or affect adjustment. They look pretty good but not quite the same as a true gloss scope. There's a seller out there that sells "vintage" refurbished scopes, many of which are gloss, if you can find one you like in stock.

Yeah a floor plate is easily obtained and changed. No truth to the heavier bullet rumor, every rifle has its likes or dislikes. Your scope ide is just right IMHO for that rifle. Overall they are great rifles and I wish they were still producing them! You'll be happy with it.

Just ceracoate the old floor plate

I have a buddy that has one of these rifles in a 270 and he has always used a Leupold fixed 6 power. That might be another option. I know he has hunted it a lot in TN and WY and claimed no issues of being under or over powered.

Mounted a NF NXS 2.5-10x42 on my Rem 280 Mountain Rifle. Right now just shooting 150 gr BT which are accurate in my rifle.

^^^^this^^^^

Here is my ceracoated Ruger #1 25-06 AI with 7.5 twist SS Benchmark barrel. Looks like factory.

Yep.

I have an original Mountain Rifle in 280. It wears a 2.5-8x36. It shoots 139,150, and 160s well.

Mine really likes the 160 NPs so I looked no further

My 270 mt rifle wears a Leupold Vx-6 2-12 with a Boone and Crockett reticle….

Easy Moa rifle with multiple loads.

I picked up two Rem. Mt. rifles in 7mm Mauser and will put a 2.5-8x36 on one and a 3.5-10x40 on the other.

I've owned 3 Rem mtn rifles. Each had to be bedded to be MOA. Not a big deal. Sure miss my .260rem.

I bought on eof the early Mountain Rifles with the Walnut stock and blued barrel. It's chambered in 7mm/08 with the thin tube. It dearly loved 160 gr Sierra Gamekings and would shoot .5 MOA with these loads......I tried to get it to shoot Hornady 140 SST's but it was never that accurate with them.....it's been setting in the safe for many years waiting for someone to need it.

They WILL shoot with those lightweight barrels!


FROG---OUT!

I have a similar rifle - walnut stocked mountain rifle in .280 Remington. It seems to favor 140 grain bullets - the Ballistic Silvertips from Winchester shoot very well, unfortunately I've not had good luck with them on game- they seem pretty frangible even on deer, although that may because my experience with them is at close range - of the roughly half dozen deer I've harvested with the combination the longest shot has been about 30 yards. They don't seem to penetrate the chest cavity even at that short range. Although all the deer died so I guess maybe the bullets did work ?

Just bought a Remington SS Mountain rifle with the Bell and Carlson stock. I hope to dial it in next weekend.

I have a Leupold VX-3 3.5-10X40 with B&C reticle on my Rem 700 Mountain Rifle in .280. I hunt mostly in open country and have been happy with it.

I have the same rifle topped with a Zeiss Conquest MC 2.5-8x32 in Talley lows. It is a great combination and mine shoots lots of 139 and 140 grain bullets around moa. The easy scratch floor plate is a pain.

I had one in the early 90's, same .280 caliber. I had it reamed tot he 280AI, but it was a finicky shooter. It "settled down" with the Nosler 150BT and the Speer 160 HC. 2950 and 2800 respectively. I could only gain 50fps with accuracy. It would go faster, but all over the target, ha. I killed a lot of game with that 150 and 160, my friend used it to take a big old cow elk with the 160. I started out with a Leupold Compact 3x9, then settled on the VXII 2x7. It was too light to use well in the antelope prairies, the wind blew me and the rifle all over the place. I finally stalked a buck, crawled up into a snow drift fence to get still and popped him at 250. I had missed several that day out around 300-350 from the wind! It is a sweetheart in the woods/mountains though, have owned several MRs since,...all were finicky, usually settled on 1 to 2 weights. No problem, just the nature of the thing.

Thanks for the info guys. Have a couple options now to scope it with. I think I’ll just leave well enough alone with the floor plate, I’m going to hunt it anyway. I’ll report back when I get some loads worked up, and see how it shoots.

You could always run a 280 AI reamer through the chamber to clean it up a bit, shoot 280 AI and standard loads, just a thought.

I love this model of the Mountain rifle. I wouldn't replace the bottom metal I would sand it or blast all of the paint off clean real well and cerakote it or duracoat it. Heck I've even used regular spray paint and top it with a matte clear and let it set for about a week. Floor plate is still scratch free. I would use the 2.5-8×36 but that's my favorite little setup with talleys.

280 Mountain rifle

That’s one sweet rig!!

My 700MR wears a 2-7 Leupold, and, I'd do a 2.5-8 if I had another. Slim, trim scope on a slim, trim rifle.

Good luck with a Leupold.

My 280 mountain is one of my favorite rifles, shoots Nosler 140gr BTs better than I can, I kill my nicest buck with it on its maiden hunt. Only thing I've done to mine was install a triggertech primary. its wore a 3-9 stryka, 3-15 vortex razor, and now it has a 2-10 razor. It will be one of the last guns to go down the road.

]Probably cost more to have the old bottom metal ceracoated than to pick up a new one. I'll bet someone here on the "Fire" has one laying around.

I’ve got 3 of the original 700 Mtn rifles. A 25-06, 270 & a 30-06 rebareled & cerakoted to 338-06. All of my floorplates are scratched up just as you describe. Each rifle needed bedding & floating love to shoot consistently around 1”. My 270 wears a 2-7 Leupold that I bought in high school and never changed it. Killed LOTS of stuff with that gun & 130gr Nosler, Hornady & Speer. Mostly Speer & Hornady in those days though. The 25-06 is the sweetheart with 115gr NP - stone cold dart throwing killer. The 338-06 wears a 20” Schillen and is my whitetail woods gun.

Oh and yeah - cerakote is awesome.

That’s a wicked trip POC. 338-06 is one of those on my bucket list.

I've killed the majority of deer with a .270 Mountain I bought at a garage sale in the spring of '88 for $400. Way before I went rifle loony.

Couple years ago I made it over as a sort of driven game rifle w/o straight pull action.

Timney Calvin Elite set at 1.25-lb, Kinetic Research Group bolt knob, and a Romeo5 squatting on the front bridge. It's my ATV Varmint Rig loaded with the Rem 115- grain Low Recoil round; a gentle 6.8 SPC LONG.

So far only kilt possum & 'dillo, but I may try it on a WT this FALL

@Beretzs - I’ve somehow collected 4 338-06’s.

Rem 760, Rem 700 MR, Ruger 77 Tang w/Douglas & Weatherby Super Ultralight.

To me, it’s as versatile as a 30-06 but allows me the ability to shoot 210 NP & 250 NP.

Go get one - you know how much fun you’d have?!

Would anyone know how much extra weight the steel Sunny Hill bottom metal weighs over the Remington 700 short action plastic "bottom metal" with aluminium floor-plate on the SPS models?