I am having a hard time warming up to my Remington Model 700 CDL in 280 Remington. I have it set up with Talley lightweight mounts and a Zeiss Conquest 3-9x40. (I find myself preferring my walnut stocked Ruger M77 Mark II in 7x57 set up with Ruger rings and a Leupold Vari-X II 3-9x40)

The Remington stock is too pretty to take into the woods. I also have some function issues. I was hunting last week on the side of a mountain in cold rain and the fogging/ water condensation on the Zeiss scope lenses made it impossible to use the scope. Any ideas on how to solve this dilemma? (lens caps, some sort of spray on treatment before taking to the field? Spit doesn't seem to work. Throw away the Zeiss?) There is no fogging in the internals, just externally on the lenses.

When I got home I had to completely field strip the rifle to clean up all the water. I was surprised at how tiny and downright cheesy looking some of the springs and metal components are. They don't appear to be as robust as my Ruger.

I am thinking that maybe a change to a synthetic stock will help me warm up to the Remington. Any recommendations on replacement stocks would be appreciated, as I am clueless on which synthetics are the pick of the litter.

Thanks in advance for your recommendations and advice on how to love this Remington.

Dogger,

Note the dead silence. This is Remmie 700 (affectinately known herabouts as SUCKS rifles) country...! (The SUCKS name is simultaneously a tacit admission of the validity of observations like yours and an irionic restatement of unflinching primal faith in the product.) That low murmuring in the backgound is preparatory to the tar and feathers....

But Rugers surely can spoil you for ruggedness of design and classic and classy stock profiles.

1B

I had forgotten what rifle snobs hang out here. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

I kinda like my 700 BDL

I use RainX on my rifle scopes. Zero problems with rain on the lenses.

I am not trying to be a rifle snob. I bought the 700 CDL thinking it would be the cats meow, but it is proving not to be in my experience. It does not group factory loads or handloads any tighter than my Ruger. I am really trying to dig it but it ain't happening. The little bitty springs and such make me wonder how robust it is.

Thanks for the recommendation on the Rain-X on the Zeiss lenses, I will try it.

I have 77s and 700s both, and I like them both, heck I even like the CDL. But I am still a "newbie" <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Hey Dogger, I was not talking about you <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

So far as the little parts go, in all the years I have been shooting Remington 700 rifles, I have not had any little bitty parts failures. I am sure some have, but not me.

Let me get this straight. Your complaints about the rifle are that the external appearance of the rifle is too pretty, the internal parts aren't pretty enough, and the scope, an add on part, fogged? Maybe you just don't want to be a Remington person.

Mannlicher,

I can't believe I am so stupid as to never have thought of Rain-X. That's a great idea! I have used it for years on my vehicles with nary a thought to the rifle scopes. Will try it soon. Thanks for the tip. Bill.

Dogger,
Go to rimrockstocks.com. Remington has been accurate with my 700's in the four Classics I have owned, 6X55, 280, 300HH, and 308. Keep trying various factory fodder; you will find the gun really shoots. Rain-X is what to do.

This certainly reminds me of a fine day at the gunshop. I was very interested in a VSSF in .223 as of all coincidences had read an article by a guy named Steve Timm (ever heard of him) about testing the accuracy of 2 twin .223`s with the exception of twist. One was a 9" and the other a 12". Anyway I was in a shop that carried around 400 long guns and I was allowed behind the counter to looksee. I told the owner what I was looking for and was directed to a lightly used VSSF in .223. The question came around on why it was traded back in so soon and the answer was it wouldn`t shoot as well as his friends VS 223. I don`t know about you guys, but here I am looking at a rifle that isn`t supposed to shoot very well, and I am thinking about why. The guy walks back by and continues that they were shooting and cleaning to break the barrel in and the groups were not pretty. The VS was already broken in a shooting tiny groups so the guy was wanting to get rid of it. I bought it, took it home, polished the crown, skim bedded it with Devcon Putty, brought that trigger down to where it needed to be, mounted a 8.5-25x50 LRT and stuck my nose back in Varmint Hunter magazine for suggestions. I used Steve Timm suggested load of H335 and the 50 grain Ballistic Tip. When I went to the range, the first shot was out so I fired the next 5 into the .3`s. FIRST TIME OUT. Remingtons need a little tweaking but will astound you with rewards. Don`t give up. I took the best 5 shot group I had back to where I bought it and told the owner if the guy that traded this in decides to get rid of any more rifles to please let me know. I laid a 5 shot group on the counter that measured EXACTLY .200"..... he just shook his head.

Take apart a Win 70, some little bitty springs.......

MtnHtr

That's a good story.. I LOVE tiny little groups.
Don

Trappertom, thanks for the recommendation on where to look for stocks.

I will keep looking for a sweet load. I am using 140s and 160s

Banser High-Tech Stocks are another good option for replacing the factory stock. Good luck...

Cheaha, thanks for the recommendation

I put a take-0ff 700 TI stock on a 35 Whelen CDL. The wood on that rifle is just to pretty to drag into the devil'sclub and the TI stock took 12 ounces of the rifle. Cost was $150 for the stock and 2 hours to bed and fit the CDL floorplate. Stoney

My thoughts exactly!

Stoneybroke and Arns9, thanks for the recommendation

tis why I have a "rain rifle" which be a M700SS in .280Rem...it goes afeild on days the .280Rem CDL can't. Butler Creek scope caps work good.

For years I hunted my RH rifles, left handed. This year being the 100th B-day of the 30-06, I decided this is they year I buy my first LH 30-06. It came down to the Ruger and CDL, I decided on the CDL for the most part a wide array of after market accessories, and a reputation for accuracy. I liked the Ruger, but the CDL was just some damned pretty.
It was worth the wait, I got a nice one with a nice piece of wood, with little burl in the front, she looks beautiful.

The hardest part for me has been learning to load the rifle with my left hand after doing so with my right for years.

Georgeous rifle; handsome package, w/scope; good job!
Range report? Group sizes? Hunting luck this year?
Tell all. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Dogger,

Are you aware that Ruger makes a SS/synthetic M77 in .280? I wan't until I spied one in a shop this Saturday.

Just thought I'd throw that out, should you decide to send the CDL down the road.

Thanks for all the inputs. I am going to leave the rifle stock as is, and work up additional handloads, looking for a sweet one. I will add scope covers and use the Rain-X. I guess this pretty wood stock is just going to have to take some bruises and knicks...

Nice looking lefty (from a fellow lefty).

How does she shoot??

maybe you should mount a spring shock absorber on the forearm and throw away the little springs- just funning! My 700 ADL has never let me down. Shoot it, don't kiss it! Grin. Although I do hug my 1941 model 99 Savage 250 -3000 occassionally. My Remmi 700 in 6MM does the work on whitetails though as does the pretty savage when I let her out.

I tried rainx years ago. Put it on one barrel of a bino and left the other nekkid. The side with rainx had a noticeably darker view. You are putting a layer of something on your lense that cuts down on the light transmitted. I'd just use the lens caps that come with the conquests on rainy days or buy a bikini cover if I didn't have the caps.

Great wood on that CDL! I love it when a stock shows such contrasts in grain.

An old scope lens trick; use some dish was liquid, put a small drop on each lens, wipe with a soft cloth till you can't see the residue.

I have spent an incredible amount of time the last few weeks comparing the ballistics of other cartridges to the 280 and keep coming back to the realization that the only way to get any real increase in performance is to go to a big bore or a big magnum... and I don't need these increases. I am starting to think I made a wise choice choosing the 280 Rem. I just need to settle on a good load.