There are not very many affordable factory rifles in this caliber. There are two Remington 700 SPS available:
Remington 700 SPS #85585, weight 7.62 lbs.

Remington 700 SPS Long Range #85600, weight 8.75 lbs.

Here is my real world question, "Does the heavy contour barrel of the #85600 make that much different?"

I want to put together a long range, 800 yard gun.

In the beginning, I have a Leupold 4.5-14 x 50 CDS to place on it. I also have a Leupold Mark 4 6.5-20 x 50 TMR rectile scope.

Thanks for the feed back.

4 just a belly gun I could go with the heavier rig. But for an all around including hunting no ma doubt I'd go with the lighter rig. Still be around 9 lbs all up and ready to rock which is plenty heavy for good shooting and not too heavy for porting around.

Given a choice I'd go 3-10 but tween the two you mentioned I'd go with the 4-14.

Just my thoughts

Dober

Don't buy a silly STW. A 7mm Rem Mag IS an 800yd rifle with the right bullets. A Sendero just might be accurate enough to hit something at that range, an SPS? It ain't happening. All you'd be buying is an action to throw money at.

Big green [bleep] canned the STW when they came out with their Ultra Mag.

So you're either looking at the Ultra or the 7 mag in those two models......

SPS Varmint...

Jordo I'd love to grab a SPS Varm in 7 RM and punch it, are you ready for this Mashburn Super. Hard to believe but true eh...grin

My oh my how I would love to see them bring out the SPS Varm in .260.....

Dober

Not into whizzing contests, but IMO, except for Dober, the above comment generators were pretty clueless...

So from someone who has an STW, here are my observations..

My STW is a DM-B, SS, that I spun the factory BBL off (24"), and replaced it with a factory takeoff in 7mag (SS, 26"), and had it punched out to 7STW. So it is a STD Rem mag contour.

Now have Karl perform his magic, didn't hurt, but this gun with a factory tube shoots 160AB or 160 Partitions into one ragged hole...and that isn't BS either...

This gun prints them just under an inch at 300...

So, I dare anyone to say I can't hit an 800 yard target, with a 160AB starting off at 3200.

The STW really pulls away from the 7mag with heavier bullets. If you are planning on shooting 140's, stick with a 7mag.

Shoot 160's+...get the 7STW.

Flame on.

Tony

Amen to that Tony, a rig doesn't have to be a lachubwa (heavy weight) to shoot well at long range. My 7 lb .260 will do things at long range that will drive me nuts when I try to better it with a lachubwa rig.

Dober

After owning 3 7 Rem Mags and then again another 7 STW. STW all the way. Way superior to the 7RM.

The SPS is plenty accurate out of the box and all you need without going to a heavy weight.


Mine wore the LR 4.5-14.

SU-The Green Machine that you had was one of the nicer Big 7's I've ever seen!

Dober

I like 150gr Noslers from my STW.Good round and bullet

I've mainly used the 150 NBT out of my Mashburn. By the time I got to shooting the Bergs in it the throat was way roasted and it wouldn't do it's thing with that bullet.

I have a 7 WSM in the making and I'll most likely have it set up for the 168 Berg.

Dober

Been shooting the 7mm NBT this year but haven't connected on an animal as of yet.But man they do shoot.The 150gr Partition on the other hand has been a very positive bullet from my STW.

My last kill was a moose in Sept from a 150gr E Tip and the 300 Win.Another positive bullet...imo

Haha, MSM??! I'm shocked!

If the SPS Varmint was available in .260, then I likely wouldn't own a .243AI right now. It'd be .260 or .260AI instead.

Course they'd most like dump a 10 twist or something like that...<g>

Dober

I love the Fire, where every single rifle on the rack at the local Sportsman's Whorehouse is a bonafide tack driver. The only problem is I've looked at several factory remlin/freedrom grope barrels of late, and only one (a 5R 308) had a proper crown. Just sayin'.

I've not owned a 700 that wouldn't consistently shoot under an inch, but that's probably because I don't cry about them having a rough bore or less than Bench Rest quality crown, and I just shoot 'em and find loads that work. I'd hang pics of what some other newer 700s have been doing, but that might just get ugly.

Either you are too ignorant to know what actually constitutes an MOA rifle, or you REALLY oughta be buyin' more lottery tickets.

It's not luck.

In checking around the heavy contour barrel cost about $200 more, not realy a big deal.

Another thought was to buy a 7mm Rem Mag and have it reamed out to 7mm STW.

Tom I'm just now getting into my 7RM, and I can say for sure that 800 yards isn't even warming up for the big high BC 7mm bullets. I'm shooting the 162 AMAX at 3050, and it is an absolutely vicious pill.

I'd go 700 of your choice, 7 Rem, 4.5-14, and kick butt.

Tanner-I'd still kind of like to get a McM HTH (general purpose) handle for my M70/WSM and have Dr Dan stick my #3 Brux on it and run it in 7WSM with 168 Bergs. Light fill on the stock if they'll do it?

3-10 w/M1 and thangs are gonna be deep in the hurt locker for a long long ways...grin

Dober

Crown shmown, so what's the problem if the rifle shoots sub moa even with a poor crown?

Until you shoot the rifle your point is moot.

If you could get the handle to come in under or at 30oz that'd be sweet! I've not used an HTG, but the low comb might bum me out a bit. I would sooner run the AMAX than the Berg, but that's just the cheapo talking.

I agree on the 3.5-10, its wh at I run and is a killer scope.

My Zebra rifle (700, Ti take off stock, 260 Mtn barrel take off, just sub 7 lbs scoped) will do .8" @ 100 a good share of the time, often though 1.25" or so with 140 Bergs, 120 Bergs and or 120 SMK's.

I don't get overly concerned about it though as that's 10 shot groups...grin

Dober

The problem is they are figments of people's overactive/arithmetic challenged minds. Barrels without good crowns don't [bleep] shoot for [bleep].

I let my shooting finger do they talking, not my mouth, and no overactive mind, as evidenced with above pic.

Over 25 700's and yet one that could not shoot to my sub moa standard.

Here's a thought, if a crown is bad on an inexpensive SPS Rem 700 take it to a gunsmith and give him a couple of bucks to clean it up, it's not that dificult.

What a novel thought... A 30 dollar fix?! Blasphemy.

Dober, STW, and SU35 know the scoop.

Let's make it simple.....

Buy an SPS, SS in 7mag, make sure you have a 26" spout.

Send said rifle to Karl or other top notch smitty.

Have them punch the chamber to STW, cleanup the crown, square up the action, spin it back together.

For effect, I had mine titanium cerakoted , and had Karl sprial flute the bolt....optional, but killer none the less.

Buy some IMR7828, you fav 150's or 160's.

Go shoot, be ready to get shocked at the results.

So for maybe $800 (sans optional schit), you'll have a tack driving, slaying machine.

Thank me later.....

Tony

And possibly even simpler, Tony.

I bought one of these.

http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/.../76117/Remington+700+SPS+7MM+STW+26+BLUE

Here...160AB, 76 IMR7828, F215M.....chrono was reading a bit slow, due to lighting conditions when I shot...usually hovers around 3180-90.


Questions ?

They'll be a quiz later...

Tony

Are you pretty much right at the end of the box with that bullet? Load looks awesome.

One with the oiginal 24" factory tube..


Shooting 150 Sciroccos here.....

Tony

Tanner,

My bullet seating is easy...set to fit clip...rock on.

So much for bullet jump won't shoot.....

Tony

That was my luck with my Sendero SF as well. Load 'em as long as the mag would allow, ignore the third of an inch of jump, just go shoot 3/4ths of an inch groups at 200 yards with both the 120 grain ballistic tips and 160 grain partitions ... with zero scope adjustment between the two.

Tom

Yup...that be the method.

Cool part about it, I use the same seating die settup for both 160AB and Partitions, both fit, both shoot lights out...

Same load also....76.0 IMR7828.

Tony

Tony, you mentioned a gunsmith named Karl. can you post or pm his info.

Thanks Tom

Sweet. I don't remember if I adjusted the seating die between bullets or not. My loads were 83 grains of 7828 under the 120 ballistic tip and 87 grains of H5010 under the 160 partition. I moly coated both bullets.

yeah but you were lucky and had a good crown....

Dober

Seems everyone here is lucky and gets blessed with a rare "worth a puck" factory crown.

Hmmmm, maybe I should get the crown cleaned up!! Then it'll be shooting in the 0.1's and 0.2's at 525!

Same as my 150gr Part and BT load.From seating die set up and both burn 77grs of 7828.They shoot good but the NBT is a touch tighter on paper.

Don't kid yourself, that 243 doesn't shoot worth a darn.

I would believe he was talking about Karl Kampfeld,
http://kampfeldcustom.com/

Well that's to be expected. It's a cobbley factory Rem barrel...

With a crown that you cut with a cheese grater!

I cant complain about any of my rem 700 all very good shooters.

Me either but the first thing I do is re plumb them and put them in a decent stock

That's being generous. I used a shard of glass I found in an alley.

Right, after the action is trued. You can sell the cobby POS, no-crown barrel to one of the bullschitting "intellectuals" on this forum. There's always a sucker to buy.

Actually, I grind my Remmmie crowns into gravel just to give other POS factory rifles a sporting chance to hang with them.

Obama voter no doubt...tell us how you trade your foodstamps for ammo.....

Tony

My STW is a 70 Classic stainless with the factory 26" buggywhip.

Pretty much everything else has been gone through and trued, squared or lapped. Even a Winchester has to have the crown done right after it leaves the factory once in a long while.

+1 (or however many)on the 7828. IIRC it's 81 gr. under a 140 AccuBang for a whisker over 3600 (ask THAT of your 7RM !!) and bugholes at 100 yards.

Next thing I need is 10 or 15 minute bases as I can't get beyond about 675 yards with the turrets on the current setup.

Yes, I voted for a black man for president, Alan Keyes. You voted for the [bleep], no doubt.

"I'm a Green Beret and I know everything!!!"

LOL....

Nope I give them away or use as mater stakes. But, there is nothing wrong with remmy barrels. I have owned some that shot amazing, even if they were prone to copper up a bit. I know where there is a POS remmy 788 that I cobbled up using a pillar bedded factory stock and an old barrel off a shot out 40x 243 that is a shooting machine with 80gr bergers.

What I cannot understand about this thread is the love for the STW over the RUM.

[quote=EddyBo


What I cannot understand about this thread is the love for the STW over the RUM. [/quote]

Sure, I love my STW, but I don't see any reason to disrespect the RUM.

Same here.

I actually still kick myself to this day for letting a 700 s/s 7-RUM slip through my fingers for pennies on the dollar. That was AFTER I had already bought and fell in love with my STW.

Question for those who have loaded for both:

I realize that what the STW will do in real life (if Layne Simpson's data is real life) as opposed to what the IMR and Alliant manuals say it will are two vastly different things........for whatever reason. Along the same lines, the manuals show basically ZERO significant differences between what can be wrung from an STW and a RUM. Nearly identical twins. Doesn't seem right to me. How much real world difference is there between the two.......apples to apples......both with 26" tubes and, let's say, a 140 gr. bullet ???

I've only loaded for the STW, but I think the real difference between, for the experienced reloader, would not be with the 140's. The best trajectories in the STW come with 160gr bullets. Past that, the added BC doesn't offset the loss in velocity. With the RUMS larger capacity, I would expect you could take full advantage of the heavy bergers (say the 180's), or the not yet produces 175gr NAB, a case full of WC872, and a 28-30" barrel.

This is where the RUM would shine over the STW.

I have bought close to 40 Remington 700's and honestly on 1 would shoot out of the box a 35 whelan, great gun. All the others would shoot ok 1 1/2 inches at 100 but to get them to under an inch I spent money, new crown, bedding sometimes trigger and on a bunch new barrel. I guess I just have bad luck but I keep trying and after fixing my 700's drive tacks.by the way I have not a great groups with many out of the with the exception of sauer's.,blaser and CZ. They habeen really good. I have 2 STW's and I love the caliber with heavier bullets 160 accubonds, 175 TSX and the 180 bergers.great round.

Yoder409,

I asked myself the same question regarding the performance of the STW and RUM from a 26" barrel. Took two rem 7 mag takeoffs and rechambered them. The 7 RUM beat the 7 STW by 50 fps using RL-22 and a 140 nos bt. IMO the 7 RUM needs at least a 28" or longer tube or you might as well stay with a STW.

I am looking at the big 7s myself.I think that I need to start a 7mm mashburn vs. stw thread.

Imagine what a great round you'd have if you necked a 7mm STW up to 8mm.

Might as well weigh in here...

I've had a 7RUM. I still have a 7STW....

Shooting 160's in both, the 7RUM got about 100fps more mv.....3300 with the 7RUM vs 3200 with the 7STW. That is without leaning on either.

Was very accurate, easy to load for...was a hungry SOB though.

To be honest, for the extra 100FPS with a 160, I didn't think it was worth the extra recoil and powder, so I tripped it.

For me, the 7RUM was more of a play toy thing, never hunted with it.

I suspect shooting 168 or 180 Bergers would make the 7RUM really shine. Like shooting 160s out of the 7STW gives it a big advantage over the 7mag.

Nothing wrong with the 7RUM. Since I had already had an 7STW, it became expendable.

Tony

I have loaded for both, still prefer the rum even with 160s, not by a wide margin. Now if lapua would just make some brass for it.

Thank you !!! Answers my question to a T .

BTW....... did you ever experience any temperature sensitivity with the R-22 ?? I developed and loaded a batch of 120 SMK's in the fall a couple years back. They shot very well. The following summer they were COMPLETELY off the wall..... blowing primers, nearly locking the bolt up.....

....... and Winchester would re-run their STW brass.........even if only seasonally

Anyone try Nosler 7 STW brass? I perfer W/W over R/P easy.