Remington 700 sps....now what?

CLC · January 13, 2015, 07:52 PM

I purchased a Remington 700 sps in .223 and wanted some advice on how to set it up. This rifle will mostly be used for range use but will find its way into vermint hunting. I have a .22 and shotgun that are my primary vermint guns. I don't mind spending money on this rifle but I really don't want to break the bank so I'm looking for the best bang for my buck. I'm liking the leupold mark AR mod 1 but I'm new to scoped bolt action rifles. I'm also thinking about getting a picatinny base to mount the scope and rings on. I'm sure the more in think about it the more questions I'll have. Thanks in advance.

Blindstitch · January 13, 2015, 08:42 PM

What type of range do you expect out of the rifle? Is it 100 yards or 300+?

The picatinny rail will keep the scope in place and stop it from migrating under bumps or recoil.

hooligan1 · January 13, 2015, 08:47 PM

Float barrel, pillarbed stock, and I would use the best rings and bases I could afford, probably not a picatinny. Not that I have anything against picatinny, but theres better bases for bolt action rifles than those dudes.
Then start handloading and have some fun...

precision_shooter · January 13, 2015, 09:00 PM

EGW for the base.
Warne, Burris Z, Leupold, all make good rings.
Or go with a Talley or DNZ rings with integral base.

CLC · January 13, 2015, 09:31 PM

I figure this will be a 1-200 yard range gun. In pa you are lucky to find a 300 yard lane on public ranges. For hunting I figure 300 yards if I can reliably kill dog size animals. As far as rings and bases what makes one better then another? Looks to be a lot of different styles to choose from.

Rimfire5 · January 14, 2015, 09:17 AM

My SPS in .22-250 needed a better trigger and a better stock to get it to shoot up to its potential.

I put in a Timney trigger that was 3.2 lbs out of the box and set it at 2 lbs. Accuracy improved from 0.6-0.7 inches at 100 yards to 0.45'
I got another 0.1 inch improvement by changing the Tupperware stock on the SPS to a Bell & Carlson Medalist. The weight overall was heavier but the stock with a aluminum rail was significantly stiffer so the group sizes got smaller.

I got the SPS on a clearance sale for $436 and spent $80 on the Timney and 240 on the stock. Overall the results got me a really accurate rifle for under $ 760.

You will get the most bang for your buck out of your SPS with a better trigger and the Timney is usually the cheapest alternative for a reasonable upgrade.

Picher · January 14, 2015, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Float barrel, pillarbed stock, and I would use the best rings and bases I could afford, probably not a picatinny. Not that I have anything against picatinny, but there are better bases for bolt action rifles than those dudes.

What Hooligan said above.
------------------------------------------------------------
I have used regular Weaver Top Mount bases with Weaver 4-screw rings with great success. Inexpensive, but totally solid, especially when base screws are Locktited and bases are set on Locktite "Stud and Bearing Mount".

I have target scopes, up to 36 power that can be used for checking loads, then switch back to hunting scopes with no loss of zero, (provided the hunting scope was zeroed prior to removal).

Pillar bedding and free-floating, if done correctly, is a huge improvement to factory stocks. Installing a Timney trigger is like icing on the cake. It may not make a significant group shrinkage, but will make shooting more satisfying. I appreciate it even more when shooting offhand, but that's me.

Overkill777 · January 14, 2015, 06:15 PM

Timney trigger is a must.

hooligan1 · January 15, 2015, 06:27 AM

My 700 SPS has the old style trigger and I did the "Reminton Crisp" on it and its wonderful compared to the factory trigger...
On the other hand my cousin bought a new reminton 700 varmint and it has new trigger, and it wont let him adjust the weight down past 4.5 lbs...he will probably go Timney or another nice trigger..

taylorce1 · January 15, 2015, 09:37 AM

I'd just get a set of Talley LWT or DNZ mounts install a Leopold VX1 2-7X33 or 3-9X40 with long range duplex reticle and go shoot. Try a few different brands of ammo to see what your rifle likes if shooting factory. I wouldn't mess with bedding the rifle or the trigger until I knew there was a problem with either.

Saltydog235 · January 15, 2015, 09:50 AM

I wouldn't do a dang thing with an SPS stock but remove it and either give it to the kids or throw it in the trash. Hunk of crap. Add a Timney, lose the factory trigger and drop it in a B&C Medalist at the least.

AK103K · January 15, 2015, 06:27 PM

I put the Houge Overmoulded stock on EBay, and bought a B&C for it. Tightened the groups up some and the rifle just feels more solid. I dont mind the stock trigger. I still havent figured out what scope I want, so I just put one of those cheap $165 jobs on it for now. Still, it shoots like this at 100 yards from prone off a bipod........

This is the gun now. Still havent got around to painting it.

joed · January 19, 2015, 08:48 PM

My SPS .22-250 also needed a new trigger and stock to shoot really well. I don't think there is much you can do with the SPS stock. I tried free floating mine and improved somewhat. But it is so flimsy that you will probably find you will get a few fliers once in awhile.

Try as I might I couldn't get the Xmark under 5 lbs so it was gone. I opted for a B&C Medalist. Groups are 1/2" now and no fliers with the trigger at 4 lbs.

hooligan1 · January 20, 2015, 10:56 AM

I pillarbedded my SPS and then I filled the barrel channel with aluminum tubing crossways every inch, and filled it with JBweld, and bedded recoil lug area with JBweld. It seems to work perfectly without adding a huge amount of weight...

CLC · January 20, 2015, 06:22 PM

For the scope I think I decided on the Redfield Revolution Tac 3- 9x40mm on a EGW picatinny rail. What does the 20 moa mean on the rail and would I want it with or without the cant? Thanks for all the help I do plan on a stock and trigger upgrade once I get to shoot the gun a bit. I do like the rem 700p stock I might go with that.

precision_shooter · January 20, 2015, 06:50 PM

The 20moa base means that it is slanted down from back to front by 20moa. This allows for shooters to have more adjustment in their scopes to dial in longer ranges 600yds, 800yds, 1,000yds or more so they don't have to do any holdovers in their scope and can shoot to point of aim.

For your intended ranges, you won't need the 20moa base, but if you ever plan to shoot longer distance 600 yds or more, then it will come in handy.

steveNChunter · January 20, 2015, 07:25 PM

Quote:

I wouldn't do a dang thing with an SPS stock but remove it and either give it to the kids or throw it in the trash. Hunk of crap. Add a Timney, lose the factory trigger and drop it in a B&C Medalist at the least.

^Yep

If it were mine, DNZ Game Reaper one piece scope mount. Timney trigger. Boyd's stock of your choice, bedded.

As has already been said, no need for a 20 moa base.

As for a scope, if you're shooting paper and varmints, I'd want more than a 3-9x scope. 6-24x would be the range I'd be considering. I won't get into brands because that's a whole 'nother can of worms.

CLC · January 20, 2015, 08:57 PM

What would be the limitations of the 3-9x? I liked the review of the scope in question, it's made in the USA and lightweight. Would the 20 moa base be worth getting If I at some point plan to shoot out to 600 yards? Im still learning so I don't need a complicated scope and I don't know what to expect out of the .223.

123kiwi · January 20, 2015, 11:33 PM

For up to 200 yard range I'd probably go with a fixed scope, probably a Weaver 6x.
Ive found with short to medium range, it is sometimes easier using a fixed scope because you get used to where a rifle will shoot quicker especially when youre holding off and over etc...
In saying that, I'm keen on getting a Bushnell fixed 10x for my .22 Hornet

precision_shooter · January 21, 2015, 08:14 AM

The Redfield is a good scope, but it's more for hunting applications where you sight it in and don't really touch it again. The small capped turrets are not designed for being able to easily reach up and dial in your elevation for a given range.

Take a look at Vortex scopes. They are also a USA company with the best warranty in the business! Their scopes tend to have more features per $ than other brands. Look for one with target turrets or capped target turrets. This will make dialing in shots a lot easier and faster. I have a Vortex Viper 6.5-20x44 with mildot reticle on my target rifle.

mpw8679 · February 9, 2015, 03:39 PM

+1 on the Vortex scopes.

cw308 · February 9, 2015, 05:10 PM

For bench shooting 24 - 36 power Fixed Weaver or Bushnell Elite 6-24x40 Best bang for the buck.

CLC · February 18, 2015, 12:42 AM

So I ended up going with a leupold ar mod 1 3-9×40mm with dmz mounts. What is the proper way of getting everything aligned properly? I think I have the crosshairs level and everything tight but I don't have a small enough torque wrench at the moment.

Picher · February 24, 2015, 11:32 AM

Did you lap the bottom of the rings before placing the scope? It's really a good idea to prevent scope damage.

I like to bore-sight rifles the original way, by placing the rifle in a padded vise and looking through the bore, aligning it with a target at 100 yards, then adjusting the scope to coincide with the bore.

I have a setup at 50' in my basement workshop and can do a preliminary bore-sight at 50 feet. At that distance, the horizontal crosshair should be about 1 1/4" higher than the bore sighting target, provided the scope is mounted about 1 1/2" higher than the bore.

Laser bore-sighters don't seem to be as accurate as the old methods, at least the ones I've used. It's a fairly expensive one, touted as being the "most accurate", but had to adjust it by slightly bending the rod, but it still doesn't work great.

You shouldn't tighten scope screws without a torque wrench. Even "professionals" tend to over-torque them. That happened to a neighbor this week. They were so tight that the power adjustment ring wouldn't turn.

Picher · February 28, 2015, 05:39 PM

My .223 Rem Light Varmint SS-FL is in the factory stock and it shoots 1/4"-1/2" groups at 100 yards with several bullet types/weights.

Since this is really a walkabout rifle, it's set up with a 3-9x Leupold VXII, 50 grain Sierra Blitzking sighted as follows:

MV 3,200 fps

100 0.6"
150 0.0
200 -1.8"
250 -5.1"
300 -10.O"

Most of the shots are inside of 200 yards where I hunt and are either offhand without rest, or sitting, off a Unipod.

I usually keep the scope between 4 and 6x for woods road walking and offhand shots, turning it up to 8x for rested shots.

For larger varmints and expected longer shots, a .243 Win rifle is often used.

January 13, 2015, 07:52 PM	#1
CLC Senior Member Join Date: January 8, 2011 Posts: 603	Remington 700 sps....now what? I purchased a Remington 700 sps in .223 and wanted some advice on how to set it up. This rifle will mostly be used for range use but will find its way into vermint hunting. I have a .22 and shotgun that are my primary vermint guns. I don't mind spending money on this rifle but I really don't want to break the bank so I'm looking for the best bang for my buck. I'm liking the leupold mark AR mod 1 but I'm new to scoped bolt action rifles. I'm also thinking about getting a picatinny base to mount the scope and rings on. I'm sure the more in think about it the more questions I'll have. Thanks in advance. __________________ In god we trust, all others must pay cash.

January 13, 2015, 08:47 PM	#3
hooligan1 Senior Member Join Date: July 18, 2010 Location: Independence Missouri Posts: 4,586	Float barrel, pillarbed stock, and I would use the best rings and bases I could afford, probably not a picatinny. Not that I have anything against picatinny, but theres better bases for bolt action rifles than those dudes. Then start handloading and have some fun... __________________ Keep your Axe sharp and your powder dry.

January 13, 2015, 09:00 PM	#4
precision_shooter Senior Member Join Date: September 8, 2007 Location: DFW, Texas Posts: 2,475	EGW for the base. Warne, Burris Z, Leupold, all make good rings. Or go with a Talley or DNZ rings with integral base. __________________ "Laws that forbid the carrying of arms...disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes...Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man." - Thomas Jefferson, 1776

January 13, 2015, 09:31 PM	#5
CLC Senior Member Join Date: January 8, 2011 Posts: 603	I figure this will be a 1-200 yard range gun. In pa you are lucky to find a 300 yard lane on public ranges. For hunting I figure 300 yards if I can reliably kill dog size animals. As far as rings and bases what makes one better then another? Looks to be a lot of different styles to choose from. __________________ In god we trust, all others must pay cash.

January 15, 2015, 06:27 AM	#9
hooligan1 Senior Member Join Date: July 18, 2010 Location: Independence Missouri Posts: 4,586	My 700 SPS has the old style trigger and I did the "Reminton Crisp" on it and its wonderful compared to the factory trigger... On the other hand my cousin bought a new reminton 700 varmint and it has new trigger, and it wont let him adjust the weight down past 4.5 lbs...he will probably go Timney or another nice trigger.. __________________ Keep your Axe sharp and your powder dry.

January 13, 2015, 08:42 PM	#2
Blindstitch Senior Member Join Date: April 14, 2013 Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin Posts: 2,693	What type of range do you expect out of the rifle? Is it 100 yards or 300+? The picatinny rail will keep the scope in place and stop it from migrating under bumps or recoil.

January 14, 2015, 09:17 AM	#6
Rimfire5 Senior Member Join Date: January 2, 2009 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 923	My SPS in .22-250 needed a better trigger and a better stock to get it to shoot up to its potential. I put in a Timney trigger that was 3.2 lbs out of the box and set it at 2 lbs. Accuracy improved from 0.6-0.7 inches at 100 yards to 0.45' I got another 0.1 inch improvement by changing the Tupperware stock on the SPS to a Bell & Carlson Medalist. The weight overall was heavier but the stock with a aluminum rail was significantly stiffer so the group sizes got smaller. I got the SPS on a clearance sale for $436 and spent $80 on the Timney and 240 on the stock. Overall the results got me a really accurate rifle for under $ 760. You will get the most bang for your buck out of your SPS with a better trigger and the Timney is usually the cheapest alternative for a reasonable upgrade.

January 14, 2015, 06:15 PM	#8
Overkill777 Senior Member Join Date: January 4, 2015 Posts: 267	Timney trigger is a must.

January 15, 2015, 09:37 AM	#10
taylorce1 Senior Member Join Date: November 18, 2005 Location: On the Santa Fe Trail Posts: 8,249	I'd just get a set of Talley LWT or DNZ mounts install a Leopold VX1 2-7X33 or 3-9X40 with long range duplex reticle and go shoot. Try a few different brands of ammo to see what your rifle likes if shooting factory. I wouldn't mess with bedding the rifle or the trigger until I knew there was a problem with either. __________________ NRA Life Member

January 15, 2015, 09:50 AM	#11
Saltydog235 Senior Member Join Date: October 20, 2010 Location: Pawleys Island Posts: 1,563	I wouldn't do a dang thing with an SPS stock but remove it and either give it to the kids or throw it in the trash. Hunk of crap. Add a Timney, lose the factory trigger and drop it in a B&C Medalist at the least.

January 15, 2015, 06:27 PM	#12
AK103K Senior Member Join Date: May 1, 2001 Posts: 10,223	I put the Houge Overmoulded stock on EBay, and bought a B&C for it. Tightened the groups up some and the rifle just feels more solid. I dont mind the stock trigger. I still havent figured out what scope I want, so I just put one of those cheap $165 jobs on it for now. Still, it shoots like this at 100 yards from prone off a bipod........ This is the gun now. Still havent got around to painting it.

January 19, 2015, 08:48 PM	#13
joed Senior Member Join Date: November 28, 2014 Posts: 442	My SPS .22-250 also needed a new trigger and stock to shoot really well. I don't think there is much you can do with the SPS stock. I tried free floating mine and improved somewhat. But it is so flimsy that you will probably find you will get a few fliers once in awhile. Try as I might I couldn't get the Xmark under 5 lbs so it was gone. I opted for a B&C Medalist. Groups are 1/2" now and no fliers with the trigger at 4 lbs.

January 20, 2015, 10:56 AM	#14
hooligan1 Senior Member Join Date: July 18, 2010 Location: Independence Missouri Posts: 4,586	I pillarbedded my SPS and then I filled the barrel channel with aluminum tubing crossways every inch, and filled it with JBweld, and bedded recoil lug area with JBweld. It seems to work perfectly without adding a huge amount of weight... __________________ Keep your Axe sharp and your powder dry.

January 20, 2015, 06:22 PM	#15
CLC Senior Member Join Date: January 8, 2011 Posts: 603	For the scope I think I decided on the Redfield Revolution Tac 3- 9x40mm on a EGW picatinny rail. What does the 20 moa mean on the rail and would I want it with or without the cant? Thanks for all the help I do plan on a stock and trigger upgrade once I get to shoot the gun a bit. I do like the rem 700p stock I might go with that. __________________ In god we trust, all others must pay cash.

January 20, 2015, 06:50 PM	#16
precision_shooter Senior Member Join Date: September 8, 2007 Location: DFW, Texas Posts: 2,475	The 20moa base means that it is slanted down from back to front by 20moa. This allows for shooters to have more adjustment in their scopes to dial in longer ranges 600yds, 800yds, 1,000yds or more so they don't have to do any holdovers in their scope and can shoot to point of aim. For your intended ranges, you won't need the 20moa base, but if you ever plan to shoot longer distance 600 yds or more, then it will come in handy. __________________ "Laws that forbid the carrying of arms...disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes...Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man." - Thomas Jefferson, 1776

January 20, 2015, 08:57 PM	#18
CLC Senior Member Join Date: January 8, 2011 Posts: 603	What would be the limitations of the 3-9x? I liked the review of the scope in question, it's made in the USA and lightweight. Would the 20 moa base be worth getting If I at some point plan to shoot out to 600 yards? Im still learning so I don't need a complicated scope and I don't know what to expect out of the .223. __________________ In god we trust, all others must pay cash.

January 20, 2015, 11:33 PM	#19
123kiwi Member Join Date: March 23, 2006 Location: New Zealand Posts: 85	For up to 200 yard range I'd probably go with a fixed scope, probably a Weaver 6x. Ive found with short to medium range, it is sometimes easier using a fixed scope because you get used to where a rifle will shoot quicker especially when youre holding off and over etc... In saying that, I'm keen on getting a Bushnell fixed 10x for my .22 Hornet

January 21, 2015, 08:14 AM	#20
precision_shooter Senior Member Join Date: September 8, 2007 Location: DFW, Texas Posts: 2,475	The Redfield is a good scope, but it's more for hunting applications where you sight it in and don't really touch it again. The small capped turrets are not designed for being able to easily reach up and dial in your elevation for a given range. Take a look at Vortex scopes. They are also a USA company with the best warranty in the business! Their scopes tend to have more features per $ than other brands. Look for one with target turrets or capped target turrets. This will make dialing in shots a lot easier and faster. I have a Vortex Viper 6.5-20x44 with mildot reticle on my target rifle. __________________ "Laws that forbid the carrying of arms...disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes...Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man." - Thomas Jefferson, 1776

February 9, 2015, 03:39 PM	#21
mpw8679 Member Join Date: October 12, 2009 Posts: 40	+1 on the Vortex scopes.

February 9, 2015, 05:10 PM	#22
cw308 Senior Member Join Date: September 2, 2010 Location: Plainview , Long Island NY Posts: 3,863	For bench shooting 24 - 36 power Fixed Weaver or Bushnell Elite 6-24x40 Best bang for the buck.

February 18, 2015, 12:42 AM	#23
CLC Senior Member Join Date: January 8, 2011 Posts: 603	So I ended up going with a leupold ar mod 1 3-9×40mm with dmz mounts. What is the proper way of getting everything aligned properly? I think I have the crosshairs level and everything tight but I don't have a small enough torque wrench at the moment. __________________ In god we trust, all others must pay cash.

February 24, 2015, 11:32 AM	#24
Picher Senior Member Join Date: December 14, 2004 Location: Maine Posts: 3,694	Did you lap the bottom of the rings before placing the scope? It's really a good idea to prevent scope damage. I like to bore-sight rifles the original way, by placing the rifle in a padded vise and looking through the bore, aligning it with a target at 100 yards, then adjusting the scope to coincide with the bore. I have a setup at 50' in my basement workshop and can do a preliminary bore-sight at 50 feet. At that distance, the horizontal crosshair should be about 1 1/4" higher than the bore sighting target, provided the scope is mounted about 1 1/2" higher than the bore. Laser bore-sighters don't seem to be as accurate as the old methods, at least the ones I've used. It's a fairly expensive one, touted as being the "most accurate", but had to adjust it by slightly bending the rod, but it still doesn't work great. You shouldn't tighten scope screws without a torque wrench. Even "professionals" tend to over-torque them. That happened to a neighbor this week. They were so tight that the power adjustment ring wouldn't turn.

February 28, 2015, 05:39 PM	#25
Picher Senior Member Join Date: December 14, 2004 Location: Maine Posts: 3,694	My .223 Rem Light Varmint SS-FL is in the factory stock and it shoots 1/4"-1/2" groups at 100 yards with several bullet types/weights. Since this is really a walkabout rifle, it's set up with a 3-9x Leupold VXII, 50 grain Sierra Blitzking sighted as follows: MV 3,200 fps 100 0.6" 150 0.0 200 -1.8" 250 -5.1" 300 -10.O" Most of the shots are inside of 200 yards where I hunt and are either offhand without rest, or sitting, off a Unipod. I usually keep the scope between 4 and 6x for woods road walking and offhand shots, turning it up to 8x for rested shots. For larger varmints and expected longer shots, a .243 Win rifle is often used.