Remington 700VS HELP

[JKnight]

I was really interested in the Remington 700VS but I feel like it lacks quality. The stock has a sloppy fit to the receiver and the bolt has a really sloppy fit. Does anyone else feel the way I do? I'm torn as to what to do I wan't to built a really nice sniper rifle but from what I hear the Remington shoots better than most rifles that cost double.

[k in AR]

JKnight,
I have had a Remington VLS since 95. The rifle is a tack driver & was very "clean" right out of the box.
Unfortunately, I have definitely seen the drop in quality that you refer to, but so far (at the range) it seems to be cosmetic, i.e. the new VS guns still shoot very good.

My '95 VLS was easy to "tune". It had a laminated stock so bedding the action was a snap. Also it had a very nice trigger & that adjusted without any gun smithing. Everything else was good & tight. The gun is a 308 & with the right ammo I post 5 shot, 1/2 inch, 100 yard groups all the time.

Any production gun will require some "tuning" to get the best out of it. However, I think I would shop around & look at some other VSs before I purchased one like you describe. From all the "sloppy fit"s you talk about, I would wonder it it wasn't a "hangover Monday", or a "got to get out that door Friday" offering. k

[slymule]

JKnight, I also have a RemVS (.223), it's my favorite rifle, excellent stock fit, no slop in the bolt at all, and a tack driver. Fit and finish is excellent - mine is about a year old. It's the most accurate "out of the box" rifle I've ever bought. :D

[WalterGAII]

I shoot a Rem. VS in .223. My rifle is five-years-old or so. Shot a .246", 5 shot group the other day.

Were you comparing the feel of the VS bolt to other Rem. 700's ,with which you are familiar, or perhaps to Mauser-type bolts. The Mauser bolts have a heavier, tighter feel, to me. (Win. Mod. 70, for example)

If the action of the VS is properly torqued (65 in/lbs) to the stock, the fit should be great. There should be space between the barrel and the stock; the more the better.

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Shoot to kill; they'll stop when they're dead!

[JKnight]

I haven't really compared it to any other models, just 3 of the same model. The one thing that really bothers me is a big shiny file mark on the left side of the gun where the back of receiver is fitted to the stock.

Is the slop in the bolt when you open it normal for the Remington's?

[Zensho]

Yes. My PSS bolt has a somewhat loose feel when it is open but, it shoots sub minute - no problem.

[Ankeny]

I just bought a 700 VS and it is going back to the factory. The holes in the receiver were drilled off center and one is drilled and tapped crooked. When the stock bolts are torqued down the action is twisted and the barrel is pulled to one side of the channel. A pretty major lemon in my opinion.

Remington bolts do tend to swim around a bit. If your criteria is a good fitting bolt then you need to look at the old Mannlicher Schoenauer rifles like the 1952, a Colt Sauer or Kliengunther (Voere action) and the like. I have had rifles that you could point toward the floor with the action open, pull the trigger and the bolt would close all of the way just from gravity. Of course, these rifles are expensive and don't shoot any better than a properly bedded Remington with a decent barrel.

[Cat]

I have a friend who sent a Remington 700 VS back becase the barrel was not true to the action. The threads were cut very badly and the barrel pointed off to one side! Don't ask me how this got out of the factory. They eventually made good on it, but he sold it due to lack of confidence in the product.
iI have a 700 VSSF in .308 Winchester. It is about five years old. It is a vey nice rifle and shoots very well. Maybe they are trying to run themselvf out of business because it seems that they don't care anymore.

Neil Casper