Range Report Realistic expectations of Rem 700 BDL

[sjb269]

Best I can get my bone stock 700 BDL sporter weight to shoot is 1.2-1.5 inch 5 shot groups at 100. I really have to bear down and concentrate to get this.
Is sub MOA realistic for a sporter weight Remington? Do they exist? I am shooting match grade .308 rounds BTW, and the stock has been bedded.

 

[George Az]

I have about the same results as you. A new Savage did a little better for me but not by much and that was really concentrating. Everything holds these "out of the box" guns back. And you did a few things too. I usually start with the trigger and go from there. If you handload you can try a "ladder" which might help the group a little bit. There might be a round it likes better than others. Before I took a new Remi adl off to the smith, I put around 20 rounds through it and the group was a little bigger than you got. These "sporting rifles" are not target shooters. For the average deer hunter at 100-200 yards, it will do, I guess. Truth is I remember when I first started handloading in the early 80's, most "stock" guns didn't do much better.

Little help maybe - really let the barrel cool between shots. Yes, it changes everything because you aren't just laying there behind the gun, but a sporter weight barrel does not cool off if the shots are quickly following one another.

 

[Sniper Uncle]

What do you have for a stock on that? I have a 700BDL with the flimsy synthetic stock, in 30.06, and if I work at it, I have gotten groups of about .75 at 100. It did a little better at 200, about 1.2" with a lot of care. I do only shoot one shot every 2-3 minutes in cool weather, and even longer between shots in warmer weather. Shade is good too.
I don't plan to bed the stock, as I am going to change it out with my HS Precision stock from my other build when I can get the chassi system for that one.

 

[Aimsmall55]

A little off topic but I received a McMillan a5 bdl "drop in " for a sa. Rifle is a sps tactical. I took it out of the houge stock and dropped it in but found that if I tightened the front torque screw too much I couldn't get the bolt to move. Does this mean I need to get it bedded to fit perfectly?? I'm all ears. Thanks.

 

[Killer Spade 13]

Thin barrel, cheap stock, free floated???
It's a hunting rifle, not a precision rifle.
You get what you pay for.

 

[Bill Larson]

a little off topic but i received a mcmillan a5 bdl "drop in " for a sa. Rifle is a sps tactical. I took it out of the houge stock and dropped it in but found that if i tightened the front torque screw too much i couldn't get the bolt to move. Does this mean i need to get it bedded to fit perfectly?? I'm all ears. Thanks.

screw too l0ng..................hitting lug

 

[sjb269]

1990s wood stock, stock trigger, with a 22 inch #3 heavy sporter barrel according to my measurements. All things considered, it's probably doing exactly what it was designed to do. I wanted to "see what it could do" before I sent it out to be overhauled and start it's second life.

 

[MikeEzell]

1990s wood stock, stock trigger, with a 22 inch #3 heavy sporter barrel according to my measurements. All things considered, it's probably doing exactly what it was designed to do. I wanted to "see what it could do" before I sent it out to be overhauled and start it's second life.

There may be any number of things that "might" help it, but IME, most people can shoot much better from a good rest than what you claim.....without having to "bear down and concentrate". All one has to do to prove this is sit behind a good shooting rifle. The old adage about a gun shooting better than we do is only true for very accurate rifles and sorry shots(not you), if we're talking about a good rest and overall setup. I've had children and people that have never shot a gun shoot 1/4" or better groups from my BR rifles. Granted, most of us understand the effects of wind when talking about groups of that size. There is more to doing it consistently than good gun handling.

 

[roggom]

If you dont reload its time to start. sub moa is possible in pretty much any rifle, and I mean any rifle. I have gotten old sewer pipe South American 7x57 mauser to shoot (cup and core bullets at min velocity). May not win any awards but better than a shotgun pattern.

That being said, even an off the shelf remmy with shitty trigger and plastic stock can shoot sub-moa groups, just might take a bit of work up.

If you dont reload, gonna have to try a bunch of ammo out. FGMM, Nosler Custom, black hills, etc


Now shooting submoa @100 may or may not carry out much further than 500Y, but in a hunting rifle you should do fine.


Couple things to try: read up on Natural point of aim, get some dry fire practice at home (safely), and shoot off bags. See if your groups size change.

 

[MikeEzell]

If you dont reload its time to start. sub moa is possible in pretty much any rifle, and I mean any rifle. I have gotten old sewer pipe South American 7x57 mauser to shoot (cup and core bullets at min velocity). May not win any awards but better than a shotgun pattern.

That being said, even an off the shelf remmy with shitty trigger and plastic stock can shoot sub-moa groups, just might take a bit of work up.

If you dont reload, gonna have to try a bunch of ammo out. FGMM, Nosler Custom, black hills, etc


Now shooting submoa @100 may or may not carry out much further than 500Y, but in a hunting rifle you should do fine.


Couple things to try: read up on Natural point of aim, get some dry fire practice at home (safely), and shoot off bags. See if your groups size change.

Yep...match grade is really not about whose name is on the box, or even what components are used in factory ammo. Match grade is determined by the gun, and nothing but the gun.

 

[Hairball]

I had a Remington 700BDL in 338 Win Mag, great elk rifle. Not made to sit at the range all day as it was a little on the light side. Not the best shooting rifle but for what it was made for it was OK.

 

[sjb269]

Hairball,
I think you summed it up pretty good, Some rifles were destined to be taken afield and aimed at some meat out to 300 yards...not taken to the bench and relegated to a life of 5 shot groups! That being said, this rifle is just that kind of rifle. 1.5 MOA without much work...but a potential meat getter none the less!
Now, as for the future of this rifle, It is destined to be a well balanced, medium weight, gong blasting laser...out to 800 ish yards. Which when called upon, will be a very capable meat getter out to 500 yards. This build is gonna be fun. I just received the new barrel yesterday.

 

[Sniper Uncle]

Hairball,
I think you summed it up pretty good, Some rifles were destined to be taken afield and aimed at some meat out to 300 yards...not taken to the bench and relegated to a life of 5 shot groups! That being said, this rifle is just that kind of rifle. 1.5 MOA without much work...but a potential meat getter none the less!
Now, as for the future of this rifle, It is destined to be a well balanced, medium weight, gong blasting laser...out to 800 ish yards. Which when called upon, will be a very capable meat getter out to 500 yards. This build is gonna be fun. I just received the new barrel yesterday.

Good Luck with your endeavor. I am trying to save money to do about the same with mine. I'd like to see yours when it's done, and some range pics....

 

[Aimsmall55]

screw too l0ng..................hitting lug

Thanks Bill. So do I need to get a shorter action screw for the front or will bedding resolve this? New to all this. Bedded one but it was a long time ago

 

[sjb269]

Will do. Im involved in the group buy going on right now with LongRifles Inc.

 

[easternncnative]

Best I can get my bone stock 700 BDL sporter weight to shoot is 1.2-1.5 inch 5 shot groups at 100. I really have to bear down and concentrate to get this.
Is sub MOA realistic for a sporter weight Remington? Do they exist? I am shooting match grade .308 rounds BTW, and the stock has been bedded.

Yes- sub-MOA out of the box sporter 700s exist. But they were built in the 1970s and 1980s. I bought my first 700 BDL in .30-06 in 1976 and it's always been and continues to be sub-MOA at 100 yds. That was then, this is now- Remington 700 quality has gone significantly downhill since then and if you're getting 1.2-1.5 inch groups...without flyers....at 100 yards with a modern-day 700, my guess is that's the best you can expect.

 

[Aimsmall55]

Sps tactical in that "flimsy piece of crap stock" 4 shots with 168 amax at 200 yards.

 

[lancetkenyon]

I was with the OP in my thoughts until I found my hand load of choice yesterday. I had been shooting consistently 1"-1.5" groups, even with hand loads of hunting load quality. 180gr. Barnes XBT. Granted, they are not known for bench rest type groups, but I expected better than 1.5" out of them.

I went and bought some 175 gr. Barnes LRX to work up in my .300 RUM, and low and behold.....much better groups. I loaded them long, so my 700 is now a single shot, but who cares.

Not totally stock, but all I have done is a trigger job to 3#, and an H&S Precision drop in stock. Stock barrel, no work on the action at all.

I know it is not "where they are supposed to be", but I was shooting for group size, and was not worried about POI until I had my load figured out.

 

[Sterling Shooter]

Best I can get my bone stock 700 BDL sporter weight to shoot is 1.2-1.5 inch 5 shot groups at 100. I really have to bear down and concentrate to get this.
Is sub MOA realistic for a sporter weight Remington? Do they exist? I am shooting match grade .308 rounds BTW, and the stock has been bedded.

You should expect to hit where aimed. Beginning with the fact that the bullet will ALWAYS go in the direction the barrel is pointed, to hit where aimed, only requires recognition for where the barrel is pointed and the ability to pull the trigger without disturbing aim, supporting those two tasks with a steady position. Your concentration should be on the principles of marksmanship instead of the gun, unless it's broken. Focus on pointing the rifle with consistent sight alignment and pulling the trigger without moving the rifle, utilizing smooth trigger control. Right now your emphasis on how well the gun shoots suggests your basis of understanding of what's important to good shooting is incomplete and/or you have not yet learned how to use your brain to be enlightened from your own experimentation.

 

[proneshooter]

You should expect to hit where aimed. Beginning with the fact that the bullet will ALWAYS go in the direction the barrel is pointed, to hit where aimed, only requires recognition for where the barrel is pointed and the ability to pull the trigger without disturbing aim, supporting those two tasks with a steady position. Your concentration should be on the principles of marksmanship instead of the gun, unless it's broken. Focus on pointing the rifle with consistent sight alignment and pulling the trigger without moving the rifle, utilizing smooth trigger control. Right now your emphasis on how well the gun shoots suggests your basis of understanding of what's important to good shooting is incomplete and/or you have not yet learned how to use your brain to be enlightened from your own experimentation.

Do you understand how meaningless your advice is?

Do you understand that no one pays attention to you when you repeat the same exact nonsense regardless of the topic at hand?

Do you understand that the mechanical accuracy of a rifle has absolutely nothing to do with any principles of marksmanship?

 

[Graham]

Best I can get my bone stock 700 BDL sporter weight to shoot is 1.2-1.5 inch 5 shot groups at 100. I really have to bear down and concentrate to get this.
Is sub MOA realistic for a sporter weight Remington? Do they exist? I am shooting match grade .308 rounds BTW, and the stock has been bedded.

If the barrel has been free-floated, and the stock is properly bedded, then assuming they cut a round chamber at the factory and assuming you use match ammo, sub-MOA at 100 is a realistic expectation from a .308. That said, 1.2" five-shot groups at 100 yards is within the factory spec.

 

[krw]

What kind of optics are you using? Its a lot easier to shoot killer groups off a bench when your using higher magnification scopes. Also one of the first fixs on a factory 700 is getting the trigger reworked or change it out. Hard to shoot good groups with a 5lb trigger also. With handloads I would expect sub 1" groups @ 100yds.

 

[Graham]

Its a lot easier to shoot killer groups off a bench when your using higher magnification scopes.

Not really.

 

[JB02]

Well if you're unhappy with how it's shooting, you have a great action to start your own custom build with. If you want to go more incremental, I would suggest the following sequence:
- tune your trigger, or get an after market version such as a timney
- if you have a recoil flinch, consider getting a muzzle brake installed
- invest in reloading equipment, and work up a handload suited for your rifle

Remember, that a 5 shot group shot in relatively rapid succession is pushing it for a sporter barrel. You need to give it plenty of time to cool down between shots, or you'll notice POI shift.

 

[krw]

Well then you need to go to a benchrest match and carry your 4x BSA and get with it! He is asking about group shooting and yes the more magnification the better sight picture and LOTS easier to shoot good groups.

 

[Graham]

Well then you need to go to a benchrest match and carry your 4x BSA and get with it! He is asking about group shooting and yes the more magnification the better sight picture and LOTS easier to shoot good groups.

Not really. On both counts.

 

[angrymustache]

I picked up a walmart grade ADL in 270 a little bit ago. Out of the box I was able to get about 1.75" @100 yards with ammo it seemed to like (as compared to the rounds that did much worse). I bedded the action and was able to bring that down to .8" with the factory ammunition. If I knew how to shoot, i likely could have shrunk that down a bit more. The sporter barrels will shoot, but the thin profile will allow it to heat up pretty quickly. Once mine gets warm, the groups start to resemble buck shot patterns instead of groups.

 

[MrSwede]

Agreeing with Graham. On all counts.

 

[kyhuntclub]

Between my father and I we have 15 different BDL's in different calibers. Only mods are lighten triggers. All are sub MOA once you figure out the correct load they like.

 

[sjb269]

Aside from myself, the trigger was certainly a limiting factor...gritty and heavy. This rifle would have made a great hunting rifle, light weight and classic design, however, I could not help myself and sent it off to be trued and re-barreled. I will be installing a timney in it as well.