Remington 700 Stainless or Carbon/CM, Factory Scope for Hunting?

[GraniteChief]

I picked up a very lightly used stainless steel Remington 700 ADL chambered in 308 for getting into deer and elk hunting, and was absolutely ecstatic after waiting quite a while for one to pop up locally for a decent price. It has a factory scope and came with ammo, but I’m not sure what to expect from the scope.

Of course, when we get much-needed rain here in the West it often pours. Right after I bought it a 700 ADL in 308 with a CM/carbon steel barrel/action, Leupold Rifleman 3-9x40 scope, and Harris bipod showed up for some change more than what I paid for mine. I hadn’t considered the pros/cons of stainless, I just wanted a 700 in 308. I’m a newbie hunter and I’ll be hunting both in the Rocky Mountains and local high desert. That scope and bipod have me drooling though.

Is stainless a solid enough perk to keep the one I have and buy those accessories separately, or should I sell the one I just bought to a local hunter (already have one offering to buy it for more than I paid) and buy the non-stainless version with the upgrades? I’m all for low-maintenance and durability, but also want a bipod and a scope that I know will hold zero and won’t fog up on me.

 

[Keith Stone]

Keep the gun you got and buy a good pic base, set of rings, and a good scope. If you want to a Harris just put one on the gun you already have.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

Agreed...you are good to go. I have the same set-up in .300WIN.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Welcome. Hard to say. Whatever the difference you will pay is that greater than or less than value of those upgrades. I am a fan of stainless for outdoor guns but newer coatings and blueing is a lot better than the old school stuff.

I personally haven’t had the greatest luck with 700s and hold the opinion that performance on more recent Remingtons has been volatile, so if you find a shooter, then hold on to it. The next one may not shoot as well.

 

[GraniteChief]

The CM 700 with Leupold scope, bipod, and 100 rounds is $100 more than I can sell the stainless for…but it sounds like the Rifleman scope might not be that great?

 

[Bubblehide]

Decades ago I was hunting Blacktail in northern Ca. I was there for the entire season and it pissed down rain and mist every single day (perfect blacktail hunting weather). At that time I had a blued steel rifle. The country was typically thick for blacktail and finding them was difficult but not impossible. I had a shot opportunity on what would have been a new state record nontypical buck for over 15 minutes, on and off. The only problem was that the spring inside my bolt rested and broke sometime during that trip and would not release the firing pin. That buck walked off into the brush never to be seen again. After that experience, I swore to never hunt with a plain steel rifle and I have been exclusively hunting with stainless rifles since, with the exception of my AR-10, but it's action is coated and I never use it if rain is forcasted.

 

[TN2shot07]

The CM 700 with Leupold scope, bipod, and 100 rounds is $100 more than I can sell the stainless for…but it sounds like the Rifleman scope might not be that great?

The Rifleman I still have has been fine, held zero since I got it sighted in. There are definitely scopes with better glass but for just getting started you could definitely have worse!

 

[vonb]

I have both stainless and CM 700s. Both in .243. The stainless barrel fouls copper much less. Both are sub 3/4 MOA rifles. One sits in a B&C, the other in a HS Precision stock. Neither are bedded. The stainless feels much smoother when running the bolt due to the finish on the CM.

Keep the stainless and buy the accessories/scope separately. You’ll be happier with the final setup.

 

[CApighunter]

I’d stick with the stainless. My first rifle was a 700ADL stainless in 30-06, never should have sold it. Plan on upgrading the scope, most that come with rifles from the factory as a package are junk.