Why is a Rem 700 better than a Ruger American?

[jmark]

Assuming .308.  

Maybe I should ask, why is the Rem nearly twice the price?  

Maybe it's a dumb question.  

I have a Rem 700 and love it.  Thinking of picking up a second .308, so my son and I can hunt together using the same ammo (I generally would carry my 03A3 in 30-06).  The Ruger looks pretty decent.  ? 

TIA

jm

[TreeGuy]

Build quality. Granted, the 700 isn't the best rifle you can buy but it's fit and finish and tolerances are all better than the Ruger. I'll bet if you cycled the action side by side you could see the difference. If its just a deal your after, go for the Ruger. If you were looking somewhere in the middle, savage makes a great rifle for the money. The 700 is just a proven platform.

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[stubborn1VT]

I would argue that Remington's quality has suffered over recent years.  I would also be willing to bet that the 700 would not outshoot the Ruger.  I could be wrong.  I know a bunch of coyote hunters who own the Ruger in .22-250 and they are very accurate out to 300-400 yards.  

I agree about the Savage.  I'm just not sold on anything Remington at this point.  

[deerslayer1114]

I own both.  Ruger is a light weight solidly enough built gun that will reliably print good groups on paper and in the field.  My only gripes with the ruger are the stock is really flimsy (even more so than the cheap 700 plastic stocks supplied by Remington) and the bolt handle has a habit of lifting when you don't want it to while wandering around the woods (it likely gets pushed/moved by my clothing/pack).   The trigger is good enough on the ruger, and I really like the removable magazine.  I definitely like the 700 better.  You can pick a cheap version up for less than $500, and customize and modify it as much as you want to fit your needs. I own, hunt and shoot both, but if I had to choose between the two, it would be the Remington 700 all day.

[Doewhacker]

My kid has a Savage Axis which I consider a low end gun but, slap a Boyd’s stock on it and do a tiny bit of trigger modification and you get a damn good shooter for still less than a Remi. 

In my opinion Remington are over priced and rely heavily on their name and what it used to be. I wouldn’t even consider one but that’s me. 

[turkeyfeathers]

1 minute ago, Doewhacker said:

My kid has a Savage Axis which I consider a low end gun but, slap a Boyd’s stock on it and do a tiny bit of trigger modification and you get a damn good shooter for still less than a Remi. 

In my opinion Remington are over priced and rely heavily on their name and what it used to be. I wouldn’t even consider one but that’s me. 

This is my plan for next year 

[bugsNbows]

Don't like Remmy's. Their quality has gone to he!!. Ruger American's are entry level guns. Not interested. Savage Arms is up for sale so who knows what the future may bring. If I wanted an inexpensive shooter, I'd look at Tikkas. 

[deerslayer1114]

6 minutes ago, bugsNbows said:

Don't like Remmy's. Their quality has gone to he!!. Ruger American's are entry level guns. Not interested. Savage Arms is up for sale so who knows what the future may bring. If I wanted an inexpensive shooter, I'd look at Tikkas. 

Tikka makes a really nice rifle.  If I was in the market for a new toy, Tikka would be one that I would seriously look into.

 

[jmark]

Thanks for the replies, very helpful.  

For those who believe Rem quality has declined, if one were leaning in that direction and thinking used, is there a break point where that decline started?  How far back do you have to go to avoid it? 

I'll have a look at Tikka and Savage, thanks.  

jm

[wildcat junkie]

Rem M700, Win M70, M98 Mauser tremendous aftermarket support.

 

Rugar M77, Savage 10-110, 11-111, 12-112, Sako, etc not as much as above, but still a lot of aftermarket support.

 

Rugar American, Rem 788, Browning X-bolt, Savage Axis, etc little aftermarket support.

 

Any of the above will function and probably shoot better than the average hunter can hold, but one can find literally anything for the 1st group, a good selection of accessories for the 2nd group and a limited choice for the 3rd group.

It all depends on what you want to do with the rifle.

Edited November 26, 2018 by wildcat junkie

[Pygmy]

12 minutes ago, jmark said:

Thanks for the replies, very helpful.  

For those who believe Rem quality has declined, if one were leaning in that direction and thinking used, is there a break point where that decline started?  How far back do you have to go to avoid it? 

I'll have a look at Tikka and Savage, thanks.  

jm

The last Rem 700 I bought  was around 1990....Fit finish and accuracy are fine....After that, I can't tell you from personal experience...

[wildcat junkie]

19 minutes ago, jmark said:

Thanks for the replies, very helpful.  

For those who believe Rem quality has declined, if one were leaning in that direction and thinking used, is there a break point where that decline started?  How far back do you have to go to avoid it? 

I'll have a look at Tikka and Savage, thanks.  

jm

If you buy used, you can always trade off the lemons without a significant loss. I've had M700s that would shoot 3/8" groups out of the box with factory ammo. I bought another M700 in the same model but a different chambering that would not hold under 2-3" at 100yds. The chamber was .004" off center.

 

Savages seem to be the most consistent OOTB performers.

Edited November 26, 2018 by wildcat junkie

[TreeGuy]

Thanks for the replies, very helpful.  
For those who believe Rem quality has declined, if one were leaning in that direction and thinking used, is there a break point where that decline started?  How far back do you have to go to avoid it? 
I'll have a look at Tikka and Savage, thanks.  
jm

When you start comparing any of the manufacturers, you will always hear pros and cons. Biggest thing to look at is price point. They all have entry to high end ranging in price. The Remington 783? Is the entry level for them. Absolute junk. Again, cycle the bolt a few times and you will see. I don't care if it drives tacks ootb and it's 150$ with a scope, I'd like it to last and not corrode after one rainy sit. I've got 2 savages and both are fantastic shooters with great triggers. My favourite is the lightweight hunter in 308. Unbelievably light, shooter, great trigger, stainless barrel. I think most will agree with me on this, don't get an entry level anything, go with the middle of the road and spend your money on optics. You won't be disappointed no matter what manufacturer you get.

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[wildcat junkie]

13 hours ago, TreeGuy said:

When you start comparing any of the manufacturers, you will always hear pros and cons. Biggest thing to look at is price  I'd like it to last and not corrode after one rainy sit. I've got 2 savages and both are fantastic shooters with great triggers. 

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk
 

I wasn't aware that one manufacturer's chrome moly steel was more susceptible to corrosion than others?

And savages, even entry level, seem to be the most consistent OOTB performers.

NONE of the "package" optics are worth keeping, especially the complicated whiz bang drop compensating reticles. I e-bay them and mount Leupold's with simple duplex reticles in their place.

Edited November 27, 2018 by wildcat junkie

[WNYBuckHunter]

14 hours ago, jmark said:

Thanks for the replies, very helpful.  

For those who believe Rem quality has declined, if one were leaning in that direction and thinking used, is there a break point where that decline started?  How far back do you have to go to avoid it? 

I'll have a look at Tikka and Savage, thanks.  

jm

I have only 1 complaint about my 700, and thats the finish on it. Remington uses a matte finish on the rifle that always collects light surface rust, no matter how well you keep it clean. After this deer season is over, Im going to completely disassemble mine, and have the barrel and receiver sent out to be cerakoted, then no more issues with it.

The only thing I have done to my 700 so far was to install a Timney trigger. The cerakote will be next, and it will go into a custom stock when I put it back together. The rifle is a great shooter, even with factory ammo, has been since I bought it. One of these days Ill get my reloading setup and play around with it more.

[WNYBuckHunter]

45 minutes ago, wildcat junkie said:

I wasn't aware that one manufacturer's chrome moly steel was more susceptible to corrosion than others?

And savages, even entry level, seem to be the most consistent OOTB performers.

NONE of the "package" optics are worth keeping, especially the complicated whiz bang drop compensating reticles. I e-bay them and mount Leupold's with simple duplex reticles in their place.

Same here, except I run Vortex on mine. Factory package scopes are junk.

[dbHunterNY]

i think peoples standards for impractical these days for what they want to pay for. you can't get that same building quality because if you want it cheaper it has to be made faster with more tolerance. everything down to the wages of the people making them costs more money.  with remington i've talked to some people within the past decade or so from here on out you'll get issues with change over in the labor force. that same guy that's retiring his union job at remington worked or supervised the same machine with any little quirks for decades. a fresh individual isn't going to do the same quality work. they can't. also after a while the dies for the rifle bores get changed out. fresh dies nice barrels. right before though means slightly less for quality. i don't care if it drives tacks or not. chances are it can be modified to with some work. i do want it to shoot minute of deer for my children's children.

[MPHunter]

I can't compare to a Remington 700 but I purchased a Ruger American in 7mm-08 last year. I was looking for an inexpensive hunting rifle and it was between the Ruger and the Savage Axis. After handling both I chose the Ruger. I liked the safety and trigger better on the Ruger. I put a Nikon Prostaff scope on it and a Claw sling. All in about $550. It shoots great. No complaints there. My only complaint is I didn't notice in the store that the fore-end of the stock was just slightly warped. The barrel is free floated but the stock was just barely touching the barrel on the left side at the end. I emailed Ruger about this and I had a new stock on my doorstep four days later no questions asked. Great customer service. All in all I am happy with the American.

Edited November 27, 2018 by MPHunter

[rob-c]

Something you ought to  consider is a used mid / higher end rifle, you might find one that’s a few bucks more than a new low end. 

[dbHunterNY]

3 minutes ago, rob-c said:

Something you ought to  consider is a used mid / higher end rifle, you might find one that’s a few bucks more than a new low end. 

as long as it wasn't neglected, yup.

[LET EM GROW]

I chose Ruger American Predator for my predator gun mainly bc its 100% American Made.. and the price was in my range plus many good reviews on its accuracy. I love the gun, the only downfall is the magazine. it is garbage. it jams almost every shell. And there is no "fixed" replacements on the market.  I tore the mag apart and put an extra twist in the tension spring and so far it is working better. but that mag is cheap and once taken apart it never goes back perfectly. I wish theyd make a revised replacement.. some manufacturer somewheres.. 

[LET EM GROW]

1 hour ago, MPHunter said:

I can't compare to a Remington 700 but I purchased a Ruger American in 7mm-08 last year. I was looking for an inexpensive hunting rifle and it was between the Ruger and the Savage Axis. After handling both I chose the Ruger. I liked the safety and trigger better on the Ruger. I put a Nikon Prostaff scope on it and a Claw sling. All in about $550. It shoots great. No complaints there. My only complaint is I didn't notice in the store that the fore-end of the stock was just slightly warped. The barrel is free floated but the stock was just barely touching the barrel on the left side at the end. I emailed Ruger about this and I had a new stock on my doorstep four days later no questions asked. Great customer service. All in all I am happy with the American.

I heard that about most of their stocks being warped and touching slightly on the left, i think its how they set in the box.. I emailed them about my junk magazine and they wouldnt even reply.  Heard grreat customer service but no reply kind of upset me.. its been a month and a half..

[deerslayer1114]

My Ruger American stock touches on the left hand side too.  I think I'm going to re stock mine with something aftermarket. I thought mine was an isolated incident, and didn't bother mentioning it when comparing the two guns on here.  Good luck to the original poster.  Hope you are happy with whatever rifle you end up buying.

[MPHunter]

I heard that about most of their stocks being warped and touching slightly on the left, i think its how they set in the box.. I emailed them about my junk magazine and they wouldnt even reply.  Heard grreat customer service but no reply kind of upset me.. its been a month and a half..

I went through customer service on their website. Got a response right away and received the UPS ship notification email before the end of the day for the new stock. I'd give it another try.

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[Chef]

Something you ought to  consider is a used mid / higher end rifle, you might find one that’s a few bucks more than a new low end. 

What would you consider a higher end rifle


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