Remington 700 Models Explained: Every Variant Compared (2026)

Last updated October 12, 2026 · By Nick Hall

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Remington has built the Model 700 since 1962, and by its own count has sold more of them than any other bolt-action rifle. Sixty-four years is a long time to pile up model names. ADL, BDL, CDL, SPS, Sendero, LSSF. Some are trim levels and some are barrel profiles, and the catalog never explains which is which.

The company behind the name keeps changing too, and it’s changing again as I write this in October 2026. The Remington firearms website now carries the name Frontier Defense Group, LLC, and so does the September 2026 owner’s manual. The site is being rebuilt. It shows the 700 as a family, with a 5R barrel on every rifle and a Timney trigger, but it has no model list yet. Expect the model line to change once the new company publishes its own catalog, and I’ll update this page when it does. Remington’s pump shotgun is in the same position, and our Remington 870 models explained guide covers that side.

So I worked from the last full factory catalog, the one RemArms published through September 2026. It lists 15 Remington 700 models covering 99 SKUs in 14 chamberings, and this guide goes through every one: what the letters mean, what the rifle weighs, how it shot for me, and who should buy it. After the lineup come the platform questions, which are magazines, the famous 700 footprint, and how to get a scope onto a receiver that mostly ships bare. For a full test of one rifle, read our Remington 700 review.

Table of Contents

Remington 700 Family at a Glance

Most lines come in several chamberings, so each row of the spec table shows one representative SKU, named by its Remington order number. Remington’s product pages don’t print list prices, so there’s no MSRP column. Where a dealer has a new rifle in stock, the live card under that model shows the price.

Street prices are the lead offer on each live card on October 12, 2026, for whichever chambering that dealer has in stock, so expect them to move. Where the table says no new stock, none of the dealers we track listed a new rifle from that line that day.

Fifteen rifles, one action. Every 700 here has a receiver machined from solid steel bar stock, a 5R barrel and a receiver that takes a scope, and only the BDL’s catalog page lists iron sights. What changes is the barrel, the stock, the steel and the magazine. Let’s go through them.

1. Remington 700 SPS

• Representative SKU: R27359
• Caliber: .308 Win
• Barrel Length: 24 in
• Overall Length: 43 5/8 in
• Weight: 7 1/4 lb
• Magazine Capacity: 4
• Twist Rate: 1:10
• Barrel: Carbon Steel, Matte Black
• Stock: Synthetic
• Trigger: Timney Impact 700, factory set at 3 to 4 lb
• Street Price: $648.22 at Classic Firearms (.308 Win, 24-inch barrel)

The SPS is the plain working 700: matte black carbon steel, a black synthetic stock with gray overmolded grip panels, and a hinged floorplate so you can dump the magazine without cycling every round through the chamber. The catalog page lists 15 SKUs, more than any other line. That runs from .223 Remington up to .375 H&H Magnum, and it includes four Compact models with a 20-inch barrel and a stock an inch shorter.

I shot the 24-inch .308 over two range days and 120 rounds. Federal Fusion 150 grain averaged 1.3 inches for five shots at 100 yards, Hornady American Whitetail 150 grain ran 1.4, and Federal Gold Medal Match 168 grain tightened it to an even inch. Nothing failed to feed or extract. The Timney is the best part of the rifle. The stock is the worst: the forend flexes enough to touch the barrel off a bipod, so shoot it off a bag placed under the receiver end.

The matte black finish needs oil. I wiped mine down after a damp morning and still found a freckle of rust on the bolt handle a week later.

Best For: A hunter who wants a real 700 action at the lowest sensible price and doesn’t mind upgrading the stock later.

2. Remington 700 SPS Stainless

• Representative SKU: R27136
• Caliber: .308 Win
• Barrel Length: 24 in
• Overall Length: 43 5/8 in
• Weight: 7 1/4 lb
• Magazine Capacity: 4
• Twist Rate: 1:10
• Barrel: 416 Stainless Steel, Matte Stainless
• Stock: Synthetic w/ Overmold Grip Panels
• Trigger: Timney Impact 700, factory set at 3 to 4 lb
• Street Price: No new stock at our dealers

Same rifle, different steel. The SPS Stainless swaps the matte black carbon steel for a 416 stainless barreled action in a matte finish and keeps everything else: the overmolded synthetic stock, the hinged floorplate, the Timney Impact 700 trigger and the 5R barrel. Nine SKUs, from .223 Remington to .300 Win Mag, with 24-inch barrels on the standard cartridges and 26 inches on the two magnums.

This is the one I’d actually carry in the rain. My complaint about every carbon steel 700 is rust, and the stainless action answers it without sending the rifle out for Cerakote. I ran 80 rounds of Remington Core-Lokt 150 grain and Federal Fusion 150 grain through the .308 on a wet November weekend. Groups sat between 1.1 and 1.4 inches at 100 yards, the same as the carbon steel SPS, and three days in a damp truck case left no marks on the metal.

Stainless isn’t rust proof. It’s rust slow. You still wipe it down, you just don’t have to panic about it.

Best For: Hunters in the Pacific Northwest, the Southeast or anywhere a rifle spends the season wet.

3. Remington 700 SPS Varmint

• Representative SKU: R84223
• Caliber: .308 Win
• Barrel Length: 26 in
• Overall Length: 46 1/2 in
• Weight: 8 1/2 lb
• Magazine Capacity: 4
• Twist Rate: 1:10
• Barrel: Carbon Steel, Matte Black
• Stock: Synthetic w/Overmold Grip Panels
• Street Price: $694.70 at Classic Firearms (6.5 Creedmoor)

The SPS Varmint hangs a 26-inch heavy contour barrel on the SPS action and bolts it into a synthetic stock with a vented beavertail forend. Every one weighs 8 1/2 pounds before you add glass. Four chamberings: .22-250 Remington, .223 Remington, .308 Win and 6.5 Creedmoor, all with threaded muzzles. The two .22 centerfires are cut 1/2x28 and the .308 and 6.5 are cut 5/8x24.

I shot the .223, which has a 1:8 twist that handles heavy bullets. Hornady 55 grain V-MAX averaged 0.8 inch at 100 yards and Federal Gold Medal 69 grain Sierra MatchKing went 0.7. That heavy barrel is why you buy this rifle. I fired 60 rounds in 40 minutes at a prairie dog town in June heat and the last group was the same size as the first.

Don’t plan on carrying it far. This is a rifle for a bench, a truck hood or a bipod in the dirt, and at this weight the wide forend finally makes sense.

Best For: High-volume varmint shooting and an inexpensive start in long-range steel.

4. Remington 700 SPS Tactical Threaded

• Representative SKU: R84203
• Caliber: .308 Win
• Barrel Length: 20 in
• Overall Length: 39 3/4 in
• Weight: 7 1/2 lb
• Magazine Capacity: 4
• Twist Rate: 1:10
• Barrel: Carbon Steel, Matte Black
• Stock: Hogue Overmolded
• Street Price: $849.33 at Classic Firearms (6.5 Creedmoor, 22-inch barrel)

This is the 700 we know best, because it’s the rifle in our full Remington 700 review. A short heavy 5R barrel, threaded at the factory with a thread protector, sits in a Hogue overmolded pillar-bedded stock in ghillie green. The catalog lists five SKUs: 16 1/2-inch guns in .308 Win, .300 AAC Blackout and .223 Remington, a 20-inch .308 and a 22-inch 6.5 Creedmoor. The .223 is threaded 1/2-28 and the rest are 5/8-24.

Our test rifle was the 20-inch .308, and the short version of 500 rounds goes like this. Federal Gold Medal Match 168 grain averaged 0.78 MOA at 100 yards. PPU M80 ball, the cheapest load in the test, ran 1.3 MOA. Two rounds hung on the feed ramp in the first 100, and the next 400 fed clean. That rifle wore the older X-Mark Pro trigger. The catalog now says every newly manufactured 700 leaves with a factory Timney, which fixes the part I liked least.

Treat it as a starting point. The barreled action is the value here, and the stock is a placeholder until you pick a chassis.

Best For: Suppressor owners and anyone building a precision rifle in stages.

5. Remington 700 ADL

• Representative SKU: R85407
• Caliber: .308 Win
• Barrel Length: 24 in
• Overall Length: 43 5/8 in
• Weight: 7 1/4 lb
• Magazine Capacity: 4
• Twist Rate: 1:10
• Barrel: Carbon Steel, Matte Blue
• Stock: Synthetic
• Street Price: $567.26 at Classic Firearms (.308 Win)

The ADL is the entry point. The difference from an SPS is underneath: the ADL has an internal magazine box with no hinged floorplate, so the stock is solid in front of the trigger guard and you unload by working the bolt. You also get a plain black synthetic stock without the overmolded panels. It keeps the 5R barrel, and it’s drilled and tapped like the rest.

Ten SKUs cover .223 Remington, .22-250, .243 Win, 6.5 Creedmoor, .308, .270, .30-06, 7mm Remington Mag and .300 Win Mag, plus a .243 Compact with a 20-inch barrel. Standard cartridges get 24 inches of barrel and the magnums get 26.

My .308 ADL shot Federal Power-Shok 150 grain into 1.5 inches at 100 yards and Remington Core-Lokt 150 grain into 1.6. That’s a deer rifle, not a match rifle, and that’s fine at 200 yards. The blind magazine is the only thing I’d think hard about. Unloading in the dark at the truck with cold hands means running four live rounds through the action.

Best For: A tight budget, a truck rifle, or a donor action for a build where the stock is going in the trash anyway.

6. Remington 700 ADL Varmint

• Representative SKU: R85428
• Caliber: .308 Win
• Barrel Length: 26 in
• Overall Length: 46 1/2 in
• Weight: 7 1/4 lb
• Magazine Capacity: 4
• Twist Rate: 1:10
• Barrel: Carbon Steel, Matte Blue
• Stock: Synthetic
• Street Price: No new stock at our dealers

Take the ADL’s blind magazine and plain metal, add a 26-inch heavy contour 5R barrel and a vented beavertail stock, and you have the ADL Varmint. It comes in .22-250 Remington, .223 Remington and .308 Win, all three with threaded muzzles. What surprised me is the weight. Remington lists it at 7 1/4 pounds, more than a pound under the SPS Varmint.

I put 100 rounds of Hornady 55 grain V-MAX through the .223 and averaged 0.9 inch at 100 yards, a tenth behind the SPS Varmint and well inside what a coyote will notice. A blind magazine matters less here than on a hunting rifle. You load at the bench and shoot until it’s empty.

The stock is the same hollow synthetic as every budget 700, so a bipod will flex the forend. A sandbag under the front is steadier, or drop the action into a Magpul Hunter and stop thinking about it.

Best For: Varmint shooters who’d sooner spend the savings on a scope.

7. Remington 700 BDL

• Representative SKU: R25793
• Caliber: .30-06 Sprg
• Barrel Length: 22 in
• Overall Length: 42 1/2 in
• Weight: 7 3/8 lb
• Magazine Capacity: 4
• Twist Rate: 1:10
• Barrel: Carbon Steel, Polished Blue
• Stock: American Walnut
• Trigger: Timney Impact 700, factory set at 3 to 4 lb
• Street Price: No new stock at our dealers

If you picture a Remington 700 from a 1970s deer camp, you’re picturing a BDL. High-gloss American walnut, polished blued steel, a hinged floorplate and sling studs. It’s also the one rifle here with iron sights: the catalog lists a hooded ramp front sight and an adjustable rear sight. The current rifle keeps that look and adds the 5R barrel and the Timney Impact 700 trigger. Seven SKUs: .243 Win, .308, 6.5 Creedmoor, .270 and .30-06 with 22-inch barrels, and 7mm Remington Mag and .300 Win Mag at 24 inches. The two magnums get a SuperCell recoil pad.

I shot the .30-06, because that’s what a BDL should be. Remington Core-Lokt 180 grain averaged 1.3 inches at 100 yards and Federal Fusion 165 grain did 1.2, across 60 rounds with no stoppages. It’s a 7 3/8-pound rifle with a 22-inch barrel, and it carries and points the way a walnut sporter should.

Gloss walnut shows every scratch, and polished blue shows every fingerprint. Buy it because you want that rifle, not because it’s the practical choice.

Best For: Traditionalists, and anyone replacing the BDL their father wouldn’t sell them.

8. Remington 700 CDL

• Representative SKU: R27017
• Caliber: .30-06 Sprg
• Barrel Length: 24 in
• Overall Length: 44 1/2 in
• Weight: 7 1/2 lb
• Magazine Capacity: 4
• Twist Rate: 1:10
• Barrel: Carbon Steel, Satin Blue
• Stock: American Walnut
• Trigger: Timney Impact 700, factory set at 3 to 4 lb
• Street Price: $699.99 at Sportsmans Outdoor Superstore (.30-06)

The CDL is the BDL for people who hunt in the rain and hate glare. Satin walnut in place of gloss, satin blue in place of polish, and longer barrels: 24 inches on .243 Win, 6.5 Creedmoor, .308, .270 and .30-06, and 26 inches on 7mm Remington Mag, .300 Win Mag and 7mm PRC. Eight SKUs in all. Hinged floorplate, SuperCell recoil pad, 5R barrel and Timney Impact 700 trigger are standard.

A satin stock hides field wear far better than gloss. Mine picked up a tree stand scrape in its first week and I had to go looking for it. The .30-06 put Federal Fusion 165 grain into 1.2 inches at 100 yards and Hornady American Whitetail 150 grain into 1.4. The extra two inches of barrel over a BDL add a little weight out front, which I like offhand.

The 7mm PRC chambering is the interesting one. It puts a modern long-range cartridge in a rifle that looks like 1962.

Best For: A walnut-stocked hunting rifle you’ll actually take into the woods.

9. Remington 700 CDL SF

• Representative SKU: R84015
• Caliber: .30-06 Sprg
• Barrel Length: 24 in
• Overall Length: 44 1/2 in
• Weight: 7 1/2 lb
• Magazine Capacity: 4
• Twist Rate: 1:10
• Barrel: 416 Stainless Steel, Satin Stainless
• Stock: American Walnut
• Trigger: Timney Impact 700, factory set at 3 to 4 lb
• Street Price: No new stock at our dealers

Read SF as stainless and fluted. The CDL SF keeps the satin walnut stock and replaces the blued metal with a 416 stainless barreled action, the barrel fluted to shed a little weight. Seven SKUs: .308, 6.5 Creedmoor, .270 and .30-06 at 24 inches, and .300 Win Mag, 7mm Remington Mag and 7mm PRC at 26.

It’s the best-looking rifle in the current catalog, and I don’t think that’s close. Walnut against satin stainless is a combination nobody else sells at volume. My .30-06 shot Hornady Precision Hunter 178 grain ELD-X into 1.0 inch at 100 yards and Remington Core-Lokt 180 grain into 1.3, over 80 rounds.

Two cautions. Wood still moves with humidity even when the metal doesn’t rust, so check your zero after a wet week. And the flutes collect grit. A soft brush down each one takes a minute and saves the finish.

Best For: One good-looking rifle for a lifetime of deer and elk seasons.

10. Remington 700 LSSF

• Representative SKU: R84510
• Caliber: .308 Win
• Barrel Length: 22 in
• Overall Length: 42 1/2 in
• Weight: 7 3/8 lb
• Magazine Capacity: 4
• Twist Rate: 1:10
• Barrel: Stainless Steel, Satin
• Stock: Black & Grey Laminate
• Trigger: Timney Impact 700, factory set at 3 to 4 lb
• Street Price: No new stock at our dealers

The LSSF pairs a stainless barreled action with a black and gray laminated stock. Laminate is the sensible middle between walnut and plastic. It’s stiffer than an injection-molded synthetic, it doesn’t swell the way solid wood can, and it has some weight to soak up recoil. Three SKUs only: .308 Win with a 22-inch barrel, and 7mm Remington Mag and 7mm PRC at 24 inches.

I’ve shot the .308. Federal Fusion 150 grain averaged 1.1 inches at 100 yards, and the forend didn’t shift on a bipod the way an SPS stock does. That stiffness shows up on paper more than the trigger or the barrel does at this price.

It’s an odd line with a short caliber list, and dealers don’t stock many. If you find one in a chambering you want, it’s a better all-weather rifle than the SPS Stainless for whatever the gap in price turns out to be.

Best For: All-weather hunters who want a stiffer stock than factory synthetic.

11. Remington 700 Alpha 1 Hunter: The One I Recommend Most

• Representative SKU: R68892
• Caliber: .308 Win
• Barrel Length: 22 in
• Overall Length: 41 3/4 in
• Weight: 7.4 lb
• Magazine Capacity: 4
• Twist Rate: 1:10
• Barrel: Cerakote Fluted, Satin Black
• Stock: AG Composite
• Trigger: Timney Elite Hunter straight trigger, 3 lb
• Street Price: $1,712.34 at Shooting Surplus (.243 Win)

The Alpha 1 is the only 700 here with a changed action, and it’s the one I’d buy. Remington reworked the receiver with a precision ground recoil lug, an enlarged ejection port and an external bolt release on the left side. The bolt body is one piece with spiral flutes, the handle can be changed, and the firing pin comes apart without tools.

Then there’s the list of things you’d otherwise pay for later. A fluted, Cerakoted 5R barrel with an 11-degree target crown and a threaded muzzle. An AG Composite carbon fiber stock with a Pachmayr pad. A 3-pound Timney Elite Hunter straight trigger. A Picatinny rail already screwed down with 8-40 screws. Eleven chamberings from .223 Remington to 7mm PRC, at 7.4 to 7.8 pounds.

I shot the 6.5 Creedmoor. Hornady Precision Hunter 143 grain ELD-X averaged 0.8 inch at 100 yards and Federal Terminal Ascent 130 grain went 0.9, with no malfunctions in 200 rounds. One thing to know before you plan a restock: the Alpha 1’s internal magazine box is longer, and Remington says older 700 stocks need inletting to take it.

Best For: Most hunters. It’s the 700 that needs nothing but rings and a scope.

12. Remington 700 Long Range

• Representative SKU: R84176
• Caliber: .300 Win Mag
• Barrel Length: 26 in
• Overall Length: 45 3/4 in
• Weight: 8 1/2 lb
• Magazine Capacity: 3
• Twist Rate: 1:10
• Barrel: Carbon Steel, Black
• Stock: H-S Precision
• Street Price: $978.30 at Classic Firearms (6.5 Creedmoor)

The Long Range is a 26-inch heavy 5R barrel in an H-S Precision stock, and the stock is the point. It has an aluminum bedding block running the length of the receiver, a vertical grip and two front swivel studs so a bipod and a sling don’t fight over one. Seven chamberings: 6.5 Creedmoor, .308, .30-06, 6.5 PRC, 7mm Remington Mag, 7mm PRC and .300 Win Mag. All of them weigh 8 1/2 pounds and all are threaded 5/8x24.

I ran the .300 Win Mag with a brake on that thread. Federal Gold Medal 190 grain Sierra MatchKing averaged 0.75 inch at 100 yards and Hornady Precision Hunter 200 grain ELD-X went 0.8. At 600 yards on a 12-inch plate it was boring, in the good way.

It’s a carbon steel barrel with a matte finish, so the rust warning applies. And the magazine holds three magnum rounds or four standard ones behind a hinged floorplate. For a hunting rifle shot from a pack, that’s enough.

Best For: Western hunters and new long-range shooters who want a bedded stock from day one.

13. Remington 700 Sendero SF II

• Representative SKU: R27314
• Caliber: .300 Win Mag
• Barrel Length: 26 in
• Overall Length: 45 3/4 in
• Weight: 8 1/2 lb
• Magazine Capacity: 3
• Twist Rate: 1:10
• Barrel: 416 Stainless Steel, Polished Stainless
• Stock: H.S. Precision Black Aramid Fiber Reinforced
• Street Price: No new stock at our dealers

The Sendero is the magnum specialist, a rifle for sitting still and shooting a long way. The SF II is a 26-inch heavy stainless barrel with six flutes, a concave target crown and a threaded muzzle, bedded in a black H-S Precision aramid stock with full-length aluminum bedding blocks. Three chamberings, all magnums: .300 Win Mag, 7mm Remington Mag and 7mm PRC.

Think of it as the stainless Long Range. Same barrel length, same 8 1/2 pounds, same stock maker, but with polished stainless metal and a caliber list that’s all business. My .300 Win Mag shot Federal Premium 180 grain Trophy Bonded Tip into 0.9 inch at 100 yards across 40 rounds, which is all the magnum I wanted in one sitting without a brake.

It’s a lot of rifle to carry up a mountain. From a blind, a tripod or a truck, I’d take it over anything else in the catalog.

Best For: Stand, blind and bean-field hunters who shoot past 300 yards.

14. Remington 700 Varmint SF

• Representative SKU: R84349
• Caliber: .308 Win
• Barrel Length: 26 in
• Overall Length: 45 3/4 in
• Weight: 8 1/2 lb
• Magazine Capacity: 4
• Twist Rate: 1:10
• Barrel: 416 Stainless Steel, Polished Stainless
• Stock: Synthetic w/Hogue Overmold Grip Panels
• Street Price: No new stock at our dealers

The Varmint SF is the SPS Varmint in stainless with a fluted barrel. Twenty-six inches of heavy contour 416 stainless with six flutes and a concave target crown, a synthetic stock with Hogue overmolded panels and a vented beavertail forend, and dual front swivel studs. Four chamberings: .22-250 Remington, .223 Remington, .308 Win and 6.5 Creedmoor, all threaded.

I’ve shot the .22-250, and it’s the most accurate factory 700 I’ve put on paper. Hornady 50 grain V-MAX averaged 0.6 inch at 100 yards over 80 rounds. Note the 1:14 twist on that chambering. It’s built for light, fast bullets, not the long heavy ones.

Fluting doesn’t make it light. Remington lists the same 8 1/2 pounds as the SPS Varmint. What you’re paying for is stainless steel that survives a wet spring, and a second sling stud so the bipod has its own.

Best For: Serious varmint shooters who want stainless and don’t want to build a rifle.

15. Remington 700 Magpul Enhanced

• Representative SKU: R84297
• Caliber: .308 Win
• Barrel Length: 20 in
• Overall Length: 39 1/2 in
• Weight: 8 1/2 lb
• Magazine Capacity: 10
• Twist Rate: 1:10
• Barrel: Carbon Steel, Black Cerakote
• Stock: Synthetic
• Street Price: No new stock at our dealers

This is the factory answer to the first thing most people do with an SPS Tactical. Remington puts the barreled action in a Magpul Hunter stock, with its aluminum V-bedding block and a length of pull that adjusts from 13 to 15 inches with spacers, and feeds it from a detachable AICS-pattern PMAG. A Picatinny rail is installed. The heavy 5R barrel has what Remington calls LTR flutes, a black Cerakote finish and a 5/8x24 muzzle.

Three SKUs. The .308 and 6.5 Creedmoor have 20-inch barrels and 10-round magazines. The .300 Win Mag has a 24-inch barrel and holds five. All three weigh 8 1/2 pounds.

The .308 is one of the handiest precision rifles I’ve shot, at 39 1/2 inches overall. Federal Gold Medal Match 168 grain averaged 0.8 inch at 100 yards, and the PMAG fed 150 rounds without a stoppage. Building the same thing from an SPS means buying the stock, the magazine well and the magazines separately. Unless you want a different chassis, let Remington do it.

Best For: Shooters who want a magazine-fed precision 700 without a parts order.

Remington 700 Models No Longer in the Catalog

The used rack and old forum threads are full of 700 names that aren’t in the catalog I worked from. Our own review mentions two, the 5R Gen 2 and the Mountain SS. Stock and chassis makers still list the VTR on their fit charts. You’ll also see the Model 700 Police, which Remington names as a law enforcement rifle with its own Timney Elite Hunter curved trigger, and the Model 700 Ultimate Muzzleloader, which shares the name and isn’t a centerfire rifle at all.

None of that makes an older 700 a bad buy. The action pattern hasn’t changed, so the stocks, triggers and bases in this guide fit them. Two things do change with age. Older rifles won’t have the factory Timney, and many won’t have a 5R barrel. Price them as what they are. Our used rifles page tracks what’s for sale, and used guns vs new covers how to weigh the discount.

Which Remington 700 Should You Buy?

Fifteen is too many to hold in your head, so here’s how I’d sort them.

Hunting, and you want it finished? The Alpha 1 Hunter. It already has the rail, the 3-pound trigger, the Cerakote and the carbon fiber stock. Add those parts to an SPS and the savings are gone.

Hunting on a budget? The SPS, or the SPS Stainless if your seasons are wet. I’d skip the ADL unless the price gap is real money to you, because the hinged floorplate is worth having. Our best deer hunting rifles list shows where they sit against the field.

Walnut? The CDL SF if you’ll hunt it hard, the BDL if you want the classic shine, and the CDL if you want satin wood and blued steel.

Long range? The Long Range in a magnum for hunting, and the Magpul Enhanced in .308 or 6.5 Creedmoor for steel and matches. If you’re torn between those two cartridges, read 6.5 Creedmoor vs .308. The Sendero SF II is the pick if it has to be stainless.

Varmints? The SPS Varmint is the value. The Varmint SF is the better rifle. The ADL Varmint is the cheap way in. See our best varmint rifles for the competition.

A build? The SPS Tactical Threaded, or whichever SPS or ADL is cheapest in your cartridge. You’re buying the action and barrel.

Still choosing a cartridge? Start with our rifle caliber guide. And before you commit to any 700, look at the two rifles that give it the most trouble at the gun counter.

The Bergara B-14 HMR is built on the 700 footprint, so it takes 700 stocks and bases, and it ships with a better stock than any budget 700.

The Tikka T3x has a smoother bolt out of the box than a new 700. Its aftermarket is a fraction of the size.

Who Should NOT Buy a Remington 700

• Buyers who never want to upgrade anything: a budget 700 is at its best after a stock swap. The Bergara B-14 HMR comes with an adjustable stock that needs nothing.
• Shooters who hate wiping down a rifle: the blued carbon steel lines rust if you ignore them. Buy a stainless 700, or the Tikka T3x Lite Stainless.
• Shooters who want the smoothest bolt: a new 700 bolt feels gritty until it wears in. The Tikka T3x action is slicker from the first round, in the TAC A1 or the cheaper CTR.
• Bargain hunters who want the best trigger for the least money: the Savage 110 Tactical comes with the AccuTrigger and undercuts the SPS Tactical, and the Howa 1500 has a two-stage trigger for less again.

Remington 700 Magazines and Parts Compatibility

Three magazine setups are spread across the 15 lines, and the difference matters more than the trim names do.

Capacity follows the cartridge. The magnums hold three. Standard cartridges hold four. The .223 Remington holds five in most lines. On a hunting rifle that’s plenty, and a hinged floorplate lets you empty it into your hand at the truck.

If you want detachable magazines on a rifle that didn’t come with them, the stock decides how. Magpul’s Hunter 700 stock, the same one Remington fits to the Magpul Enhanced, takes Magpul’s Bolt Action Magazine Well for AICS-pattern magazines. Chassis systems such as the MDT LSS-XL Gen2 are built around AICS-pattern magazines from the start. Our best chassis rifles guide covers the factory-built alternatives.

Stocks and chassis are sold by action length, short or long, and they aren’t interchangeable. Magpul sells the Hunter 700 for the short action as its own part, and it’s a drop-in fit for right-hand actions with the factory hinged floorplate. MDT lists a short action inlet and a long action inlet for the same chassis. Order by your rifle’s action, not by its model name.

The Alpha 1 Hunter is the exception to watch. Its internal magazine box is longer than the standard one, and Remington says it’s compatible with older 700 stocks only after the stock is inletted for the longer magazine well. MDT lists the Alpha 1 Hunter on its short action fit chart. Confirm with any other stock maker before you order.

Triggers are the easy part. Timney has made triggers for the 700 since 1965, and now supplies the factory one. If your rifle is new, I’d shoot the factory Timney for a season before replacing anything.

The 700 Footprint: Why Everything Fits a Remington

Here’s what makes this rifle different from every other bolt gun on the rack. The 700’s receiver is a round steel tube, machined from bar stock, held in the stock by two guard screws, with a recoil lug to take the kick. Remington’s own description is that the cylindrical receiver gives a solid bedding base in the stock. That simple shape is easy for other companies to measure and copy, and for more than 60 years they have.

The result is what shooters call the 700 footprint. It’s the pattern that stocks, chassis, triggers and scope bases get cut to, whether or not the rifle on top says Remington. You don’t have to take that from me. Look at the fit charts. MDT sells the LSS-XL Gen2 chassis with one short action inlet labeled Remington 700, and under it the chart lists the Bergara B-14, B-14R and Premier, the Weatherby Model 307, and what MDT calls all Remington 700 short action clones. Warne’s short action rail for the 700 lists the Bergara B-14 and Christensen Arms on the same part number.

That’s why a custom action builder can sell a receiver with no stock, trigger or bottom metal and trust that every part a customer needs already exists. For what the top of that market looks like, see our GA Precision Tempest review, and our best PRS rifles guide for where the competition end of it has gone.

The military helped. The U.S. Army adopted the Model 700 action as the basis for the M24 Sniper Weapon System, and decades of service rifles meant decades of armorers, gunsmiths and parts makers who knew the action. Our best military sniper rifles piece has more on service rifles.

For a buyer, it means a 700 is hard to outgrow. Start with an SPS and a hunting scope. Add a chassis when you get serious, a barrel when you wear out the first one. I’ve watched friends turn a deer rifle into a match rifle one part at a time, on the same action the whole way.

Optics for the Remington 700: What Fits and What to Buy

Fourteen of the 15 catalog pages list no iron sights, so on those rifles a scope isn’t optional. The BDL is the exception: its catalog page lists a hooded ramp front sight and an adjustable rear sight, and it’s still drilled and tapped for a scope. The top of the receiver has threaded holes for scope bases, which is what drilled and tapped means on the spec sheet. What you need to buy depends on which rifle you picked.

Three fitment facts will save you a return.

Action length. One-piece rails are made for the short action or the long action, and each is its own part. Warne’s part numbers show it: M673 fits the Remington 700 short action and M674 fits the long action. A two-piece base set avoids the question, because the front and rear bases mount separately. Warne’s two-piece Maxima set for the 700 is a single part number.

Screw size. Warne’s 700 rails and bases use 6-48 screws. The Alpha 1 Hunter is different. Remington lists 8-40 screws on its factory rail, which is a larger thread. That rifle already has its rail, so it only matters if you plan to replace it. Tell the base maker which rifle you have.

Rail cant. Remington doesn’t state a cant figure for the factory rails on the Alpha 1 Hunter or Magpul Enhanced. If you want a 20 MOA rail for long range, you’re buying an aftermarket one.

For ring height, measure. Don’t guess from the barrel contour. Our rings guide explains how to work it out from the objective bell. Here are the five things I’d actually buy.

Leupold VX-Freedom 4-12x40 Hunt-Plex: The Hunting Scope

• Magnification: 4-12x
• Objective: 40 mm
• Tube: 1 inch
• Reticle Plane: Second focal plane
• Weight: 13.1 oz
• Maker List Price: $499.99
• Street Price: $499.99 at Sportsman’s Guide

A 7 1/2-pound sporter wants a light scope, and at 13.1 ounces this one barely changes how an SPS or a CDL carries. Four power is low enough for timber and twelve is plenty for a deer at 400 yards. The Hunt-Plex is a plain hunting reticle with nothing to misread at dusk. It rides in 1-inch rings, which keeps the mount light too. I’ve had one on a .30-06 for three seasons and it hasn’t shifted zero. The 4-12x40 VX-Freedom ranks fifth in our best rifle scopes guide, and that guide has eight more if this one doesn’t suit you.

Vortex Viper PST Gen II 5-25x50 FFP: The Long-Range Scope

• Magnification: 5-25x
• Objective: 50 mm
• Tube: 30mm
• Reticle Plane: First focal plane
• Weight: 31.2 oz
• MSRP: $1,499.99
• Street Price: $999.99 at GunMag Warehouse (EBR-7C MRAD)

This is the scope I’d put on a Long Range, a Sendero or a Magpul Enhanced, and it’s the number one pick in our rifle scopes guide. The EBR-7C reticle sits in the first focal plane, so the holdover marks mean the same thing at every power, and you can have it in MOA or MRAD. It weighs 31.2 ounces, which a sporter would feel and an 8 1/2-pound heavy barrel won’t. Budget for 30mm rings. For match use, our best PRS scopes list goes further up the price ladder.

Vortex Crossfire II 3-9x40: The Budget Scope

• Magnification: 3-9x
• Objective: 40 mm
• Tube: 1 inch
• Reticle Plane: Second focal plane
• Weight: 14.8 oz
• MSRP: $189.99
• Street Price: $129.99 at GunMag Warehouse (Dead-Hold BDC)

An ADL buyer shouldn’t spend more on glass than on the rifle, and this is the honest low-cost pick. It’s a plain 3-9x40 with a 1-inch tube and capped turrets that starts at 14.8 ounces. The glass shows its price at nine power in poor light. Inside 300 yards on a deer, it does the job, and Vortex’s lifetime warranty covers it when it gets dropped. More choices at this level are in our rifle scopes under $500 roundup.

Warne Tactical Rail, 20 MOA: The Base

• Short Action Part: M673-20MOA
• Long Action Part: M674-20MOA
• Cant: 20 MOA
• Material: Steel
• Weight: 4.1 oz (short action)
• Screws: 6-48
• MSRP: $139.99
• Street Price: $119.99 at GunMag Warehouse (long action)

Most 700s ship with bare receiver holes, so this is the first part to order. I like a one-piece steel rail on anything with a heavy barrel. It gives you room to slide the scope for eye relief, and the 20 MOA of built-in cant keeps your elevation turret near the middle of its travel at long range. Warne makes it in two lengths, so order by action: M673 for a short action and M674 for a long action. Both use 6-48 screws, and Warne says to torque them to 25 inch-pounds. Warne also sells a flat version if you’ll never shoot past 400 yards.

Vortex Pro Series 30mm Rings: The Rings

• Tube: 30mm
• Heights: Low 0.90 in, Medium 1.00 in, High 1.26 in, Extra High 1.54 in
• Screws: Torx T-25
• MSRP: $84.99
• Street Price: $79.99 at Brownells.com (High, 1.26 in)

Once there’s a Picatinny rail on the rifle, which the Alpha 1 Hunter and Magpul Enhanced already have, these are the rings I’d clamp to it. They’re the value pick in our best scope rings and mounts guide. Vortex publishes each height as a number, measured to the center of the scope, so buy on the number and not on the word low or high. A 1-inch version exists for the Leupold and the Crossfire II. When it’s all torqued down, our walk-through on how to sight in a rifle scope gets you zeroed.

FAQ: Remington 700 Models