Reviews of Rem. 700 VS Composite

[Andy socal]

Anyone own a Rem. 700 VS Composite in any of the available calibers that would care to share your experience or opinions?

Anyone know of reviews of this rifle online or in publication(already have one from Feb. 2000 of Guns and Ammo)?

I know what the MSRP of one of these bad boys is, but has anyone seen a retail price or been quoted one?

Andy

 

[jamescuda74]

In the midwest prices at gunshow are typically $600 to $700.check out snipercountry.com they explain this rifle and the differances between vs and pss models.IMHO you can't go wrong with a remington,although I've heard a lot of good things about the savage12bvss after you change the trigger.

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guns don't kill zoborgians,zoborgians kill zoborgians. the farside

 

[jcoyoung]

I have one in .308 Win.

Nice smoothe trigger, lightweight composite stock, aluminum bedding block, free-floated barrel. The action is always smooth and the trigger always crisp. Definitely a 'keeper'.

I do have 2 'gripes', but they are very minor.
-First of all, the heavy barrel makes the thing weigh a TON! This is not a rifle I would want to lug into the woods or go hiking with.
-Secondly, I had a 50mm objective scope mounted using Leupold High rings. The buttstock didn't allow for a cheekweld high enough to look thru the scope. I had to put a piece of 3/16" thick Cheek-Eez on the buttstock (ok, stop laughing now) to get enough eye elevation.

 

[Andy socal]

Sorry, I think we are all talking about different rifles.

By VS Composite, I meant the barrel itself was composite. Below is a little about this new Rem 700:

"The 1.266-inch diameter barrel consists of a lightweight steel liner encased in a composite of epoxy hardened graphite fiber fitted with a stainless steel muzzle cap."

-The stock is also composite; Kevlar/fibaerglass/graphite composite(probably the same HS Precision model as other VS models)

-It weighs in at 7 & 1/8 pounds

-Three chamberings; .223 .22-250 & .308

-MSRP =$1,912(by Remington) $1,692(reported by Guns and Ammo)


I appreciate the input on the Rem VS(I believe what the first to posts were referencing). Based on the MSRP alone, I believe the VS Composite may automatically not be a choice for me. The VS SF is a more likely possibility and will keep in mind your comments when searching around.

Thanks,
Andy

 

[WalterGAII]

I thought that your question was pretty clear, regarding Composite, as opposed to the iron-barrel models. (I know that it's steel)

My ideas about the composite barrels are pretty negative, just based on my theories on heat retention in the liner, etc., and are not based on actual experience. Accordingly, my opinions on this subject are probably worthless.

I shot a .246" group the last time I grouped my VS .223. I just don't need a better rifle for my uses than one that'll shoot a five-shot .246" group at 100 yds.

 

[Long Path]

By all accounts, the two coolest things about the Composite barrelled jobs is that they cool much faster than the equivalent steel barrel, and they're much, MUCH lighter than a steel barrel. Basically, you're getting super heavy varminter profile accuracy (or better) from featherweight weight. Having carried a Sendero for elk hunting in CO two years running, I'd give my left... er, leg for one of those!

Accuracy is paramount to me, but carriability is pretty durned important, too. If you do any mountain hunting, this rifle should be just the thing! I personally could see how it would be worth its weight in gold for use on mountain goat.

 

[Andy socal]

Walter- I'm open to hearing opinion on the topic, as this new barrel is "revolutionary" as Remington puts it, and thus should be subject to close scrutiny. I am not sure what potential negatives this new technology(loosely) may pose, so thanks for the input.

Long Path- My interest in this barrel stems from my desire to have incredible accuracy and a light weight gun(both of which you mentioned). My first choice would be a blued(rather than stainless) fluted VS, but as they don not make them in the VS anymore(to my knowledge, this seems like the next "best" option. I agree with Walter that the VS is probably more than adequate, but since when do we buy for adequacy?

Thanks all,
Andy

 

[WalterGAII]

If I had to lug my VS around on long hikes, I'd probably hate it. As an experiment, I bought a Win. Classic Stainless (featherweight) with BOSS in .243. I'm still trying to get the Win to shoot like my Rem. So far, no such luck. I'm going to spend more time working up loads. If I can get the Win. to consistently pop crows out to 300 yds, and shoot sub .5" groups at 100 yds, then I've found a rifle that won't be too difficult with which to hike.

If the composite material used in the new Rem. barrels actually conducts heat away from the liner, then my fears of heat retention in the liner would be ill-founded. I thought that the various composites were insulators, rather than conductors of heat. If the composite is merely keeping the barrel from being hot to the touch, then the heat is being retained by the steel liner, which would result in a short life for the liner. I also think that the price for the composite barrels is outrageous. I can afford to buy one, but just am not convinced yet about the design. I'll wait and see on that one.