Rem 700 SPS Tactical or 24" ?

[HBGMarine]

I'm looking at getting a Remington 700 SPS in .308 but don't know if I should get the regular SPS or the Tactical. The differences that I've found so far is that the SPS has a 24" barrel compared to the Tactical's 20". The Tactical model also has a floated barrel with Hogue over molding.

Does anyone own either or have shot one in the past? Any input on one over the other would be greatly appreciated!

[24/7dude]

Have an SPS in .30-06 and love it. I'd get whatever is cheaper, they will both be great and very accurate.

[Jaco]

I bought the Tac. in .308 about a month ago and really like it. Although I have not stretched out past 100yrds yet it seems to be very accurate. The stock does touch the barrel if you mount a bipod and as you probably know that is a no no in the precision rifle world. I'm not looking to shoot 1 moa at 300 yrds. and maybe you are not either so the stock is fine with me. I think it is good base rifle and you can always switch stocks down the road. I like the 20" barrel as it is less prone to bumping things and it has been shown to be one of the best length barrel for .308. Hope this helps.

[mojo]

I'm looking at getting a Remington 700 SPS in .308 but don't know if I should get the regular SPS or the Tactical. The differences that I've found so far is that the SPS has a 24" barrel compared to the Tactical's 20". The Tactical model also has a floated barrel with Hogue over molding.

Does anyone own either or have shot one in the past? Any input on one over the other would be greatly appreciated!

What type of shooting do you plan on doing with this gun? Plinking at 100, 300, 600, 1000 yrds? Hunting, competition? If you give us more details on your plan we will be able to help you out more.

[arrrrgh15]

I like the 20" barrel as it is less prone to bumping things and it has been shown to be one of the best length barrel for .308. Hope this helps.

shown by who?


The 24" barrel will get you some additional muzzle velocity which is absolutely critical to shooting a .308 caliber rifle past 800 yards. If you're intent is to actually shoot this thing at long range I'd recommend the 24" barrel. If it's just a short or medium range rifle, say out to 500 yards, go with the 20". With some careful reloading to get extra muzzle velocity, the 20" could get you to 1000.

4" on a long gun is something I wouldn't compromise for the sake of bumping into things if my purpose is to hit a target at long range (500+). Some things are more important than others.

[ReconLdr]

I have the SPS Tactical in .308. I easily shot sub MOA with the factory stock. I added an H&S stock which removed the stock/barrel contact from a bipod and my groups got much, much tighter. I went with the 20" barrel purposely, at the time I intended to add a supressor, now I am not sure.

With the old stock my 200 yd groups were about 1.25" some tighter some not. Never were they more than 2" at 200.

With the new stock at 200yds I am averaging .75" groups with most about .5". This is with FGMM 175gr BTHP.

My groups at 100yds are about the same as 200 yds. That is due to the 20" barrel not fully stabilizing the 175gr bullets at 100. My groups have been getting tighter as the distance increases.

I have not shot this rifle beyond 700yds. At 700yds I was hitting 15x15" steel plates quite easily.

I agree with Mojo, if you told us what you plan to do with the rifle we could give you more complete answers. My response is my personal experience with the SPS Tactical. I have shot the standard barrel SPS and it shot really well. IMHO it would serve you very well as a hunting rifle.

[HBGMarine]

What type of shooting do you plan on doing with this gun? Plinking at 100, 300, 600, 1000 yrds? Hunting, competition? If you give us more details on your plan we will be able to help you out more.

Mainly, I'm just looking for a good target rifle to shoot at around 500 yards but might also use it for shooting pasture poodles or deer.

The stock does touch the barrel if you mount a bipod and as you probably know that is a no no in the precision rifle world.

Is it possible to dremmel out the contact area or is do you need to get a new stock to correct this?

Thanks everyone for the input so far!

[ReconLdr]

Mainly, I'm just looking for a good target rifle to shoot at around 500 yards but might also use it for shooting pasture poodles or deer.



Is it possible to dremmel out the contact area or is do you need to get a new stock to correct this?

Thanks everyone for the input so far!

The factory SPS stock is too soft and will flex when you shoot from a bipod or sand bag. You would have to replace the stock or find a way to make the factory stock stronger.

IMHO if you dremel out the stock you would only make it weaker and flex more. I would put a better stock on it... You might be able to find a Take off from a 700P or something.

[levib]

Is it possible to dremmel out the contact area or is do you need to get a new stock to correct this?

Thanks everyone for the input so far!

The stock is built like that because it needs to be. The stock isn't nearly as stiff as the higher quality ones, so it needs to touch the barrel to support everything by spreading the weight out. Dremmeling it out will likely cause the stock to split after a while. The better stocks are able to free float the barrel by bedding the stock with stiffer materials. It can be a significant accuracy difference, and I think you will want it for shooting to 500 yards. They do sell models from the factory free floating stocks. It is a rather expensive upgrade, but the high quality stocks start at a few hundred.

Good luck.

[45Badger]

Lots of folks sell the Hogue stocks off the SPS tacticals and upgrade. The take-offs can be had for $75 or less. I bought two, one for my SPS Varmint in .223, and the other for the Varmint in .308. Both work great. the pillar bedding is a cheap way to get a good bit of improvement.

I had a local benchrest smith cut and recrown the .308 barrel down to 22" to use as a deer rifle for my son. Shoots 1" at 200 yards