How Accurate Is a Budget Remington 700? My 6.5 Creedmoor Range Test

I bought a Remington 700 SPS in 6.5 Creedmoor and shot four factory loads through it at 100 yards. Here’s how it shot, plus my take on the barrel, action, Timney trigger and stock. A Canadian Gunz review.

Welcome back to Canadian Gunz. Today I’m taking a look at the Remington 700 SPS in 6.5 Creedmoor.

The Remington 700 SPS on the bench at the range

Specs

The rifle I tested has a 20-inch carbon steel sporter barrel, a jeweled bolt body and a 90-degree bolt throw. This is the configuration I reviewed, not a rundown of every version of the SPS.

It has a synthetic stock with really nice textured grip areas, a Timney trigger, and a stated weight of around 7.5 pounds.

Holding up the Remington 700 SPS in the studio

Accuracy results

Going over the groups in the studio

We shot four different types of factory ammo through the rifle, three-shot groups at 100 yards. One of the loads gave me a one-inch group, which isn’t bad. But the best group by itself doesn’t tell you everything about how this rifle shot.

Then I thought, let’s try a fourth shot and see how it does. I should have stayed at three, because that fourth round opened the group up considerably. By then, this sporter barrel was heating up like there was no tomorrow.

Shooting groups from the bench, target downrange

Over the four factory loads, I reported an average of 1.18 MOA. For a hunting rifle, I thought it did okay. It wasn’t spectacular, and these were all 100-yard groups, not a test at longer distances.

Could it shoot better with different ammo? It might. I only get one of every rifle, and I bought this one myself. I don’t get these rifles for free, so yours could shoot better than mine did. Who knows?

This was all factory ammo. I wasn’t developing a handload to find the best possible group. For deer season, I’m not looking to spend a lot of time working up ammunition just to fire a couple of rounds. Hence the factory ammo.

Barrel

Shooting groups at the range

It’s a 20-inch carbon steel sporter barrel without a threaded muzzle. That’s fine for a hunting rifle, but on mine I noticed it getting hot and the groups starting to wander after three shots.

I did break this barrel in. I put rounds through it before I started recording groups, and I let it cool before testing. This one did okay. It wasn’t great. Yours might shoot better, but I only get one of these guns. That’s just the way it is.

Action and feeding

The action and bolt in the studio

It’s still the classic Remington 700 action: push feed, dual lug, 90-degree bolt throw. It feels okay, but a little gritty, and you can hear it grind a bit. To me, the jeweling on the bolt body looks more like it’s been painted on than anything else.

I don’t really like the bolt operation all that much. With my hunting scope mounted, the handle gets close enough that there isn’t much room for my thumb. The bolt lift feels heavy, too. You really have to grab hold of it.

The bolt, trigger guard and textured grip at the range

It also didn’t cycle rounds all that well. One load was hard to chamber. Feeding from the original floorplate magazine was a different issue: a few times it didn’t want to pick up the round, and other times it would. To tell you the truth, it was a pain. I’d rather have a detachable mag. Ejecting cases, though, I had no problems.

Timney trigger

Showing the Timney trigger in the studio

The Timney trigger on mine was about 3.5 pounds. It felt consistent and really good. It broke well, and there was no creep that I could find.

That was one part of this rifle I liked. There are replacement trigger options for the Remington 700, too, if you want to change the setup later.

Talking trigger in the studio

Stock

The synthetic stock on the bench

The original stock is just a synthetic stock. Basically, it’s plain Jane plastic. I found no bedding or pillars in it. There’s nothing exciting about it.

The barrel was touching the stock on both sides of the barrel channel. That really disappointed me. I didn’t expect to see that when I started using it.

The forend and barrel channel on the rest

It has sling attachment points front and back. I didn’t find the stock especially comfortable. If you’re a bigger guy wearing winter clothing, I thought the fit might feel short. Me, I found it okay. A little more comb height would have been better.

My verdict

Back on the bench at the range

So, what do I think in the end? It shot okay. It wasn’t spectacular, and I did give this gun a chance. The bolt lift is heavy, and I’m really not a fan of the 90-degree throw with this scope setup. But that’s me.

I do like that you can change the stock, trigger and barrel and rebuild around the action. But at the same time, I think there are better off-the-rack options without having to put more money into this rifle. For me, the complete package wasn’t all that impressive.

Quick recap

So here’s where it lands. My test rifle had a 20-inch unthreaded sporter barrel and a Timney trigger at about 3.5 pounds. I tried four factory loads at 100 yards and reported a 1.18 MOA average. The trigger was a bright spot, and the platform gives you options if you want to change things later.

On the downside, mine heated up quickly, the fourth shot opened the group, and the original stock was touching the barrel. The bolt felt gritty with a heavy lift, and I had feeding trouble from the floorplate magazine.

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So we’ll see you next time at Canadian Gunz. Bye for now.