Are Remington 40X rifles worth the premium price?

[IMtheNRA]

I was looking at the Custom Shop pages at Remington and I saw that the MSRP on the 40X rifles is around $2,600 or so. Are these rifles that much nicer than the standard 700-series?

I'm looking for target rifles in .308/.223/22LR that will make tiny groups with the nicest trigger in the world. I'd like the bolt and other moving parts to function like they're sliding on butter. Fit and finish should be PERFECT.

Is a 40X worth the investment?

 

[jlmurphy]

I just bought a Savage target action for $500, with the target Accutrigger ( 6oz to 2lbs),solid bottom, left port. very well finished. With replacement caliber bolt heads and the ability to change barrels easily, $2,600 for a Remington seems high. Remington 700 actions have been the production go to actions for a long time, I think Savage has a better product now.

 

[Walkalong]

They are very, very, good, but at that price I would get a custom action and build a gun. Well, get a smith to build me one.

 

[The Deer Hunter]

Fit and finish should be PERFECT.

Well seeing how fit is different person to person I don't think we can help you with that...

 

[Gewehr98]

I would never place anything made by Savage in the same league as the 40X.

The 40X is a Remington Custom Shop offering, and it's technically not a 700 action. If you take this 2006-vintage 40X and compare it to something like my 700PSS, you can easily tell the difference in fit and finish. The 40X uses a different trigger assembly, although it can be fitted to the 700 series easily enough. The fit and finish on this rifle are far and above what's obtained on an assembly line rifle, and I was getting repeatable 1/4" groups at 200 yards the day I took this picture.

IMHO, Savage would have a long ways to go before it approached a rifle of the 40X's quality. Simply putting the silly-assed Accutrigger in a Savage does not a 40X make.

 

[IMtheNRA]

That's a tiny group all right... I can do that, provided I fire only one round.

What loads does your 40-X like?

 

[jlmurphy]

IMtheNRA was asking for a rifle that shot tiny groups, had a perfect fit and finish, and thought the 40X was pricey. I will agree the Custom Shop produces fine looking rifles that are also accurate, my point is that the Savage Target series delivers the same level of accuracy, although less attractive, for 1/2 the money. I have older Savage and Remington actions, and the new Savage Target action I just purchased is far superior in fit and finish to both. In addition the floating bolt head on the Savage is superior to any rigid bolt on modern production actions. Only benchrest actions or sleeved bolts achieve the same level of consistent lug contact. Combined with the fact that interchangeable bolt heads and the barrel nut head spacing allow one action and scope to be any caliber rifle, the Savage, in my opinion, is a better deal.

 

[Gewehr98]

Having witnessed a Savage bolt head separation during one tactical match...

I have mixed feelings about whether that's a benefit or not.

Good locking lug engagement isn't the exclusive domain of the Savage, regardless. I don't recall the original poster inquiring about a switch-barrel rifle, either. He did, however, ask about perfect fit and finish.

Can you get a Savage to shoot well? Of course. I have an older pre-Accutrigger 110 series in .30-06 that does quite well, but I've also done some tweaking to get it there. I have the patience of Job to fiddle with stuff like that, having built a 1000-yard 6.5-06 rifle using a Krieger barrel and 1916 Haenel Mauser action, blueprinted, lapped, you name it. It ain't out-of-the-box, but I had the time and money to build it. The money spent could've bought me another 40X, or a nice custom from Jarrett, Iron Brigade, etc.

I waited a while to have Remington build my .308 40X, but I consider it money well-spent, and still cheaper than the custom-built Nesika Bay or Stolle rig I still hanker after.

IOW, my Chevy pickup is nice, but it ain't no Ferrarri - nor do I pretend that it is.

http://www.switchbarrel.com/Savage FAQ.htm

 

[USSR]

Is a 40X worth the investment?

Nope. For a few hundred more, you can get a custom-built rifle from one of the country's best gunsmiths.

Don

 

[Wildfire]

40X

Hey there:
The 40X is an expensive rilfe. the reason for that is they super tune them at the factory. That one and the M24 s get thsi speacial treatment. I shoot Only Remingtons (700s) Mine are extremely accurate rifles. My .308 is an original PSS. Will shoot small clover leafs at 100 meters. 168 NM hand loads.
My .223 PSS is even more accurate. I also have a Rem. VS in .223.
That rifle is off the shelf. An 8x32 scope and very tiny groups at 100 meters.
Is the 40 X worth the money? I guess if you have it. No rifle out there competes with the reputation of the 40X Remingtons Period. This has been proved, repeatedly and time tested over many years. Rifle history tells us this is a fact. The quality and craftsmenship are second to none. You acn buy a rifle with nicer finishes. but that is not what Remington was selling in the first place. I have never even heard of a 40 X that did not shoot well.

 

[dfariswheel]

40X rifles are built to a very high standard and you get your money's worth.

Back in the 1970's I talked to the then-manager of the Remington custom shop and he told me that they would not allow a 40X .22LR target rifle out of the shop unless it could group AT LEAST 3/4" of an inch at 100 yards, and most did "significantly better" than that.

 

[ocabj]

I'd take a Savage target action over the 40x action.

$2600 for a 40x rifle is a bit expensive considering more modern actions have surfaced in the past several years (i.e. Kelby, Surgeon, etc). 25 years ago, the 40x would have been considered one of the best actions to build a match gun on. That is not the case today.

 

[Wildfire]

One nice looker.

Hey there:
Gewehr98 That is one nice looking rifle. I guess Remington shooters are kind of by them selves these days. Just so you know I looked at your site and agree 100% on the issues you bring to light. (Fudds) Way too many out there. Shouldn't be that way butt it is. Thanks and happy shooting.

 

[skinewmexico]

If I had to have a Remington, I'd get a true custom before I got a 40X. FWIW, there were a lot of factory Savages at the F-Class Nationals, in the winners circle. Didn't see any 40x's.

 

[1200 meters]

A Big no to the 40X for the money.

I say for the money an FN PBR, Ruger 77 VT, Howa 1500 tach, Remiington 700,and many others shoot as well, I was a sniper for over 14 years and at one point my partner was issued an XB40 (one of the first 40Xs) and was never able to out shoot me. and I eas shooting a M-21 system w/ ART scope. It's a semi auto and shot 10.5 in groups at 1250 meters. For the money I'd buy a Springfield "White Feather".

 

[Gewehr98]

Oh, really?

and I eas shooting a M-21 system w/ ART scope. It's a semi auto and shot 10.5 in groups at 1250 meters.

That's a 10.5" group at just a hair over 1367 yards using a scoped M14 variant in 7.62mm NATO.

You need to get off the forums and head out there to Gunsite, Raton, etc. as a shooting instructor.

This retired military guy thinks you're seriously wasting your talents and time here, dude.


Thanks for the blog fodder, btw.

 

[YodaVader]

I saw that the MSRP on the 40X rifles is around $2,600 or so. Are these rifles that much nicer than the standard 700-series?

I love the standard 700 and have excellent results with the varmint /tactical models I have owned. But for $2600 you can actually have a rifle built on a custom action , Jewell trigger and match barrel like Hart , Shilen or Krieger. There are even custom actions out there that are based on the 700 with the same dimensions and bolt down.

Of course one could just buy a standard $500 Savage and out shoot any 700 , standard or custom shop. Funny thing , had to see for myself and bought a 12BVSS. I still like the 700.

 

[tallpaul]

Check out the second hand market- are they available and what do they cost...


I believe that like anything else the "I got one as good cheaper" crowd will always whine of cost and CAN NOT appreciate nor see the differences the last 5 or 10 percent of upgrades that make the difference that only a few of us see the value in.

Is a shiloh worth three times the cost of a pendersoli? I and quite a few others do.. is my Chris reeve sebenza worth 100 times more than that chinese knife sold at the gas station? I think so- others get by just fine with the minimums etc. Thats ok- we all get to choose...

 

[ShunZu]

Ford .vs Chevy. Escort .vs Corvette. Sure, they'll both get you there, but the question, as always in discussions like this, is HOW do you want to arrive and what are you own personal preferences?

 

[taliv]

just my opinion, but the stuff i've seen out of remington's custom shop hasn't been as cool as the S&W performance center stuff.

in any event, for that price, you can have a real custom gun built exactly the way you want it.

the only advantage a 40x would have over a custom gun is that you wouldn't have to wait 6-9months to get it

 

[stubbicatt]

I made Master with a 40XCKS. The rifle would shoot, but the finish angered me. There were milling marks under the rear bolt bridge along where the sear engaged the bolt. The clip slot was not to spec and required some fettling.

The rifle shot well, but for what I paid, it should have been perfect, and milling marks? You've gotta be kidding me.

 

[Sniper4Life]

I have never owned a 40x or even shot one. But i might suggest that you look elsewhere for a 40x, I saw a beatiful one in Cabela's for $2150, i think, Stainless steel and what looked like a mcmillian benchrest stock. Beatiful gun, I would not be ashamed to own it. Of course, i did not ask to look at it as it was under lock and key and about $1500 more than i had to spend at the moment.

Gewehr98, Have you ever shot or handled a savage target action?

 

[Markbo]

Gewehr98 - what does that gun weigh??

 

[RugerOldArmy]

My experience with recent model Remingtons has been anything but good. I bought an XR-100 a year or two back in .22-250 which was nice looking, but poorly bedded, and shot 1.5 MOA. I had to bed it, bush the firing pin, get the action trued, and swap the barrel for a Shilen to get it to maybe 1/2 MOA. I thought the 40X trigger was 'OK' but nothing to write home about.

Gewehr, if your 40X really shoots 1/8 MOA, hold onto it. You probably got a good smith at Remington working on it, and the action is probably true, and the barrel might be better than most Remington barrels.

At our range, there a a few 40X(s) that shoot benchrest. One, heavily smithed older .222 with a Kreiger barrel and Jewel trigger shoots well. The others aren't all that impressive.

If you're seriously considering spending $2600, you'd likely be better off getting a used rifle built on a BAT/Stolle/Stiller/Nesika or similar custom action with a Hart/Shilen/Kreiger/Pac-Nor or other barrel....it'll probably already have a Jewell Trigger. Ask the same question on Benchrest.com or 6mmBR.com, and you'll likely get the same advice. Money put into a custom action BR rig will hold value better than a trued Remington.

There is a whole sub-industry built off of truing, sleeving, bushing, and rebarreling Remingtons. They can be made into accurate rifles, but with the solid bolt design, the smithing and precision work is what makes 'em.

If you're going with a less-than-custom action for Varmint rifle accuracy, I'm with those that prefer Savages over Remingtons. The floating bolt head cures the ills that force lug lapping etc on Remingtons. You can do garage smithing and swap barrels and bolt heads in minutes. I built a 6mm BR/.223/.22-250AI swap-barrel rifle on a LRPV that's 3 for 3 on shooting flys (the insects) at 100 yards (with the 6mm barrel). Not bad for a bubba-ed Savage!

 

[lonegunman]

I have a 40XB-KS in 7.62, it took a while to get but I think it was worth every penny. It runs 1/2 moa with no problem and the quality is well beyond anything from a production built gun. Getting any of a number of custom gunsmiths to assemble a similar rifle would cost the same money. In the end, those guys are just gun plumbers. Remington said they could do the job and they have a custom shop full of well trained guys and parts.


I had years of trigger time before I had a rifle built and had definite ideas about what I wanted. You should buy this sort because you want it and intend to use it for a while. If you try and base it on resale or how many ohhhs and ahhhs you hope to get at the range, you are gonna be disappointed.