Help!! Buying a new Remington rifle

[jwhunter]

I was looking through the local Cabela's ad and found a rifle that I'm not really familiar with and was wondering if the brains at THR could help me sort some stuff out. I was origanally looking at a Remington model 700 SPS in a
.308, which comes standard with a 24 inch barrel. In the Cabela's ad it looks like they took this rife and customized it with a 22 inch "mountain contour barrel" which drops the overall weight of the gun from a little more then 7 lbs. down to 5.8. The Cabelas rifle is only like $15 more but I would have to drive over an hour to get there. The weight of the gun is not much of an issue for me, I'm much more concerned with performance. So I guess my question is, is it worth the little extra cash and the drive time for the modification? Sorry this post is so long-winded, I could really use the help though. Thanks guys.

 

[ArmedBear]

My opinion only. Take it for what it's worth.

I have a 24" Weatherby in .30-06 with a walnut stock. With a 3-9x40 scope on it, it's pretty heavy in the field. After a few hours and miles, it's much heavier. It's pretty, the Weatherby comb fits me like a glove, and it shoots like a dream, but it gets hung up on brush and it's heavy to lug around. ...which is what your SPS will be after you scope it.

Now if I were to get another .30 caliber bolt gun for hunting, I'd get a .308 in a lighter package. I would not get a short-action round like a .308 with a 24" barrel. I'd get it in a lightened rifle like that 22" light contour, and I'd surely pay $15 more and drive an hour to get it. That gun could be 6 3/4 lb. with a scope. I'd love that! Sounds like a bargain if you want a light-carry rifle, as Remington's Mountain Rifle is an expensive piece.

HOWEVER... If you plan to use it only as a range rifle, the heavier gun will shoot better. The barrel won't heat up quite as fast when you're shooting more than a few rounds.