Please give me some advice; Remington 710

[Matt Dillon]

Folks, a buddy of mine recently offered me a Remington 710 in 30.06, which includes a mounted Bushnell 3x9 scope, for $200.00.
I bought it for one of my sons, but he decided that too many people said too many bad things about that model on line, and now doesn't want it.
I have heard that it has a lot of plastic parts, but is there anything seriously defective about it? Is it dangerous or inaccurate to shoot? It appears to be in new condition, and the owner says he only shot 8 rounds through it. I mean, $200.00 is pretty cheap for any kind of rifle that includes a scope, so I figured I couldn't go wrong with it, am I wrong and just purchased a lemon? Please share your thoughts, thanks!

 

[frankenstein406]

Pretty sure the 710 and 770 has a pressed in barrel so its non replaceable. That's what I mainly hear bad about it, but if it is safe, reliable and a shooter it should last you a while.

 

[rcmodel]

Only way to find out is shoot it and find out.

It is not dangerous, or Remington would have had to re-call them all.

Is it a Model 700 that will last two lifetimes?
Probably not.

But it will probably last nearly one lifetime.

Choot'm Lizabet! Choot'm!

And tell your ungrateful son to never look a gift horse in the mouth!

rc

 

[mosteve]

I think it's the fact that some parts on it are plastic that normally aren't in other rifles, such as the magazine. I figure if the plastic stock and parts bother you that much sell it and put that money towards a Remington 700 BDL or something similar, (Have you priced any brand new wood stock rifles lately? they're pretty steep!) If it shoots accurately and is safe, 200 bucks is pretty painless. Seems like no one liked M-16's because of the plastic too, and look what happened there! good luck and happy shooting!

 

[Arkansas Paul]

And tell your ungrateful son to never look a gift horse in the mouth!

That's what I was thinking as well.

Would I buy one for myself? No.
But what if someone bought one for me? I'd sincerely thank them and I'd shoot the snot out of it. It is a gun, and a free one at that.

 

[Carolina Kalash]

And tell your ungrateful son to never look a gift horse in the mouth!

I never understood the meaning behind that saying or where it came from...

my only complaint about 710s and 770s is that they're kinda fugly IMO, but they're decent shooters from what I've heard

 

[HOOfan_1]

I never understood the meaning behind that saying or where it came from...

You can tell horse's age and health by looking at its teeth. So when people bought a horse, they looked at its mouth to tell its condition.

If you are given a horse for free, why would you worry about that?

 

[Carolina Kalash]

You can tell horse's age and health by looking at its teeth. So when people bought a horse, they looked at its mouth to tell its condition.

If you are given a horse for free, why would you worry about that?

Makes sense to me.

 

[PabloJ]

Pretty sure the 710 and 770 has a pressed in barrel so its non replaceable. That's what I mainly hear bad about it, but if it is safe, reliable and a shooter it should last you a while.

I would not worry about that feature. Mauser Model 12 is assembled by inserting cold barrel into hot receiver or is it the other way around. On hunting rifle that isn't going to be shoot like target rifle there is nothing wrong with this concept. If he does not want it that is fine. It is better that kids earn what they get anyway.

 

[Inebriated]

Rough... I wouldn't complain if my dad gave me a rifle, no matter how many people online seemed to hate it.

A friend of mine has successfully taken a few deer with his. Probably won't print awesome groups, and probably not worth fixing if something breaks, but it's also not just going to crumble in his hands... They're safe, budget-minded rifles and will give you at least $200 worth of service. Heck, just harvest a few whitetails, have a full freezer, and the rifle has pretty much paid for itself. No jerky for your son though

 

[Matt Dillon]

Thanks so much, folks, for your insights. Just to clarify things, I bought it for my son, but he had given me the $200.00 for it, so it wasn't a gift to him. The way I figure, to get a decent rifle for $200.00 that includes a mounted scope can't be that bad of a thing, unless the gun won't shoot straight. I'll find out that as soon as I purchase some 30.06 dies and brass;l I already have a bunch of projectiles that I use with the Swiss K31 that should work, but now I need brass and dies to start working up some loads. Thanks so much again for your advice!

 

[melbr00ks]

I got a Rem. 770 in 308 pretty cheap, and it won't feed reliably. I haven't messed with it after 1 range trip, maybe just a bad mag. You might pick up a box of factory ammo and try that before you buy dies you might not use.

 

[rule303]

Most of them will work for light hunting use for several years. They were built to meet a price point, and that was all they were built for. There are several common failures on these guns, and they are not repairable. Oddly enough, they do tend to shoot pretty well.

 

[MistWolf]

Sorry to hear you bought the rifle for your son. My father had a Remington 710 in 30-06 and with reloads, got it to shooting 1/2 inch groups at 100 yards. Unfortunately, the bolt handle came off and he had to send it back to the factory. Remington replaced the bolt but the rifle would never shoot under an inch and a half after that. Dad had less than 200 rounds through it.

Sure, an inch and a half is more than good enough for deer, but the rifle isn't very durable. It's ok for a rifle you pick up at the pawn shop at the start of the season and take it back at the end, but that's about it

 

[MtnCreek]

FWIW, a free horse can still cost you a small fortune. If you don't want to look him in the mouth, at least give him a couple handfuls of grain and see how much falls as he eats.