Remington 700 Police .223Rem

Hi

I´m going to order a Remington 700 Police in .223Rem (1:9) but i can´t decide which one i really want. There is one model called Model 700P LTR and it has a 20' barrel the standard 700 Police comes with a 26' barrel. But my biggest problem is that i can´t try them before i buy them and i have to wait several months to get one. I´m going to use it for deer (not sure of the translation on this animal) hunting and targetshooting (80-200 yards) would i see any better accuracy with the 26' barrel up to 200yards? The barrel twist is 1:9 would it stabilize an SS109 bullet?? Can anyone help me with reloading data for the SS109 with Vihtawuori powders? I have tried the 700 VS and i liked it is there any difference in quality control and overall quality between the VS and the 700 Police? What do YOU like and dislike with the Rem 700 Police.

(The caliber choice must be .223Rem due to some restrictions)

Best Regards

The 1:9 twist will stabilize bullets up to 69gr. in .223 Rem. The 26' barrel will give more velocity and energy for animals the size of deer. The .223 is a bit light for deer, so use a Barnes X to prevent bullet disintegration and keep your shots to under 100 yards on deer. Shot placement will be very important, so avoid shots at moving deer. For varmints you can use a Barnes, Nosler or Sierra bullet of the same weight as your deer load and hopefully it will shoot to the same point of aim.

Why do you have to wait months to get one and why 223 for deer ???

> ...

Magnus, what kind of deer are you planning on shooting with a .223? I killed a small white tail with a .223 once, I wouldn't do it again. I think your choice of caliber would be alright for rehbok/roedeer with the right bullet. even for rehbok most of the hunters I knew used something in the .30-06/8mm Mauser range. This rifle is probably available in .308 this would be a better choice for hunting and shooting. Where are you? George in Las Vegas

# What do YOU like and dislike with the Rem 700 Police. #

My brother has a Remington 700 'Tactical Police' rifle with a bull barrel, bipod, heavy stock, etc. If this is the one you are talking about (his is in .308), I love it, except its heavy. Its accurate. Like crazy.

# I have tried the 700 VS and i liked it is there any difference in # quality control and overall quality between the VS and the 700 Police? # What do YOU like and dislike with the Rem 700 Police.

I have the 700VS in .223 Rem and a 700P DM in .300 Win Mag.

I got the 700VS because I didn't know that the 700P was available in ..223 Rem. Oh well. Since the calibers are so different, I can't say if the Police model offers anything beyond the faster twist. I can say that the faster twist is very nice to have for the heavier bullets. The other differences of note would be the bolt not being jeweled and an extra sling stud on the stock. The stock on the Police model is also black instead of pebbled.

Both have heavy barrels. Both are aluminum bedded with synthetic stocks of good quality. The LTR, if it is like the .308 Win that I have seen is a fluted barrel. I am not a fan of fluted barrels.

One thing to think about, if you load your own ammo, is the fact that the longer barrel will allow you to play with slower powders that could yeild higher velocity. My 700VS came with a 26' barrel, but I had it shortened so that the rifle would not be too long with an AWC Raider screwed onto the end. This isn't a consideration for you because it is illegal to use a suppressor for hunting.

One question I don't know the answer to, but am anxious to learn, is what the optimum barrel length for .223 Rem is. The cartridge is small with about a 27gr maximum powder capacity. At some point, making the barrel longer does not increase muzzle velocity anymore. When you pass that point, velocity will actually go down because of bearing friction. I would also expect accuracy to degrade at this point as well but I don't know.

Since you plan to hunt deer, it is probably better to go with the 26' standard model. Another poster has already recomened a bullet load for you. If the 26' turns out to be too long, you can have a gun smith cut and crown the barrel to a shorter length. That is what I did with my 700VS. The service also included getting the appropriate threading and a thread protector made. I now have what I consider to be a kick ass target/varmint rifle for short range (out to 300y) use and bullets in the 50 - 55gr weight range. With the can on, it is less noisy than a 16' .22rf shooting stingers.

Remmington claims to go to extra lengths on the Police models for accuracy. They also do that to some extent with the VS models. I am not a good enough shooter to tell the difference. The one thing I don't like about my Police model is the detachable magazine. That is not an issue with the .223 Rem because you get the standard internal magazine. If money is not an issue for you, you should go for the Police model. The price difference, if any, will be small. Also, the remlaw page has a different URL than the standard site. You will basicly have a premium badged rifle because many people don't know about them.

My next Remmington rifle purchase, $DEITY willing, will be the M24 package in .300 Win Mag. It will make my other rifle redundant. But just look at what is offered. Wow!

However you decide to go, I don't think you will go wrong with a Police model. Just make sure you put a Luepold on it. Nothing less than the best is what that rifle will deserve.

What size deer are you shooting and what country are you in? I don't know about other nations but the .223 wouldn't have enough energy to qualify as a hunting rifle in Germany. I would expect the other European nations to have a similar requirement. George in Las Vegas

t > ... Check your local laws...223 may not be legal for deer..Not big enough,=20 as in PA. Both the LTR and Police are going to be heavy to carry in the=20 deer woods. Don't think you will notice any change under 200 yards.

Yet in a lot of the euro-peon countries they think the .380 is a substantial handgun....go figure.

Hi again.....

As i wrote in my question im not sure of the translation to english on this animal but i found a pic of it http://www.overkalix.se/skola/grundskolor/svartbyn/ bild/Ungrabk.jpg I live in Europe and here the .223Rem qualify as an class 2 hunting rifle so it would be legal to hunt 'deer??' with it. But maybe the .223Rem would be a little bit too weak as some of you wrote. I have to wait approx 6 months because there are only 2 deliverys a year from Remington to the stores where i live, i have called some other stores and asked if they have any in stock but i get the same answer from them.

# #Magnus, #what kind of deer are you planning on shooting with a .223? I killed a small #white tail with a .223 once, I wouldn't do it again. I think your choice of #caliber would be alright for rehbok/roedeer with the right bullet

I suspect Magnus' deer are not armor plated. Neither are the deer where I hunt. And the common load for the ranchers where the deer live is a .222 Rem. I've used it myself. An instant 'drop him in his tracks' kill comes with patience and hitting the spot you pick. A 'somewhere in the rib-cage' hit won't do it. My favorite load is a Hornady 53gr.HP(Match) bullet, 23.0 gr. IMR 4054, Fed.#205 primer, WW brass. The rifle is a M-700 BDL, sport weight barrel, that produces consistant 1/2' 3-shot groups at 100 yds.

Bill Van Houten (USA Ret)

Thermopylae had it's messenger of defeat, COME AND GET THEM ! The Alamo had none.