Remington 700 .223 or .308 for a beginner?

It all boils down to what you want to use the rifle for. I would say this that the .223 will be a lot more pleasant to shoot for a beginner. Less felt recoil, and muzzle blast...

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The 308 is a moderately rated cartridge for recoil, and is normally recorded as about 17-18 pounds worth. A 30-06 is more 20-22 pounds. My 12 year old is 5 ft and 100 pounds and can shoot a box of reduced recoil 30-06 in half an hour,and has shot my full hunting loads before,but they are a little overwhelming because of the gun fit and his size. I bought my first 30-06 when I was 14. The 308 is fully capable of taking deer,elk,moose or bear-most non-dangerous game with the right bullet selection. And you can get light bullets if you were varmint shooting. Because the 308 is a "short action" some people feel it has some accuracy advantages because of the case shape and possible more rigidity in a rifle action. I reload for my rifles and get Sub-MOA on them;and if you intend to get really good at targets you may want to look into reloading eventually. Heavier bullets with a a good sectional density and Ballistic Coefficient are better for target shooting (and hunting) most of the time-the 308 has some very good bullets available,for both hunting and range work. Realize though, that hunting and target bullets are not designed the same. The 223 is a varmint round,great for coyotes and prairie dogs,chucks, things like that-it was never meant to be a deer cartridge,so, if you plan on deer hunting the 223 is a poor choice. The 223 is fully able to hit paper out to 800 plus yards with good optics,but the small bullets and poor BC and SD numbers means the wind is going to push them around a lot. As for specific rifle, the SPS Varmint 26" heavy contour barrel model with a widened beaver tail fore end and a third sling mount for a bi-pod would be a good start point. You should be able to find it at around the $660 MSRP or less. This isn't the rifle I would want to pack where I elk hunt,but it would do well for your needs, and besides, your pretty stout. Some folks are praising the VRT, but I don't personally like the look or the muzzle brake.

Get the 308. You will find it is very close to the 270 you have previously fired both in ballistics and in recoil. It can be used on pretty much everything from coyotes up to larger deer. (I would not recommend it for bears, moose or elk.) It is also easy to reload as the cases have some mass to them and it is easier to set a larger bullet properly than a smaller bullet. You also have a lot more choices in bullet size, weight and shape than you do with a .223. Same with powder choices. You can still get military surplus ammo which helps keep the cost down.

The only advantage the .223 has is the ammo is cheaper but if you are reloading, that is not so much an issue. It is an OK round for coyotes and other smaller game but that is about it. Most states will not allow you to use it for deer.

It depends on what you are using it for. If you plan to varmint hunt and target shoot only go with the 223. The ammo is a little cheaper. If you want it for deer hunting go with the 308. A 223 is too small. There are other options though. What is wrong with a 243. With a 243 you get both worlds. Use a 100 grain bullet for deer and 55 grain for varmints. The ammo though will be a little more than both the 223 and 308 ( bulk surplus).

.308 Winchester is a much more versatile round. You can use it to hunt almost any big game in North America, barring moose and brown bear. It's also a very capable round out to normal hunting ranges- you can take 300+ yard shots with it, if you're a good shot. .223 Remington doesn't carry the energy to hunt deer-sized or larger game, especially downrange.

Yes, the ammo might be a bit more expensive, but if you're purchasing a Remington 700, get one that will actually be useful for something other than varmint shooting. Since you're planning on handloading, the .308 Win is definitely a better choice, because you won't be spending all that much in the first place.

Hello Curtis!

Your clarification is a little vague as to what you are planning to use your rifle for, and the distances you are looking to shoot at!

First, I will base my response on the Remington 700 SPS Varmint, with an MSRP of $732. http://www.remington.com/products/firearms/centerf...

Both chamberings are excellent choices, depending on what you plan on using the rifle for!

The 700 chambered in .308 is pretty much range ready for formal target shooting. I have an older Remington 700 Varmint Special in .308 that was my foundation for a 1000 yard rifle for NRA Long Range High Power matches. Other than not being happy with the stock, I have done only minor work on it. I modified the follower so the magazine holds five rounds as opposed to the standard 4. I have installed a long range scope mount, and micrometer sights, and replaced the factory trigger. This rifle shoots approximately a 14 inch (1.4 MOA), 20 shot group at 1000 yards with my match handloads. The twist of the factory barrel is working with me, however I would prefer a 1:10 twist over the 1:12 twist.

The Model 700 in .223 has much potential, but it is a bit limited. The short coming I see with the .223 is the barrel. The factory barrel has a twist rate of 1:12, which will stabilize a bullet in the range of 40 to about 62 grains ... making your effective range about 300 yards. If you are looking at NRA High Power Rifle Matches, you will have to change barrels. A barrel with a 1:9 twist should stabilize the Sierra 69 grain MatchKing out to 600 yards, but this bullet would be VERY susceptible to the wind at that distance. Most serious match shooters shooting the .223 at 600 yards use the Sierra 80 grain MatchKing, which requires a twist rate of between 1:7 and 1:8" Otherwise, to function properly as a match rifle in formal rifle matches, you would still need to upgrade the trigger and add both an adequate scope mount and metallic sights. These modifications, including a faster twist barrel would run you about an extra $600, if you shop prudently and do most of your own installation.

As a range ready formal target rifle, the .308 would (in the long-run) cost you less: however, your ammunition (even if you reload) will cost you more than the .223. In the past 5 or 6 years, the Sierra (bulk box of 500) MatchKing bullets has jumped massively! The .308 175 grain MatchKings that I use for 1000 yards went from roughly $90 to $165+. The .223 69 grain MatchKings I use in my AR went from about $60 to about $90.

If you are looking at informal target shooting and varmint shooting at ranges up to 300 yards, I would lean toward the .223. If you are looking at formal target shooting and/or hunting larger game than ground hogs, I would go for the .308. I know for my 1000 yard gun ... I acquired my Varmint Special for about $600 in the mid-90s, and I have put no more than $500 into accessorizing it for my needs. I know if I made the move into a .223, I would have spent much more.

Good luck and good shooting!

It would depend upon what you want to do with the rifle. For shooting targets, the .223 ammo is much cheaper. For varmint hunting up to coyotes, the .223 is superior. For deer hunting, in many states, the .223 is illegal to use, in the other states, it is not a good idea. For target shooting .308, with its heavier bullet, is good for higher wind conditions and longer distances. If you are target shooting, I would look at the Rem 700 SPS Tactical or Varmint. I think they run around $600, I know the Varmint does. The Tactical may be more expensive since it has a much better stock. If you get the Varmint, you will want to replace the stock with a decent one. My son has the .308 with a B&C stock and gets touching bullet holes at 100 yds with our hand loads using Nosler 168 gr Custom Competition and takes deer out to 300 yds with 150 gr Nosler Ballistic Tip hand loads.

Curtis-

This depends on what your initial intent for the rifle really is. If you intend on learning how to sight your rifle and start with target shooting first, then I would encourage you to start with the .223 Remington, (5.56 NATO). Don't let the other para-military concrete commandos in this section fool you. .223 Rem and 5.56 NATO are the same cartridge. 5.56 is the military designation for the same cartridge.

The .223 is a good cartridge for beginners as it is a very mild cartridge to shoot. It is also good for small game hunting to include rabbits and squirrels, plus game up to Coyote. But not much more than those.

Now if you intend on using your rifle for hunting, I would not recommend .308 Winchester, (7.62x51mm NATO), for a beginner. You might consider splitting the difference and looking into the .243 Winchester Cartridge instead. This was my first hunting cartridge, and depending on the area of the country you live in, is the most acceptable "entry level" cartridge accepted by the Department of Fish and Game, or Department of Wildlife Management. This cartridge is too much for rabbits and other types of small game, but for Coyote and up to Black Tail Deer, this cartridge has served me very well.

It has low recoil, and a very flat trajectory. The next step up would be the .270 Winchester, which has close to the same trajectory profile as the .243 Winchester, only with a smaller projectile.

If you are set on the .223 Rem., the only issue with it is you are very limited on the size of game you can effectively hunt. Its at range energy delivery upon impact for larger game is not adequate enough to get the job done properly. But for a target/varmint cartridge, there are few which perform as well, and are cost effective enough to make the caliber worth shooting in any sort of volume. Basically with that remark, meaning making the rifle able to shoot enough to enjoy.

As for the choice in rifles, you can't go wrong with a Remington 700. I have a couple of them, and they will never be up for sale at any price. They are probably the best built actions on the market to date.

I hope I have helped you out.

Good Luck and Happy Shooting!

If you plan to handload, get the .308 - no contest. - Far more versatile.

You can load it to throw bullet weights from 125 -220 Gr.

That .223 is just a varmint round. (52 - 75 gr. and thats if you get the

'quick twist' barrel to stabilize the heavier bullets, (62-75 gr.)

A .223 most people would use for general protection from things like animals, such as if a coyote were to get in a pen and go after your livestock. A 308 is obviously more powerful and would be more for hunting purposes. If you are just going to get it to play around and shoot targets and such I would go with the 223 seeing as how the bullets would probably be cheaper, and that stuff adds up quick.