bought new remington .700 BDL

kingnn93 · 10-17-2007, 07:15 PM

I just bought a new Remington .700 BDL Custon Deluxe 30.06 centerfire rifle.... i was just wondering if i made a good buy or not.
my friend told me about this gun and that this a very good gun.....i was just wondering if any of any you have the same modelI have4 questions about this gun
1.how this gun handles
2.what you think my range would be on this gun
3.should i buy recoil pads so i can reduce the recoil of the gun
4.what type of bullets should i use?
ive just got this gun afew days ago and was wondering if i got a good buy.i havent had a chance to go to the shooting range yet, i will have a chance to site it out before i go for some whitetails.

thank you and good luck!!

dway87 · 10-17-2007, 08:09 PM

i have this gun in .243 and i think it is an awesome rifle!

homers brother · 10-17-2007, 08:33 PM

I've had the same rifle and caliber since my college days. Probably my most-used rifle. Topped by an inexpensive Bushnell 4-12x scope.

How it "handles"? Well, it's not a sports car, if that's what you mean. It's a rifle, balanced as well as any other I've used.

Range? While range is a matter of physics, accuracy at long distances is a matter of skill. I'll say that there haven't been many times I've felt limited by the .30-06. On the other hand, I've felt limited by my skills on more than one occasion. My "longest" shot on big game with this rifle has been 175 yards, but I'm not into lobbing lead at game. I stalk game.

So, with a solid buttplate, one might be a bit intimidated by the .30-06. It does get your attention, but mark my words much less so than my .300 Wby or .375 H&H does, either of them with fairly substantial pads. If you're shooting from a bench or at prairie dogs from the prone, you're going to feel it if you shoot much more than half a box of ammo. If you're hunting, you're not going to remember the shot that bagged your deer.

Ammunition? Lots of guys and the magazines will tell you to fork out $40 a box on custom factory ammo. I've used "cheapo" Remington, Winchester, and Federal ammo for years, and I've NEVER had a problem. For deer, use a 150 grain CoreLokt, PowerPoint, or Hi-Shok. Elk and moose, use a 180 grain. Get yourself to the range though. Get to know your rifle, hone your marksmanship skills.

With practice, I think you'll find this rifle will meet nearly all of your North American hunting needs. You'll only feel undergunned if you're hunting in Alaska and bears are present. My model 700s haven't failed me yet.

SJAdventures · 10-18-2007, 04:12 PM

I have a Rem 70 BDLin the 300 saum caliber and with the R-3 recoil pad it really is not a bad kicker at all.

savagescout · 10-19-2007, 04:52 AM

Great gun great caliber. period.

Steve863 · 10-19-2007, 06:27 AM

A 700 BDL in .270 has been the rifle I take hunting since 1985. I think the non-magnum BDL's still come with that hard plastic butt plate. I would highly recommend you replace this with a nice recoil reducing rubber pad. I hunted with the one that came with the rifle for the first few years, but I got to tell you that they are as terrible as can be. You can't even firmly hold the rifle to your shoulder with it since it extremely slippery. The recoil pad I replaced it with was the best investment I made on that gun. Otherwise I consider it a really great rifle. I haven't had to re-adjust my scope on it barely an inch in all these years!

dway87 · 10-19-2007, 07:38 AM

i still have the hard plate on my bdl and it's a pain after shooting the gun at the range and it's only a .243.

shepdogwv · 10-19-2007, 11:28 AM

I concur about the buttpad, I have a 7mm08 and it makes it a lot worse than it actually is. Does anyone know where to get a softer rubber pad with the same thickness? I don't necessarily want something that is a thick recoil reducing, I want it to look close to the same (thickness and color), just not be plastic.

Steve863 · 10-19-2007, 12:17 PM

I'm sure there might be one out there with the same thickness, but I was happy I went with a thicker one. Had to have a gunsmith cut off an inch or so of the stock, but the end result makes the gun look even better than the original set up in my opinion. I think with a thin one you will still be feeling the screws that hold it in place against your shoulder on recoil. In fact you might be feeling them even more with a softer rubber pad of the same thickness in comparison to the old hard plastic one where you are feel more of the hard plastic on recoil.

kingnn93 · 10-19-2007, 03:55 PM

wo0w i wouldnt think i would have this many posts on this thread, but hey thanks for the advice and i just want to ask something totally off the topic..... whats the difference between a rimfire rilfe and a centerfire......thank you for you advice!!! and good luck with therifle/bowhunting deer seaons!!