I owned a 770 .270. They are not as bad as everyone says as the couple 3-4 boxes I planned on putting through it a year who have held fine. Yes it fired and would put down a deer. Now that being said I happened into a deal where a guy need to get rid of his .270 model 700! Like others have said quality and durability no comparisons and lets just say I am now the proud owner of a model 700 .270 BDL. But again if you want something to take into woods kill a deer and not worry about banging it on some trees 770 is fine. But if you want a weapon to pass on to grandson's grandsons save your money for a 700! But is your money and I just wanted to share my experiences with BOTH models.