Thanks guys for all the feedback on the 700.Sounds like they are still good as they used to be.I also like the way the Model 7 looks to and it comes in the 20 inch barrel versus 24 inch barrel.I now shoot a Marlin 45-70 and since having neck surgery I need to drop down to a milder kicking gun so that is why the 243 is at the top of my list as it has moderate recoil and will also reach out if I need it to.One other question I have is does the new recoil pad thay have on the new Remingtons really reduce recoil as much as advertised on their website.Thanks again. Mike