HuntingNet.com Forums - remington 710

I've owned a 710 .270 since last year. I initially had some serious buyer’s remorse. But the more rounds I've put through it the more I appreciate it's accuracy.

The 710 isn't without it's problems. First off if the stock screws aren't properly torqued during reassemble, you may experience slam firing (based on first hand experience). If you have your finger on the trigger when the safety is switched off the rifle may fire (more first hand experience).
There are also some design-related annoyances. The stock is plastic and shouldn't be mistaken for a synthetic stock. Since the plastic is less rigid then other stock materials you can expect muzzle deflection if you attempt to use a sling. With steel at one end and plastic at the other, the rifle doesn't balance all that well.
Due to the ejector port and magazine design it is near impossible to top of the rifle with the magazine in place.
The optics of the supplied Bushnell scope is very good. The windage and elevation adjustments are horrible. Adjusting one pretty much screws up the other.
When I first tested the trigger it would break at anywhere between 3.9 and 5.3 pounds.

The good news is the trigger has been "broken-in" and now breaks at about 4.2 pounds. I've replaced the scope, properly torqued the stock screws and keep my finger out of the trigger guard when operating the safety.

When I ran across some with a very high-end target rifle I noticed the ejector port on the receiver was similar to that on the 710. When I asked owner about it he stated that using small ejector port added to the rigidity of the rifle which in turn aids accuracy. In the 710 the bolt is locked to the barrel and not the receiver. This also helps accuracy.

The reason I've stuck with this gun is because it is accurate. I consistently shoot 0.5-0.6 MOA groups at 100 yards. I also own a Ruger K77 target rifle with a two-stage target trigger. I've tried using a wide range of loads and can't get the Ruger groups that small.

I didn't buy the 710 because I couldn't afford a more expensive rifle. I bought it because I hoped the technology used it might make it decent silhouette rifle. And getting great results from a cheap ugly rifle that most shooters consider a lemon is something I find strangely satisfying.

As for hunting the difference in accuracy between a 710 and 700 isn't that that significant. With the OEM scope I wouldn't use a 710 for any long-range work. If you were to do any long-range hunting, the cost of a suitable scope may exceed the cost of a 710.