Remington 798, .308
Has there been any real negatives with this model of Remingtons ? The prices appear to be generally reasonable, but just curious if the actions are poor, or accuracy is less than desired.. thanks
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sandcrabs,
The actions are the same as the old Mark X's. They are made in Yugoslavia by a company called Zastava. Very good actions. It inner finish leaves a little to be desired but will wear very smoothe in short order. The stock is where I have issues with the 798/799 but it's good enough to work and is basically glass bedded. That combined with the laminated stock will give consistent accuracy. I do understand that you can now get them in a basic version 'SPS' type composite/rubber covered stock. I have yet to see one of those. Maybe it's a tupperware stock like the 710's/770's. They seem a little soft in really warm temps. But, like all rifles wearing them they still shoot pretty good.
FWIW, I have a 799 in .222 Rem and it's a .5 MOA rifle.0 -
These were imported by Charles Daly until several years ago when Remington got the contract from Zastava. The Charles Daly versions had walnut stocks rather than the laminated wood stocks in the Remington versions.
As Sandwarrior points out above, they are true Mauser actions, with controlled round feed. Many prefer these to the tried and true Remington push-feed actions, as I do. Dangerous game hunters strongly prefer the controlled round feed actions to the push feed types because, if the target animal charges and attacks, and has you running, jumping, crawling on the ground, and fighting for your life, the controlled round feed may save your life (if it is worth saving).
Further, as a personal preference, I like the "snick and click" of a good quality, controlled round feed action, to the "clunk, clunk", of the Remington, but that is just me. While I will not take issue with the popularity of the Remington 700 actions, or their strength, or their utility, to me, they are merely clunky. But, I digress. I suspect that Jack O'Connor may have had a few words in this regard.
The actions tend to be rough, as Sandwarrior has pointed out. However, they will wear in with use and oiling, and a gunsmith can also hone them up for you. Or, you can hone it yourself with the proper graphite or other products. The "roughness" does not detract from the rifle's usefulness in any significant way. Further, these rifles have a good sliding type safety on the left side and to the rear of the bolt. I prefer it to the Rem 700 safety. I cannot comment about the triggers, because I have not tried it. I suspect that it is reasonably good, but could probably be improved by a good gunsmith and some honing.
The prices are very attractive on these rifles. I have seen them on special at Cabela's for $300 or $400.
I do not know if Zastava makes the barrels, or if Remington or someone else does. However, someone else on the forum may know the answer to that question. I recall that the barrels were free-floated, but I am not certain of this.0 -
The finish is definitely rougher than earlier actions. I have actions from 10-15 years ago that are smooth and well blued but since price is the byword, the finish is the first thing to go. You're carrying a little extra weight with this action in 308 compared to a short action 700. 0 -
Thanks for your thorough input, you all do such a great job. Jack 0 -
i just purchased a new 798 in 308 from cdnn for $388. i ordered the brown laminate but i recieved a walnut stock, even though the box is marked brown laminate. i installed a bushnell 4200 3x10x40 on it and i really like the way it handles.i havnt had a chance too shoot it yet but from what i have read they are good shooters also.i have been told that remington is dropping all there imports rifles and shotguns.for the money they are hard too beat. 0 -
ddhotbot:
You have an excellent package there, and you got some good value for your money. Both the rifle and scope are good ones. If it were me, I would make sure that the rings, bases, and scope are all mounted properly. I have found that some gunshops do not know how to this professionally and properly, and I will spend a few bucks with a good gunsmith to hone the inside of the rings, use some proper locktite on the screws, etc.
Then, clean the barrel with a good product such as Hoppe's Benchmark or other product that is known to handle both copper and carbon fouling.
Then, begin your break-in procedure at the range as you zero the rifle and scope.
In my opinion, the walnut stock is preferable to the laminate. Check to see if it is free-floated, or if it has a pressure point up front. I thought that the Charles Daly's were floated, but I am not sure.
After some testing and break-in, you may wish to consider spending a few bucks on the trigger, and perhaps some bedding tuneups. But regardless, you have a nice package there.0
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