Looking for any information on these rifles, accuracy, throat length, have heard about excessive chamber/throat lengths. I'd like to get this rifle in 243 to hotrod a little, and want something sound to start with. Any info appreciated.
Thanks

Welcome to the forum 1911fan. Rules are simple, be nice and join in.

I shoot a Rem 700 VLS in 243, virtually the same gun with a laminated wood stock instead of the plastic stock. Accuracy is very good with my Remington. I've heard some negative comments about the plastic stocks, but I haven't shot one so I can't tell you except what I've heard. It's a very accurate rifle, but your mileage may vary with a different gun.

Here's a pix of mine. It wears a BSA 6 by 24 illumnated Mil dot scope.

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q172/faucettb/Preditor%20masters/700VLS243.jpg

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q172/faucettb/Preditor%20masters/700vls.jpg

I've found that hot rodding usually isn't a path to accuracy. Loads that are 10 percent under max usually only show a 2 percent loss of velocity an are usually a lot more accurate than max loads.

I'm shooting mostly coyote loads and having good results with Nosler 55 grain ballistic tips at just over 3900 fps. These are one of the most deadly coyote loads I've ever used and just plain shoot flat. Very comparable to both my 204 and the 22-250 I used to use. I'm getting very good groups with everything I shoot from 105 grains down to the ultra-light 55 and 58 grain bullets. All under an inch and most in the half to 3/4 inch range (five shot hundred yard groups).

Now to the downside. This gun is a pig to carry at near 11 1/2 to 12 pounds with scope and ammo it goes ground squirrel hunting or with my son when we work togather for coyotes, but I find a heavy 26 inch barrel gun just to heavy to pack to coyote sets. I either take a Ruger #1B in 243 or my new CZ 527 varmint that weighs 8.5 pounds loaded and with a scope. Which is my recommendation for a calling and ground squirrel rifle.

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q172/faucettb/Preditor%20masters/CZ527-204-2.jpg

If your talkin about 'hot rodin' in the sense of stock action w/ custom barrel, stock, etc.

get your smith or yourself to find a good used action go from there. I wouldn't buy a new gun and through everthing but the action away...but your right you do need a good sound platfrom from which to build.

I've got the M700 VLS in 204 and I'm happy with it's sub MOA performance out of the box.

Thanks, maybe hotrodding should be clarified as more experimenting with. I have an Encore handgun in 243 and find this caliber interesting and maybe underrated (at least by me). When it comes to a coyote gun I go for my 22-250, but would like to experiment with something else, and I think the 243 would be a fun cal, relatively economical to reload for and can shoot all day without the BenGay treatment. Which is why I am considering the Rem SPS Varmint - seems to be a good value, can add/modify as required. Maybe get lucky with a tackdriver out the box and problems solved.

I have a 700 sps varmint in a 308. Shot about 100 rounds through it so far. I've only had it about a month. I can't complain about it's performance. Have changed scopes on it twice, i'm a moron, and both times it has shot very consistant. I'm still working on find a load that it is comfortable with. So far it's likes cheapo remington 150 core-lokt.

kjones9, what type of groups are you getting and do you have any pics of them? Also hows the trigger?

I don't have any pictures. I had a simmons 6.5-18 x 50 on it at first and was getting excellent groups. Maybe 3 shots within a nickel to quarter at a 100 yards with 150 grain core-lokt but i kept telling myself the simmons scope wasn't good enough. I had a burris euro diamond on another gun so i switched them around. Went to the range saturday and had a **** of a time sighting it in but once i got it on paper and a warm barrel, i shot five 165 a-frames into maybe the bottom of a coke can. I wasn't very impressed with the 165 but the barrel was pretty warm. I think the trigger is pretty dang good for a factory trigger. It's really crisp with that new x mark pro. My buddy bought the same gun and put a burris ff2 tactical on it and had to shim the scope under the rear scope mount. Never heard of this but other than that, he really likes it. We got them for 400 yrd shots at deer in the Texas hill country.

Looking for any information on these rifles, accuracy, throat length, have heard about excessive chamber/throat lengths. I'd like to get this rifle in 243 to hotrod a little, and want something sound to start with. Any info appreciated.
Thanks

Interesting sounding project. I got interested in a .223 REM simply because it was thrust upon me in VIETNAM in 1967-68. I learned to shoot it without instruction and found it to be quite accurate (5.56mm in the M-16 version; and no, they aren't really "interchangeable", in that the M-16 produces a higher chamber pressure, but probably ok in a strong modern action like the 700 REM Rifle). I later bought a 700 REM in a .223 Cal and mounted a BURIS 4.5 x 14 scope on it. I believe the picture speaks for itself. Slightly over 3000 fps is more than sufficient to bust the heart out of a coyote, prairie dog or a mouse. If it's accuracy you want, don't worry so much about having a "hot rod" for a rifle-------that'll take care of itself----and the critters too!

1911fan,
A friend of mine has the 700 SPS in 243 w/the synthetic stock, and sporter weight barrel, and it is quite the shooter.

http://www.remington.com/products/firearms/centerfire_rifles/model_700/model_700_SPS.asp

I believe he shoots the 55 gr hornady right around 4000 fps and he sure is deadly on rockchucks. I've shot this gun quite a bit on squirrels and rockchucks and I can sure recommend it. It sure has a good feel to it putting it to the shoulder, and a nice smooth action.

Looking for any information on these rifles, accuracy, throat length, have heard about excessive chamber/throat lengths. I'd like to get this rifle in 243 to hotrod a little, and want something sound to start with. Any info appreciated.
Thanks
I bought one last spring in .223 Rem. and like it a lot. While the plastic stock isn't exactly beautiful, it is very functional and rests nicely on a sandbag rest. Neither I, nor my gunsmith, turned out to be big fans of the new X-Mark Pro trigger, but it is okay, I guess. We plan on replacing it this winter. Probably with a Timney. The barrel seemed accurate enough, with most groups around 5/8 of an inch to an inch or so for 5 shots at 100 yards. I still need to try to free float the barrel to see if that helps. I also think with the new trigger I should be able to get the group sizes down to half inch or so.