Remington 783

[Gun-guy]

Anyone have any experience with the Remington 783? I saw one advertised at my local gun shop for $299 after the rebate, it came complete with a scope. Seems like a really good price.

Just wondering if the gun is any good, or will I be getting what I paid for? I remember my dad used to have a Remington 700 that shot really good, is this gun similar?

Thanks for the help.

GG

[Midtown]

Found this in an article:

"Remington's newest bolt-action rifle is the Model 783. The "7" in the model designation comes from the 700 line of rifles, the "8" is kind of a throwback to the affordable but reliable model 788, which was discontinued 20 years ago, and the "3" is for the three in 2013."

That only answers part of your question about it though. I don't have any experience with it.

[lausdeo]

I haven't shot one of these, only handled one in the store (so take that for what it's worth), but they seem kinda cheap quality to me. I could be wrong though, I was once before. LOL

Personally, I spend a few extra bucks (save up if you have to) and get a Tikka. In the long run I think you'd be much happier with the purchase.

Just my two cents.

[Gun-guy]

Thanks for the info.

[Thanatos2203]

This is sort of Remington's answer to Savage eating some of their cake, the free floating bolt head and trigger design are both copies of the Savage. Not a fan of Savage, but I had a 783 in .270 which could put 5 in the same hole at 100 yards. It shot fine, but there wasn't much else that could be done with it. Remington doesn't want to hurt their 700 sales so almost nothing is cross compatible, not even the scope mounts, making 700 series upgrades not an option. For comparison I used to have a 700 SPS Light Tactical in .308. I don't know if it was just me as a shooter or dumb luck, but my 783 grouped better. Ended up selling both and now shoot a Winchester.

Little things bothered me about the 783, like not having metal sling studs, just formations in the plastic stock. My biggest gripe was that it consistently had problems feeding the second round in the magazine, the bolt would either pass over it, or push it half way out and jam. A couple other people on this forum have experienced the same thing. I had to bend out the magazine catch spring continually to make it feed properly. Trigger could be adjusted down nice and light but the screw felt like it was being stripped when I did it. At the time there were no stock upgrades available, and the lightweight factory one punched pretty good without an upgraded recoil pad.

If you want a cheap entry level rifle, this is exactly that. It shoots great and is probably the best budget rifle Remington has put out, but overall construction is going to be on par with the price. If you buy it, don't expect it to perform miracles. I have seen them as low as $180 at Sportsman's Warehouse during specials.

[ccoyle]

My experience with the 783 is limited to handling them in stores, but I didn't like the overall 'feel' of them, and I've read enough reviews of them to be hesitant if I were thinking about getting one. OTOH, everyone seems to love the old 788s, and you can find one of those, probably including a scope, for about $100-$150 more.

[JAGGUY]

I picked up a 783 in .223 from jail Tuesday. I will shoot it Friday so until then I don't know how it shoots.
That said, I really like it. I think the only "cheap" thing about it to me is the plastic stock which all entry level rifles are going to have.
The action feels very good, with dummy rounds it feeds 5 as fast as I can work the bolt. The built in sling mounts don't bother me and look substantial enough.
I also like the fact that it has a 1:9 twist rate.

I bought it for a range plinker and I'm sure it will fill that bill nicely.
I've never owned a .223 in a bolt gun but have a single shot and 3 different AR's. I think the 783 will be a lot of fun...

Oh, and I had a 788in 6mm I bought new. Good shooter but the lousiest feeling action with those rear locking lugs....Still sorry I traded it for some body work...

[Wrangler John]

I bought one a long action in .30-06 a couple of months ago. Didn't need it, but wanted to experiment with one, and see how it compares with my 788.

Shot it with handloads, it seems capable of shooting around 1" +/-, but the factory stock isn't ideal for a Harris bipod. Needs to be tested from a rifle rest to know what it is capable of. Factory stock is good enough for the purpose, but too flexible and clunky for using a bipod, IMHO.

The trigger is comparable to other rifles in it's class. I adjusted mine down to a lighter pull with no trouble, and except for a little creep that still needs to be tuned out, it's acceptable.

Boyd's makes several styles of laminated wood stocks for the 783, long and short action, bull barrel or factory barrel, Classic, Prairie Hunter, Thumbhole Varmint or Pro Varmint, and others, costs $109.00. Mine was an early version. I modified mine as the take down screws attach the stock through a plastic insert. Still, its a good stock for the amazing price.

I removed the factory barrel with my Savage barrel nut wrench and a barrel vise, and replaced it with a Criterion barrel I special ordered from Northland Shooters Supply chambered in .25-06 Remington. This one is a shooter from my initial testing using reformed .30-06 cases. Barrel swaps are easy with the correct tools and gauges.

There are few quirks, for example, the take down screws are threaded 1/4"-32 TPI, same as the Winchester Model 70, but until factory parts and aftermarket accessories are available I had to make my own stock maker's screws. The small shank Savage barrel will screw into the 783 action, but differences between the bolt faces will not allow interchangeability. Remington 700 barrels also screw in but are also not interchangeable. The Savage small shank barrel nut, and recoil lugs, are interchangeable with the 783 and 700.

Pacific Tool and Gauge offers bolt heads for cartridge swaps, and detachable box magazine bottom metal and magazines. They are also producing one piece bolts.

My expectation is that as time passes there will be many additional aftermarket performance and OEM parts available. Overall, the 783 is a solid, sufficiently accurate rifle for game hunting, but would be even better if Remington offered it with a wood laminate stock option. Still, I wouldn't be reluctant to take it out for wild pig or deer.