I purchased a Remington 798 in .308 two weeks ago. This is a commercial '98 Mauser made in Serbia. It has a laminate stock that is made for Remington. The bluing on the rifle is very good. It also has a free floated barrel. The stock has a comfortable cheek piece, and is fit very well. I looked at the 798 display model, as well as the 798 I purchased, and both have an excellent metal to wood fit. The rifle weighs in at 7 lb 10 oz, compared to the advertised weight of 7 lb. The safety has two positions, and some people might want to convert to a three position. Purchase price was $550 for the standard non-magnum model. Did put one coat of Tru-Oil on the stock.
I took this gun to an indoor range last weekend since it was snowing here in Dallas. Three shot groups were measuring 0.5-0.75" at 50 yards. This rifle should be able to shoot 1-1.5" groups at 100 yards out of the box. Recoil was milder than expected, and I believe the stock does a good job regarding perceived recoil. I know people have said this is a Remington ADL stock, but did Remington produce this stock with laminate and cheek piece?
There are two slight problems with this rifle. The trigger pull is about 3.75 lb, but has excessive creep. The gunsmith I talked to said the trigger could be worked on to virtually eliminate the creep (over travel) and reduce the trigger pull to no more than 3 lb. He said that this could be done for $65, and that trigger replacement would not be needed. I haven't had the trigger worked on yet, so I can't verify if this is true. I'll be going to the gun range this weekend and will have the trigger work done soon. The other problem is a relatively minor one, especially with the .308: this gun has a thick recoil pad, but the material is pretty hard. I intend to replace it with a better recoil pad.
I haven't seen the new stainless models yet. In my opinion, these new '98 Mauser barreled actions show superior quality to the Remington 700 at this price point. The larger caliber Mauser '98 actions should be a good choice for bigger and potentially dangerous game.