The poster right before told of three Remingtons, one good so he brought two that have made them decide that Remington is not worth the risk ever again.
Brithunter is one of my favourite posters on this forum and comes across the sort of fellow I'd enjoy spending time in the field with, so I hope that he doesn't take offense by my response the above quote, in which he appears to reference a prior contribution of mine to this thread.
In my prior post, I tried to articulate that my personal lack of desire to purchase another Remington firearm is due in large measure to the fact that "Big Green" does not have anything in their current product lineup that I can't live without. I pointed out that if they still manufactured the 332 O/U shotgun, I would consider being a Remington customer.
I don't "hate on Remington." I have no reason to. In fact, I have every reason in the world to be as rabid a fan of their line as Swampman is. Every adult male in my family on both my father and mother's sides owns at least one Remington firearm and for the majority, ALL of the rifles and shotguns they own are Remingtons. I also trusted my life to the venerable 870 during my tenure in law enforcement and I don't think that trust was misplaced. Also, full disclosure prompts me to add that the most accurate firearm I've ever shot is my father's XP 100 in 7mm Bench Rest Remington. It literally groups into one ragged hole. Shot after shot after shot. The only thing done to it was the addition of a scope. Otherwise, it is as supplied by Remington.
I am not a huge fan of the Model 700. That isn't because my one an only personally owned example was a 2.5 MOA shooter and an inconsistant one at that. The truth of the matter is that I am the kind of hunter who is more inclined to brag about how CLOSE he got to the game rather than how far off it was when he killed it. The hunting field is a test of hunting skill in my world and in that same world, shooting skill is tested on the target range. I could have kept on hunting with that Mountain Rifle of mine from purchase to present and its 2.5 MOA groups wouldn't have kept me from downing my share of game. That level of "precision" is more than adequate for the way I hunt the game intended to be hunted with that rifle.
I can appreciate the engineering and design of the Model 700. It has earned the reputation that it has. It just isn't my cup of tea because in my hands, a Model 700 just feels so wrong. For me, its an ergonomic thing.
Tastes change. I thought my CZ 550 in .30-'06 was the cat's whiskers until I tried the Savage Model 10 Sierra that I currently shoot. The Savage simply fits me better than the CZ did. It is also significantly lighter. It is also slightly more accurate but not enough to make a difference on a deer stalk.
I have had one excellent personal ownership experience with a Remington product (my 870, which I wouldn't want to part with) and one dissapointing one (the .280 M-700 Mountain Rifle I owned 20 years ago). I bought my Father an 11-87 back in 1987 and that has proven to be an excellent gun. If I didn't have an 870 that essentially does everything an 11-87 will do, I might consider buying one or, more likely, an 1100 Sporting or 1100 G3.
My wife bought her 870. I wasn't involved with the purchase and wasn't there when the deal was consumated. So I can't say that I bought it. I didn't.
It was a complete POS however, and so it is true that Remington can and at least occasionally does produce rubbish. Their customer service left something to be desired, too. While "She Who Must Be Obeyed" has vowed to the moon and stars to never, ever spend another dime on a Remington product, I have taken no such vow.
If I can offer an analogy, the British auto industry built plenty of rubbish in its day. A lot of it is on this side of the pond, quitely rusting away. That doesn't stop me from lusting after a Land Rover Defender 90 when I see one.
So, for the record, I am not a rabid Remington fanatic, but I don't hate on them, either. I was serious when I suggested that if Remington made 332 O/U shotguns still, I'd be highly inclined to buy one. I wouldn't if I thought it would be a POS.
Now, if you want to talk Ruger, bash away. I'll be happy to join in. And if Brithunter should ever make it to Tahlequah, Oklahoma and wish to engage in a little Ruger bashing, there's a cool little pub here near the University where I'd be more than happy to supply him with pints of Guiness or Bass in an effort to establish a loquatious mood.
-JP
