Which 700 to buy

MikeVACP said:

I'm looking to purchase a Model 700. I want something with a heavy barrel that I can use for hunting and or long range target. I also haven't decided on .308 or .300 win mag. I was thinking of either a Nikon or Leupold scope and also a nice bipod. Any recommendations on a specific model?

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Hello and welcome to the forum. There are a lot of great folks here to learn from so don't be afraid to jump right in.
I am going to guess and say the 700 SPS Varmint in 308 would do both. I have never put a rifle together to serve double
duty so I'm probably not the best guy to ask. I will say, without knowing your budget, the SPS Tactical and the 700 SPS are both
very reasonable in price and would give you the ability to have two rifles dedicated to their respective specialties. I guess you can hunt with any long firearm but I think your going to end up with one heavy, over scoped hunting rifle, or one under scoped long range rifle. Again I'm spending your money here but that's what I would look at doing.
Nikon makes some really nice hunting scopes and are reasonably priced. Leupold, in my opinion, would get the nod in the long range or tactical department. Hope that helps.
308 will kill anything in North America, the barrel will live longer, and it's cheaper to shoot. It's capable of 800 plus yards with no problem and that's probably further than most people can shoot anyway.
300 Win Mag is a good round and will shoot further but the barrel life is probably half that of the 308. It's also a lot more punishment
when shot from the bench. Unless you like recoil that can be an issue.
Good luck and be sure to let us know what you decide.