Pawn Shop find

[tboesche]

I was browsing in a local pawn shop Saturday and found a Rem 700 in .270 with a Simmons scope mounted. Blued with a black synthetic stock. Asking price is $399.00. Over all the gun looks to be in good shape, except the front and rear iron sights have been removed leaving small holes in the barrel. Are the sights just screwed on and could they be replaced?

Question is this a good deal for a used 700.

[A-R]

I'm not a bolt rifle expert, but have been looking at Rem 700s a bit for myself in last year or so. Does this rifle have the hinged door at bottom of stock under the action? If not, it is likely an "ADL" or similar version, which is their bargain basement version. Still has a great rep, but I think you can buy Rem 700 ADLs at Academy brand new for around $450 (of course, that's without a scope). If it has the hinged door, it is probably some version of a BDL or SPS etc., and those usually go for $600 or so, I think, new at Academy. CDLs with really nice wood furniture are $700 + and then there are all the specialized versions with heavy barrels, tactical components, etc. that can get really expensive.

If it has the hinged door at bottom I'd say $399 with scope seems like a decent deal. If it's an ADL version, I've seen those as low as $350 at gun shows.

[MoJo]

That sounds like a good deal to me. The holes in the barrel are usually filled with plug screws when the scope is installed. You can get the plug screws or have factory iron sights put on the rifle if you decide to buy. How does the bore look?

[tboesche]

I have not checked the bore yet. I will swing by and look at it a little closer. Also check the mag to see if it is an ADL or a BDL

[txbirddog]

Is the scope Variable or Fixed? If it is V, it would be worth at least $100.

[TDDude]

Simmons scopes are not that great IMO. I wouldn't trust it if I were going on an expensive hunt therefore I wouldn't even factor the scope in the price. Shops tend to just put any old scope on to make a rifle more appealing to the buyer. If you get it, at least you wont have to purchase rings when you get the "real" scope.

If it's a older BDL model, then that is an OK price if it's in flawless condition. If it's a newer 700 model, then you just have to look it up. Remington makes a bunch of versions of the 700 and they all have their plusses for whatever they were "designed" for and the price range is pretty large.

However, the 700 can't be beat for good ole fashioned hunting.