On Target With The 710

Guns Magazine, April, 2001 by Dave Anderson

Despite its moderate price and unorthodox design, the, Remington 710 doesn't look or feel cheap. The matte blue finish on the barrel and receiver and the textured finish on the gray stock give an understated, businesslike appearance. The rifle balances well and has a nice, solid feel in the hands:

Despite the touted self-lubricating nature of the synthetic bolt guide, the bolt took noticeably more effort to operate than a Model 700. It's not rough or jerky it just takes more effort, particularly in the closing stroke when turning the bolt tugs into the recesses in the barrel.

The trigger mechanism of the Model 710 uses Model 700 components, so, presumably, a knowledgeable gunsmith could adjust the pull. As set by the factory, trigger quality on the half-dozen rifles we handled varied from adequate to very good.

Lack of a proper heavy benchrest made accuracy testing difficult, but we managed a couple of five-round, 1 1/2" groups from a rather shaky rest. Remington representatives advised that in their testing they were con sistently getting 1 MOA accuracy.

There's no reason why the 710 shouldn't be accurate. Remington makes good barrels; the action is strong and symmetrical. The use of guard screws threading into the barrel should allow for consistent barrel and action harmonics when the rifle is fired. The 710 is a lot of rifle for the money and should prove a worthy addition to the Remington line.

Specifications: Remington 710

Overall length: 42"

Barrel: Carbon steel, 22"

Rifling: Button rifled, six groove, right-hand twist, 1:10

Weight (empty): 7 1/8 lbs.

Stock dimensions: Length of pull 13 1/4", drop at comb 1/2", drop at heel 11/16".

Magazine: Detachable steel box, four rounds.

Trigger pull: Factory set at 3.5 to 5 lbs.

Calibers: 270 Win., .30-'06