Remington 700 5R in 223 vs SPR

[Skyyr]

Long story short, I've got a Remington 700 5R in .223 that I picked up a year ago along with an AICS 2.0, but haven't had a chance to take out yet (i.e. it's new and unfired as of now).

I recently took my 16" precision AR build out and popped some targets and steel at 400yds. I had originally purchased the 5R for the 500-600yd range, but getting back behind my AR has me now working towards building an 18" SPR AR-15 build.

So, here's my dilemma: I'm not really seeing the practicality of the 5R. Further, the 1/9" twist rate of the 5R is less than optimal for most of the match ammo I keep on hand for my AR's. Additionally, the AICS 2.0 has some less-than-optimal arrangements, such as the thumbhole stock instead of a pistol grip (it never bothered me much on my friend's guns, but it is theoretically less practical). All in all, the 5R doesn't seem to have much going for it objectively.

On the flip side, the 5R is my only true bolt gun, and it's a Remington 700 at that.

I'm contemplating selling the 5R to offset the cost of the SPR; however, it's a buyers market now and bolt guns typically don't retain their value as much as AR's, so I'd likely be taking a slight loss (~$400) on the 5R. Not sure what the 2.0 AI's are going for, but I assume they're cheaper as well given that they're phasing them out.

So, thoughts? Opinions? Is the 5R something worth keeping? Or should I simply dump it for the SPR, with the plan to rebuild another bolt gun at a later date?

[taliv]

you can get viper skins cheap to turn the AICS thumbhole skins into a pistol grip like the AI AT

however, the thumbhole is just as practical. this may come as a surprise, but you don't have to stick your thumb through it, just like you don't have to grab the pistol grip like you're choking a chicken

yeah, 1-9 is a really poor choice for anything much past 400, except varmints. would be ok if you are looking to varmint hunt though

$400 loss seems like a lot. you could rebarrel it in a different twist or even caliber.

[ubet]

I have a 5r in 308 and its a shooter. I would just keep the rifle and the aics stock unless you're really in need of the cash. Only way I'd suggest trading it off is for a bigger caliber.

[Pappabear]

I have that 5R gun and shoot 77gr and 80 gr at .25 moa often. It's a .5 gun everyday. I have hit targets out to a thousand yards too many times to count. Twist rate is one factor determining how well a gun handles certain weight bullets.

I have a friend that has the same gun. His is a half inch gun too. It's a great trainer for other full power LR guns. I still have the 5R in 308 too. At one time I had the 300WM TOO. I love those guns. Keep it, shoot it, learn from it.

Best of luck.

[ace4059]

My 223 5R 1/9 twist will shoot 77 gr SMK's and 75 gr Amax's very well. I shoot mine at 892 yrds with a 16x scope and can hit an 8"x11" Silhouette the majority of the time. If I have wind gusts of 20+ mph then the hits start to drop. Its a fun gun to shoot long range and is cheap to shoot.

[FromMyColdDeadHand]

Any specific competition, our are you generally just thinking about something to handle 400+ yard shots? 223 in a 1:9 in an AICS is a nice heavy gun in a soft shooting caliber that would be fun to shoot.

If you are thinking about doing Precision rifle matches, get it rebarreled in a 6 or 6.5mm cartridge of your choice and you've got a competitive gun that will definitely have more reach and better ballistics than an SPR. So much so that you really aren't talking mirroring of capabilities- those are really two different tools. You've got the stock and the action, a new barrel might be about what you'd take in the 'loss' on the stock and action. You can probably sell the action and just start over again. I have the 1.5 and 2.0 AICSs and they are nice stocks. I agree the grip can be a bit off for some people.

You didn't say what scope you had, but there are great options out there now.

Like I said, the 700 in 223 would make a Death to Prairie dogs rifle or a nice to have target rifle.

[Keith E.]

"Further, the 1/9" twist rate of the 5R is less than optimal for most of the match ammo I keep on hand for my AR's."

You may want to run some of that match ammo that you have on hand before throwing the baby out with the bath water. In my limited experience and as noted above, some 1:9 barrels will shoot heavier projectiles very nicely. On the other hand, myself and plenty others don't see the need for a .223/5.56 bolt gun when you can get an AR platform gun shooting just as well relatively inexpensively. Good Luck with whichever path you choose.

Keith

[Onyx Z]

How long is your barrel? Velocity and barrel twist are typically interchangeable. Longer barrel = higher velocity. A sub 16" 1/9 may not shoot longer/heavier bullets well, but the more velocity you can get, the better the results are from a slower twist barrel. FWIW, I have a 16" 1/9 barrel that shoots 77gr handloads exceptionally well.

[NYH1]

I too bought my 5R 223 Rem. about a year ago and just started shooting it. It shoots 62/64 gr. hunting ammo pretty good but really likes 69 gr. match grade factory Federal BTHP ammo. I'd keep it.

Good luck, NYH1.