I've been on the hunt for a synthetic stock rifle to use for whitetail hunting, but also just for fun. I have several really nice walnut stock hunting rifles but I'd like to have a purely utilitarian rifle that I can use and not feel bad about putting scratches, dings, and dents on. It seems kind of silly, but for some reason I want to get one of the Remington 700 SPS Tac 308 rifles with the 16.5" barrel and put it in a Magpul Hunter stock. I'm not looking for a long range platform. Hunting scenarios would be well under 200 yards and range opportunities would be 300 yards max. For whatever reason, I just think the super short barrel looks pretty cool in the Magpul stock.

My other option was a Kimber Hunter synthetic rifle for about the same money as the Rem 700 and Magpul stock. I know the Rem setup would be a lot heavier, but I don't any hiking when I hunt. I ride a four wheeler a short distance from my stand and walk in the rest of the way on nice open trails. So weight would not be a concern for me in terms of packing. And all of my tree stands have a shooting rail, so I would have a fairly decent rest to use when shooting from the stand.

So, how dumb is the Rem 700 setup and would I be better off to just go with the lighter, more traditional Kimber Hunter setup?