Remington Model 783 Bolt Action Rifle 308 Winchester 22" Barrel 4 Round Mag 3-9x40mm Scope Synthetic Black Stock 85847

I purchased a Remington 783 in .308 Winchester as a rifle that would be “good enough” without all of the fancy bells and whistles that add serious dollars to the cost of rifles. When I bought mine, Remington didn’t even make the models with the walnut stocks. Just like the early Model T cars, you could have any type of stock you wanted, just as long as it was black and synthetic. The 3-9x50 scope that came with the rifle was adequate, but nothing extraordinary. But, for the price of the rifle with scope, I can’t complain. The scope worked just fine and did a better job than I expected. The rifle was chambered in one of the most popular cartridges in the US and I thought it would be a good addition to my gun safe. When I factored in the price, I decided to try one and see what happened. On my first outing to the range to get it sighted-in to my satisfaction, I noticed that the rifle shot better than I thought a $270-dollar rifle/scope combo should. I was prepared to call anything less than a 3” group acceptable for this rifle. Not because I think Remington can’t make good rifles, but for a rifle/scope combination well under $300, before the $40 rebate, I simply knew that Remington cut some corners to keep the rifle so affordable. I tried a number of different loads in commonly available factory ammunition and a 1.5” group was the best I could do at 100 yards. I tried every trick I could think of to shoot smaller groups, but I could never do better than 1.5 MOA. This level of accuracy was more than adequate for the hunting that I had in mind for this rifle. When I picked up the rifle to move to another location on the range, I noticed that the scope was slightly loose. That little voice in the back of my head said that I should have checked it before I went to the range, but I didn’t. To make matters worse, after I tighten the ever-so-slightly loose screws down, the scope had to be sighted-in again. The change wasn’t drastic, but it was large enough so that the groups now were decidedly not hitting the paper where they did only moments earlier. I sighted-in the rifle again, using the same ammo, and that’s when I realized that the groups were smaller this time around compared to the time before. Out of 5 5-shot groups, I managed to get 2 groups under 1” at 100 yards and the other 3 were just over the 1 MOA mark. That was much better than I expected to get from this rifle. That level of accuracy was more than up to the task of putting meat in the freezer and providing some to the less fortunate among us. Overall, the rifle and its accuracy pleasantly surprised me. I’d never confuse it with a fancy-schmancy target rifle, but I’d also never confuse the two prices. The bullets clustered neatly around the 1 MOA mark (+/-). The rifle itself lived up to its utilitarian looks and completed the tasks I assigned it without complaint or incident. For the cost of the rifle, you get more than your money’s worth. It’s not a fancy firearm, but it doesn’t pretend to be. It’s a rifle that will deliver when you need it to and offers an amazingly low price for the accuracy it provides. My issues with the rifle were the stock that flexed and felt like it twisted under recoil. I don’t have any high-speed footage to support my contention, but, from my perspective, the stock was one of the weakness in the rifle. I figure Remington used a synthetic stock to keep costs down in order to bring a rifle/scope combination to market that is affordable and offers good accuracy. My other issue with the rifle was the detachable magazine. I had a heck of a time getting the magazine in and out without holding it just right, standing on my left foot, and keep my tongue on the right side of my mouth. Upon closer inspection, some of the injection-molded stock material was in the way. After my time at the range, I spent some quality time with a Dremel and that fixed the problem. The Crossfire trigger was a surprise. It was smooth, clean, and crisp. It had a bit of over-travel, but nothing to worry about. For a production rifle, in the affordable category, the trigger was a highlight for me. It provided good feedback and broke cleanly. I have nothing but kind remarks to make about the trigger. Of course, your mileage may vary, and trigger feel is subjective. I gave the rifle/scope combo 4 out of five stars. The important thing to know is that it rated a low 4-star or a high 3-star. It was a perfectly acceptable rifle that did everything I asked it to do. It also provided more accuracy than I had a right to expect. In short, Remington did well with the Model 783. It’s a solid, affordable, good rifle that doesn’t pretend to be anything other than a firearm that can get the job done. The word that keeps popping into my head, for the synthetic-stocked versions, is utilitarian. The 783 provides a lot of bang for the buck and does so with unexpected features and abilities that surprised me, all in a good way. When you take it to the range or are sitting around the deer camp, some of your friends might give you a good-natured ribbing about it. However, when you get the chance to show them what it’s capable of doing, all of that will disappear. Don’t be surprised if they want to give it a try. When they find out what you paid for it, they’ll probably get one for themselves.