I think there must be a time when I can recues myself from rendering an assessment of a firearm. The criteria might be my inability to decide if I like, or don’t like, a rifle after staring at it on my work bench for days. At the end of some specified period, it would be pronounced a compound quandary – mystery, beyond reconciliation and I would be permitted to go home for the day.
The Remington Model 700 SPS Wood Tech, pictured left, is an example of a CQM. I know what a rifle is suppose to look like, as I am sure everyone would agree; deep blued steel with a slightly fancy walnut stock and synthetic stock and Cerakote for slackers who don’t maintain their firearms. The latter firearms are typically black or some shade of gray or an oak leaf pattern that never seems to match surroundings… except possibly the owner’s designer camo togs.
Remington did something very sneaky here. They went with the fiberglass stock used on the Model 700 SPS, including overmolded soft grip surfaces, but with a decorative wood grain finish. The stock feels good, it shoots straight and the heft and balance is the same as the standard SPS, a rifle that is comfortable to carry and shoot. It just seemed to me that Remington was taunting me over my appreciation for walnut stocked guns in support of those under 50 kids.
The walnut look does make sense. Walnut is wood, wood is generally found in the forest and this rifle at 10 yards, or so, disappears with a woodland backdrop. In fact, when I had it outside checking its appearance, it left several squirrels very confused. I suspect someone will come up with a wood grained camo outfit so an owner can still do “matchies” with his rifle.
It is a tough… durable rifle. The stock has all of the strength and weather resistance of the other Remington Model 700 SPS or XCR fiberglass stocks and the hardware is done in a durable matte black finish that wipes down easily and compliments the rifle’s appearance. The rest of the specs are familiar Remington.
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Remington’s Model 700 SPS Wood Tech
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| Manufacturer |
Remington Arms Company |
| Manufactured |
Ilion, NY |
| Caliber |
.270 Winchester* |
| Magazine Capacity |
4 |
| Barrel Length |
22″** |
| Twist Rate |
1:10″ |
| Weight |
7.375 lbs |
| Overall Length |
42 1/2″ |
| Stock |
Molded fiberglass |
| Pull |
13 1/4″ |
| Drop at comb |
3/4″ |
| Drop at heel |
3/4″ |
| Non-optical sights |
None |
| Trigger |
X-Mark Pro Adjustable |
| MSRP |
$639 |
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* Available in 270 Winchester, 30-06 Springfield,
7mm Remington Mag and 300 Winchester Mag
** 24″ barrels with magnum cartridges.
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In regard to specifications, I am not sure what drives some assignments… like barrel length.
Where the SPS Wood Tech gets as 22″ barrel in 270 Winchester, the CDL gets a 24″ barrel and the BDL gets a 22″ barrel. The base level SPS gets a 24″ barrel, as does the XCR II. The very light weight Model 700 Mountain Rifle gets a 22″ barrel. The SPS Wood Tech is neither lightweight or budget priced, so neither price point or weight is the basis for barrel length selection. Does it matter?
Pictured next to its 30-06 Springfield “Dad”, the original hot rod, the 1925 270 Winchester. Flat shooting, hard hitting and accurate, neither the 270 Weatherby Magnum or the 270 Winchester Short Magnum have substantially displaced the original in popularity. Factory ammunition is commonly loaded with bullet weights from 110 to 150 grain. Handloaders have an expanded range of bullet weights from 90 to 180 grains.
| 140 Grain 22″ barrel 288 Yards Point Blank Range |
| Yards |
0 |
50 |
100 |
150 |
200 |
250 |
300 |
| Velocity – fps |
2900 |
2805 |
2712 |
2621 |
2531 |
2444 |
2358 |
| Energy – ft.-lbs. |
2614 |
2446 |
2286 |
2135 |
1992 |
1856 |
1729 |
| Momentum – lbs-sec |
1.80 |
1.74 |
1.68 |
1.62 |
1.57 |
1.51 |
1.46 |
| Path – in. |
-1.5 |
1.1 |
2.6 |
3.0 |
2.0 |
-0.2 |
-4.0 |
| 140 Grain 24″ barrel 303 Yards Point Blank Range |
| Yards |
0 |
50 |
100 |
150 |
200 |
250 |
300 |
| Velocity – fps |
3050 |
2952 |
2856 |
2762 |
2670 |
2580 |
2491 |
| Energy – ft.-lbs. |
2891 |
2709 |
2536 |
2371 |
2216 |
2068 |
1929 |
| Momentum – lbs-sec |
1.89 |
1.83 |
1.77 |
1.71 |
1.65 |
1.60 |
1.54 |
| Path – in. |
-1.5 |
1.0 |
2.5 |
3.0 |
2.3 |
0.4 |
-2.8 |
Is the ballistic difference between a 22″ barrel and a 24″ barrel measureable? Certainly. Is the difference meaningful? Probably not, in regard to trajectory, velocity and all of the indicators velocity pulls a long with it. Personally, I like a 24″barrel on a 270 Winchester. It was designed to be a flat shooting, high velocity cartridge so I think sticking with the test barrel standard length is reasonable, particularly when there is no real weight or balance benefit to shortening the barrel.
More general attributes…
The stock is cut to M700 CDL geometry, so the Wood Tech version has that same comfortable feel when being brought to the shoulder or fired from a bench. The Super Cell recoil pad is one of the best in the industry and that soft overmolded inset in the pistol grip is very comfortable and very non-slip.
I’ll go out on a limb to say that the decorative wood grain grew on me, sort of like tree bark. When I first removed it from its packaging I thought, “Oh no, this isn’t right”, but it didn’t take long for my brain to adjust from the norm and I could then see why this would be preferable to a plain gray or black stock. The stock is not an attempt to deceive or convince anyone that this is a wood stock. It is just a nicer way of presenting a synthetic stock.
The Remington Model 700 SPS Wood Tech is not a stripped model. On the flip side there is a hinged floor place, all metal pieces and an adjustable X-Mark Prop trigger. The matte finished metal works well with the flat wood grain and black insets.
The Wood Tech model is of course drilled and tapped for scope mounting. The bolt is not jeweled, as is the case with other SPS models, and the gas bleed port is present in support of Remington’s “Three rings of steel” case head support; case head inside the bolt face, the bolt face is contained in the barrel shank and the barrel shank is wrapped in the rifle’s receiver.
Staff consensus?
We have all shot and handled many Remington Model 700 firearms, so this not an assessment of quality of design or live fire performance which are, as other variations of the Model 700, excellent. This is strictly about aesthetics. After two weeks of being visible to staff traffic, a vote was taken. 40% liked the Wood Tech Remington, 40% were ambivalent and 20% wanted a pay raise on general principles. I think I’ve grown to like the look.
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