Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Why the Remington 700 action is not a favorite of mine

A few noteable characteristics that were left off the list


Pro -
1) The geometric orientation & design of the action gives it a better accuracy potential than the other actions (it’s why all competitive actions mirror it’s design)
2) The 3 rings of steel make it one of the safest actions out there by a far measure
3). Because of the design you can fix / replace those squirrels things you don’t like - other actions don’t allow that


Con’s -
1). Triggers to firing pin and safety design are HORRIBLE IMO anyway- but an after market trigger can fix it.
2). Bolt throw could have been improved

The Remington 700 is like the Chevrolet SB 350. Everybody works on it and there are a billion aftermarket parts for them so when you are looking to gussy up your gun and start looking at all the glitter it is the 700 that has pages of stuff. I liken the Winchester 70 (pre 64 or 5,6,7 digit Control feed) to the Ford 7.3 diesel motor. If you want a work horse that will get the job done then that is the gun you need. Personally I don't care what a person chooses to shoot. I like the safeties on the Winchesters, but on the other hand I have a strong love of tang Rugers also (Go figure).

Thanks for the correction, it seems the newest M70 trigger design is an enclosed toggle ink style trigger. Never owned one.

Not an expert enough to confirm or disagree with any of the above. Although I prefer the winchester action because of its reliability ( I have had three remington extractors break) I can shoot the remington 700 classic model better from field positions than almost any other rifle. I don't like the short action 700 at all because when my fingers are cold its very hard to put the shells in. I tried the Ruger 77 but each time I fired, the bolt gave my trigger finger a bruising. so i use a reminton classic for most hunting. Its only deer and I don't care if it does fail. I think the reason remingtons are so prevalent is because of their sales dept. In western Canada if you go into a gun shop or Cabalas or BassPro there will be a significant portion of the shelf space filled with remington 700s and Tikkas. There "May" be one or two winchesters. And the store clerks talk up the Remingtons and tikka but only mention Winchester if questioned. Thanks

I don't think the conclusion of "the 700 must be good, look at all the makers that have copied it " holds much water. In the world of production/manufacturing...time is money...human skilled labor is big money. Any of the machinists on here will verify, fewer machining steps is money in the bank...faster setups of the workpiece is money in the bank. I have never seen a 700 being manufactured, but I believe it's very likely it's 90% automated. A symmetrical cylindrical workpiece is the very definition of speed and simplicity. From one automated chucking multiple operations are performed...it's all about money, always. An asymmetrical action (Mauser, Winchester etc) may still be fully automated, but the costs to develop the workholding tooling are far far more. You don't chuck an asymmetrical action with a simple off the shelf collet or air chuck. It's all about the money/time advantage of cylindrical workpieces.

I must be one of the luckiest guys in the world. I have owned multiple 700 rems starting in 1978. I shot the hell out of them and never had a problem at all. Wore out a barrel on my 300 mag then put another one on and still shooting it. I have never cleaned a bolt or trigger. Other than that they suck. Edk

I never had a single negative issue with any of the Rem 700 rifle I shot. I am mostly a woodchuck / deer hunter, and "off the bench" load tester/shooter ( not formal benchrest).

Remington centerfires I have owned/shot:

Rem 700 VS 22-250
Rem 700 V 222 Rem
Rem 700 VS 308
Rem 40x 308
Rem 700 ADL 30-06
Rem 700 classic 250 Savage
Rem 722 222 Rem

All were very accurate ( pretty much 0.4 to 1 MOA ) The triggers worked fine. No safety issues/misfires. Never had a bolt handle pop off. No repairs or replaced parts. All were 100% reliable for feed and extraction . I liked the stock dimensions. I was perfectly satisfied with all of them.

Over the past decade or so, I have been thinning the herd of my firearms. The goal is to shoot the remaining rifles more frequently. All the above rifles have been sold. No emotional attachment to them, but also no hate. I have sold my two Win m70 pre-64 m70 rifles ( 270 and 220 Swift), a couple of Howa m1500-actioned rifles, Win 1917, SMLE mk 4 #2, a couple of Garands, Springfield M1a NM, Ruger #1 in 30-06 and 218 Bee, Kimber 82 218 Bee, and a couple of JC Higgins m50 rifles- so my "thinning the herd" selling wasn't just directed to Remington 700 rifles.

My woodchuck rifles now are a Sako A1 Varmint 222 Rem, and a CZ 527 Kevlar Varmint 223 Rem. My deer rifles are: Marlin 336a 30-30, Win m70 Extreme Weather 30-06, JC Higgins m50 30-06 w/ Timney trigger and Bell & Carlson Medalist stock. No Remington centerfires in the remaining mix, but I do have a Rem 540x 22 LR, which is one heck of a squirrel rifle.

No animous toward Rem 700 rifles. The ones I shot met my needs, and performed flawlessly. I liked them.

If I had known at the time that the bolt handles were glued on I would not have beaten a few open with a 2x4. Oh well they didn’t fall off so it’s all good. Young and dumb. Edk

I just own 700s now and love them. I have added triggertech triggers to all of them and each and everyone is sub moa. Every time I pickup a rifle it has the same familiar feel and all the junk is in the right place, so it's like a third hand. My favorite are a stainless fluted 35 whelen and a 7mm-08 stainless. Elk and bigger get the Whelen; smaller than elk get the 7mm-08. Frankly, most firearms are pretty good nowadays. I just like familiarity; especially when hunting.

Pretty much the same story, except my first was 1974. Have no idea how many I’ve owned or currently own. Have had zero problems with the 700. Owned one pre 64 70, was ok. Owned a couple 77s, never will own another.

Amen...had 70s, Mausers, Howas, CZs...and keep coming back to the 700..

I am / was a Sako snob... but I think I’m going to try the Weatherby because of the bolt throw and the rings of steel they have as well.

I’ve tried just about every action as well.. and I’m a smith now.. not sure what that says, but I know what makes things run.