Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters REMINGTON 700 W LOCKING BOLT SAFETY

HAHAHAHAHA. You are so correct Ingwe.

Jim

Wasn’t the reason Remington changed to non-locking was a lawsuit? I believe a young hunter taking his 700 off safe to unload it popped his dad. Then a slew of suits followed iirc. For the record I have both and never had it fire taking the safety off.

All Remington bolt actions take design cues from the Enfield Pattern of 1912 . In fact they built sporting versions up to the Second World War. That is why the safety is where it is, and it's shape.

I prefer the older locking bolt, but I've hunted quite a bit with the new one. Other than developing a habit of checking the bolt in the field to confirm it's closed, I've had no issues with it.

It seems like to me the old actions function smoother too. Maybe more polish at assembly.

Both filled the freezer.

Interesting.

I’ve often wondered why Remington chose the shape that they did. I’ve always thought that it’s lacking in aesthetics but intuitive and easier to maneuver compared to an M70 wing safety for instance. Now it make sense.

Personally a two position safety with a locking bolt is my favorite due to the smoothness without the midpoint hitch. I’ve never felt unsafe unchambering a cartridge with the muzzle pointed safely and the safety off but I don’t feel unsafe having to pull the trigger on a Glock after clearing it and before field it stripping either. Just my own personal likes in a safety.

I prefer a 700 with the bolt locking feature and won't carry one that doesn't.
If you can't lift the bolt the safe is on.
Never liked the idea the bolt handle could catch on something and fall open when least expected.
On the bolt locking 700s
When the safe lever is pulled back a thin bar rotates up through a slot milled in the action and into a slot cut into the under side of the bolt handle.
The very first years Remington did this. All they did was cut the length of the thin bar down so it didn't catch the bolt.
Later on they removed the slot in the receiver and the cut under the bolt handle.
These original sidesafe levers can still be had. And can be retrofitted to Rifle basic triggers. For the vintage model 700 that you're talking about. You could take the original trigger and send it to Neil Jones. I doubt you'll be able to tell the difference. Mr Jones does excellent trigger work.
If you're squeamish about removing a loaded round from a model 700 with the safe off.. at one point in time you could buy the parts from ultralight arms to depress the lever while the safe was on. .
Easy peasy.

Dave


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Both the 700's I currently have have the non-bolt-locking safety.

My first Ruger 77s had bolt-locking safeties, my third one didn't.

My Sako 85 has a bolt-locking safety with a little button to leave the safety on and open the bolt.

My Kimber 8400 has the traditional Model 70 style three-position.

My Ruger Number 1's don't lock the lever when the safety is on.

A couple of my old 99 Savages have the little lever-locking safety latch as well.

None of it means a thing to me. I am happy to use any of them. The non-locking bolts have never caused a problem for me. I know, if I hunted some of the "thick stuff" that some here do, apparently smashing their way through the underbrush with their rifle, I'd understand why it's useful to have the bolt locked down and why some rifles are just too nice to hunt with where they hunt. What I'll never be able to understand, is how those that hunt such cluttered, congested "thick stuff" can ever see anything to shoot at or how they can get an unobstructed shot if they do.

But that's just me. To each his own.

Did you mean to say Enfield Pattern of 1914 AKA P-14? I've heard they might could have built a few of those in the original military configuration, too.

I haven't found this to be an issue if carrying cold and uncocked. Not saying it can't happen, just that it hasn't happened often to me in that situation.

My son has a BDL in 270 (I orignally bought it in 1968) and gave it to him. He has an XCR II in 375 H&H now and we're going to replace the trigger with a Walker so it locks the bolt. He had the bolt open on him bear hunting, didn't like it. I don't blame him.

To do that conversion, a slot needs to be milled into the action for the locking lever to pass through. The underside of the bolt needs a shallow mill cut so the locking safety lever can engage it and keep the bolt from rotating. It's pretty basic work for a 'smith familiar with these. You'll also need the early pre '68 safety lever to go with the original style 700 trigger. It's a worthwhile modification for 700's that are hunted in rough and tumble stuff.

Good shootin' -Al

Al, what's your thoughts on the three position safetys that are available for the R700? I've done a couple of guns myself using the Gentry saftey and am satisfied with how they turned out but they do require a gunsmith for installation.

Honest ? When that slot is milled for the locking lever to pass through does it then block the firing pin from moving fwd. and preventing the weapon from discharging like a M70, Kimber, Ruger MKII, original 98 mauser, or a Buehler converted mauser shroud?
I have only 1 Rem. rifle and it will open with the "trigger" safety on (thats what I consider it because as near as I can tell that's all it does) and yes I have shouldered it before while hunting and the bolt was open and the cartridge lost somewhere in the woods. I bought a M70 to replace it.

years ago I had one of the 700's that had a bolt locking safety. Previously I had owned the earlier version. Preferred the early version so I modified it. It was so long ago I can't remember why my preference, I just remember that I never had any problems with the unlocked bolt.

Jim

"Honest?" in that's the work needed? Or "Honest?" that it does or doesn't block the firing pin?

The Gentry setup is as good as it gets for a 3 position safety on a 700. I did one for insurance on a 375 H&H Custom Shop rig headed to Alaska...worked slick.

Good shootin' -Al

Honest as in I truly do not know the answer . I didn't want to come off as a smart a$$ so that is exactly what I meant. It was an honest ? Sorry for any confusion.

ETA: Does it or does it not, block the firing pin?
I am aware of the gentry conversion and think it is a genuine upgrade to a 700.

Not Al
But it does not lock the firing pin.
dave

I'm in the other camp. I, too, hunt with a loaded chamber. I like 700s but the locking bolt is a show stopper for me with a 2 position safety. I dislike having to disengage the safety to clear the chamber. IMHO if you do it enough times, something bad will happen, necessarily and unavoidably. Wear, etc. I've pondered one of the Gentry 3-position safeties for a 700 but I haven't looked into it much.

Tom

If you do it enough times something bad will happen? I don't thing so! If you do it wrong something bad might happen! To unload a push bolt like the 700 it is not necessary to chamber a round. You simply pop the round out of the magazine and pick it out of the action. Just went and checked and you can do the same thing with my Mod 70 but I suspect dropping the floor place would be better! Years ago some guy made TV because he shot his foot off unloading his rifle. If I remember right it was a mod 77 Ruger and the fault was totally his. Fires he got into his vehicle before unloading. Then he was pointing the rifle at his foot and fully chambering a round and closing the bolt to unload it! He used that as his own cure for stupid. I hunt with locked and loaded rifles and if I have one that is three position safety I'm not really sure. What I am sure of is every rifle I own can be unloaded without closing the bolt on a live round.

As for the two position safety, I think problems with it resulted from people fooling with a trigger not having a clue what they were doing. I have never had a Mod 700 fire on me from taking off the safety. If I had the barrel would have been been pointed at the ground! Accident's do not happen, stupid does!