Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats Action/trigger options with bolt-locking safety

Hello all,

I am looking at putting together a new rifle.
I hunt through very brushy bear habitat and so I am usually carrying one in the chamber and need the bolt to be locked while safety is on. I have had the bolt opened by the brush before and it's not great for several reasons.

My problem is that it *seems* like all the rem700 clones the bolts do not lock in place with the safety on. Is there any way to get them where the bolt will lock?

What are my options for stainless action/trigger combo with a locking bolt? I know I could buy a tikka or win70 but I'd like to start with just the action and not buy a total donor rifle.

I would also like to be able to use a pre-fit barrel; I hope to put this together myself.



Thanks,
907brass

907

I can see why you want to lock your bolt from opening. If I was going to carry a round in the chamber I would a
Saftey that Locked the firing pin also.
Winchester Model 70 lock the bolt and firing pin and Weatherby Mk V saftey locks the firing pin, I'm not sure about locking the bolt.

I would look for a Stainless steel M70 extreme weather or a blued M70 and have them coated with the best stuff they make.
Get a Echols Ledgend stocks if they fit you and get someone to put it together for you.
Don't mess around with bears. You don't want a rifle that's not 120%.

Build a rifle that will last a long full lifetime. Post pictures.

Talk to that bear hunter up the in Alaska his rifle is named "Old Ugly". Phil Shoemaker ?

Hal

LAW 704 if they are still in production. Not sure on prefit with them - highly doubtful.

You live in Southeast Alaska Sir! Of course you carry a round chambered! The only sane option for you is a New Haven Model 70 Classic Stainless or a Ruger (preferably Hawkeye-better triggers) M77 all weather. Or get a blued one and have it nitrided. Either one gets you controlled round feed, a field strippable bolt, three position safety, and a reliable open trigger design that won't go wonky on you. You don't just need a hunting rifle, you need a working rifle because around here you need a rifle year round. Chamber it for a proper round, chop the barrel, put a front sight on it, and use QD rings for versatility.

Why are you wanting to rebarrel? What round are you gonna go with? I know a reliable barrel guy. PM me if you want.

You might be able to put a WTB ad out there for a Defiance with the 3 POS safety. Might be someone out there that wants to get rid of one.

Howa, Browning A Bolt and X Bolt, Savage/Stevens all lock the bolt and trigger. Savage is going to be your easiest way into a DIY rifle build. I picked up a 7mm Stevens 200 a couple years back for $350. Bought a 3 screw trigger off flea bay for $15 shipped, a replacement stock from Numrich for $50, chopped the stock to fit me with a good recoil pad, added a EGW picatinny base and I've got a solid hunting rifle for not much $$. Ordered a .264WM barrel from ER Shaw so I can switch it up if I so choose. Plus, the Savage safety is very instinctive after growing up shooting double shotguns.

Just me, but if I were hunting "very brushy bear habitat" I think a Marlin 1895 SBL in .45-70 would trump any bolt gun.

A Marlin 1895 SBL in .45-70 is a decent option for sure, but is lacking in versatility for such things as making a 200+ yard shot across a muskeg. Rounds like the .375, 9.3, or .338 work really well on a bear at five yards and make 250 yard shots with ease, which is not true of a lever action round. Some might be comforted by the idea of a lever action being faster, but in my experience a practiced bolt action user can maintain a perfectly suitable rate of fire. Disregarding the chubby-stocked 8+ pound abortions of the lever gun world some people are willing to put up with, a lever action can make for a nice, trim rifle that's more pleasant to carry than a bolt action. On the other hand, though a lever gun can certainly use a cartridge of sufficient power for the job, the smash provided by proper bolt action cartridges is greater. I trust both lever actions and bolt actions around here, but if I were forced to only have one it would be the bolt gun.

How about an aftermarket Win clone 3 pos safety for your 700 or other Remington clone.

Hey thank you for the replies so far.

I should clarify I suppose; I do have a few new haven model 70s (300wm, 30-06, .243) and a kimber talkeetna in .375hh (basically the same action)
I really love them and they are indeed fantastic for SEAK, but I don't like how difficult it is to get work done on them. There are no gunsmiths anywhere near me willing to do the barrel install due to the extractor cut, and the model 70 actions are more difficult to turn into a really light rifle. Plus the stock I want I would have to have a smith inlet for a mod70, which when you put that all together makes it more expensive than what I can do right now.

I would also specifically like the experience of putting as much of it together myself as possible, which is why a pre-fit would be nice.

Ideally, one of these rem700 clones would offer a 3-pos safety so I can take advantage of drop in triggers and drop in stocks.

The Ed Brown/LAW 704 uses the same footprint.

You may also find a Defiance kicking around that is a push feeder, but has a 3 POS safety.

Yep.

Thanks very much; it seems as though they have also gone belly up. But I bet I can scrounge one up if I look hard enough.