Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing Question for gunsmiths only.

I have read on this site that people have had Remington 700 bolt handles fall off and extractors break. I think they are the exception and a very small percentage of the total numbers of Remingtons out there.
How many gunsmiths on this board have had to silver solder a bolt handle back on?
How often have you had to replace an extractor on a Remington 700?
I don't want to hear second hand rumors, just gunsmith experiences.
Thanks,
whelennut

I have had to replace several bolt handles and extractors. They do come off probably because of a poor silver solder job. The newer extractors type came along about the time I quit general gun work.

Of course I don't do a lot, but I have not personally experienced either problem.
Butch

Over a period of 14 years full time and 20 years part time.

I have seen one 700 handle come off. Customer admitted to hitting on it with a hammer.

I have replaced about 15 or more extractors. The extractor problems were usually traced back to a handloader loading a gross overload and case expanding in the bolt recess.

In the 30 plus years I have been at this location I have only seen about a half dozen true 700 extractor failures and as I recall most were the result of overloaded ammo, a couple the result of tampering. I've seen two bolt nose rings broken, again, due to overloaded ammunition.

I have seen a lesser number of bolt handles come off, again, the majority having been "beaten" open as a result of overloaded ammo. I recall seeing one come through with a poor solder joint. Not bad considering the sheer number of abused and neglected Remington 700's in this area.

The majority of "repair" work on 700's that come through my shop are trigger related (clean and service) and crowns. Everything else 700 related are either accuracy tuning, re-barrel jobs or full builds.

That is the kind of result I expected!

I wonder how many 700's have been manufactured?
I silver soldered a 788 bolt which the owner admitted he was overloading it and pounding it open with a hammer.
The only extractor I remember was on a 742 Woodsmaster.
It had a rusty chamber, which is typical because they are hard to get at unless you have a chamber brush.

Why not include people who have had those problems and sent them to Remington for (free at least for bolt handles) repair? I have had a bolt handle come off not due to abuse, just a poor solder joint. No way was I going to pay a gunsmith (even if there was one near by) when Remington would fix it for free and pick up the shipping both ways. Pretty fast, too.

Good Point!

I still think bolt handle failure without real abuse is a rare event, a tiny fraction of a percent. No process is perfect. When it happens people seem to like to make a big stink about it.

I have worked as an inspector in a machine shop and Murphy worked there to! Sometimes you can get into arguments about whether something is acceptable or not. Both people are looking at the same thing. They both see something different.
Sometimes I think it is a miracle when I can buy something and it works the way it should!

Bet you're ahead of a friend of mine, the guy who owns the 700 I mentioned. Since it's 80 miles to the nearest good gunsmith I've done a good bit of repair work for him, the type of stuff you do with hand tools, to the point he shies from "bothering" me with them (which I wish he wouldn't). Put a great big pile of rifles or shotguns on the floor and he'll pick the one with problems. Problems that show up a little later of course, and he doesn't even come close to abusing them.

Never have had to reattach a handle.. But I have had to replace extractors every year.. It seems the worst offenders are the small bolt-face actions - for some reason..

My son and I were dry firing in preparation for a hunt to Zambia and his Rem 700 bolt handle came off when he cocked the action by lifting the bolt. It was a 1995 bought gun in .30-06, I called Rem for repair and asked how common this was, " It happens" was the reply. My answer is for any big game a one piece bolt will do ie pre64 70

95% of our work is on Mausers, but we do have a 700 or 2 come in from time to time. One bolt handle replacement that I can remember due to overloading (wrong powder) replaced extractor on same, probably because of the first problem.

Many times I have beat on a Mauser bolt handle with a hammer, jumped on it like a pogo stick, or held the rifle with both hands and beat the bolt handle against the shooting bench until the action finally opened.

Don't do that with a Rem700, both the handle and the extractor are too weak.

If a Rem700 jams up, stop shooting it.
Take it home to your shop and pull the barrel.

That is one of the reasons why Rem 700s are so unpopular for dangerous game.

WTH are you loading in those Mausers!?

RH

I have seen one 700 bolt handle come up with just hand pressure lifting it up on a warm load, no beating, no struggling. It was at the range- the best place to have this happen.

I have seen two that came off inside HARD cases. Never transport your bolt rifle with the bolt in the action. As soon as the baggage goons drop something on the side of the guncase, the bolt handle takes to brunt of the impact! Usually, impacts are what pop them off, whether a hammer or a suitcase.

My 'traveling' hunting rifles are either Pre-64s or custom action with one piece bolts. I don't want to worry about it getting damaged or coming off when I can't replace it!

Don't try this in a Rem 700 and then pound it open.

Don't think I would try that in a mauser either Russ