Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Remington 700 - who has had a Bolt handle break off ??

Can't buy the distance logic. If I can't trust it at 2,000 miles, I wouldn't trust it at 200.

25-30 years ago I had one come off a 722 Rem,have shot lots of 700s since with narry a problem.Have a 700 in 300 saum thats quickly become my favorite elk rifle. Have zero concerns about the bolt handle coming off

But you might at 20. Or 2. Or hunting out the back door.

nope. my Gentry M70 is an example. I won't take that thing on a groundhog hunt.

Tom, have had a variety of 700's, but my favorites were the 223's, 22-250's and 243's... there's just something about the scale of the shorty 700 action that is "right" with those sized cartridges.

If I ever do another dedicated varminter, it won't be a Kimber, it'll be a 700 SA. Peas and Carrots.

If you're afraid of it ruining a hunt, what's the difference?

None, if you're smart enough to bring a back-up rifle.

Ok I'll Bite. What's wrong with it? Or more to the point, what could be wrong with it that can't be fixed?

I feel exactly the same.

it is the roughest finished and worst feeding rifle I've owned. rougher than the early cast stainless Rugers. it truly isn't worth fixing

How many Leupold scopes break every year, people keep using them


[bleep] happens every once in a while!!

and how many people yap on their cell phones while navigating rush hour traffic, thinking the bolt handle is the real killer?

Was there a pattern of any kind, like for the most part coming off of new rifles after only a small amount of use? Or coming off of older rifles like some accumulated stressing?

Or just random without a noticeable pattern?

Probably the same ones who whine the loudest here about 700's here too.

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Thanks for your professional courtesy.

Back in the mid 70's I worked part time for a gunsmith who was getting on in years and needed help. Never had any M600, 660 or M700 come in with handle that fell off. However the M788's literally became a small cash cow. IIRC, the worst offenders were the 22-250. Very popular with the coyote hunters and I'm guessing most loaded some very hot ammo. Got all my serious smithing work done free. Working on those 788's put a sour taste in my mouth for that rifle.
Whenever I do a hunt I always take a back up rifle or two especially when I'm doing an out of state elk hunt with serious money on the line.
As someone mentioned Leupold scopes, I've had three turn toes up on me. Two at the range and one on an elk hunt.
Wierd as hell. Elk was lasered at 350 yards so I held for a upper chest shot (.35 Whelen with 225 gr. TSX at 2710 FPS) Took the shot and the elk fell DRT. The bullet had hit the elk in the neck at the base of the skull. I was positive I hadn't flinched or pulled the shot. Nonetheless that's where the bullet went. A couple of days after I go home I went to the range and bullets were all over the place. Sent it back to Leupold and when it came back they said the entire crosshair adjustments had literally disintegrated. I'm thinking that was the luckiest shot I've ever made in my life.
Paul B.

I've seen it in a test lab. We had 6ea. 220 grain bullets in the barrel resting in front of a 30-06 factory round. We pulled the trigger remotely, in a chamber. The stock cracked and the bolt froze. An idiot broke the handle off even after the others there told me not to do what I was doing to try to open the bolt.

Other than that, no.

But if it happened I'd be quite upset and even more upset when Remington would say that I'd have to pay for repairs. I've owned many Remington 600's, 660's, 721's, 78's, 7's, and maybe 30+ 700's. I shoot them a lot. But I prefer the old ones and don't care for the post Walker triggers, the cheap early plastic stocks etc. if was manufactured after mid 90's I consider them 75% complete or less. They need work, new triggers, new stocks, ensuring the bolt lugs are contacting evenly, polishing the metal and bluing, and with the lack of care the new Remington factory is producing their rifles and their lack of standing behind their product: I have to admit that I'm no longer a big fan of Remington like I had been all my life.

I always bring a spare rifle. Though I have yet to need one.

Do any of you know what other gun companies attach there bolt handles the same way Remington does? Have they had problems with bolt handles falling off?

The Model 700 is my favorite rifle, hands down. I have a safe full of them, and after owning 700's for about 40 years, I've only had one problem. The most expensive 700 I've owned was a XCR Compact Tactical in 223. I had got it, scoped it, and was sighting it in, when after about a dozen shots or so, the bolt handle came off as I was extracting a fired round. I was shooting reloads, and my first thought was that I'd fired a load that was too hot. Apparently, it just came off, with nothing causing it on my end. Had to send it back to Remington for repair, of course.

One, and I have had many Remington 700/7 rifles. I now have another one, we'll see if it was a fluke or not!