In what year did Remington do away with the locking bolt safety and why and if you replace it with an after market trigger will the bolt lock?

My understanding is that it was 1982 when they did away with the bolt locking. Replacing the trigger with a new one will do away with that feature.

TY.But why?

Because some people consider it a safety hazard to have to take the rifle off safe to remove a round from the chamber.

I have 700's that lock, and those that don't. While I don't consider the older ones to be a hindrance, I prefer the newer ones. The 3 position safety, as a Winchester and Howa, is better, although the 700 and 7's are my favorite bolt action rifle, and the most that I own.

Lawyers! That didn't get Remington, but the [bleep] didn't stop. finally got yjre job done. On to the next gun maker!

Just buy a Tikka!

No thanks, Winchesters, Browning Safari Grades, CZ (550s), or Weatherbys for me. I did see a really nice 700 in 3006, but that non locking bolt safety is a non starter for me.

Jorge, I own quite a few Remington 700 and 7 rifles, and most of them have an aftermarket trigger. It's really an improvement, and an easy fix to the locking bolt thing.

That would be the only way I'd buy this rifle, installing an after market. IT's really a nice piece.

Ruger also has a 3 position bolt safety. The middle safety will allow you to extract a live round and the firing pin can't fire. It is similar to the Winchester. Old Mausers have a 3 position bolt safety. Why Remington didn't do this is beyond me. Easy to have a misfire. If you accidentally drop a Remington and it hits on the bolt, it could fire, unlike other rifles. I have slipped and fell while hunting. I had to slam on the brakes on my truck one time, and my guns fell out of the gun rack. Don't use a gun rack anymore. Knocked my scope off about 8". Cheap scope, like 50 years ago.

Jorge if it’s a Walker trigger you can also pick up a pre-82 safety lever from online parts places like Numrich and fit it to your trigger housing.

I forgot about having to mill the slot for it on the receiver if it doesn’t have it. Definitely something to check.

Thank you guys for the info,

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^


THIS


Ive had both and just prefer to open the bolt on a live round with the rifle on safe.

And yes Ive replaced a few triggers and the bolt lock feature goes away

Calling predators and getting in and out of vehicles and box blinds necessitates a lot of chamber loading/unloading...just makes me feel better....

Locking bolt safety rifles are not for children! You will like the non locking bolt safety if you like hunting with an open bolt. lost cartridge, and chamber full of crap!

THIS. I hunt with a locked and loaded rifle. Edited to add, guys, I don't want this turning into a pissing contest or a "I hate 700s" thread. Most of you guys know how I feel about them anyway, but some of the older 700s are real nice rifles and to me, the non-locking safety has always been a showstopper.

I have no problem with the non-locking bolt version although once I did have my bolt come open in some thick brush. Almost never a problem for me though.

I once went to the expence of adding a Mod 70 type 3 position safety to a 700. I should have just used a push feed Model 70 action and wouldn't have had at ugly gap where the safety used to be. I could have welded and reshaped action and filled and repainted glass stock, but looney can only go so far!

jorge you should know by now the 'fire guys can and will turn anything into a pissing contest.

We can ramp them up and sit back and watch by changing the thread title to"Jews love M700s, pro-lifers love 700s, and they were created on day three of the earths creation..."

One of the most accurate factory rifles I've ever shot was a LH 700 BDL with a locking bolt. Factory ammo, 4 × 4 with a sand bag under the forearm, left fist under the butt stock and a cr@py scope. You could easly cover the 100 yard five shot group with a nickel. The owner of the rifle kept the target, he told me other people have tried to match the group and no one has succeeded. Honestly I don't think I could repeat it either. 🤭

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


.

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!

You think wrong. You offer an anecdote irrelevant to the situation. I'll offer a relevant one. My father has a sporterized '03A3. It was fine when new but over time .. wear from repeated use .. it will now often fire when the safety is released. Instead of the safety holding the sear parts together, the safety is a second "notch". With enough wear on the sear itself, it no longer holds the bolt back against the sear, it drops part way so it is the safety, not the sear, holding the firing pin back. When the safety is disengaged, the sear drops firing the rifle. "Oops." Simple wear .. as I said, "if you do it enough times .."

What he SHOULD do is have the trigger replaced with a better quality after market trigger than the one the gunsmith used, but at 85+, he's "cheap". Instead, it is his practice to pull the exposed bolt knob clear back so that it is again the sear, not the safety, holding the bolt back, before releasing the safety, but woe to anyone near someone who doesn't know the gun's quirks that tries to operate it.

Tom

Nothing bad will happen if you follow the first rule of gun safety, never point the gun at something you don't intend to shoot. Nothing can be made safe from the careless. I have 700's with the locking bolts or shoot Model 70 Winchester. IMHO this is another of the stupid designs that Remington did( by cutting the locking tab off) to make their products cheaper.

I guess at first I didn't like the non locking feature. First one I owned was a Classic in 350 RM, this might give it a date. After walking the woods for an hour or so I took the slung rifle off my shoulder & saw the bolt handle sticking straight out. I didn't like that.

But I guess I got over it because I've had several non-locking 700's since. But it's still kind of a fence riding thing with as both have their attributes.

I GUESS TIKKA HASN'T GOT THE MEMO. Two position safety locked bolt on safe, I like them over a Remington, shoot better too!

Thanks for all the responses. The answer for me is, either replace the trigger with one that does lock the bolt, or buy a pre 1982 (?) 700.J

I've never had one "fire" when taking the safety off. But I've had an unloaded rifle drop the firing pin a couple of times when moving the safety to the Fire position. Rifle was made in 1974. It did it the 1st time in the 1990's and I thought it was a fluke. Happened again gain about 10 years ago. I'd basically retired that rifle by then but one of my grandkids will get it one day and I won't give it to them with a flawed trigger design. I replaced it with a Timney. I much prefer a bolt that will lock, but this is a well-documented issue. I've found better rifles than the 700 anyway.

Pointing the barrel at the ground doesn't solve the problem. Remington has been sued over 100 times going back to the 1940's because of this. In one of the high profile suits the person holding the rifle had the muzzle pointing at the ground when it discharged. The bullet deflected off the ground and killed another hunter.

Remington biggest problem was bozos with a 700, a screwdriver, and an internet connection, watching and listening to a second bozo yapping about how simple it is to adjust a 700 trigger.

If you don't like the lock feature, just grab the moto tool and cut off the offending lock feature. I agree with Geo. But like all enclosed triggers dirt and gunk, hardened oil, WD40 etc. can gum up the works. WD-40 being the worst of the lot.

I have a 03A3 done in 1945 by Paul Jaeger. The trigger is the original trigger fixed up by Jaeger. Hammer has never fallen removing the safety. Of course it still has the military take up and over travel. Best trigger I have ever used.

[b][/b]
I’ve been wondering since this thread started if one’s preference for a bolt-locking safety correlates to how they carry the rifle.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, while I prefer that a safety locks the bolt, it’s not all that important to me. I use “new” 700’s and 77’s and old ones with no problem whatsoever. I’ve never had a bolt come open accidentally. I also never carry my rifle around slung over my shoulder behind me when hunting. I don’t even have slings on my hunting rifles. When I’m hunting, I have my rifle in my hand, ready for use, no exception. I can’t imagine anything going on with my rifle that I’m not aware of. (Maybe too, that’s why I have rifles that have been to hell and gone that aren’t all beat up after frequently having been hunted in “the thick stuff.”)

I killed what is, so far, the nicest racked buck I’ve ever killed only because I had my Ruger (original style) .44 carbine in my hands when he suddenly appeared. I nailed him as he whirled around to go, probably less than 2 seconds after seeing him. My brother and our friend who were walking out with me watched him go down with their mouths hanging open, struggling to get their rifles off their shoulders.

I can’t for the life of me see how someone could have their rifle’s bolt come open inadvertently and unknown to them if they’re carrying it in their hands.

I hear ya cra. You're only really hunting when the gun is in your hands @ field ready position, for most folks. I don't remember if I had been negotiating some rough terrain, had been draining my bladder or was tired & just walking. But when the rifle did go to hand I saw the bolt, & it was corrected.

But whatever I was doing wouldn't have happened with my my older 700's or 77's, & the new way was just another thing to look out for.

Always hated the locked bolts on my Remingtons, Sakos, and Vanguard.

Bought one of the first 700 stainless synthetics, and dang if it wasn't
one that didn't lock the bolt.


And that very year I understood why the bolt locked on so many guns.

Maybe it's because I carry a pack, how I sling the gun.....

If I carry it or my M-7 for a season, I will find the bolt lifted a few times.

Not sure if it has happened when carrying it in my hands.

Haven't used either since buying Tikka, likely won't.
Before I ever seriously used the 700 again, I'd put a M-70 safety on ot.




Feel strongly enough about it that I'll never seek out a gun that doesn't lock.

+1
The new M700 triggers are unadjustable pos of poop.
dave

I'm of the view that if you can't safely unload without having the safety on either there's something so seriously wrong with your rifle that you shouldn't use it, or something so seriously wrong with your gun handling that you shouldn't have a rifle.

I have owned an early model 700 in 6mm with locking bolt original trigger for 50 yr and no problems.
I prefer the old walker triggers gun that lock the bolts.

I don`t understand why anyone would have their booger hooks on the trigger unless they are going to shoot. No one learned to unload by dropping cartridges from the opened floor plate and pointing the barrel in a safe area (Like the ground) when unloading the round from the chamber or maybe not putting a round in the chamber until you are ready to shoot?