I currently own one. A very accurate, heavy barreled 22-250 we keep in our place in PA for groundhogs. That's all we use it for. Loaded single round and never use the safety. I don't own any Yugos either, but somehow I know they are POS. Does your safety lock the bolt? (rhetorical question). That alone right there, is enough to elevate them to POS status.
Their POS status must be why virtually every custom action is based on the design. Makes perfect sense to me...
To you, yes, but let me go check what the premier gunmakers (you know like Echols, WR, H&H, etc) are using. OK done...
Sales are about a lot more than just branding. The folks able to afford the custom makers you listed likely grew up in the Jack O era and so developed their obsession with the pre-64 70... but Winchester was so proud of the design even they dropped it for quite a while.
Confusing good bean-counting with ignoring safety issues and using anti-gun-media-derived lies like Walker's "memo" is playing into the anti-gunners hand.
Locking bolt safeties are available, easily, and cheaply for the 700. Lawyers forced that move after a woman killed her son while unloading her rifle while pointing it at her son (yes, through a stock trailer) and no one (not even Jack Belk) could make it repeat the action. At the same time EVERYONE could make it repeat the action simply by placing their finger on the trigger. It was all about balancing financial risk with cost.
