Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Here's My Chance.......Never Owned a M700

Except for Harry Selby's glowing report after decades of use of a Remington 721.

I've got five 700s. Ranging from .243 to .338. Not a huge fan of the DBM (only have one, and it's never given me a problem). All shoot quite well, though I have a 30-06 that took some time to find a load it likes. Seems I reach for my 700 in .260 as often as any rifle I own these days. I tend to shoot far more than the average fella. YMMV.

My statement is still accurate..It wasn't a 700...

Ditto! I have owned quite a few Remington rifles over the years and still own several and i've never had any problems what so ever getting a Remington rifle to shoot accurately.
I do agree however that the newer Remington's are not the same quality as the older ones.

The 700 was an improvement. So I can't follow you on that.

In what way?

I own all kinds of rifles...700's, 70's Sakos, Browning, Weatherby, Ruger, Howa,Kimber etc. None are perfect.

I suppose the Army and Marines should tell the hunting experts going to Africa that the 700 won't work in dangerous situations. They've been using it with factory extractor for 40 years.

And I'd bet at our local club there are more rounds fired from 700's in a day than 70's for a year. I appreciate the firing pin blocking safety and locking bolt on the 70 but find it less easily manipulated than the 700 or Sako when hunting. I use older pre 82 700 actions with locking bolt to build.

To each his own but I'm using more 700's or Sakos the past several seasons.

All of mine (4) are very accurate.

Never had any problems with them.

If you define improvement as skipping steps, using cheaper materials (such as sheet metal extractors, brazed on bolt handles, safeties that don't lock the bolt, not to mention the fact it is an unreliable safety), then "improvement" in this case would be accurate.

What's the big hang up about the bolt not being locked while the safety is on?

Some guys don't want a chance of the bolt opening while they're hiking or stalking thru the woods so they prefer the safty to lock the bolt down. I prefer for the bolt to unlock with the safety on for unloading.

Hence, that is why GOD created Model 70s.

Yup, also Ruger MkIIs, Hawkeyes, etc.

I also like the ones that lift the sear away from the trigger in the locked position.

Exactly. And what he's apparently not privy to is the 700 was made for over 20 years with a locking bolt.

I can understand that. I like my non-locking M700, too.


I love my push fed M70. Although, I don't think I've ever put the safety in the lock position.

And they removed that as a cost-cutting measure.

And the 721 has a brazed on bolt handle as well, no?

No idea.

Possibility of a misfire for one thing.

I had a 721 and I'm pretty sure it had a brazed on bolt handle. And if the extractors were any better at all it's moot because you can't get a replacement if it does break but it's easy to get a 700 extractor. Also whatever is a stamped part on a 700 also is stamped on a 721.