Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters REMINGTON 700 W LOCKING BOLT SAFETY

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.

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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?