Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters remington 700's cold weather

i heard a guy talking yesterday.
never had this experience of course in arizona.
But he said in sub zero weather in remington 700's he had the bolts shear and break.
Anybody familar with this?

I know some people have had issues with the bolt handles coming off with 700's. I also know that cold weather can make things very brittle. That being said, I've never had a remington fall apart when being fired in -40's and -50's type temps. Of course, that doesn't mean it can't happen. If a particular rifle is prone to having bolt handles break off, then yes it would make sense that it could happen more easily at very cold temps. Other than that, I would say I have no idea what he was talking about.

Gets chilly here. Nothing has not worked.


Travis

I'm sure this has happened to some members in the hunter's campfire forum.

Was the guy part of a drug study ?

You mean there are actually hunter's there ?

Great....now I'm gonna have to send all my 700 bolts to Gre-Tan to have those little screws installed...

musta be a guy talking himself into ruger

Laughin'....



Travis

I lived in as cold a place as you can get, lots of guys running Rem 700's and I never heard of this happening. Not saying it cant as -40 to -50 degree weather can [bleep] up a whole lot of stuff but Remington bolts falling off is a new one to me.

Actually, I don't see where it would be more prone to happen in extremely cold temps. Although cold temperatures seem to increase the break rate of things (very generic grouping) -40 or -50 isn't real extreme from a metallurgical perspective. Now the bolt freezing up and someone pounding on it with something is a whole different scenario.

More like some kind of urban legend (untruth)...

By law, not many on the freak show can even own firearms.

the guy is not bogus, quite knowegeable on firearms, also was a professional guide on big game in idaho for a number of years. He was talking minus 20 type of weather by the way.

Was the guy trying to trade in his 2012 apocalypse survival kit? It is -8 at my house as I type this. Maybe I should put my one of my Remingtons outside and snap off a few inches of barrel off in the morning to make myself that carbine I always wanted

Never called the guy bogus, but honestly -20 isn't really cold when you live in the interior of Alaska and lots of guys shoot in those temps, cant fathom not hearing about a problem like that regarding Rem 700's in a place where it can be -20 5-6 months out of the year and everybody hunts!

I've been using 700's in temperatures well below zero for several decades now and never had a problem, either in cold or warm temperatures. Have probably put well over 100,000 rounds through 700's. Maybe I've just been lucky!

I have a couple Model Sevens which I've used for 15-20 years, several times in weather that dipped into the minus 30s somewhere. And I've killed stuff with them then - at least when the firing pin had enough momentum. I've also run a Model 700 in some cold temps that didn't seem to phase it. That specimen was one which gave up it's bolt handle, but did it in the 20s above. (I suspect the cold temps actually helped keep the silver braze frozen tighter since it failed when it was warmer! )

Jet airplanes routinely run in -60� F temps. I suspect we'd hear about cold metal fatigue in them quite regularly if cold temps were a serious issue with metals such as those used in rifles. Remington's occasional problems with bolt handle failures is not a materials or design problem. Rather, it is an assembly and QC issue.

Bolt handles have been known to fall off 700's. Almost all will never have a problem. If you got a good one it won't fail, if you are unlucky to get one of the very few bad ones it will. I don't think cold weather is a factor.

I've probably hunted in -20�, -30� and one time I was crazy and killed an elk at -39� ... I could hardly wait to cut a hole in that old fella and dip my hands in it's WARM GUTS.

Almost all my cold weather work has been with Remington 700s; here in Hells Canyon of the Snake, in norteastern Montana and in central & northern Alberta.

Simply no problems to report with Remington 700 bolt handles or anything else.

Note: I DO run my 700 bolt innards ABSOLUTELY DRY when used in extreme cold weather. Clean all the grease off the spring & firing pin and spray with a military moly. I lubricate my locking lugs & cocking helix with a suggestion of Shooter's Choice Cold Weather Lube.

A little bit of cold weather preperation to the working parts of the bolt surely saves a possible grease-induced misfire when it's incredibly cold.

But the 700 bolt handle ... it ain't a problem. Not in the cold and not in the hot.

God Bless,

Steve

must have been in 1986 when it was -42. my 700 worked on a bull my buddies win 70 froze.