This song is representative of the massive demographic shifts that occurred after World War I. Many of our doughboys were taken from rural America and thrown into the “rest of the world”. This song is a reminder of the huge demographic changes that occurred after World War I. These men fought and won a war using bolt-action rifles. How would they be content with anything less for hunting?Remington’s 2006 Limited Edition Model 700 Stainless CDL celebrating the 100-year anniversary of the .30/06 Springfield.Remington answered with its Model 30 rifle, introduced in 1921. It was made from leftover Enfield parts and chambered at.30-06 to be a sport version of the rifle soldiers used in war. The Model 30 Express replaced it in 1926. It was a lighter rifle with cocking on opening. It was also available in many variants and a variety of cartridges. It was a great example of American hunters’ future sporting rifles. World War II saw the end of this rifle, just like so many other great firearms. Remington introduced the Model 721 bolt action rifle in 1948. It was a gun that was appropriate for the times. The rifle was made using different manufacturing techniques and Mike Walker’s engineering genius. It was extremely functional and affordable. The cylinder-type action allowed for lower manufacturing costs and improved accuracy. The 721 rifle and the 722 rifle were affordable, just what returning GIs needed. Shooters began to look for form and function as the country prospered after the war boom. Remington was losing market share due to the Winchester Model 70, which is prettier. Remington solved this problem in 1962 with the Model 700 rifle and a hot new cartridge: the 7mm Remington Magnum. Lucky Sevens
The 700 retained the basic design from the 721, but was packaged in a sleeker, more attractive package. The rest is history, as they say. The Remington Model 700 rifle, which has sold more than 5,000,000, is undoubtedly the most popular bolt-action sporting rifle ever made. There were many variations over the next 58 years, but one thing is constant: the Model 700 action. The Remington Model 700 in.338 RUM is the author’s favorite rifle for big game. Everything is round: the cartridge, bullets, barrels, bore, barrels, bolts, and so on. Accuracy is assured when all these things are kept in the same center. This is the essence of the Remington 700 action’s success. It’s easier to manufacture because it’s round. This action design also requires less machining than other designs. The Model 700 is available in two lengths: short and long. This makes it easier to maintain precision, which is a key factor in the Model 700’s legendary accuracy. Either one will fit any cartridge, from.17 Fireball to.375 RUM. The Model 700 bolt retains the two forward-lugs lockup style that was popularized by the Mauser action. This action is very strong and it’s easy to maintain accuracy. It is easier to machine two lugs than three, six, or nine. All lugs must support the bolt equally. This is one component of accuracy. This goal is more difficult if there are too many lugs. The Remington Model 700 action is far better than a custom-made high-end action. The 700 bolt is a good choice for hobby gunsmiths. It has a recessed bolt head that fits into another barrel recess. This creates the famous “three rings of iron” around the cartridge. This helps to isolate gasses and particles from the shooter, making it safer in the case of a cartridge failing. The theory that the recessed bolt face helps to align the cartridge in the chamber enhances accuracy has some merit. The accuracy of everything is dependent on how well it is centered. The Model 700 has a fast lock time. This is the time between the trigger being released and the firing pin striking the primer. This is a theory that the gun will move faster and have less impact on accuracy. Although this doesn’t improve accuracy mechanically, it makes it easier to access the rifle’s inherent accuracy. The Model 700 has a separate recoil-lug that fits between the barrel and receiver. This reduces costs as it is cheaper to make than to machine the integral recoil lug.
Two complaints are common among rifle nerds regarding the Remington Model 700. The first is that it’s an automatic push-feed rifle. This means that once the cartridge has been removed from the magazine, it is not mechanically supported. Instead, it is pushed into the chamber by the bolt. In contrast, a controlled-round-feed (CRF) rifle captures the cartridge behind the extractor as it exits the magazine and holds it against the bolt face while it is fed into the chamber.One downside of using a CRF rifle is that most cannot be fed single cartridges. It is possible to put a cartridge in the loading port and close the bolt if the rifle is not dry. This is possible with most push-feed rifles, but not all CRF rifles. The tension of the extractor can affect the position of the cartridge in the chamber when it is fed in controlled rounds. Precision rifles are usually push-feed because accuracy is measured in tenths or inches. This can lead to a decrease in the cartridge position in the chamber. This custom.358 Winchester rifle was built on a Remington Model 700 Action. The extractor is another common complaint about the Remington Model 700 design. This rifle was built using hand tools. Every armchair expert will tell you that it is “no damn good!” It’s not. This extractor style has been used in Remington rifles since at least 1948, when it was used with the 721 and 722 models. There are nearly 7 million Remington rifles with these “horrible extractors” and there are very few reports of them breaking down or getting someone killed. In 1968, I purchased my first Remington rifle, a Model 788. Over the years, I have seen many Model 700 rifles, and their relatives, that use the same extractor system (e.g. the Model 788, Model Seven and Model 721), pass through my gun vault. I’ve used several hundred rifles with the Remington extractor, in many cartridges and in many places. I have never had an extraction problem. Truth be told, I did this myself before I knew better and never had an extractor fail. I have seen the bolt handle crack when a man was using a chunk of firewood to extract a stuck load. But the extractor held. This is a common upgrade to the Model 700 rifle. Both style extractors have been installed on custom rifles that I’ve made, and the original factory extractor has been left in other custom rifles that I’ve made. There have been no problems with any extractor so far. Consider a Custom
The Model 700 action is a favorite among custom-gun builders, hobbyists and professionals. It is the only production rifle action on the market. There are many accessories and aftermarket parts available for this model. The Model 700 is the best bolt-action rifle in terms of accessories and gadgets. It is the “kit” rifle for bolt-action rifle building. The author shot this Cape buffalo while hunting in Tanzania’s Selous Reserve. Before I had a lathe I made several rifles with only my hands. I would then lap bolt lugs to ensure even contact, true the bolt face, and then fit a short-chambered bar. 90 percent of the work is done with a short-chambered barrel. The threads have been cut and the chamber is left.010-inch shorter so that you can finish cutting it to the correct height. This is a viable option for hobby gunsmiths who have only limited tools. This allows you to create the perfect minimum specification chamber by cutting the chamber last by hand. I have a.308 Winchester that I built this way. It shoots 0.5 MOA all day. This is a great way for you to start building your own rifles. It is very accurate and can shoot at a very long range. Most custom actions use the Model 700 base design. Why is the Model 700 so popular among hobby builders? These custom actions are exceptional, but they are expensive. A high-end Remington Model 700 action from Brownells costs approximately 2.8 times the average price. It is often cheaper to go to gun shops to look for old Model 700 rifles you can purchase for less than the cost of a new one. Gunsmiths used to work with the available rifle actions back in the day. This meant that the gunsmith had to use a donor rifle in order to get the action. Or, at best, he had to buy an action, usually a Remington Model 700, Winchester Model 70, or a surplus Mauser. Today, there are many excellent shovel-ready rifle actions available.
A skilled gunsmith can create a rifle with the same accuracy by blueprinting a factory Model 700 Action. Blueprinting is a fancy term that refers to trueing everything to the common centre. This means that the bolt lugs, bolt faces, threads, and receiver face are trued to the center of the action. The bolt lugs will then be lapped to ensure a perfect match with the action lugs. The front of the action is rounded. To allow the tap to be trued with a lathe, the tap must be below the surface. I enjoy building guns. It doesn’t matter how long it takes to build a gun because I need to plan the action. I consider that more time with concrete under my feet and more contentment in my heart. My builds are mostly for myself or for friends and family. We try to keep the price down. This means that a Remington 700 action is used most often. I have a precision rifle in 6mm Creedmoor that I built using a Remington 700 short-action rifle. It is comparable to any other rifle using any other action. I have a lot of five-shot groups that measure 0.2 inches or less. My shooting ability is what I consider the limiting factor. This custom Creedmoor precision rifle was built on a Remington action. It is extremely accurate. I also built a 9.3×62 hunting rifle. It can achieve 0.5 MOA when loaded with factory loads, and it runs as smooth and fast as any other rifle I own. It has been great for hunting whitetail deer and elk. It’s still a market leader and I wouldn’t hesitate to use it for dangerous game. The Remington Model 700 rifle design has been around for almost six decades. Remington has made almost no changes to the basic design over that period. That says a lot about the enduring legacy of the world’s most popular bolt-action, sporting rifle.Editor’s Note: This article is an excerpt from Gun Digest 2021, 75th Edition available now at GunDigestStore.com.More Long-Range Shooting Info:NEXT STEP: Download Your Free Storm Tactical Printable Target Pack62 Printable MOA Targets with DOT Drills – Rifle Range in YARDSThis impressive target pack from our friends at Storm Tactical contains62 printable targetsfor rifle and handgun range use. Target grids and bullseye sizes can be found in MOA. Get Free Targets
