Quality differences between the old and the new Remington 700 rifles?

Z

zeke mccune

Member
Hi;

Has anybody noticed a difference between the older and the newer produced Remington 700 rifles as far as quality and accuracy?

I recently bought a 700 produced 2 May 1962 and the inletting and bedding was as close to perfect as I think that one can produce. Perhaps a good bedding job may be a better fit, but this one is bang on! I will know more after I shoot it a bit!

Any comparisons made?

Stay well,

Zeke
 
I'm certain there are exceptions, and I've been out ot this particular loop for many years...but...I don't think you'll find many "brands" where the quality has improved or even stayed the same over these years in question.
 
DUDE!

Once Mike Walker left Remington it was down hill and every year it gets worst.

When the folks running the company play golf on the week end and not attend shooting events what do you expect.

I mean to sell a rifle that has rifling missing in parts of the barrel is standard practice, including to law enforcement!!!!!
 
I love all this heresy. I have talked with a lot of gunsmiths and checked a few receivers my self. Other than the nasty finish on the metal, the machine work is better on the newer ones. Say whatever you want. Most of this poor quality talk comes from the same guys that hang around the gunrange and call their little meetings to spread their opinions.
 
The metal to wood fit is better on most of the older ones I have handled.
However, as Butch said the metal fit seems to be better on the new ones.
In my opinion the best actions were made after the switch to CNC manufacturing and before the SPS finishes.
 
I do love the wood and the inletting on the older rifles, but put a receiver in your action truing jig and you will see.
 
Zeke mccune: I am aware of this "difference" - I have been buying Remington 700's for about 50 years now and I am convinced the newer 700's shoot better.
I can not clarify for what reason this is but I am sure it is so.
I currently own 32 (thirty two) Remington 700 Rifles and own about 16 or 18 Model 40X's, XR-100's and Model 7's.
Plus I have bought, shot and traded off probaly another 35 - 50 similar Rifles made by Remington.
So I have a rather significant first hand set of experiences with these Rifles.
If I had my choice of a heavy barrel 223 Remington 700 made in 1962'ish or in 2,012'ish I would take the 2,012 model - hands down.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy
 
Hey, I'm with VG! :) and Butch.....

IMO the idea that machining standards have gone downhill is ludicrous in it's face. In the 70's you rebuilt your entire car before it reached 100K. I just bought a car last week with almost 300K on it's original 4-banger and it's tighter than the 70's cars were NEW....and has turned 6 times the RPM's. I got it for a kid in college BECAUSE I DON'T WANNA' WORK ON IT!

I expect it to go 500,000miles.

I have been blown away by the accuracy achievable with today's factory rifles and new Rem barrels are silky smooth inside.

As usual, I'm solidly on the side of the minority


A'gain


lol


al
 
The new remingtons shoot really fantastic and the stainless barrels are really something else. I do like the older triggers better however.
 
We must be getting the rejects. The interior finish of some of the newer Remington 700's is horrible. One can shoot 5 to 20 rounds and then spend the rest of the day trying to remove the copper. I guess the receivers are okay, but the barrels are not...IMO. James
 
I had a new mod. 70 and a mod. 700 in the last year in 3006. I couldnt find any load the mod. 70 liked. Shot terrible 2 or 3 inches. Ive shot .75 in the cdl 700. Which aint great but good enough for whitetail. JD I had just the opposite in the rem. and win. barrels. I can run a patch thru the rem. barrel not too bad. I could run patches thru the win. until I was tired of it and they still came out dirty. The rem. barrel is a lot smoother on those two rifles I had. Production rifles are like a box of choclates. You never know what your gonna get.
 
i think proper barrel break in may be more important on factory barrel than custom!
 
I would agree that when I true one of the new 700's I have to take very little off the threads, abuttment lugs, and receiver face, compared to some of the old ones I have seen. But the older barrels I have borescoped have throats that appear more concentric than some of the new barrels I have looked at with the scope. I have scoped a couple that the throats were as crooked as a do it yourself haircut in the old and new. Go figure, I do think the older 700's have a better finish. Boe
 
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I've purchased about a dozen of the new 700 actions from Brownells over the past couple of years, and each one has been checked in a GreTan-style truing fixture. IIRC, there've been a couple that actually needed truing cuts, but the rest would probably have been fine w/o any work. These are the newest production, with the laser-engraved pictograph in the bolt handle cut-out.

As has been mentioned, the X-Mark Pro triggers aren't my favorite. And I've seen several really, really poor bbls. on new factory rifles brought into the shop - about what one would expect from OEM bbls. that reportedly cost Rem about $15 apiece.

I'd like to have the opportunity to examine the inletting on several of the CDL models - IMHO, that's one of the most attractive stocks Remington (or anyone else for that matter) has ever put on a factory hunting rifle. It'd be a shame if the inletting on these stocks is poorly done.
 
alinwa said:
I just bought a car last week with almost 300K on it's original 4-banger and it's tighter than the 70's cars were NEW....and has turned 6 times the RPM's. I got it for a kid in college BECAUSE I DON'T WANNA' WORK ON IT!
I expect it to go 500,000miles.
Click to expand...

Show me a car that will go 300,000+ miles without major work and I'll show you a major miracle. My brother got 330,000 out of a 1980s Subaru but with a lot invested after 200,000 in front end work, the clutch, catalytic converters, etc. Some have engines that hold up very well but everything else becomes a money pit before you get to 300,000. And you better be sure you carefully attend to things like timing belts that if you don't will cost you serious money in repair bills.
 
Put me in the "I'll take a new one over an old one any day"....
While older barrels might look shiny - it's probably because shooting them does smooth tool marks and such... Slug them and you find the truth - that a 308 caliber barrel has a 309+ groove diameter...

The new ones I own will shoot circles around the older ones... and if you do get one with a smidge of a rough bore - 3-5 shots with firelapping bullets clean it up.. or at least that's been my experience...

Trigger wise - I like Jewell when I want a 1-2 lb break that's like glass and Jard triggers for "Hunting".... The stock triggers sit in a baggie in the desk....

Thanks
 
flatlander said:
I've purchased about a dozen of the new 700 actions from Brownells over the past couple of years, and each one has been checked in a GreTan-style truing fixture. IIRC, there've been a couple that actually needed truing cuts, but the rest would probably have been fine w/o any work. These are the newest production, with the laser-engraved pictograph in the bolt handle cut-out.

As has been mentioned, the X-Mark Pro triggers aren't my favorite. And I've seen several really, really poor bbls. on new factory rifles brought into the shop - about what one would expect from OEM bbls. that reportedly cost Rem about $15 apiece.

I'd like to have the opportunity to examine the inletting on several of the CDL models - IMHO, that's one of the most attractive stocks Remington (or anyone else for that matter) has ever put on a factory hunting rifle. It'd be a shame if the inletting on these stocks is poorly done.
Click to expand...

Flatlander: You mentioned something I have been wondering about for some time, and still do not know the answer to - when did the "laser etching" on the bolt show up?
And this, regarding your posting - when you mention "really poor barrels brought into the shop" and the OEM reference two questions: #1: Are these Remington Rifles with the poor barrels brought in because of poor accuracy and are there to be fixed or is this condition something that you just noticed?
#2: Who or what does the OEM stand for, is it a private company that manufactures barrels?
Thanks in advance for any enlightenment.
Again I have done some excellent shooting with a WHOLE BUNCH of recently manufactured all stock factory Remington bolt action Rifles!
From time to time I examine my factory barrels (and friends of mines barrels) with both my Siebert Bore Inspection Tool and a Hawkeye Bore Scope and very often barrels on these factory Rifles look "poor" but shoot great!
Looks are NOT everything in an accurate barrel - certainly poor machining and chatter marks in barrels (like I have seen first hand on a pair of recently manufactured $975.00+ savage heavy barrel Rifles) will not enhance accuracy but it will also NOT eliminate it!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy
 
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