Of the many lines of long guns offered from Remington's catalog throughout its long history, arguably the most recognizable and most widely celebrated of them all is the Model 700 line of centerfire bolt-action rifles. Yet, while a popular sporting arm today, the Model 700's roots instead came from one of the most forgotten U.S. service rifles in history, the Model of 1917. During World War I, Remington, along with several other private firms, was contracted to produce large quantities of Model 1917 bolt-action rifles, chambered in .30-'06 Sprg., for the U.S. war effort.
The design was an adaptation of the British Pattern 1914 rifle and was adopted in an effort to make up for the lack of Model 1903 rifle production at the time. However, when the war ended, the contract for Model 1917 rifles also ceased, leaving Remington with large assembly lines and huge volumes of stock left standing still. In an effort to use up this leftover material, keep the lines running and employees at work, Remington engineers altered the design of the Model 1917 into a new sporting rifle for the commercial market. While the action was largely similar, this new rifle, the Model 30, lacked the enlarged battle sights, heavy stock and handguards of the prior.
In 1936, Winchester, Remington's top competitor, unveiled the legendary Model 70, which quickly stole the limelight. World War II put a hold on Remington developing a counter to the Model 70, but the experiences of one of its employees during the war helped pave the way forward. Tinkering with the Model 30 design, Mike Walker's developments were released by Remington in 1947 as the Model 721, which saw some success, but was antiquated still in comparison to the Model 70. Thus, Remington went back to the drawing board to design a rifle that was less expensive to manufacture, yet just as modern, accurate and reliable as the Model 70.
In 1962, it unveiled the new design as the Model 700, which still used several important elements from Walker's previous work, but in a refreshed outline with much tighter internal tolerances. With a competitive price and an ever-growing number of variations, the line was able to garner public attention and interest and finally gave Remington a product that could compete with Winchester's Model 70. The commercial market wasn't the only area where the Model 700 was successful, as it was also adapted and adopted into the U.S. Army as the M24 sniper rifle. To this day, the Model 700 continues to be a popular bolt-action rifle platform for both commercial and military use.
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I have a 700 ADL in 30-06 that dates from 1978. I can make a dime size, 3 round group, at 100 yds. Just a phenomenal rifle.
absolutely phenomenal performance, my 2008 .308 sps varmint will stack rounds all day at 100 and i love it to death.
I have the same but BDL and with same result. The gun can make holes touching at 150 meters still with the old barrel, if the shooter does his job :)
I also have one Remington 700 and its very accurate in 7mm.
I was introduced to Rem 700 rifles 50 years ago. A local gunsmith changed from Springfield to Remington's for his Target and varmint hunting rifles. As a college graduation present, my older brothers purchased one of the gunsmith's rifles that had 'started opening up' a bit; it was a 243 Win caliber. The best Busch & Lomb scope as availabe was mounted on it; I and my friends were flabbergashed at how accurate it was (the gunsmith had been a sniper in Vietnam); obviously, everything on it was set, squared, etc. Until the recent improved new rifles shooting less than 1 MOA out the box, the Rem 700's were top dog to do that. I have a Rem 700 Stainless in 300 Ultra Mag, that is a true .5 MOA rifle, and proved itself at the bench numerous times.
I was stationed in Quantico and was the machinist working with those gunsmiths from 1991-1993
Love my .270 model 700. Scope was sighted in before I was born and is still dead accurate. I've had multiple friends shoot it with a cold barrel and it hits exactly where you aim every time.
Thanks for the background. I've had my 700 since '64. It has been one very productive hunting rifle. Thanks again!
Have a model 721 in .270 that I still hunt with today. Love that rifle.
Have a precursor to the 700, a 722 outshoots all my 700's and was made in 1952.
They shoot! So does the 721!
My first big game rifle was a model 700 BDL 7mm Remington Magnum with a 24 inch barrel. Got a custom thumb hole sling with my initials carved in it. And a Redfield Widefield 3x9 Rangefinder scope.
Charlie Whitman special haha
Love my 700, mine is a 30.06 Springfield stainless model with a synthetic stock, it's super accurate and it's 30.06 round gives a good authoritative punch on the target.
It's a shame what happened to Remington's quality in later years. The 700 is an amazing platform.
Man they really dropped the ball they really had the lead on competition n just didn't care
My dad has a 700 in 7mag bdl from 1968 and it's just the perfect rifle to me the wood and gloss is beautiful I bought a 270 700 adl synthetic in mid 2000s and it's basically junk would rather have a Roger American than it
I own two 700's, a mid 80's BDL in .270 and a late 90's ADL in 6mm. Love both of them.
I love arms history like this. Well done amazing video !!
In the 1980's, bought a model 700 ADL, in 7mm Remington Magnum, and topped it with a 3-9×40 range finding BDC scope. What a tack driver! The angular, flat bottomed forearm, fit soooo well in hand. Dumbest thing I did, was to sell it.
I bought my 700 ADL over 20 yrs ago. Very accurate and zero issues.
I have three Remington Model 700's, all over thirty-five years old. My 700 ADL in .222 Rem (the venerable "Triple Deuce") is a tack driver. Light and with negligible recoil, it's been the centre-fire that all my kids graduated to after working with a .22LR. My 700 BDL 'Varmint Special' in .22-250 has a long heavy barrel and is a bit too big to lug around in the field but it is an awesome predator control rifle I've used on many a close by farm and ranch. It's scary accurate. I also have a 700 BDL 'Safari Grade' in .375 H&H. I've read that these were made up in Remington's Custom Shop although it doesn't say so on the rifle. It has excellent fit and finish. Because it's a heavy rifle, the recoil comes as a stiff 'push' rather than a sharp 'crack'. My .300 Win Mag kicks harder. I've never had a single issue with any of them. Feeding, firing and extraction has been flawless. All have original Remington triggers and again, not a single issue, perhaps because I leave them alone. Just because some triggers are made adjustable doesn't mean everybody should be fiddling with them. Know what you're doing or get a proper gunsmith to work on your triggers.
I've owned no less the 10 mod 700s over the years, still own a few. ive never shot a more accurate out of the box rifle, and never had a problem with any that I owned.
I had a model 700 in 270 and got stupid and sold it man i miss that rifle
I bought a 700 / 30/06 in 1987 or so , while deer hunting I took off the safety and the gun fired. My cousin got mad at me because he thought I shot the gun before we were to go into the woods. But I didn't pull the trigger. Later on , I sold that gun . Years later 2007 or so not sure on date. Not realizing that the gun had a problem , I bought another 700 BDL 30/06 because I thought it was a nice rifle. Then I learned about the trigger from Remington sending me a letter to take the gun in for repair. Calling gun repair shops , they were backed up with repairs ,so I changed out the trigger my self, for a Timney trigger. I still own the rifle but don't get a chance to shot much. If Remington would have fixed the problem before people were injured things would have been so much better. By the way I served in the Marine Corp and shot expert with the M14 and the M16
At age 5 I was learning Deerhunting with my 20 year old Big Brother who had a Remington Model 700 BDL 30-06. His Rifle was so Beautiful, I saved up my Money and Bought the Same Rifle Chambered to 7mm REM. MAG. I still Hunt with my 30-30 Marlin occasionally, but nothing can Replace my 7mm REM. MAG.
My dad has a late 80’s BDL I have a late 90’s. Always thought it had the best out of the box factory bolt of any rifle. Dead accurate.
Guess you never tried the Browning medallion. Smooth as butter bolt and no wiggle like the 700, from someone that lives near the old Illion plant.
The best selling bolt action rifle of all time pretty much.
Go Remington go. Long live the 700
I have a Remington model 700 BDL in 7mm Mag. Its a tack driver at 300 yrds and deadly with open sights at 150 yds.
One of the most beautiful bolt action rifles ever built. However, the trigger assemblies are susceptible to paraffin build up which can reduce sear engagement exacerbated by improper handling & temperature extremes, plus earlier instruction manuals showed how to reduce or increase trigger pull resistance inviting wanna be’s to tinker in gunsmith territory. Proper maintenance & recommended manufacturers lubrication instructions have given me over 50 years of dependable & reliable shooting with my 700’s. All are keepers!
I absolutely loved this video. I killed my first mulie and pronghorn with my uncle’s model 700 in 280 Remington shooting 140 partitions and, in both cases, hunting from his 1983 CJ-7. Classic rifle, bullets and Jeep. My first rifle was a Model 700 in 7MM Rem Mag that I bought with money earned cutting firewood on his ranch. It loved hand loaded 160 partitions and would shoot them at 2965 and give me 3/4” to 5/8” groups at 100 yards. Not the fastest of loads, but pronghorn, mulies and elk never knew the difference. Unfortunately, it was stolen out of my buddy’s truck a couple of days after we both killed nice mulies near Corona, NM. His 270 pre-64 featherweight was also stolen but was later recovered. It’s too bad both manufacturers aren’t what they use to be. Thank you for a great video.
Had a 270 BDL back in the 80's that was a beast. What a sweet little rifle it was.
Awesome!
Remington is always one of my favorites
One correction: Remington and Winchester both got contracts from the British to produce Pattern 14 Enfields. Remington also had a contract to make the 1903 Springfield and had trouble meeting production goals. Remington went to Baldwin Locomotive and subcontracted them to build P14 Enfields at Baldwin's Eddystone, PA location (not Delaware). Remington set up a new factory on Baldwin's site, supplied the tooling and production experts and Baldwin supplied the labor. When the US entered the war the government took over the British contracts for production of M1917 Enfields. After the war both Remington and Winchester were left with valuable tooling they wished to make use of. As mentioned, both saw the value of high power bolt-action rifles for the US market. Remington adapted the M1917 as the Model 30. It was a large and robust action which could handle magnum cartridges. Winchester took elements of the M1917 and 1903 Springfield and few ideas of their own and came up with the Model 54, which was later tweaked to became the Model 70.
The 1976 Remington 700 BDL bolt action chambered in 7mm Remington Magnum. There is nothing better, in my opinion, & never has been. Hinged floorplate, great iron sights. Solid scope mounting. Excellent accuracy. I’m sure everyone has their favorite bolt action & it may differ, but the 700 BDL is mine. The fact that I can throw in a round & close the bolt is a big plus at the range. It doesn’t necessarily have to feed from the magazine as does a controlled round feed rifle. Iron sight accuracy at 50 to 75 yards is perfect. Scope accuracy is even more precise from 100 to 250 yards.
Love my 700s.
Thank you.
My wife's father passed one on to us, a 7mm. I just looked up the Barrel markings - January 1965.
Great history of an American classic!
Bought my 700 Rem 300 win mag 1979, topped it with a 4x16x50 tasco scope,😂 hand loaded 165 grain ballistic tip and shooting 500 yards before shooting 500 yards was a thing. Went to the old strip mines and glass miles. Still using it to this day.
Such a fine rifle. Sure want one.
Owned a Model 700 BDL a number of years ago. It had the faulty trigger. It fired without touching the trigger a few times. I didn"t know what was causing this at the time until people started coming forward with similar stories and, quite a few people were injured and killed according to news stories. I had a local gunsmith repair it and later sold it. Remington products. NEVER AGAIN.
I bought a Remington 700 from Wal-Mart. Changed out the scope. Also fro The big W. The old scope moved to my 10/22. The R 700 is chambered in .308. I have yet to get the time and money as well as my health to align for a range trip to shoot beyond 100 yards. At 100, It puts up about a quarter size grouping of 5 shots. Not bad for a Wally World special with a 6 x 16 - 50 scope. Hoping to put meat on the table with it at some point. Not the rifle’s fault so far. Just have seen 1 deer across purple topped fence posts (no trespassing) and the season starts when I have other obligations (Veterans Day celebrations) as a member of my local V F W. Anyway, it is looking great on paper. Now to find a better hunting spot…
The very best add on for a 700 BDL ground hog rifle was the Harris 1-A bipod. The turned finish on the bolt shows a lot of wear from putting many hogs to sleep.
Smooth action, simple good looks, great sights, one of the best factory triggers ever put into a rifle, accurate as hell as a rule, and made in the USA. I love my 06, 700 ADL I bought new in 78 with an as old Burris 2x-7x "Hi-Lume" scope that too was made in the USA... I will never part with it on this side of the turf.
Love my 700 LSS Mountain rifle in 06 for deer hunting.
My first rifle was a model 700 BDL in 30-06 bought new back in the early 80's. It shot ok but was never as accurate as I expected. After a few years I pulled the action off the stock and found that the plastic nose piece had a big chunk of molding debris pressing hard against the front right side of the barrel. Can't see how something like that passed quality control since the rifle was assembled by hand. After sanding the debris out of the way and floating the barrel the rifle shot a lot better but finding the molding debris wasn't what I would have expected considering what the BDL 700 cost new out of the box. Still have the rifle and it shoots fine but I'm not planning to buy another new Remington because I've heard the build quality has gone downhill since then.
One of my older brothers bought a 700 BDL .30-06, but the scope mounting holes were crooked, so he sold it and got a BDL in 300 Win mag. Another one of my brothers bought a 700 BDL in .25-06 and it fired when the safety was released, and I won a 700 ADL .300 Win mag at the RMEF banquet, and it would jam 3 out of 10 times the bolt was cycled.
I’ve got a Remington (can’t remember exact designation ) in my safe , trigger is the heaviest thing in the world , fails to pick rounds up 2/10 times ect ect . I don’t even look at it let alone use it
I've been hunting with my 700s for 35 years with no problems the guns shoot better than I do
Love my M7 stainless. I told my wife I love it so much that I would have named it after her but then I wouldn't be able to trade it for a newer model.
😆👍
Winchester made P14's and M1917 rifles, so there weren't two factories producing these arms, there were three.
My 700 is an excellent platform, that of corse I improved upon: Timney, B&C stock, and of course a scope. There's more to do... in time.
I bought a 700 BDL back in the mid 70's and loved it - except for the trap door. I quickly learned to hate any trap door rifle. Other than this I figured it was nothing short of GREAT
When It comes to Guns I am A Sancho ( Mexican for Gigalo). I like to try them all and As FJ Outlaw says I don’t have a favorite one or domething to that effect. Whisky Meyer’s first rifle was a 243 and mine was a Sako Forrester in 223 that My Dad gave To Me for the close in Blacktail Hunting and stalking. Then We wanted something a little more powerful at a little longer ranges on full size Mule deer. Thats When My Dad bought My Brother and I Remington 700 BDL’s in 6mm, the improved 6mm that is more accurate than the original twist rate. We always got the same thing. My Grandpa told My Dad “ that way the boys won’t argue”. Later We also got Ruger 77’s in 300 Win Mag. All those rifles have killed many deer. One of My Uncles Grew up shooting a Winchester 94 in 32 Special. When He was in His Forties He purchased a Remington 721 in 222
My short “youth-model “ 700 chambered in .308 Win is the most accurate rifle I have. It shoots on par with scoped rifles while still wearing the original open sights! The thing should be declared a national treasure!
Interesting
The BDLs are some good looking rifles.
Remington used to build a short action Model 700 BDL with a 20 inch barrel and iron sights. They need to bring it back, iron sights are handy.
Remington, at one time, was a good company making quality weapons, particularly rifles and shotguns. The 700 was a superb bolt action for many years, but things went bad. Remington quality began to decline in the early 80s when it started going after mass contracts (like Walmart) for selling a lot of guns at a lower price.
excelent 💪💪
I have 700 270 with wood stock love it
Had both, but ended up only keeping my 700. Based it on the trigger and the safety. Better hunting trigger on the 700, didn’t quite like the safety on the 70. Felt like it could break someday. Both were accurate.
Eddystone was not in Delaware but in Eddystone, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. It was in a large industrial complex that was the Baldwin Engine works.
The odd thing is in the old 1963-1964 shooters bible, the price for the Rem. 700 and the model 70 Win. was about the same price.
have M40 and BDL , great guns , but my BDL fires when you push safety fwd, I just call it it a higher trigger.
Ive got one love it
I have a bull barrel 700 in 22-250, replaced the trigger with a Timney and is probably the most accurate rifle I ever fired
Interesting story too bad at a sad ending. Especially to the civilian market
I have a 1972 model 700 7mm BDL that was passed down to me in sweet condition by my dad. Love to shoot it, very accurate gun. If you miss it is usually the captain steering the ship not the cannon.
I am 63 yrs old now with in my family we always had Remington rifles and I used Remington rifles for my own hunting and hunting guide services then the quality went down the toilet some 15 years ago and the Remington quality never came back. After the sale of my last Remington 700 I bought a CZ 550 new then that has become my main bolt gun and used constantly on my guiding big game hunts. I am now building AR 10 rifles in wildcat cartridge chamberings to meet my shooting needs and I can match any bolt action accuracy in the AR 10 using Pac Nor supper match barrels
We shall see what this once-great company becomes.
I hope someone resurrects the brand. The model 700 and 870 are the best there’s ever been.
I’m looking at a 700 in .270. It’s a 80s vintage, are they as good as they say?
Don't think about buy it you want be sorry I have three model 70 and one 78 sportsman all great rifles and two model 788 they can't be beat
Yupp I have one .
my bdl is a .270 cal. .Put a Timney trigger on it. You'll be glad you did.
Have a 700 BDL3006 . 1966 yr shoots a 👍 dime At a 100.
I have a model 700 in 30 06 caliber. I bought it from an old hunter and Vietnam veteran. I've never got a buck with it because I've never had a chance to take a shot at one. But I'm sure its a good gun. I bought it for $800 dollars with a Leopold scope on it that its worth $600 dollars.
I love my 700
My family put a lot of meat on the table with the M700. Men in my family bought a Rem M700, usually in .30-06, when they graduated high school. I didn't eat much beef as a kid because a M700 in .30-06 was all one needed to fill the freezer with venison. My first was a BDL in 7mm Rem Mag. I don't understand why the American commercial market has always sabotaged 7mms with such slow twist rates, but beyond that, it is an accurate, effective rifle. It is a shame the M700's story effectively ends in 2007 with Remington's acquisition by Freedom Group. So much history slandered by billionaires interested in profit margins. With the market so saturated by decent bolt guns, I don't think the Rem M700 will ever earn back its reputation as THE go-to meat getter.
I don't believe I trade my model 1917 for any model 700 made
Eddystone was near Chester PA not Delaware.
Dayz be crazy
My opinion the best hunting rifle ever made
I second this but hate they fell off so bad I'd pick a 700 from 60s to 90s over any rifle but in today's guns I'd have to go with a Tikka but off of looks I'd say the Browning xbolt medallion is the finest
Carlos Hathcock’s bread and butter.
I thought he used a model 70 winchester? Haven't read his book lately but that's what i remember anyway.
Remington Woodsmaster 742 .30-06 Springfield ! ..it has consistantly dropped every deer I've set my sights on .. I own a Weatherby bolt action , but I prefer the semi-auto 😉 😇❤
A great rifle but the advances of the savage model 99 in 250 was superior with over 3000 fps bullets also the lever action alowed for faster shooting !
The Savage 250 was getting those velocities using only a 87 gr bullet.
Yeah lots of people still shooting 250-3000 in lever action
Didn't Remington (Model 700) have a fatal flaw in the trigger design which allowed it to fire while on "safe" or when switching the safety from on to off? I know Remington had a recall at the cost of millions which contributed to their downfall. R.I.P. Remington. 🇺🇸🙏
No it's been proven that virtually all people who claimed the gun went off on its own, actually had their finger on the trigger. Regardless, for emotional reasons, the court ordered that the trigger mechanism on any remington 700 can be upgraded for free by remington to finally end this discussion
Yes they didn’t even touch on that subject for some reason
It had something like that. I believe it would go off when the bolt was closed. Left handed ones maybe?
A lot of the accidents with the 700 was due to people messing with the trigger pull. If you leave it at the factory setting its fine.
That was an issue with the 788 I believe. An elderly gentleman I know has one that’s in really good condition.
Hope they make 35 rem. Again
Six different people have killed deer with my old 700 30/06. It is working well for us.
Check safety and trigger...
Who will build the 700 now?
Had a Remington model 700 the damn trigger would not function when a deer walked in front of you. It was a beautiful gun 270 caliber I gave the damn thing away to my nephew free of charge.
FYI - kzhead.info/sun/gd5taK-xoKd9nGw/bejne.html for the Best 700 trigger problem explanation and repair that I found on youtube "Remington 700 Walker trigger fix and safety explanation. Rethink replacing a 700 trigger" by AKBAKWUDS. Also for background information with good close up pictures, but with a more difficult to do right repair method that may not be as secure but worth a look for how to clean and abrade the parts before epoxy, search using " Walker Trigger Repair--Part Two, REPAIR by J Belk" google search? I know the "duck" finds it as the top listing
I have a 700, good rifle , but out of the box nothing comes close to my old 110 savage in .270 !
Of course the 700 sold well..... Chevy sells more than Cadillac too. But the Model 70's ORIGINAL design would not die and is being made again due to popular demand. And then there were those pesky lawsuits about the 'Remington Trigger'. I had one 700 and, no doubt, it was a very accurate rifle but without any curb appeal.
Some guys have no problem with recoil they shoot 7mm magnum like nothing- not me i hate recoil with a passion- i just can't enjoy a good target practice day if recoil its there- not all i love the swedish Mauser 6.5.×55 round or even the 243 caliber it's ok but 30 30 on a Winchester 94 its brutal. All my rifles i has them magnaport same on my Smiths 44 magnum, i remember reading the famous book by carlos Hathcock Vietnam snipers in the book he explains that you pull the trigger and wait for the recoil he used a 30 06 rifle just off the shelfs.
The Model 11 Shotgun Was Another Success From The Mind of John Browning 😀😊😀
BEST BOLT GUN EVER MADE
👍
6mm Remington 👍
10:57 we all know the other is the 870.
Is this the rifle that will accidentally go off?
I have a model 721
Only downside is you can’t pull the bolt with th the safety on so I am always aware of that
Put a Timney trigger in it fixed!!
Meine 700 schießt 5schuss auf ein Schusspflaster, sie ist 45jahre alt
The Remington 700 you acquired 45 years ago is nothing like the Remington 700 of today. The Remington 700 of today are garbage.
Bed it , put a sako extracter in it, and you have a awesome tool
Nearly ordered a 700 in 1965. Told it would take app. 1-2 yrs. to arrive. Thought He said 1-2 weeks. When I inquired.................Salesman told me, "Everything is going to Viet Nam." We lived in N.S. Canada. hahahahahahahaha Hardly heard of VN. It was a MANUFACTUERS WAR................AND THATS ALL IT WAS.
It was cheap. Not saying it’s a bad rifle because it’s not. It was the ruger American of its day. Save your hate mail, I said what I said.