I've been a Remington 700 man all my life. Have used a rem 700 extensively in north America including grizzly. Now Africa is calling and I need to get a dedicated safari rifle. Why not a Remington 700? I am trying to warm up to winchesters but just don't really care for them. Need some advice. Thanks, 163bc

Some folks get all up in arms if your DGR isn't CRF but the truth is, there are many PH's that use push feed and if you have a properly set up Rem 700 and don't push loads to the absolute max youshould have no problem.
Let the flames begin!

I think the KS Safari rifle in .416 would make a superb all-around rifle for Africa and the big nasties!

Nothing wrong with a Remington safari rifle.

Both get you to the store :

If you are comfortable with the Remington 700, that is what I would stick with.

163bc,

I was in the same boat. I love and use my Remington 700 for a ton of NA biggame and some African plains game.

But, for a DG rifle, I bought and really like the Ruger Safari Magnum (RSM). You can buy them for a fair price used, and they are reliable tack drivers. Mine in 416 Rigby shoots clover leafs at 100 yards and is as reliable as any rifle out there. And, on the plus side, they usually have beautiful wood. I can't reccommend them highly enough.

163bc
I have taken several of my Remington 700's to Africa in .375 and .416. Zero problems. If you haven't had a feeding and ejection problem here then you probably won't in Africa either. I had a PH tell me to turn the rifle upside down and work the bolt. He said that was why he used only CRF rifles. When I did and the round chambered, he turned several shades of red. To add insult to injury, I asked if he was going to make me turn the rifle upside down to cycle the action before shooting. He shut up. Push feed works just fine. Stick to what you are comfortable with.

I read in one of Boddingtons books where he said he had to eat crow when he had written that a push fed would not work upside down. A military officer friend as i recall took a Remington 700 and held it upside down cycled the bolt and it worked fine. At least Boddington admitted he was wrong in print. My bigger concern is that i am so used to the Rem 700 safety it is auto pilot for me. All my Remingtons have a trigger adjusted (by Neil Jones) to 3 lbs on the dot. 10 Rem 700s in the safe at last count. Really torn on this one. Winchester Safari Express or Rem 700 ABG. thanks for the feedback. keep it coming. 163bc

I have a Winchester 70 & love it.
I also have several 700's that are really great pieces of equipment.
Use what you like, both will work.

Bolt rifle trash, English doubles with two triggers are the only rifles for Africa

Preparation is more important than brand. Confidence in the rifle is a major consideration. Be absolutley certain that it will feed and eject reliably. Cycle all of your ammo prior to departure. Don't worry about sub-MOA. If it has iron sights, and that is a good idea, make sure they are well fixed and sighted in. I suggest 50 yards. Your scope should be totally reliable. I like Leupolds because they are light (tend to dtay on the rifle), and are very tough. More expensive scopes are usually much heavier, tend to stay in one place while the rifle is going to another.

If you opt for a PG caliber, keep the velocity mild and the bullet heavy. That is especially true if you choose a small caliber magnum such as a 7mm or 300.If you want more, go to the 375 H & H. Skip the 338's, 340's. Major recoil velocity and energy there, much nastier than a 375 with far less penetration. And don't scrimp on the bullets. Go with one of the premium types.

I used a M700 in 7mm Rem Mag on safari #1. No problem. That was 10 safries in the past.

The upside down trick only usually only works if the the bolt is cycled s.l.o.w.l.y... Work it fast no worries.
My favorite carry rifle and big stick is a push feed FN Safari and it does the job!
Cheers Stu

quote:

Originally posted by JudgeG:
Both get you to the store :

I must say; Well played Sir.

I've used my model 700's quite a bit and in africa a little. Works fine and I've experienced no reason to change.

On another note, I'm a bit dissapointed with this forums membership. Something more than 5 hours has transpired since Judge made this post and I'm the first to respond? Surely evidence of the decline and fall of the Roman AR Empire.

If you like a Remington 700 then there is no reason to change. There are a lot of believes about a lot of guns when hunters come over here to hunt.
A rifle is a rifle. If your first shot is on the dot, you will not need a second or third or what ever.
That is why I like the hunters that come here with Ruger No1's. They can SHOOT!!

The extractor worries me more with Remingtons than the push feed issue. I had one turn into a single shot on me during a Brown Bear hunt.

Have seen 3 extractors break on rem 700's- al in .416. Seen the bolt handle come off one as well- all while shooting at dangerous game.

When an appie guide who is a friend of mine bought a rem 700 in .416 (it fitted him better than any other rifle he had tried) I got a new bolt for him from evolution USA which had an M16 extractor fitted instead of the factory one. Very happy with the results- even 10 years later.

Nothing wrong with the 700. I have one in 375 H+H that I would take for plains game. I actually like push feed rifles better than CRF.

I love the Remingtom 700 action.

If I was buying one for Africa, I will pick the Sendero in 375 RUM.

It is an exact copy of my own 375/404 which we use every year on safari.

You are probably going to want to take two rifles if dangerous game is on the hit list - One rifle for plains game and a larger caliber for dangerous game.

I have always used a 700 in 300 WM for plains game. My DG rifles are either CRF or doubles.

quote:

Originally posted by JudgeG:
Both get you to the store :

A real live Gremlin!

Ever see one haul a . . with a V-8 in it?

Sincerely,

Chris Bemis

I've been a 700 guy all my life too but I purchased a new M70 Safari Express a few years ago in 375 and really like the rifle. The fit is very nice, unlike a 700 CDL purchased new within the last few years. The 375 shoots pretty good as well once I found the load for it. I've since purchased another M70 and again I am very happy with the rifle. With the experience I've had with the last 3 rifles if I find myself in need of another bolt gun Winchester will be the first place I look. I'm not bashing big Green but I'd take a really good look at the SC produced Winchesters before dismissing them.

I can only imagine how much Saeed has used the Rem Model 700 action, and I've used the same on 27 DG safaris - never/ever had a problem!

Any gun can have a potential failure, they're all man-made!

I've had gremilins in my scope before, but they were never blue.

quote:

Originally posted by 163bc:
I've been a Remington 700 man all my life. Have used a rem 700 extensively in north America including grizzly. Now Africa is calling and I need to get a dedicated safari rifle. Why not a Remington 700? I am trying to warm up to winchesters but just don't really care for them. Need some advice. Thanks, 163bc

I went through the same decision process having shot a 60s vintage BDL in 270 my whole life. I bought a CZ for a DGR (largely based on Ganyana's article about the Zim PH exam) and after more than a little bit of work am very happy with it. On the other side I needed a stainless 375 for my brown bear hunt and I just don't like Rugers (personal preference) so I went with a Rem 700 XCR II in 375 H&H. I had a Sako extractor put in (the Rem extractor was too big and I was having difficulty chambering rounds), and had a heavier duty firing pin and firing pin spring installed (shooting my first box of 375s at home one round didn't go off, the primer was barely dented, so I had that fixed!). If I were you I wouldn't buy a new Remington but look for one of those Rem Custom Shop rifles in 375 H&H. I think the Remington quality was a lot better 20 years ago then the current rifles coming out now

U.S.M.C. scout/sniper rifles are Remington 700 actions and have been in use (some continuously) for nearly fifty years. They have been used and rebarreled extensively as issued, including the standard spring extractor. If it works here with a given caliber and load it will not fail you because you go to another continent.

The model 70 Safari Express is a great rifle and less costly than a Remington custom shop model. Take a look at both before purchasing.

I busted an extractor and had a bolt handle fall off. The bolt just fell off after a shot - I didn't even touch it. That rifle, a Sendero RUM, turned out to have a rough chamber that did make extraction difficult. I never banged on the bolt handle, but until I got the chamber polished, it did sometimes take quite an effort to extract my handloads (which were not over the book max, but the seating length was just off the lands, making it a bit hot).

That said, I took a 700 with me to Tanz in Jan. Just the ticket when I had to shoot a Tommy at 250 yards with most of the chest covered by grass.

I have used 700s on lion and leopard but shot ele and buff with my .416 Mod 70. As Aaron said, all guns can have problems. A CRF's extractor will pop off the rim of a cartridge if extraction is difficult; a 700's extractor will either pull the brass out, shear off the rim, or break the extractor. But it ain't popping off the rim.

Ross Seifreid had Brown Precesion modify a stock Rem. 700 in .416 Rem with a fiberglass stock and polished feed ramp and used it as his professional gun in Tanzania. Ross is one sharp cookie and I would follow his lead.

Before I discovered AR and learned the error of my ways, I had KS rifles in 375 and 458. I shot lots of stuff with those rifles, not knowing the grave danger I was in pursuing dangerous game with a lowly push feed rifle.

A Remington will work just fine.

I had a 416 from the Remington Custom Shop hears ago. It shot great. However, I had 2 issues. The trigger cut my finger often. If I was working the bolt fast, the safety often cut the base of my thumb open.

quote:

Originally posted by Palmer:
You are probably going to want to take two rifles if dangerous game is on the hit list - One rifle for plains game and a larger caliber for dangerous game.

I have always used a 700 in 300 WM for plains game. My DG rifles are either CRF or doubles.

The CRF PF issue will never be ended. In my case I own several push feed rifles but most are .22 lr and one mod 700, 7mm Rem Mag that was my father's He never hunted with it but always went back to his FN Mauser 30-06. Like most people he didn't know the difference between CRF and PF, but simply liked the FN better so when he died he had oned the 700 for about ten years and it was still new. I've had it since Jan 1980 and it is still new.

I must say here that none of my push feed rifles have ever been used to hunt anything more dangerous than a mule deer. Like Palmer if dangerous game is on license both my light and heavy will be CRF if they are both bolt rifles, or a CRF bolt and a double rifle.

I like to sometimes carry a big bore double rifle, and a scoped Ruger No1 chambered for the same cartridge.

I the poster is going to hunt RSA where there will be no dangerous game the rifles he has will do fine. But if he needs a DGR then I would reccomend a Ruger RSM chambered for 375H&H or the Ruger African chambered for the 375 Ruger, and use that rifle for everything. If he wants something larger a used Whitworth African express chambered for 458 Win Mag should be picked up for around $900 to 1K.

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If you go to Africa with a push feed Remington rifle, you'll probably never see your family again, so be sure everything is in order at home before you leave. If you had been reading more on AR in the past & properly had been prepared for your trip to the dark continent, you wouldn't be facing such a gloomy, dire future. Chances will be slim, but with any luck you may make it back.

larryshores is right about the M700 safety lever. Take a file to it.

quote:

Originally posted by BC3:
I've been a 700 guy all my life too but I purchased a new M70 Safari Express a few years ago in 375 and really like the rifle. The fit is very nice, unlike a 700 CDL purchased new within the last few years. The 375 shoots pretty good as well once I found the load for it. I've since purchased another M70 and again I am very happy with the rifle. With the experience I've had with the last 3 rifles if I find myself in need of another bolt gun Winchester will be the first place I look. I'm not bashing big Green but I'd take a really good look at the SC produced Winchesters before dismissing them.

I ordered a new FN manufactured Model 70 Safari Express in 375 H&H yesterday. Might as well try one and and get used to it. I figure if I don't like it I can always go back to a Remmy. Thanks for all the feedback. 163bc

Everybody should have a M70 in 375. My favorite rifle. Hope you like it.

163bc
Are you going to handload or shoot factory? If you handload I've had really good luck with the Barnes 270 TSX or 250 TTSX using RE15. I think you will like the rifle. I like the matte finish on the metal and wood unlike the plastic dipped wood on most of my 700s. The safety is different but easy to get used to. Please let us know what you think of the rifle.

quote:

Originally posted by 163bc:

quote:

Originally posted by BC3:
I've been a 700 guy all my life too but I purchased a new M70 Safari Express a few years ago in 375 and really like the rifle. The fit is very nice, unlike a 700 CDL purchased new within the last few years. The 375 shoots pretty good as well once I found the load for it. I've since purchased another M70 and again I am very happy with the rifle. With the experience I've had with the last 3 rifles if I find myself in need of another bolt gun Winchester will be the first place I look. I'm not bashing big Green but I'd take a really good look at the SC produced Winchesters before dismissing them.

I ordered a new FN manufactured Model 70 Safari Express in 375 H&H yesterday. Might as well try one and and get used to it. I figure if I don't like it I can always go back to a Remmy. Thanks for all the feedback. 163bc

Even though I have several M700's, my African rifle is a M70. Whenever I am going on safari I shoot the M70 exclusively for the previous year on everything from varmints to deer. That way I am completely comfortable with the different feel and safety. One of these days I will probably convert all of the M700's to 3 position safeties but haven't got around to it.

I wouldn't accept a Remington M700 as a gift!

Mike, if someone gives you one, I'll take it off your hands for you. You can give it to me.
Rick

Mauser Model 1898