Lesson to be learned here is never to understimate effective Marketing and its influence on consumers.

Hey CDH and sdgunslinger, Thank you for the info. Once they went "non-adjustable", I quite paying attention to them.

So I appreciate the update from both of you.

Personally, I could care less who or what the "top dog" in sales is. I don't take instruction from the "masses" on what I should purchase. 95% of gun buyers are clueless. While I have a half dozen or so 700's and have owned many more, I prefer M70 Classics head and shoulders above 700's for a serious hunting rifle. My choice. I never buy based on sales figures! Let the flames begin!

I feel somewhat the same way as mudstud. I am not to influenced by what others do and I worry even less about what they say. That said, after owning about a dozen different Remington 721s and 700s along the way I had very little trouble with any of them. They ranged in calibers from 220 Swift to 30-06 with a 7mm Rem Mag as the only magnum round in one. There was a lot to like about them and also some things I wasn't real happy with including the bolt shape of the 700, although the 721 bolt shape was tolerable to me. I eventually let all of them migrate away from the safe except for my Wife's 30-06, and a 300 H&H barrel that will be fitted to a 721 action someday. I changed the trigger in my Wife's rifle not because it was faulty but merely because I feel it is of a simpler design and has less chance to malfunction. This is my opinion and anyone can talk until their vocal chords give out, but my mind is made up on the trigger issue. Anyone else is welcome to their point of view on this matter or any other about the 700 for that matter. I did have one rifle with a Sako type extractor that was installed by someone else before I got it. Whether they had problems with the extractor I do not know. I never had any problems with extractors on any rifles I owned but did have a couple of friends who did. One was a 721 and the other was a 700. I never experienced any bolt handles coming off, nor have I ever seen any that did. Overall the rifles I owned were very serviceable rifles and most were pretty accurate.

Bottom line, they have been the top dog in sales of factory rifles for many, many years. Whether they are the top dog in quality, whether they are the best bang for the buck, or just the best made factory rifle out there at the present time is no doubt open to debate just as it is being done here. I don't expect they will ever be called the "Rifleman's Rifle" like the Model 70 is and I also think they will always have that dark cloud over them because of the trigger, extractor and bolt handle issues. Whether it is deserved is also open to debate, but I am betting it will always be there.

To sumarize all this, they are no doubt a good rifle for what you pay for them, but for myself I now choose to own something else. I know I may spend more money but I will be more satisfied also.