Remington 700 Safety Lever

13 July 2008, 04:51

Keith1

I want to replace a non bolt locking safety lever with an old style locking type. Is it necessary to remove the trigger group from the action to do this work? The rifle was purchased new in the mid 1990s.
Thanks and Regards, Keith

13 July 2008, 05:28

Westpac

No, but having the trigger assembly off the action places less stress on the housing when you attempt to attach the safety detent balls spring retaining clip.

Curious as to why you would prefer the bolt lock feature over the improved feature?

13 July 2008, 06:37

Keith1

Westpac,
The reason that I like a locked bolt is that I am a walking hunter and the bolt comes open several times a day when the rifle is carried on a sling. This is due to getting caught on brush, limbs, my belt, suspenders or what ever. On my old model Remingtons there is no problem at all.
When you say "spring retaining clip" are you refering to the retainer that holds the little shaft in place?
Many thanks.
Regards, Keith

13 July 2008, 06:44

Toomany Tools

Keep in mind that Remington modified their design so one can open the bolt without taking the rifle off safe. I know several people (none of whom I'd hunt with, BTW) who've shot they're vehicles because when the took their Remington off safe it fired. But if you keep in mind that all stoves are hot, all knives are sharp, and all guns are loaded you'll be fine.

13 July 2008, 07:59

Westpac

quote:
Originally posted by Keith1:
Westpac,
The reason that I like a locked bolt is that I am a walking hunter and the bolt comes open several times a day when the rifle is carried on a sling. This is due to getting caught on brush, limbs, my belt, suspenders or what ever. On my old model Remingtons there is no problem at all.
When you say "spring retaining clip" are you refering to the retainer that holds the little shaft in place?
Many thanks.
Regards, Keith

Yes, the "C" clip. Lay the barrelled action on the table and support the trigger assembly with a small block of wood.

13 July 2008, 08:26

Keith1

Westpac,
Thanks a lot.

Toomany Tools,
You state that you know people who have shot their vehicles while taking their safeties off. Man that one is scary.
Thanks and Regards, Keith

13 July 2008, 09:37

Westpac

quote:
Originally posted by Keith1:
Toomany Tools,
You state that you know people who have shot their vehicles while taking their safeties off. Man that one is scary.
Thanks and Regards, Keith

Yes and more times than not it is maintenance related. But that is a subject that dates back to the dark ages on AR. For info on that little discussion do a search on this forum.

13 July 2008, 18:58

Keith1

Westpac,
You say that the accidental discharges with the Remington are maintenance related. Do you mean that the trigger/safety group gets crudded up and do not function properly or could you be more spacific?
Regards, Keith

13 July 2008, 19:26

Toomany Tools

Yup, the trigger housing commonly gets over lubricated which attracts dirt. This dirt and oil mix then dries causing the parts to get gummed up. Another problem is caused by people tinkering with their triggers and reducing the sear engagement to dangerous levels. When clean and properly adjusted the Remington trigger is hard to beat but like most mechanical things it requires a bit of maintenance to keep in operating smoothly. Whenever I get a Remington 700/721/722/788 etc. in the shop that I can see is has a dirty trigger I completely disassemble it, clean it and then adjust it. Seems like New Mexico ranchers spend a lot more time shooting their rifles than cleaning them.

13 July 2008, 20:44

Quinault

You may want to check and make sure your your bolt has a notch cut out for the non rotating bolt lock before you start swapping parts. Even after Remington eliminated the non rotating bolt lock around 1980 they continued making the notch cut in the bolt till mid to late 90s than they stopped.

I have a 700 that was bought new around 1993 that still had the notch cut in the bolt. But I bought another 700 in 1996 or 1997 that they had eliminated the notch cut in the bolt making it much more difficult to convert over to the better old style bolt lock.

I detest the new style non locking bolt on 700s. I've lost track of how many rounds lost due to the bolt coming open when waking thru the woods and brush. Its one of the main reason I do not buy 700s these days.

13 July 2008, 21:01

Westpac

quote:
Originally posted by Quinault:
You may want to check and make sure your your bolt has a notch cut out for the non rotating bolt lock before you start swapping parts. Even after Remington eliminated the non rotating bolt lock around 1980 they continued making the notch cut in the bolt till mid to late 90s than they stopped.

Good point! However the machine work to provide clearance is pretty simple for those wishing to have that feature.

quote:
Its one of the main reason I do not buy 700s these days.

Don't let something so minor stop you. There are ways to address that issue.

14 July 2008, 00:28

ireload2

quote:
Originally posted by Quinault:
You may want to check and make sure your your bolt has a notch cut out for the non rotating bolt lock before you start swapping parts. Even after Remington eliminated the non rotating bolt lock around 1980 they continued making the notch cut in the bolt till mid to late 90s than they stopped.

I have a 700 that was bought new around 1993 that still had the notch cut in the bolt. But I bought another 700 in 1996 or 1997 that they had eliminated the notch cut in the bolt making it much more difficult to convert over to the better old style bolt lock.

I detest the new style non locking bolt on 700s. I've lost track of how many rounds lost due to the bolt coming open when waking thru the woods and brush. Its one of the main reason I do not buy 700s these days.

On the occasional 700 Rem the bolt stop may stick in the down position. When the walking hunter has his bolt opened by a bush his bolt will drop on the ground. I know at least one hunter that lost the bolt from his 35 Whelen like that and he didn't have a clue what happened. When he got back to camp his buds laughed their asses off at him. I imagine it will set you back at least $175 for shipping and the cost to have another bolt fitted these days.

14 July 2008, 03:09

Westpac

quote:
Originally posted by ireload2:

On the occasional 700 Rem the bolt stop may stick in the down position. When the walking hunter has his bolt opened by a bush his bolt will drop on the ground. I know at least one hunter that lost the bolt from his 35 Whelen like that and he didn't have a clue what happened. When he got back to camp his buds laughed their asses off at him. I imagine it will set you back at least $175 for shipping and the cost to have another bolt fitted these days.

It's surprising how much "bad luck" can be prevented with a little preventive maintenance. New guns need to be taken down immediately, if not sooner, and every piece cleaned of the preservative crap the manufacturers put on their guns. A coffee can of kerosene, a paint brush, a toothbrush and compressed air will do wonders.

It has been a gazillion years since I've looked at an owners manual so I don't know if the manufacturer recommends this or not, but as a full time, working gunsmith, I would highly recommend it.

14 July 2008, 08:01

ireload2

quote:
Originally posted by Westpac:
quote:
Originally posted by ireload2:

On the occasional 700 Rem the bolt stop may stick in the down position. When the walking hunter has his bolt opened by a bush his bolt will drop on the ground. I know at least one hunter that lost the bolt from his 35 Whelen like that and he didn't have a clue what happened. When he got back to camp his buds laughed their asses off at him. I imagine it will set you back at least $175 for shipping and the cost to have another bolt fitted these days.

It's surprising how much "bad luck" can be prevented with a little preventive maintenance. New guns need to be taken down immediately, if not sooner, and every piece cleaned of the preservative crap the manufacturers put on their guns. A coffee can of kerosene, a paint brush, a toothbrush and compressed air will do wonders.

It has been a gazillion years since I've looked at an owners manual so I don't know if the manufacturer recommends this or not, but as a full time, working gunsmith, I would highly recommend it.

One I had hang up was just the result of burrs left on the parts.

14 July 2008, 09:00

Westpac

quote:
Originally posted by Keith1:
Westpac,
The reason that I like a locked bolt is that I am a walking hunter and the bolt comes open several times a day when the rifle is carried on a sling. This is due to getting caught on brush, limbs, my belt, suspenders or what ever. On my old model Remingtons there is no problem at all.

My buddy Rick0311 sent me this image of his M40's unique bolt locking device. It's pretty simple in the scheme of things and is easily overridden in an emergency, like when feeding a round into the chamber prior to taking the shot.

14 July 2008, 09:11

Keith1

Westpac,
I was thinking of something similar to this solution but my idea wasn't as good.. To me that is a good idea to get out of a bad situation. Tell your buddy thanks.
Regarsd, Keith

14 July 2008, 09:30

Westpac

Will do!

14 July 2008, 20:56

Keith1

I appreaciate everyones suggestions and help on this thread. I have decided to go with Westpac's rubber band trick as I believe that it is a safe and viable solution for my problem.
Thanks and Regards, Keith

14 July 2008, 23:48

Westpac

quote:
Originally posted by Keith1:
I appreaciate everyones suggestions and help on this thread. I have decided to go with Westpac's rubber band trick as I believe that it is a safe and viable solution for my problem.
Thanks and Regards, Keith

Please Keith, don't credit me. That is my buddy Ricks idea. I would have used a different color. Something in woodland green