sub 1000$ Gun (Not Custom)

[MudRunner2005]

Big E, you did good. You should enjoy that rifle.

Remember to do a proper break-in and it will be a shooter. Properly breaking in the rifle throat is important on a precision rifle.

Let us know how she shoots!

 

[Bigeclipse]

Big E, you did good. You should enjoy that rifle.

Remember to do a proper break-in and it will be a shooter. Properly breaking in the rifle throat is important on a precision rifle.

Let us know how she shoots!

what do you do for break-in

 

[FEENIX]

I've owned Remongtons for 15 years and never had any issues with any of mine. All have had factory bolts, and still have factory bolts.

I'd be willing to bet your friend got a lemon. A couple of others might have had this happen, but I have never heard of this issue. It's new to me.

Also, anything man-made has the potential to break. It's a law of human nature...Every consumer should know this. Regardless whether it took Remington a couple months to fix it, they did without any hesitation, didn't they? They didn't send it back and tell you that your friend did it from dropping it, and that they weren't liable for it. And basically that you're SOL. I've seen other companies do that, but they will remain nameless.

Perhaps you're right that my friend got a lemon.

Here are other incidents ...

Remington 700TI - Bolt Handle Broke Off - TIG welding by gunsmith a good idea? - AR15.Com Archive
I'm so ticked off right now! (Remington 700 Bolt Handle Broke!) - The Firing Line Forums
More bolts falling off of Remington 700's - THR
Broke my first Remington bolt

I do not know about the fix without hesitation (as I really do not know) but as previously noted, my friend was happy with the rifle after the fix.

Murphy's Law does not discriminate!

 

[MudRunner2005]

Perhaps you're right that my friend got a lemon.

Here are other incidents ...

Remington 700TI - Bolt Handle Broke Off - TIG welding by gunsmith a good idea? - AR15.Com Archive
I'm so ticked off right now! (Remington 700 Bolt Handle Broke!) - The Firing Line Forums
More bolts falling off of Remington 700's - THR
Broke my first Remington bolt

I do not know about the fix without hesitation (as I really do not know) but as previously noted, my friend was happy with the rifle after the fix.

Murphy's Law does not discriminate!

We disagree on alot when it comes to gun brands, but you're right about Murphy's Law not discriminating.

 

[benchracer]

Perhaps you're right that my friend got a lemon.

Here are other incidents ...

Remington 700TI - Bolt Handle Broke Off - TIG welding by gunsmith a good idea? - AR15.Com Archive
I'm so ticked off right now! (Remington 700 Bolt Handle Broke!) - The Firing Line Forums
More bolts falling off of Remington 700's - THR
Broke my first Remington bolt

I do not know about the fix without hesitation (as I really do not know) but as previously noted, my friend was happy with the rifle after the fix.

Murphy's Law does not discriminate!

I think the important takeaway from this is to know the potential weaknesses of the design of whatever rifle one chooses. Being aware of such things allows one the opportunity to address potential issues or be prepared should a problem rear its ugly head. The fix for the bolt issue would seem to be to have a smith tig weld the bolt handle. I would think that would be a cheap and simple preventative measure. A PTG bolt would be an even more comprehensive fix to some of the known issues of the Remington 700.

I am not a big fan of the 700's. I have owned a couple. I don't see myself owning another. My tastes have changed and I just feel that better rifles can be had at the same price level or less. Having said that, I don't think 700's are bad rifles and I wouldn't try to steer anyone away from them.

 

[FEENIX]

We disagree on alot when it comes to gun brands, but you're right about Murphy's Law not discriminating.

I don't think we disagree as I like all brands of guns as they each have something to offer to the end user. IMHHO, we provided sound recommendation to the OP, but not the general consensus he was hoping ... and rightfully so; we all have differing personal experiences and preferences. At the end of the today, it's his ultimate decision to make and must live with its consequences.

As far as the broken bolt handle, I was trying make the OP aware as eloquently noted by ...

I think the important takeaway from this is to know the potential weaknesses of the design of whatever rifle one chooses. Being aware of such things allows one the opportunity to address potential issues or be prepared should a problem rear its ugly head. The fix for the bolt issue would seem to be to have a smith tig weld the bolt handle. I would think that would be a cheap and simple preventative measure. A PTG bolt would be an even more comprehensive fix to some of the known issues of the Remington 700.

I too suggested the TIG weld in my friends GB thread ...

Originally posted by FEENIX
[br]Holy crap Joe! I can understand that happening off 710/770 but not from 700.

ADDED:

Looks like a poor silver solder job. When done properly, they can be pretty sturdy. Check out the video link below (3:52 mark) ...

PTG Bolt Replacement Part3 - YouTube

and 1:13 mark PTG Bolt Replacement Part 4 - YouTube

Personally, I were you, if you want to keep the rifle, I'd have the handle TIG welded to the bolt.

Removing silver solder handle and re tigging handle back on $55 (Straight Shot Gunsmithing)

P.S.

Found an updated thread, my friend received a new rifle instead ...

GunBroker.com Message Forums - 700 XCR II UPDATE,,,,

 

[Bigeclipse]

thanks for the info guys...someone had mentioned proper barrel breakin...I have read a lot about this...and again am confused...some say it's a myth some simply clean factory barrel and go shoot while others use a specific shoot a shot then clean...repeat and so on. thoughts?

 

[FEENIX]

thanks for the info guys...someone had mentioned proper barrel breakin...I have read a lot about this...and again am confused...some say it's a myth some simply clean factory barrel and go shoot while others use a specific shoot a shot then clean...repeat and so on. thoughts?

Keep it simple! Some barrel manufacturer's have their own recommended break-in process others don't even recommend any.

Here's one from Lilja barrels that I use ...

Lilja Precision Rifle Barrels - Centerfire Maintenance

If you're more of a visual type, there are tons of them in youtube.

Take a pick and enjoy ... good luck!

 

[benchracer]

thanks for the info guys...someone had mentioned proper barrel breakin...I have read a lot about this...and again am confused...some say it's a myth some simply clean factory barrel and go shoot while others use a specific shoot a shot then clean...repeat and so on. thoughts?

First, make sure to clean your rifle thoroughly before you put your first round down range. I have gotten a surprising amount of gunk (I am guessing leftover lubricants/particles from the machining process) out of the bore and chamber of new rifles.

From there, in general, all you are really doing is shooting and cleaning the barrel until the rate of fouling slows down. By observing the cleaning process you will know when break-in has been achieved.

Once your break-in is complete, it may be useful to you to continue to shoot and observe the following:

1) How many rounds it takes from a clean barrel before your point of impact settles down and your rifle starts grouping well. This will tell you how many fouling shots to fire after a complete cleaning.

2) Continue shooting until you see a point of impact shift or accuracy deteriorates or both. Note the number of rounds fired before either one of these things happens. That will give you an idea of what your cleaning interval should be. Though the cleaning interval will likely change over the life of the barrel, you will still have a baseline to work from.

3) Both of the above can be done in the course of normal practice. So can barrel break-in, for that matter.

 

[teddy12b]

Wow, lots of new stuff since the last time I looked at this thread. As far as the Remington bolt handle goes, I tend to go with the Savage crowd and there's usually some taunting of the Remington guys all in good fun and I haven't heard of the 700's having any widespread problem with bolt handles popping off. Like it was mentioned before, ever manufacturer puts out some lemons. Personally, I wouldn't have any issue betting my life on a proven remington 700, although I'd still prefer a savage. Lots of great rifles out there and we are living in a golden age of rifle selection.

As far as breaking in a barrel goes, I look at it like this. You can either do it, and know that you did for every time you fire that rifle, or you can not do it and every time you go to the range you could have that little bit of doubt in the back of your mind making you wonder if you'd have broken in the barrel if it'd have been a better shooter. Personally, for the first 10 or so I fire one shot, and bore snake it, then every 5 shots or so then bore snake it. then every 10 shots or so and bore snake it. Once I've gotten to about 100 round I use the barrel foam and all the nasty solvents out there and clean the heck out of the barrel, then I go out and shoot the rifle a lot getting the barrel good and way to hot. When you break in the barrel, you're smoothing out rough spots, and I think it's good to heat it up to the point where it's going to releive any little stresses. That's just for me though, you can do whatever you want with your rifle.

 

[roninflag]

go to riflemmans journal for barrel break in with no ommissions.

 

[benchracer]

go to riflemmans journal for barrel break in with no ommissions.

Good call. German Salazar knows what he is doing.

 

[Dr. Vette]

go to riflemmans journal for barrel break in with no ommissions.

Barrel Break-In - A Detailed Description of My Process - Omitting No Steps
by Germán A. Salazar

Too bad it has been deleted from his blog. All that is left is the title and a big blank space.

Then again, that's probably his point, given this quote of his in another article:

"I've never been convinced of the necessity for any sort of break-in, normally with a new barrel I just take it out and shoot a match right away and this one was no different."