Found A Remington 700 I could own.

Muir

Well-Known Member
I was in the trading post and they pulled out a very nicely custom stocked 700 Remington in 280. SAKO extractor fitted and bolt heli arced to the bolt body. Good trigger. Good caliber. It was $550 with a decent vintage Burris on top. I liked it but I have a 7x57, pine over a Tikka T-3 in 7-08 that's in the City, and am still constrained by that foolish New Year's Resolution I made about not buying new guns. Someone will enjoy it. It's a Remmy done right.~Muir
 
Installing a sako type extractor on the 700 is a mistake. The factory extractor has served the US Marine Corps favorably since the adoption of the M40 as a sniper rifle in 1968. If it was broke they would have found something else during all the modifications they have made in the newer variations. The US Army has likewise been satisfied with the 700 extractor since adoption of the M24 in 1988. All the hogwas written about the "poor' or "flimsy" 700 extractor is just that, hogwash! I was a gunsmith at SOTIC in 1988-9 and saw 13, 1968 era M40's suffer extractor failures almost simultaneously. Those rifles though were all working on their third barrels. These were school guns so easy to track what kind of round counts they each had. Whenever I now rebarrel a 700 that has a shot-out barrel I replace the extractor with a new one. The replacement part is so cheap I don't even charge for it.

SS
 
Installing a sako type extractor on the 700 is a mistake. The factory extractor has served the US Marine Corps favorably since the adoption of the M40 as a sniper rifle in 1968. If it was broke they would have found something else during all the modifications they have made in the newer variations. The US Army has likewise been satisfied with the 700 extractor since adoption of the M24 in 1988. All the hogwas written about the "poor' or "flimsy" 700 extractor is just that, hogwash! I was a gunsmith at SOTIC in 1988-9 and saw 13, 1968 era M40's suffer extractor failures almost simultaneously. Those rifles though were all working on their third barrels. These were school guns so easy to track what kind of round counts they each had. Whenever I now rebarrel a 700 that has a shot-out barrel I replace the extractor with a new one. The replacement part is so cheap I don't even charge for it.

SS

And the SAKO extractor is bad, why? I have replaced at least a dozen broken Remington extractors. Remington themselves abandoned the paper clip for a Sako style extractor on their current issue .338 Lapuas.

Glad you like them, though.~Muir
 
What era 700 does it appear to be ?

I've had somewhat better results with the pre 1995 Remington 700's !

Or maybe it's just that I like the older ones .
 
Remington "abandoned" "the Paper clip" for the 338 Lapua because the bolt diameter of 0.700 inch is too small to support the regular pattern extractor. The 338 Lapua has a base diameter of about 0.585 inches so there is not enough meat to install anything else. I built/ owned the prototype for the Remington SR8 and am well versed in the issue. My prototype was originally chambered for what was then known as the 338-416 Sniper or the 8.58 X 71mm, this well before Malcolm Cooper was pushing his gun in the commercialized 338 Lapua. In 1997 my gun was at Remington as part of their efforts to develop the SR8 which was put into very limited production and demonstrated to overseas customers.

As to introduction of the new pattern extractor I a uncertain of the date but the Army's M24 all have the new version. They can easily be improperly installed and fail. In that case the solution is to get another and follow the installation instructions.

BTW: The Remington extractor is a component of the breeching providing the "three rings of steel" safety. Cuting through the bolt nose to install a sako type extractor compromises this feature...

SS
 
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Remington "abandoned" "the Paper clip" for the 338 Lapua because the bolt diameter of 0.700 inch is too small to support the regular pattern extractor. The 338 Lapua has a base diameter of about 0.585 inches so there is not enough meat to install anything else. I built/ owned the prototype for the Remington SR8 and am well versed in the issue. My prototype was originally chambered for what was then known as the 338-416 Sniper or the 8.58 X 71mm, this well before Malcolm Cooper was pushing his gun in the commercialized 338 Lapua. In 1997 my gun was at Remington as part of their efforts to develop the SR8 which was put into very limited production and demonstrated to overseas customers.

As to introduction of the new pattern extractor I a uncertain of the date but the Army's M24 all have the new version. They can easily be improperly installed and fail. In that case the solution is to get another and follow the installation instructions.

BTW: The Remington extractor is a component of the breeching providing the "three rings of steel" safety. Cuting through the bolt nose to install a sako type extractor compromises this feature...

SS

Good to know ...but I still think it's a paperclip.
I wonder why Remington didn't make a proprietary "paperclip" extractor for the .338 if it was an integral part of the "three rings of steel". You'd think it would be about as easy to make a standard pattern extractor rather than machine the SAKO type that they did... not to mention the subsequent machining of the bolt to accommodate it.~Muir
 
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The Remington bolt diameter is 0.700 inches, the cartridge head is 0.585 this leaves 0.115 (with no clearance). Divided by 2 you have 0.057 inches of wall on the bolt nose to install an extractor. To get an idea why the "paperclip" could not be installed consider this; a sheet of typical bond paper is 0.005-8 inches thick. Stack up 10 sheets of paper and consider cutting a recess into that to install an extractor, ain't going to happen. Without building a new rifle with a larger diameter bolt the only option was the sako style or creating a long side-mounted Mauser style claw. My preference at the time was for the later with a corresponding relief on the bottom of the bolt face to allow controlled-round feeding. There is nothing wrong with the Remington extractor and all the armchair gun designers need to get over it.

FWIW: Two other cartridges were developed by Remington at the time the SR8 was being worked. One a 338 and the other a 30 caliber. Both were based on the 338 Lapua, the differenec being rebated rims. The rims were cut to 0.530 (standard magnum) and the rifles used Remington's standard magnum bolt. There was no difference in performance between the 338 L and the 338 RRR (Remington Rebated Rim). Had Remington got a contract the 338 RRR ammo would have been put into production. None of the 338 RRRs escaped and I own the the only 30 RRR that did, it carries a 24inch 5R barrel and provides some pretty impressive velocities, have to check notes to verify but I know I have gotten over 3600fps with 168 SMKs. That rifle and cartridge were covered in an article I published in "The Accurate Rifle" magazine circa 2000. Since I got tired of rebating brass I eventually cut the bolt and installed a sako-type extractor, not because they are the greatest extractor out there but because it was the simplest solution.
 
this explains a bit as to why things are as they are at Big Green. For one the head size of the magnum case is 0.532 and it always has been. For some reason, and Winchester is one of the worst offenders, American firms do not seem to be able to make brass to the specifications laid down. I have never yet found brass that is dimensionally correct in diameters. Sometimes one can use their errors to ones advantage lie with R.P 303 British brass that is undersize is useful for making 6.5x53R cases as the rime and web are quite a bit undersize for 303 British and this suits the smaller 6.5x53R.

As for the much vaunted "Three Rings of Steel" I wonder if Big Green borrowed the idea as the BSA "Hunter range" also had this idea and the pre production model was sent to Elmer Keith for evaluation and I think that was before the 700 came into production.
 
right 0.532, I rounded it down. Point being the 700 bolt is too small for the 338 Lapua case using the Remington extractor. As to which came forst the BSA Hunter Range or the 700 type bolt I am uncertain but the Remington version was introduced in 1948 with the Remington 721.
 
right 0.532, I rounded it down. Point being the 700 bolt is too small for the 338 Lapua case using the Remington extractor. As to which came forst the BSA Hunter Range or the 700 type bolt I am uncertain but the Remington version was introduced in 1948 with the Remington 721.

I was unsure as to when Remington introduced the feature. I am not very fond of the leter Remington products although one day had intended to own a Model 30S.

BSA finally got there into production in 52/53. Their extractor is different the Hunter's used the full length Mauser type. It was about 54/55 they changed to push feed.. All have recessed bolt faces and the head of the bolt fits into a recess in the breech.
 
I'm fine with the 700 , well atleast the older ones .

I'm also fine generally with REM or WIN brass !

As to the 338 Lapua I don't see the awe factor in the round .

And yes I've fooled with one . It won't do anything I can't do with a 338 Ultra Mag or a 338-378 Weatherby . And yes I've messed with those two as well .
 
As to which came forst the BSA Hunter Range or the 700 type bolt I am uncertain but the Remington version was introduced in 1948 with the Remington 721.


the 721/722 came out in 48 as you say , the 700 hit the market in 62 .
 
I'm happy with the Remington extractor I have a 721 a 722 and three 700's only one has a Sako extractor fitted
it doesn't do anything better than the factory one, I would change the Sako back if I could, who ever did the fitting
botched the machining and if I get a sticky case the extractor pulls out and drops into the magazine, It stops me from reloading too hot a load, not a bad thing, I have owned Remington's since 1970 never had a problem with the extractors on any of them or the triggers.
​Robert.
 
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