Bolt Handle Failure during live fire - Remi 700 XCR

[the_cunctator]

Hi all,

I pulled the trigger (zeroing, not at quarry) on Sunday and had a shocker; the bolt handle on my rifle pinged off under recoil and flew past my head!

The weld totally failed! Luckily, the sharp edges didn't connect.

After my legs stopped wobbling I was really annoyed by this poor fabrication quality, especially as this rifle cost £1,320 new less than 10 months ago and it's had less than 100 factory rounds through it.
£1,320 is a lot for a Remington 700 I hear you exclaim! The eXtreme Conditions compact Rifle (XCR) comes as standard with a stainless action (coated black with 'diamond hard TriNyite'), 40-X trigger, fluted 20" barrel, full length bedding block and Bell & Carlson stock in OD green with black webbing. The bolt is also black mirror finished with a chequer pattern. Hence the extra ££!

I assumed I was getting a high quality rifle! I'm failing to see what extreme conditions this rifle would have stood up to?



Please forgive me going off on a non-stalking tangent for a moment. Remington state they are the choice of the police and military. Picture this; you're in a contact, you take a shot, the bolt handle pings off and then all you have is a fetching green and black club in your hands with an empty case trapped in the chamber! Better hope the bad guys have failures too! Doesn't inspire confidence does it? Yep, failures happen, but I would have hoped Remington quality control would have picked up on this obviously dry joint prior to it leaving the factory?

Any thoughts? I've heard of bolt handles coming off when trying to force an over pressured round from a 700 but not one flying off under recoil!

J

 

[mereside]

blimey scary stuff, get it back to where you baught it from and get a refund,go out and buy an old tank like bsa or parker and hale. on a serious note glad you werent hurt,atb wayne

 

[the_cunctator]

Cheers Wayne! Glad you agree it was a tad hairy - the importer suggested I was being 'harsh' when I reported the issue and said how unhappy I was!

ATB
J

 

[the_cunctator]

Response just in from Remington:

"Edgar Brothers is our authorized agent in the UK. They will arrange for any repair that you need. This is rare to hear for a Model 700 of any type. It should not be a problem for any others you use."

I'm not getting the feeling they are too bothered!!

 

[Deer Assassin]

the_cunctator - was this one of the new remington XCRII rifles or the old XCR rifles?

I bought one of the XCRII rifles about 4 months ago & havent know anybody to own one... maybe something i have to look out for?

 

[Scots_stalker]

fook me . that could have been nasty. , not one for lawyers but i think some compensation should be coming your way

 

[the_cunctator]

Deer Assassin - It's an XCR as far as I'm aware. I bought it last July. I hope yours is better fabricated than mine. Perhaps get in touch with Edgar Bros if you're worried? Remington's response was 'interesting' don't you think?

JB

 

[the_cunctator]

Scots_stalker - you're right pal - fook me indeed!

I've been offered 100 rounds of .308 as reparation (£155 retail inc VAT) - what's that, about £70 to the importer?? Plus I have to take down my setup, re-zero and take it to a dealer myself at my own expense/time for carrier collection prior to a warranty repair.

Don't know how to feel!?

JB

 

[User00003]

just wait till Brithunter gets a sniff of this post, you'll regret ever buying a remmington! LOL,,only joking, you found that out yourself

 

[Paddy_SP]

Don't know how to feel!?

JB

Should have gone to Sauer...?

 

[the_cunctator]

PKL - As it's less than 12 months old I may well just ask for my money back!

JB

 

[saddler]

Response just in from Remington:

"Edgar Brothers is our authorized agent in the UK. They will arrange for any repair that you need. This is rare to hear for a Model 700 of any type. It should not be a problem for any others you use."

I'm not getting the feeling they are too bothered!!

They have very little interest in what HAS BEEN SOLD - only bothered by what is on the shelf that needs selling so they can meet their sales margins, etc.

Have a few 700's myself - the failure you experienced will be quite rare, though not unheard of...

No doubt Dave (gunsmith at EB) will put it right without any drama

 

[saddler]

Scots_stalker - you're right pal - fook me indeed!

I've been offered 100 rounds of .308 as reparation (£155 retail inc VAT) - what's that, about £70 to the importer?? Plus I have to take down my setup, re-zero and take it to a dealer myself at my own expense/time for carrier collection prior to a warranty repair.

Don't know how to feel!?

JB

probably closer to £40

 

[MarinePMI]

Hmmm...I'm wondering where all the Remington fans are that always bash me for making the case that Remington 700's (and their cousins) are not the greatest action on earth, and have some serious manufacturing design flaws...

Not gloating mind you, just sitting here, raising an eyebrow and taking a deep sigh.

To the OP: Sorry to hear this happened (one of the reasons I like Savage's bolt design; it'd take a jack hammer to knock the handle off, and it'd bend before it broke).

 

[the_cunctator]

probably closer to £40

That really won't cover my costs - now I'm really fooked off!!

 

[Oh6]

PKL - As it's less than 12 months old I may well just ask for my money back!

+1

That's what I would be doing. If it is repaired/replaced you are still going to have that nagging worry in your mind when ever you shoot it.

To put it simply, any gun you don't have confidence in shouldn't be taking up space in your safe.

 

[mereside]

i was talking to someone at the weekend who had a similar failure but i dont know which rifle and the outcome wasnt good . as a left handed shooter with a right handed rifle really got me thinking as the bolt handle /bolt is directly inline with my face unlike a right handed shooter could be nasty in that type of scenario. once again im glad you are ok ,atb wayne

 

[Ronin]

The bolt handle on Rem 700's is silver soldered on.

The join can fail if the rifle is abused - such as hot loads used and a mallet or other implement used to open the bolt - I'm not suggesting this is the case here.


It could be poor soldering, it could be that the bolt handle has been dropped or knocked at somepoint -


were you in danger ?


If the bolt was fully closed on firing and the handle felt fine closing the bolt, I would suggest not.

If the bolt was only partially closed and the handle became detached,,,while closing the bolt, so you had a "false closure", then maybe..


Its an easy fix - with the appropriate gear - so long as the secondary cam is timed, it happens, thats why some custom parts makers offer one piece bolts for Rem 700's and Tig welded handles. (in the US)


Would it put me off owning a 700?


Nope. Not at all.

 

[Deer Assassin]

Deer Assassin - It's an XCR as far as I'm aware. I bought it last July. I hope yours is better fabricated than mine. Perhaps get in touch with Edgar Bros if you're worried? Remington's response was 'interesting' don't you think?

JB

Ive had a few issues with Edgar Bros in the past, that said i seem to have an issue with every gun i but... im just unlucky that way i guess.

It will have me keeping a close eye on my bolt from now on anyway!

 

[the_cunctator]

The bolt handle on Rem 700's is silver soldered on.

The join can fail if the rifle is abused - such as hot loads used and a mallet or other implement used to open the bolt - I'm not suggesting this is the case here.


It could be poor soldering, it could be that the bolt handle has been dropped or knocked at somepoint -


were you in danger ?


If the bolt was fully closed on firing and the handle felt fine closing the bolt, I would suggest not.

Trust me; the handle fizzed past my head. The bolt was properly closed but the recoil fro a factory .308 was enough to detach it.

The rifle has been treated with the utmost care since new.