Weapons of Choice: Remington Model 700/770 Bolt-Action Rifle

This Weapon Choice series selection is the Remington Model 700 and Remington Model 770 bolt-action rifles. It is also the first posting of this new site. Hope firearm buffs like it and also find some good products to purchase from this site.
Coming Up: Product reviews, survival subjects, anything about firearms, including spotlight upon history of various pistols, shotguns, and rifles. Gunsmithing techniques and firearm owner tips/warnings will be in the future as well.

Remington Arms is the oldest firearm manufacturer that still makes its original product and still manufacturing in America was founded in 1816 by Eliphalet Remington in Ilion, New York. It is also the largest of the American firearm companies that still operate in the United States.

The Remington 770 is a bolt-action rifle in the Remington 700 series – a replacement for the model 710 that experienced bolt assembly problems. It is also successful and well-made, despite its lower cost than the traditional Model 700 that gained notoriety. The Model 770 is manufactured in several popular hunting cartridges. The Model 770 I own is a 30-06 caliber (7.62x64mm) using center-fire ammunition and unlike the Model 700, detachable magazine fed. Another difference is that it comes from the factory with a mounted, bore-sighted 3-9x40mm scope that is sighted in to hit a target at 100 yards. It comes standard with a black, synthetic composite with optional real-tree camouflage designs, as well as wooden stock.

You can add accessories like a bipod and muzzle brake, I have ordered the type 0f bipod I had on my US Army M24 Sniper Rifle (Springfield Armory) that swivels and can be extended from 6-inches to 12-inches. It is great for steadying an aim when hunting or at the practice range on a bench. The muzzle flash suppressor is only just for that – reducing the flash when fired and since this only concerns military operations – it is only an item to add to make it look more military looking. Up to the owner.

US Marine M40 Sniper Rifle (Rem 700 modified)

However, the M40 Sniper Rifle, used in Vietnam as the US Marine sniper rifle was a specially outfitted Remington 700 rifle - praised by the legendary top snipers. It has been used right through 2001 in Operation Enduring Freedom by the US Marines.

The rifle weighs, without the scope, 8.5 lbs (3.9 kg) and my barrel is 22-inches long. A 24-inch barrel is also made for the magnum rifles. While I own a rifle that fires 30-06 Springfield cartridges, it also is available in .243 Winchester, .270 Winchester, 7mm=08, Remington 7mm Magnum, .308 Winchester, and .300 Winchester Magnum.Pictured below is the M24E1 modified Remington 770 that is used by the US Army, it features the newest updates. The Army chose this, along with the Springfield model M-14 outfitted to M24, because it is fed by a detachable magazine. Notice that the magazine is extended over what comes from the factory when you purchase a Model 770 over-the-counter. It is chambered for the US-NATO 7.62x69mm cartridge.

M24EI Remington

The civilian detachable magazine holds four rounds of standard ammunition and three rounds of the magnum class ammunition.

30-06 Springfield Cartridge, 150-grain

I use the 150-grain versus the 180-grain 30-06 Springfield cartridge and always purchase the Remington brand - good quality at a more affordable price - saving as much as ten dollars over other brands for a box of 20. Of course, savings increases when you purchase bulk. For accurate long-range shooting, use 180-grain ammunition.

Accuracy, which Remington rifles are famous for, is superb. The only rifle I would prefer would be the Springfield M-24 fitted with accessories I had in the military – but at the cost of $3,600 completely outfitted, it is out of my price range. The other advantage of M-24 over Remington 770 is that the Springfield M-24 is nothing more than a specially fitted and manufactured M-14 military standard rifle (semi-auto instead of selector switch for full auto), the forerunner of the M16 used in the US Armed Forces today – and it is semi-automatic and can accommodate detachable magazines that holds more rounds. The Army used surplus M14 outfitted to the M-24 style of Remington with semi-auto action instead of the Remington bolt-action. Both are chambered to use NATO 7.62x59 cartridges (.308) - whereas my rifle is chambered for 30-06 (7.62x64mm).

The Remington Model 700 and 770 (the 700 has an internal-fed magazine) are both excellent choices when it comes to big-game hunting, and at the target range shooting at “Zombie” picture targets.
Summary:  Remington had a recall of its .17 HMR semi-automatic rifle because of the style/make of ammunition not suited for semi-auto firing. That caliber is excellent for bolt-action varmint rifles - better than .22 caliber and cheaper than .223 caliber. I mention this because this particular recall got mixed up somehow with the Remington 770, available in several calibers, of which mine is 30-06 caliber. It is also available in several other calibers, including popular .308. I never had any problems with my 770. It's bolt cycles smoothly and the bolt handle is the right side for smooth operation and after a couple of tweaks it fires like a match rifle. They come with a scope, sighted at factory, so in most cases, you get a good grouping first time firing it. The Remington 700 is an awesome hunting rifle, but the 770 is great for the cost and is more apt to be seen decked out in tactical mode, like mine. The wooden stock 700 is a work of art. The 700 barrel is threaded on the receiver, while the 770 is pressed on. In terms of gunsmith work, I would rather work on a 700. In that the quality of the Model 700 over the 770 is quite evident in several ways. If you can afford it - get the 700. The magazines (holds four rounds) are sometimes hard to get, so you might want to stock up on at least one extra. Only one magazine comes with the rifle out of the box.
It was the Model 700, not the Model 770 that received bad publicity back in 2010; but Walker Triggers are also in models 700 and 710. And I would like to note that while Remington calls the latest recall "voluntary", it was only after several lawsuits involving serious injury that they decided to recall the rifles with the trigger problems - most occurring when the rifle was dropped or juggled in a manner that allowed the trigger to fire even with the safety engaged. See Your Lawyer website. I have had no problems with the Model 770 that I passed on to my son because it does not have a Walker Trigger system.