Rem.700 extractor weak

[gamestalker]

I posted something about this a while back but may not have clearly expressed my purpose which is two fold, reliability and accuracy. I have numerous 700's and 2 of those are chambered in 7mm RM. I reload for all of them and am very competent in this manner. One of my 7 mags will barely extract the rounds whether it's been fired or not, the extractor simply isn't grabbing hold with any reliable means. The 700 having this problem has had this issue from the day it was purchased new. I heard that there are quite a few after market extractors out there that are far more reliable, and also reduce or eliminate the amount of spring force that shoves the round against the chamber wall. This creates some issues with fire formed brass that often leads to having to index the loads for optimum accuracy, and I don't want to wind up with a chamber getting out of round.

I know I can decreases the spring tension on the extractor pin, but if I can eliminate it all together with a different style extractor, I would rather go that route. Someone mentioned a Sako style extractor but I'm not very informed in this area and would appreciate any suggestions. If I go with the Sako extractor is it going to be an expensive conversion, like more than $100's?

 

[LoonWulf]

Installing the sako extractor isnt a huge bit of work, but it will be more then 100 bucks. More along the lines of 175-225 according to my local smith. I have a 700 that had NEVER ejected properly. I replaced the extractor with a new one from midway (same ejector) and it seems to have cured the issue. As for making your chamber out of round, i dont think it would be an issue with the amount of force and the brass on steel contact. Besides the barrel will be toast long before you manage to cause any wear even with steal cases.

 

[Clark]

The Rem700 is a perfect example of the concept that to get great accuracy all it takes is a good barrel.

It is nearly the poorest excuse for an action in existence, and has a huge following. With all the money saved on the action, Remington puts very good barrels on those rifles.

I put a Rem700 7mmRM take off barrel on a 1908 Mauser action and it shocked me how accurate that rifle is.

My abridged schpeal:
So what is un Mauser like about Rem700 actions?
What can you do about it?

1) Bolt hand falls off..... TIG weld it
2) Round bottom..... glue it in a flat bottom shroud
3) Wimpy extractor.... Sako extractor conversion
4) Recoil lug not attached... drill and pin to receiver
5) No inner C ring..... glue barrel threads
6) Safety blocks trigger, not firing pin..... Gentry 3 position safety

 

[gamestalker]

Well, I guess since this is the only 700 I've had extractor issues, with I'll simply just order a new factory replacement one from Midway. And regarding accuracy, yes this rifle is absolutely sub moa with almost any reloads I put through it.

The custom M98 chambered the same hasn't been any more accurate than my good ol 700's are.
Thanks guys!
G.S.

 

[Clark]

The custom M98 chambered the same hasn't been any more accurate than my good ol 700's are.

And your old hum vee hasn't been any faster than your wife's mini van.

 

[Jim K]

Sorry, Clark, but I have a few problems with your list of bad things about the Remington 700. While you have a perfect right to hate the 700 if you want, and to modify it to suit yourself if you have the money, some of those statements are questionable. Let's see.

1. Bolt handle comes off. How many 700 bolt handles have you actually seen come off? Not internet rumor but actually seen? The only one I know of was beaten with a heavy machinists hammer, not normal treatment for a rifle bolt; a Mauser 98 bolt would not have come off, but it would certainly have bent.
2. What is the problem with a round bottom receiver? If you need a flat bottom receiver for some particular reason, use one.
3. That extractor is pretty tough - I have seen it tear through a case rim when the bolt was hammered open (the same gun the bolt handle broke off) after firing a round that would probably have blown a Mauser 98. If an owner prefers the Sako safety, they are easy to install, though at some small sacrifice of safety in the case of extreme pressure.
4. So what? Have you seen a Remington recoil lug that bent or broke?
5. Why would a 700 need the inner collar when the bolt nose seats directly into the barrel? And why would you glue the barrel threads? Sounds like an amateur fix to a screwed up barrel installation job.
6. The 700 safety does not block just the trigger, it cams the sear upward and blocks it, and the sear cams the cocking piece/firing pin back and blocks it as well. A very real problem with the 700 is that the tolerances are small and a worn sear can fail to reset, allowing the gun to fire when the safety is taken off. That was the subject of several lawsuits; recent guns have been modified and the problem appears to have been corrected.

Jim

 

[Clark]

What?
Me hate the Rem 700?
I put this nice Krieger barrel on mine.
And I made this nice drawing of how to do it.

But I only have one Rem700 and I have between 50 and 100 Mausers [who counts?]

The Rem 700 is fine for light duty and low budgets. They come with great barrels.

The Mauser is just so much better. It is amazing.

Here is my unabridged schpeal

The 98 Mauser has:
1) flat bottomed receiver to take torque from rifling
2) controlled feed
3) claw typed extractor
4) safety on firing pin, often modified to be 2 or 3 position M70 type
5) multi stage gas filter on firing pin hole for safety
6) bolt handle is integrally forged as part of bolt body
7) safety lug below rear bridge
8) integral recoil lug
9) knife ejector in bolt lug slot with force proportional to that applied to bolt handle
10 an inner C ring to put the tenon threads in compression

The rem 700 has:
1) receiver made from round tubing
2) push feed
3) little wimpy extractor
4) safety on trigger
5) simple bolt
6) bolt handle tacked on with screw and solder
7) The soldered and screwed bolt handle is in a slot in the receiver.
8) recoil lug is a modified washer that is captured by the receiver and barrel
9) round hole in bolt face for spring loaded plunger ejector
10) No inner C ring, so the only thing holding the barrel to the receiver is the tenon threads in tension.

To overcome some of these short comings, the Rem700 may be modified:
1) A flat bottomed shroud may be epoxied around the receiver for benchrest work.
3) A Sako extractor modification may be made to the bolt.
4) According to the allegations, the defendant [Remington] has known of the defect for 60 years [of Rem700 manufacture] and has more than 4,000 documented complaints of unintended discharge and has paid more than $20 million in settlements to "injured consumers."
5) Eye protection can be worn when shooting a Rem700.
6) The bolt handle can be TIG welded on the bolt body
7) An after market bolt handle can be TIG welded to the bolt body
8) The receiver and recoil lug may be drilled and pinned together.
10) The Remington factory often puts glue on the tenon threads. [Vaughn sees the tension of the barrel tennon being relieved during firing, allowing movement as a problem.
He sees the thermal movement of the barrel tenon threads at the front of the receiver as a smaller problem.

Vaughn's proposed redesign [not existing hardware modification] solution is to cut the receiver to form an inner ring, like in a Mauser. He proposes a separate threaded retainer piece rather than use the end of the barrel tenon like a Mauser. That might save some manufacturing cost over the Mauser.]

The reason most often sited for dangerous game professional hunters preferring Mausers over Rem700 is the controlled feed.

Kent Reeves Won the Nationals at Camp Perry shooting a 300 Win Mag Mauser in 2006, but more typically the target competitions are won by Winchester M70s, which resemble 98 Mausers.

There are lots of custom Mausers in the $10k - $100k range, but no Rem700s in that range.

The book to get is "Bolt Action Rifles" 4th edition by de Haas.
Of the ~100 bolt action covered in the above book, they seem to all be on the spectrum somewhere between the simple Rem700 and the complex 1898 Mauser design.