Rem 700 Safety back to Safe position question

[homers]

Question on how the Remington 700 safety is suppose to work. Newer model 700.
Place safety to Fire position,
fire gun.

Before opening the bolt, should the Safety be allowed to move back to Safe position?
Or is the only way to move the safety to the Safe position is after opening the bolt?

 

[jmr40]

Gonna reply mostly to get this moved back to the top and try to generate some interest. Hopefully someone with a newer rifle will open their safe and find out. I should know the answer to this, but I'm not 100%.

My only current 700 is an older version. When in the "SAFE" position mine locks the bolt handle down and the safety cannot be moved from the "FIRE" position until after is is re-cocked. You cannot open the bolt to unload the rifle unless you move the safety to the "FIRE" position.

I've owned some of the newer rifles. They will allow you to open the action to unload while still in the "SAFE" position. I "think" you can move the safety to the "SAFE" position at any time, but I can't say for sure and I don't have one to check.

 

[roklok]

No, the rifle has to be cocked to move the safety to the safe position. When the bolt is opened, that cocks the striker and safety can then be placed into safe position.

 

[homers]

thanks for the responses.

Anybody willing to open their safe and check their 700 safety?

thanks

 

[jmorris]

As above, the safety will not go on if fired, once the bolt handle is lifted the safety can go on and remain on, bolt open or closed, until fired.

 

[sage5907]

I understand that when Remington was having trouble with the rifle accidently firing when the safety was moved to the "off" position they changed the trigger mechanism so that the safety no longer locks the bolt handle down. As was said above, after the bolt handle is cycled to cock the rifle the safety can be placed in the "on" position and the rifle can be loaded or unloaded with the safety remaining in the "on" position. I had an older version with a blind magazine box and I never liked the idea of cycling cartridges out of the magazine with the safety "off." It did fire on one occasion when my wife flipped the safety lever off and to solve the problem I installed a new trigger that did not lock the bolt handle down. I bought the rifle from a friend who had cleaned the trigger repeatedly with WD40 and it had gummed up the trigger mechanism. I had never used WD40 on a rifle and did not expect the problem.