Rem 710 bolt stop failure?

[jim in Anchorage]

Buddy of mine calls me from NY yesterday and says he's out deer hunting last weekend [yes I know it's July-they have crop protection permits] and tells me he shoots at a deer, works the bolt and next thing he knows he's got the bolt in his right hand and the rifle in his left. Is this a known problem with the 710? I know nothing about them but advised him to get rid of it.

 

[bearman49709]

I think the 710 bolt release lever swivels to the rear to unlock and foward to lock. If this is correct he may have forgot to lock it back down or it may have caught on something.

Two years ago a friend baught a new Ruger 77/357, bolt latch worked when it wanted to, Ruger sent a call tag and repaired it for him.

 

[rcmodel]

That would be my guess too.

Probably forgot to push it back down to lock it the last time he cleaned it.

As I understand it?
It's not an automatically done-deal when you put the bolt back in like most bolt stops.

You have to manually push it back down to lock it.


rc

 

[jim in Anchorage]

Well from what you guys are posting I'd say my "get rid of it " advice is good. Sounds like a throw away gun.

 

[gamestalker]

Oh ya, they are indeed a throw away rifle. My 7 mag was a tack driver, then everything on it started breaking, lots of plastic. The last straw was when the bolt shroud broke. On those the bolt shroud is made of plastic and is an integral part of the entire bolt assembly, so it can't be independently replaced.

As for his bolt falling out, those have a flip up or down bolt release lever, he probably inadvertently flipped it up.

FYI, tell him not to cycle the bolt fast, and don't let a shirt sleeve or anything else get tangled up when closing the bolt, it will break the shroud.

GS

 

[HadEmAll]

And tell him to treat the magazine release lever respectfully. Plastic, part of the stock, and non-repairable.

 

[gamestalker]

Maybe mine was a different generation, cause the bolt stop lever in mine was made of steel. Everything else on that rifle was plastic, but that stop lever was steel.

The bolt assembly is so cheesy and contains so many plastic and pot metal parts, that they had to attach the bolt head as a separate piece.

What really bothers me, is that the over all design of that rifle is awesome, the bolt is a short throw 3 lug, the bolt lug recesses are in the barrel, not the receiver, it came with an amazing 3 stage jewel trigger, button rifled barrel, the detachable magazine is metal, and the stock was well made, very rigid and able to be completely free floated with out any bedding work. If the would have not used a plastic insert in the receiver, plastic molded bolt assembly and shroud, and plastic magazine release the rifle would be every bit as good as the earlier 700's, IMO.

GS