I'm so ticked off right now! (Remington 700 Bolt Handle Broke!)

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mathman

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I don't know if I should be mad at my 700 or myself.

I was shooting my 700 ADL Synthetic (.308) using 7.62 Nato (The Santa Barbara stuff that I have heard nothing but good things about) and everything was going fine until I fired one round and could not eject the casing. No matter how hard I pulled, it just wasn't coming out. So, I got a piece of wood and gently tapped on it with a hammer and the bolt broke off...not at the brazing, but the actual bolt itself! It looks like it is just a cast metal...awfully cheap.

Am I an idiot for shooting Nato rounds through the gun? Everything that I have heard/read said that it is OK to do this......Or, should I be mad at Remington for not making a better product?

I am truly not trying to flame Remington (I have many Remingtons and like them all). I just want to know what you experience folks have to say.
 
I have the same rifle, and Nato surplus is all I shoot in it. Never had a problem, except for South African ammo, makes the bolt real tight to turn. Maybe you got a bad lot ? I just stay away from AS ammo.
 
Some people say that shooting 308 from a 7.62 and vise versa is bad medacine. I never hesitate to do it, but mabe they got lucky this time.

Sorry I don't have anything constructive to say, but good luck.
 
mathman

So, I got a piece of wood and gently tapped on it with a hammer and the bolt broke off...not at the brazing, but the actual bolt itself! It looks like it is just a cast metal...awfully cheap.
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Gentle tapping should not have broken the bolt completely off. Also, what did the shell casing look like when you got it out? Tell tale signs could explain what happened.
 
It's been known to happen, although it is usually the brazing. Seems the ADL models are more prone, although Remington says it is the same action. I have not had it happen personally, but have seen it. Check the below link-it would be manditory if I were using a 700 for dangerous game, although I personally wouldn't.

http://www.hdrifle.com/Rem700BoltMod.html
 
"The bolt broke off"..... what does this mean ? You said that the brazing didn't let go....so I assume that the bolt HANDLE is still attached. So, do you mean that the BOLT BODY fractured....or the BOLT SHROUD....or one or both of the LOCKING LUGS ? You also said that, no matter how hard you pulled, you could not "eject" the casing. Do you mean EXTRACT the casing, from the chamber ? Ejecting the casing, with the 700, is simply a matter of withdrawing the bolt, until the neck of the case clears the forward edge of the loading/ ejection port. If you could not extract the case from the chamber, no matter how hard you pulled...then the problem obviously began with the cartridge. I would suspect an overloaded round (double-charged, perhaps). This may have severely damaged the bolt, at the forward end, including deforming the locking lugs. As well, if this is the cause, then the inside of the receiver is likely severely damaged. It seems that it did not cause the receiver to burst. That is a lucky thing, for you. However, if the bolt could not be withdrawn (was jammed in place)...then it was obviously damaged by the cartridge firing. The bolt body didn't just break on it's own. "Lightly tapping" on the bolt handle, to free the bolt and get it to slide to the rear....could NOT have caused the bolt body to fracture....or the locking lugs to shear off. It would require quite a lot of force or impact to do - more so than "lightly tapping" could ever do.

So, in conclusion, it sounds to me as if you had a double-charged (and thus dangerous) round, which severely damaged the bolt and receiver - but did not blow up in your face. If so, you should THANK Remington. The other possibility that comes to mind is that you beat the cr#p out of the bolt, to extract a split case....and you are guilding the lilly when you say...."lightly tapped". No offense intended at all - I am just trying to understand what actually happened. The item which will settle the issue, is the cartridge case. If it is split or blasted apart - then the fault lies with the round (and you should be thankful that you didn't get a faceful of bolt...as well as shrapnel). If the case is in perfect condition, then it would seem likely that the bolt was defective, in some way.

By the way, the bolt handle is a cast part. the bolt body and locking lugs are forged, then machined. Also, the correct way to remove a case, stuck in the chamber, is ALWAYS to use a rod or wooden dowel....and tap it out from the muzzle end. NEVER, no matter what kind of rifle (even a Mauser 98) beat on the bolt handle (even lightly)....to free a stuck case.
 
The server failed as I was posting

Sorry

They're still working on it

and the cheque is still in the mail
 
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Garand Guy, I am fully aware that 308 and 7.62 are two different ways of saying the same thing. There are differences however. Most commercial 308 ammo uses a smaller head space and is made to different tollorences than most millitary 7.62 ammo. Some times they are the same some times they are different depending on the manufacturer.

Also, sorry about the tripple post, it kept giving me a message about the system being down or some thing like that.
 
bgoldhunter says.....

It's been known to happen, although it is usually the brazing. Seems the ADL models are more prone, although Remington says it is the same action.
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Thanks for the warning. Scratch Remington off my shopping list. What's next, the bolt shattering in your face?This is dangerous news guys, think about it! I'm too young for plastic surgery.....If! I survive!................Remington has some serious problems if this is what's happening!
Any of you guys who had this problem should notify Remington immediately! This could be deadly!!!!!!!!!
 
Well, I will send the gun in for repair and hopefully they will fix it for free...then I'm going to sell the damn thing. I don't think that I was ever in any kind of danger, but once the bolt handle broke off, I sure was done shooting that gun for the day...what if I was hunting? Anyway, safe to say that this has left a bad taste in my mouth and I will probably never buy a Remington 700 again. I'm not saying that they are POS and all of that, but I don't buy the same model of any gun that gives me problems.

I am wondering if this same shell was shot through a Winchester (or Savage) what the results might have been...would the Winchester (or Savage) have extracted the case? Please know that I am not trying to start a Win vs Rem vs Savage debate, just honest questions.
 
In strict manufacturing specs, a 7.62 NATO is NOT a 308 Win. Primer and pressure specs are quite different. Many manufacturers caution not to use any MIL SPEC ammo in their sporting rifles. Cheap is as cheap does. This same applies to the 223 clones. I certainly wouldn't condemn Remington for your plight. Just chalk it up to experience and use the ammo your rifle is chambered for.-- 308 Winchester. It would not surprise me if the bolt lugs have been beating seats into the action over a steady diet of cheap milsurp.
A dismantling of the barrel from the action would verify this.;)
 
I appreciate the info...and I will definitely chalk this one up to experience. That said, I only fired about 10 rounds of mis surp ammo through the gun...ever...and all ten were fired today with the problem coming on the 10th round. As I said earlier, this was all Spanish Nato (Santa Barbara, 1988 production) which I have heard from several sources to be good, clean ammo. Anyway, I'm not going to bash Remington, but I won't buy another of their rifles. Now, as for the 870s, I've never had a problem with one and think that they are the finest pump shotguns in existence. ;)
 
A story about my Remington 700 POLICE in .308...
It was intended to be used with all kinds of ammo, never to be a 'safe queen' or 'sniper rifle' or 'showboat' or 'tackdriver'.
I wanted the gun for the classic 'SHTF' internet imaginary scenario, so I tried it with all kinds of ammo.

First, I cleaned the entire gun and shot Federal Gold Medal Match 168-gr. and it WAS a tackdriver!:D

Then I tried 'other' brands of Match ammo and it was still a tackdriver...

Then I started to feed it 'gun show' ammo, from various parts of the world, made who knows when...and it was still accurate enough, BUT ---
I had some ammo that kinda looked like crap, but I stuck with my plan.
It was a HOT day, and I think some of the ammo got a sunburn :rolleyes: .
Anyway, after a few rounds, one shot sounded 'different', and the bolt wouldn't open. I hit it with my hand a few times, and even considered pounding on the bolt-handle with various items on hand, but wisely decided to let the gun cool down.
A few minutes later, the bolt slid back nice and smooth. The case looked like all the others, so I think it was literally HOT ammunition ( see above ).
I shot some other 3rd World ammo and the gun just didn't like it. It looked dirty on the outside.
SO --- I cleaned the gun and started shooting GOOD ammunition in it.
I took the crappy looking stuff and tested it in my ArmaLite AR10 with the triple-hand-lapped, stainless steel, new profile Match Grade bbl. !!! :eek: :)
 
I had to check the double/triple posting thing out before adding to my other post:

Don't give up on your Remington rifle. Get it fixed. Trust it. Make it submit.
It WILL work for you.

Just for fun, do check out that link:
http://www.hdrifle.com/Rem700BoltMod.html

I plan to eventually ( funds and timing permitting ) have that bolt modification done. It just looks like a cool thing to do, and it's one of those things that any particular design of firearm may 'need'.
Be it a 1911; Model 70 Winchester; Model 98 Mauser; or whatever.
The Remington 700 is a fine design, and some people have come up with 'hot-rodding' for it. Use the aftermarket for what it's worth and have the rifle you know made to your specs. It'll be worth it.
Good shooting!
 
Remington 700 30.06 bolt broke

I just received a gun the other day from a individual who stated that the bolt handle had broken off his gun. After removing the trigger assembly and getting the casing unstuck out of his gun I relized what had happened. When I checked out the chamber it had a thin coat of rust on the inside casing the case to stick when fired. Now my question is can this handle be welded back on or does it need to go to factory to get fixed. I bought the gun from the kid for a 150.00 and that included a 150.00 Nikon scope with it. The kid need money so I offered him 150 not knowing it included a scope in the deal. So should I part out the gun or fix it. ADL wood stock gun like new.
 
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