Remington Model 700 Safety Question

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dgludwig

New member
It has long been my understanding that the Remington Model 700 two-position safety was originally configured to lock the bolt closed when on "safe", requiring the user to place the safety on "fire" in order to unload the rifle but that, sometime in the early eighties, Remington changed the design so that the bolt remained unlocked when on safe so that the rifle could be unloaded while on safe as a concession to liability concerns. However, one of my favorite shooting/hunting authors, Dr. Wayne van Zwoll, in his book Deer Rifles and Cartridges, stated that in 1982, Remington altered the safety so that it "... locks the bolt down when the safety is 'on' to prevent opening of the bolt during carry. This change would later be blamed (not justly) for accidental discharges when hunters unloaded their rifles. Remington would respond by reverting to the original safeties..."

My question is whether Dr. van Zwoll has this bit of history backwards or has my "understanding" of the reason for changing the safety and when it was done been flawed all along? The answer would seem to be predicated on how the safety of the first Model 700 rifle functioned. Anybody know for sure? Thanks for those willing to indulge me in this rather esoteric query.
 
He has it backwards, if that is inded what he wrote. In 1982, the safety was changed so that it no longer locks the bolt shut, it did previously.

On a side note, I swap older safetys into my newer model 700s to lock the bolt shut while on safe.
 
The noted author is bassackwards.
The only Rem 700 "safety failure" that I've witnessed was not a mechanincal failure at all. The Grouch Attack was unloading my older 700 while wearing gloves and a floppy glove finger snagged the trigger after she released the safety to open the bolt. Although she denied it, I'm pretty sure she had her finger in the triggerguard when she released the safety and when she moved her hand to open the bolt, the overlong glove slid between the trigger and trigger guard. As she continued to move to the bolt handle, the trigger was pulled by the glove and boom. I don't recall her ever hunting after that incident.
 
The noted author is bassackwards.
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He has it backwards, if that is inded what he wrote.
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He did. The quote I cited was taken directly from his book. I thank posters Mobuck and roklok for confirming what I thought I knew to be true.

In 1982, the safety was changed so that it no longer locks the bolt shut, it did previously.

On a side note, I swap older safetys into my newer model 700s to lock the bolt shut while on safe.
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That's the safety configuration I much prefer too.
 
The 722 I am looking at has the lock bolt safety, and the floor plate doesn't open to unload. You need to turn off the safety, and rack them out. I don't want to replace the trigger, but I would like to change the safety.
 
You'd be better off if you leave the safety alone and replace the trigger. A safety that locks down the bolt is much prefered. While rare, it is this trigger that causes problems.
 
You'd be better off if you leave the safety alone and replace the trigger. A safety that locks down the bolt is much prefered. While rare, it is this trigger that causes problems.
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In reality it not keeping the muzzle pointed in a safe direction that causes the problem!
 
There would have to be something else wrong with the gun, but in rare cases it might be possible for the bolt to be slightly out of battery and fire. This could be dangerous.

The biggest problem with the bolt not being locked down is having it come open and dump your ammo on the ground as you are walking. It often only partially raises and if your gun is working properly it won't fire until you lower the bolt back down. Could make a difference if you have to make a quick snap shot before a buck steps into cover.

I won't buy a gun that won't lock the bolt down. I'd rather take my chances with one of the older guns with trigger issues.

I didn't know the 722 had trigger problems.
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Them along with amost all Remington bolt actions made between 1946 and 2007. The older gun, the more likely you are to have problems.
 
See I am confused on the safety issues. I have owned 4 older 700's and never had an issue with the guns. The onlyone I had personally seen fire when the bolt was slammed or closed hard had the trigger adjusted by the owner. I am not saying it doesn't happen, but I thought Remington disproved alot of the. Claims in a retaliation video. I watched it on Remingtons website.

Has anyone personally ever hadone that would slamfire ? More importantly with a stock, unadjusted trigger? Just curious....
 
Just so we're all on the same page, the Remington two-position safety question I posed, whether the early ones that kept the bolt locked closed when on "safe" or the ones made subsequent from the early eighties that allowed the shooter to unload the rifle while the safety was "on", is a different issue entirely from the rifle inadvertently firing (or not) when the bolt was slammed shut or the rifle jarred hard.
 
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When the design was changed, there were quite a few complaints from hunters who found the bolt open and the previously chambered round on the ground somewhere. I always considered it a wimp out solution to the problem of operator error.
 
The whole 700 safety issue came about after an incident where a woman shot her son in the back while unloading a Remington 700. While this is a terrible tragedy I do have two questions.
1. Why was the muzzle pointed at her son's back?
2. Why should Remington be held responsible for poor gun handeling safety procedures?
 
I have had my 700 fire when I took the safety off. My fault for setting the trigger too light. It is an older rifle that locks the bolt. It now wears a Timney trigger and one of the last left handed Gentry safties that Dennis Gentry installed. While he no longer makes the left handed version, it is still is available in right hand and is a three position safety that works like a model 70 safety, locks the bolt and trigger to the rear, the trigger but not the bolt in the middle, and fires in the forward position. Also available for the Mauser 98.
I recommend that you have Dennis do the installation as many gunsmiths screw it up.
 
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