M700 question

[nvbroncrider]

I was at the store on Monday to buy a donor action for a project. I'm looking to build a stainless .280 or AI. anyways I was looking at a brand new synthetic ADL for $379 which I thought was pretty fair since brownells wants $500. But as I was looking at them I noticed that the bolt was plain and solid. Not the standard checkered bolt. But those three ADL were the only ones like that the varmit versions had the checkering all SA and even the blued LA ADL so needless to say I walked away open handed still looking for a donor action.

 

[nvbroncrider]

I guess what my question is. Is has anyone noticed the same or just stay away from them?

 

[CAhunter]

That is the standard bolt on a standard cheap adl. I am guessing your are referring to the bolt being jeweled? If its just a donor action I wouldn't worry about it. If you really want it jeweled your smith should be able to do that. I would go with either coating it as well as the barreled action or send the bolt to kampfeld and have it fluted.

 

[onesonek]

I agree with CAh.
I wouldn't worry about the bolt being neither jeweled or knurled.
If you want that, it can be done by your gunsmith. I'd be more concerned with the other aspects of the action, whether it is square/true, the raceways, lug fit, etc.
That price sounds very reasonable to me, but I haven't been around/seen the new production 700 action to decide if it would work for me as a donor.

 

[Guy Miner]

Remington finishes the actions differently, for different price points.

The actions are likely all the same, except for the external finish. For those who are willing to pay more for a real nice looking rifle, they jewel the bolts and polish everything real nice. For those looking for the most inexpensive version of the 700 available, well Remington puts a simple matte finish on 'em.

I've had very nice looking 700 BDL rifles with the jeweled bolt, and have also happily hunted with the very basic synthetic stocked 700 ADL models that didn't have a lot of visual appeal. All of them shot well.

If it's going to be a donor action, the whole thing is going to get worked over anyway so it really wouldn't matter much to me.

Other alternatives for a donor action include picking up a low budget used 700, or just going to one of the several custom actions produced. Several of them mimic the Rem 700, but are held to higher quality standards. They'll fit in a stock designed for the 700. There's no money to be spent on having a gunsmith true them either. They're match-prepped right from the start. My precision 700 was built back before most of those custom actions were avail, or I'd have gone with one of them instead of working over the Remington.

FWIW, Guy

 

[nvbroncrider]

I just found it odd that all the others there were jeweled. The short action ADL in synthetic were. And all of the ADL in laminates were too. Just wondering why.

 

[nvbroncrider]

I guess I could just buy a blued action and use a can of that brownellls bake on gun finish to get my stainless action right?

 

[RiverRider]

I dunno about that. I've been trying to get that bake-on lacquer to stay on the floorplate of an old Ruger 77, and in fact have applied and baked it twice---it just ain't very tough.

 

[Elkman]

river

My floorplate on my el-cheap o, Model 70 has been blued three times, and its gone again. I now consider it as tastefully worn.

 

[Kodiak]

At the range the other day, I saw a 700 Remington SPS (stainless/synthetic) that had a very bright, shinny finish to the receiver, bolt and barrel. The owner said he bought it that way from the original owner. Possibly?, had it been polished by a g'smith to get that appearence? I have not seen any 700 with that finish from the factory. Or can one be ordered that way?

TIA,

 

[IdahoCTD]

The Sendero's and higher grade rifles have a much better finish then the SPS's typically but it doesn't mean they didn't do some with the better finish early on. It's also possible to polish the roughness out.