remington rifles

[billy]

I see a lot of people bashing remington guns ,whatseems to be the big  trouble with them?

[Lawdog]

billy,

It isn't Remington bashing.  Remington has earned the comments being levied at them.  Right now there are a number of lawsuits filed against Remington for unsafe firearms(safety and trigger issues mostly).  Here are five reasons why NOT to buy Remington firearms.

1.] hideous safety

2.] brazed on bolt handle

3.] declining quality control

4.] non existent customer service

5.] a trigger group made from stamped metal

The sooner people quit pouring money into this "gopher hole" the sooner Remington will get back to building the kind of firearms that made them famous.  Lawdog

[safetysheriff]

billy'

While not as down on Remingtons (Except for that miserable model 710!)as is lawdog, I will admit that their cheap trigger guards (plastic on some), 'average' customer service, and Maybe declining quality control is a concern.    I have only seen good Remington barrels and actions among the Model 700's; but the synthetic stocks and trigger guards are not always what they should be.    I have only seen accurate Model 700's, but their customer service can involve some element of debate to get what is your due for a cracked (plastic) trigger guard.    

In all honesty, I have worked with 6 Model 700's recently, including load development for a 'tactical' rifle.   I adjusted the triggers on 5 of them, and they all 6 shoot like contest-winners.     They are really something.  But I can't imagine why Remington 'developed' (vomited-up is more like it!) a mmmmmmodel 710  :eek:  :eek:    It's garbage, in my opinion.  

take care,

ss'

[dbuck]

Billy,

I have three Remington 700's in 7-08, 223, 308, the latter two are varmit rifles and the former is a BDL 33 with 24" barrel and I haven't had one bid of trouble with all three and they all shoot like a house on fire.

I can't comment on their customer service because I have never had to use it.  I don't know anything about the 710's or plastic trigger guards.  I adjusted the trigger on all three to about 2.5 lbs and they are great.

I guess I'm the odd ball of the lot.

dbuck

[Varmint Hunter]

I haven't owned too many 700's but have had a trigger problem with one and a bolt handle problem with another.

Rather than correct a trigger misadjustment problem on my rifle they just put in a new trigger and charged me accordingly. There  was nothing wrong with the original except that it was misadjusted by an unqualified person.

I had a 700 with a custom barrel in 7STW. The bolt handle broke off and could not be adequately reattached by my smith. He believed that there was a problem with the bolt body metal. Remington's customer service people told me that they would fit a new bolt and the custom barrel would not be a problem. That was until the rifle got there - then they insisted on removing the custom barrel and charging me for a new factory tube and the new fitted bolt. To add insult to injury they insisted on keeping MY custom barrel. In the end, Remington sent my rifle back with NO bolt because I refused to allow them to keep my barrel. They gave me a very hard time about everything. Next rifle I bought was a Tikka. :wink:

My buddy had a 700 that went back to Remington 3x because of accuracy problems. On the second trip they replaced the barrel and returned the rifle without even firing it. The problem wasn't resolved. On the final trip back to the factory Remington claimed that the receiver was warped and a new one had to be numbered and fitted. It finally shot within reason.

Yeah, Remington has got some problems. There customer service is becoming legendary.

[roper]

I don't know too many over the counter rifles that the trigger doesn't need some adjustments.   I really don't mind the j-lock kind of a good reason to get a new and better firing pin assembly.  I've got a new 300rum and couldn't be happier.  Since I don't own a 710 really can't comment on the rifle.  I've had acouple dealing with Rem customer service and had no problem.     I've had pretty good luck with rem  same with sako,win,ruger.

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

I'm guessing everybody knows where I stand on the Remington issue already.

I'll just say I'll never own another one----and leave it at that.

[TC Shooter]

I haven't had one bid of trouble with all three and they all shoot like a house on fire.
I guess I'm the odd ball of the lot.

No , you are not alone! I have owned 3 Remingtons (VS .308 , .223 VLS and a .308 700P) and all have been extremely accurate and completely reliable.

 I don't have a problem with the Remington safety. The trigger? Most all factory triggers from Winchester/Ruger will be lousy as well. The Ruger Target Rifle has an ok trigger. The Savage Accu Trigger is the best of the US made rifles I have tried. I use a benchrest trigger anyway.

My friends that own Remingtons are all very satisfied with their rifles as well.

[Smokem]

MY Remington 721 in .30-06 has worked just fine.

[bchannell]

I guess you'd have to count me in the cautious category when it comes to Remingtons. I've had older ones that were terrific, then came some of the newer ones, that really make you shake your head. Poor accuracy, really poor fit and finish. Then surprisingly, one of the new CDLs crossed my palms and it was a super shooter and fit perfectly. I hope that's a sign of good things, but who knows.
Some of the issues, such as the brazed on bolt handle, I don't know. I've seen literally hundreds of Remmys over the last 25 years, and never known anyone to have a bolt handle come off. I'm still pissed that they changed the safety and it no longer locks the bolt, dumb move IMHO. The "J" lock is a lousy idea, there are many better, cheaper ways to handle that idea, like including a cable lock with the gun.
Remingtons customer service does need work, but where ever people are involved, no manufacturer wants to spend any more money than is absolutely necessary. I guess that's why we have such long waits for service and such crappy attitudes. But, hey, Kimbers no better and their rifles cost a lot more, so it's all over the place. I had to return a rifle to Weatherby that was machined wrong and scope mounts wouldn't fit on. (I have pics that CLEARLY show how far off they were). Weatherby assured me they would fix it pronto. I sent rifle and two different sets of mounts in and they didn't even bother to mount either set. I know cause I marked them to see if they would. To this day I don't know what made me think of that, but I did. Got the rifle back and traded it off, after telling the dealer of the problem.
I've said before, everyone makes a mistake, the character of a man is shown in how he makes it right, same for companies. Those that are dishonerable, no longer get my business. I'm sure it's not keeping them awake at night, but it's the principal.

[crazyjjk]

Earlier Remingtons were great. As of lately someone at Remington let the bean counters run the place. Quality, product that is customer inspired instead of cost inspired and after sale service are gone. Until the company is again run by shooters instead of wall streeters and the philosophy of making the most profit out of the least amount of effort is removed along with the bean counters Remington will remain a 2nd class firearm where you pays your money and takes your chances. Some are good some are bac.

[Rummer]

My experience with Remington's has been checkered.  Every .30 caliber m700 ADL that I have handled had a throat that was too long.  The bullets had to be seated out so far that they wouldn't function thru the magazine. My 8x57 (2004 classic) has a very short throat and shoots winchester factory ammo very well.  A friend has a m700 .270 that is a great shooter.

I think that Remington quality has declined the last 15 years or so.  Compare the steel on the ADL Synthetic to the steel on the ADL's from 15 years ago.  The contemporary steel seems to be more prone to rusting.  The fit and finish stink.  The action feels rough when you cyle it.  The bolt squeeks like a rusty gate hinge.  The quality just isn't there in the budget end rifles.  The same comparison can be made between the 870 wingmaster and the 870 express.

My Father had a ADL in .308 with a long throat.  He called remington and they said that it met their specs.  They said they would screw another barrel on it that met their specs.  Dad sent the rifle to RW Hart and had it rebarrelled.

If I buy another centerfire rifle it will not be a Remington, although I wouldn't rule out the possibility of buying a used one just for the action.

John

[jvs]

Funny you should ask.

I was just at the range yesterday.  This range gets a whole slew of diferent types of shooters.  From the AK47's and 50 caliber BMG's to the Bench Rest Shooters and everything in between.

While I was there sighting in my .22 for the upcoming bushy tail season, a couple of the Millionaire shooters showed up with some of their Bench Rest pieces.  I got to talking to one of them while he was sitting in his 6X10 Air Conditioned Tow-Along Trailor that he uses to reload 5 shots at a time, it had 2 reloading stations and a refrigerator, and I asked him about the quality of todays Mass Produced rifles.

As a former gunshop owner and a gunsmith he can say for certain what makes and models came back with problems more than others.

While I will not disclose the worst of the manufacturers, I will say that when Remington came up he had little to say about the present quality.  His biggest gripe seemed to be the screws, tapped holes and fit, with .025 burs being a real problem.

But when Savage came up, ugly as they are, it was almost nothing but praise for fit, finish, durability and accuracy.  Especially durability and accuracy.

I guess since it's almost impossible in this world to get away from stamped parts and man-hour expectations on the shop floor, maybe Remington should actually come up with a rifle that is made to shoot well and come in under budget, because just being under budget isn't working with public opinion.

[jhm]

When it comes to owning rifles I have at one time owned every cal. 700 rem. from the 17 up thru the 300 win. mag. and all I can say is I never had any problem that wasnt fixable by me or one that was created by myself and you cant fault the manu. for what I screwed up, I have been involved in 2 gunshops in my lifetime and sold every type of legal weapon made and you take the overall sales of all of the manu. and the percent of problems they have and I would bet you will find alot of the so called almost custom rifles have a higher problem percentage than the win, rem, ruger lines, they dont manu the volume if theres a problem, some people will always have a problem with a particular brand so as to build up the brand they are presently shooting, but that how life goes, asked the same question about a ford, dodge, or chevy pick-up and you will find the same responces as to why they drive what they drive instead of the other brands.    JIM

[jvs]

I own Remingtons and never had a problem that wasn't my fault.  Same with Winchesters and Marlins.  The only Savage I own is a 340E .22 Hornet that is about 35 years old or so, but that is likely to change.  

My point was when you hear the same stories over and over again, and I don't mean on a website message board, it gets to take on a life of its own.  I know alot people with new Savages, and while I agree that they won't admit if they bought a lemon,  I have yet to hear of one, at the range or just talking about them, that had to be sent back, or even calling customer service.

I must also admit that I never had to call ANY customer service department regarding any firearm I own.

The Bench Rest Shooter I saw at the range the other day couldn't care less,  he shoots a Custom 6mm PPC in competition.  His barrel costs more than 3 Remingtons, let alone the trigger, rest, chronograph and all the other supplies needed.  But in that circle of people there is alot of experience when it comes to rifles.  Remington is losing favor with the know-it-alls while Savage is gaining.

After a while it will be a little more than personal preference.  All Savage needs now is a quality receiver and the old 700 will be in the ropes.  As I learned from the bench shooter, the Savage bolt, ugly as it is,  is the fastest lock-down in the market at the moment.

Yes friend, even faster than the 700, the Model 70, any Ruger or the Vanguard.

I hope somebody at Remington remembers what happened to Chrysler before it's too late.

[Questor]

Our range has two serious bolt action freaks and they both prefer Savage. They are mutual acquaintences, but are very different people with preferences developed independently of one another.