Dear Friend,
I know that you are only trying to improve your rifle, but I think that you are trying to fix a problem that doesn't exist, which always always creates the risk that you will mess up your rifle with your attempt to improve it.
The Remington 700 extractors are very very reliable. You need to check to see if your rifle has the old type extractor, or the newer type. The older extractors had a rivet hole drilled through them in a mannner that would make them break very very occasionally. I believe that starting about 1981, Remingon changed the design to eliminate the issue and put them in all of their new model 700 rifles ever since. If you look in a gunsmithing book or talk to a gunsmith, he can give you the serial number for the change-over.
The stories that any of these extractors are "weak" or "break easily" or are "prone to breaking" is almost an uban myth. I have shot Remington 700s for 35 years, both the old and new style, and I have never had one break, ever. In 35 years of shooting, I have never seen one break on someone else's rifle, or known anyone who actually had one break. The stories about these extractors breaking are always in the nature of "I have a friend, who knows a guy, who knows a guy, who said that his extractor broke."
There are actually many articles that have been written on this topic over the years by gunwriters in gun magazines, and they all come to the conclusion that it is an urban myth. As one experienced big game hunter said, in 50 years of hunting, he had never had a Remington extractor break, but he had had two extractors break on Mauser 98 rifles (which are supposed to have the most reliable extractor system of all.)
Remember also, that Whitefeather (Carlos Hathcock) the most famous and successful U.S. sniper of all times, used the Remington Model 700 in Vietnam for almost all of his work, under combat conditions, and never had a problem with them. He also occassionally used a Winchester Model 70. His Remington had the old type extractor.
I guess the only circumstance that I would even consider installing a Sako type extractor would be if I did lots and lots of handloading, at high pressures, and were constantly having to pull really really hard on the bolt to get stuck cases out of the chamber. Even then, this may not justify it, because if you are having these types of problems with your cases, then this is a sign of dangerous pressure and you should stop loading at this level. Remember also, that the Remington extractor is made of the highest grade spring steel and if very very tough.
Also, as anyone who has fooled with rifles can tell you, if you take your gun to a gunsmith (even a good one) to have the Sako extractor installed, you are running an ordinary risk that there will be problems with the installation (a botched job), and that Sako extractor won't work properly. Then you will have to buy a new bolt, and have that hand fitted!
Bottom Line of my advice here is:
1. For every story of a failed Remington extractor, there is also a story of a failed mauser or other type of extractor.
2. I know you want to improve your rifle, but "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
Best Regards,
Big Paulie
