My First Rifle – The Remington 700

Installing a Scope on a Remington 700

Ever since its manufacture in 1962, the Remington Model 700 has had unprecedented strength and precision right out of the case.  With over fifty variants and large caliber selection, no wonder why this rifle is America’s most sought after bolt action rifle.  as a matter of fact, it is currently used by the US Marine Corps to this day in long distance training and for real sniper purposes out in the field.  What is so different about the Remington Model 700 that makes it so special?  The answer to that question will be found as we take a closer look at the history of the Model 700.

After the Second World War, near 1948, Remington came out with the model 721/722 group of bolt action rifles.  These rifles came to be very popular with civilians and hunters because of the out-of-the-box toughness.  For the time period, these rifles were also extremely precise right out of the box, and many factory created rifles were unable to match the Remington standard of quality.  In spite of the really outstanding precision and durability, the 721/722 variations had a somewhat short life.  This problem is what caused the engineering of the Model 700.

When Remington released the Model 700 in 1962, it flew off the shelves.  The internals of the 700 were basically the same as the 721/722 variations, but there were a few noticeable changes to the outside of the rifle.  Now boasting some sleek new looks, on top of the standard Remington performance and strength, the Model 700 became a staple in American hunting and shooting.  With basic machining equipment and rifle knowledge, anyone can keep a Model 700 performing at peak performance for the rifle’s whole lifespan.

Apparently, the outstanding reputation of the Model 700 obtained the interest of the US Marine Corps, because in 1969 the US Marine Corps took in the Model 700, renaming it the M40.  The ruggedness and precision of the Model 700 served the USMC with ease, and were more easily maintained than the Winchester rifles that the USMC had previously used.  The wood stocks were having some problems keeping up with the exhausting schedule of the USMC, so they upgraded to the McMillan fiberglass stock, calling this rifle the M40A1.  This model was utilized by Marine shooters for over thirty years before again upgrading to the M40A3.

Currently, the Remington Model 700 is manufactured in more than fifty models, stretching from classic wood bodies and internal mags to space age man-made bodies and detachable mags.  It also has a great caliber choice ranging from .17 Remington (coupled with a Nikon Monarch 4-16×42 would be awesome for varmint hunting), all the way to .458 Winchester Magnum.  With over 3.5 million Model 700’s created since 1962, the Model 700 continues to be one of America’s favorites.  One fact is for sure; throughout the years, Remington has continued to match the great demand for quality and accuracy in its rifles.


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This entry was posted on Sunday, August 15th, 2010 at 2:51 am and is filed under Rifle Scopes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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