Remington 700 BDL Questions

The M40 rifle other than perhaps a few early developmental ones were not 40X but std 700 receivers, the VN contract rifles are all marked 700. Remington production records say a total of 995 M40 rifles made from'66-'71, but its possible only about 700 were actually made and those in the first year. I am a bit of an M40 nut, having put one together of my own nearly 20 years ago and more recently purchased one of the Rem re issue rifles for the USMC Scout Sniper Association. Yah, we good.:D:D This is my SSA rifle with Leupold/Redfield 3-9x40 scope in the proper sized Protecto Kaddy case as used in VN.
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the year that rifle was manufactured.. the Rem 700 was the platform used by the US Army (M24) and USMC (M40) for its primary sniper rifle systems.. It saw use in some of the worst, most God awful environments ranging from wet/hot/humid to dry/cold/arid and everything in between and has performed extremely well for more than 50 years (the first M24's entered the Armys inventory in 1988 and are still in use.. the M40's first were purchased by the USMC in 1966 and are still in use)..

The 700 is inherently accurate.. and very easy to maintain...

In a caliber like 30-06 I dont know why anyone wouldnt think it to be a reasonable choice for a general purpose PG rifle...

@cls is correct.. remington has had some quality issues over the past couple of decades.. and there were a series of recalls on rifles built between 2006-2014 (trigger problems)..

this should have no impact on the rifle you are looking at that was manufactured in 1987 though (during a period when Rem's quality was considered by most to actually be very good)..

Most rem nay sayers will tell you remington quality started taking a dive around the early 1990's when they started building entry level models of the 7 and 700 specifically to be sold at walmart.. and then started applying the same techniques to their mid market and higher end guns a few years later in an attempt to cut costs and improve margins (not passing on those cost savings to their customers)..
 
I suppose I should read entire threads before posting...

I just realized that I basically repeated much of what @Red Leg has already said.. and was posting some of the same information @sestoppelman was posting at the same time...

sorry for the wasted bandwidth... :)
 
Will be interesting but I can assure you in standard form it holds 5 in the magazine.
I will get some pictures to you as soon as possible as you are my go to expert for all BRNO guns :D. BTW , my custom made .350 Rigby Magnum on a ZKK-602 action holds 5 in the Magazine and 1 in the chamber.
Check out this video. This guy has 7 shots too.
 
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The M40 rifle other than perhaps a few early developmental ones were not 40X but std 700 receivers, the VN contract rifles are all marked 700. Remington production records say a total of 995 M40 rifles made from'66-'71, but its possible only about 700 were actually made and those in the first year. I am a bit of an M40 nut, having put one together of my own nearly 20 years ago and more recently purchased one of the Rem re issue rifles for the USMC Scout Sniper Association. Yah, we good.:D:D This is my SSA rifle with Leupold/Redfield 3-9x40 scope in the proper sized Protecto Kaddy case as used in VN.View attachment 299898
Nice looking rifle - does it shoot?

Still can't get over trying to drag an M2 around and use it as a sniper "rifle". Most of that, I assume, was reaching out and touching something from base camps.
 
Nice looking rifle - does it shoot?

Still can't get over trying to drag an M2 around and use it as a sniper "rifle". Most of that, I assume, was reaching out and touching something from base camps.
Yah, they both shoot sub half with good loads. Hathcock is credited with an M2 shot of some great distance.
 
Hoss,
I don't think I'd quibble over a couple extra rounds on board. Might never need them but I have heard of buf taking a boatload of lead before succumbing. You may have a special variation.
 
Hoss,
I don't think I'd quibble over a couple extra rounds on board. Might never need them but I have heard of buf taking a boatload of lead before succumbing. You may have a special variation.
You know , when you say it like that , it sounds like a Blessing in Disguise. :) I was under the impression that my .375 HH Magnum BRNO ZKK 602 was an unmodified factory original. Now l am realizing that it may not be the case.
 
I read of another in a thread elsewhere that would hold 6 down. Sounds like a hit or miss deal, some will, some wont.
 
I read of another in a thread elsewhere that would hold 6 down. Sounds like a hit or miss deal, some will, some wont.

Different follower and probably a weak follower/incorrect spring. I would strip it and make sure it actually has a 375 H&H follower. Luckily the 375 H&H is forgiving in the feeding department.
 
As long as it feeds properly.
 
Of course! I ques if you cannot kill it with the standard 5 down 1 up, the 1 more round ain't gonna mean jack....
 
Young Squire Delgato,

A week or so back we watched a you tube in a thread where they were chasing down a wounded cape that was hit with a crossbow bolt.

They went after him with a 375 and an 06 along with a handfull of unarmed tag alongs. When they found the cape they delivered 6 shots on him and had one guy stompted on.

It was universal in opinions that the ph was a clod for a few reasons, but one was that he wasn't carrying enough gun to get the job done and bust that animal up and stop it.

So why would you want to carry a gun that fires a round that is universally known to not have enough ass to stop a cape who have the tendance to walk around on a daily basis in a bad mood?

Is it your personal knowledge of the lack of stopping power of the 375 that brings the joy to your heart that yours holds 7 rounds ?

As you well know I am a fan of the 458, but in all honesty zI consider it the absolute minimum for all dangerous game no matter what size they are as they ain't called "dangerous" cause they are just fuzzy and misunderstood.
 
Young Squire Delgato,

A week or so back we watched a you tube in a thread where they were chasing down a wounded cape that was hit with a crossbow bolt.

They went after him with a 375 and an 06 along with a handfull of unarmed tag alongs. When they found the cape they delivered 6 shots on him and had one guy stompted on.

It was universal in opinions that the ph was a clod for a few reasons, but one was that he wasn't carrying enough gun to get the job done and bust that animal up and stop it.

So why would you want to carry a gun that fires a round that is universally known to not have enough ass to stop a cape who have the tendance to walk around on a daily basis in a bad mood?

Is it your personal knowledge of the lack of stopping power of the 375 that brings the joy to your heart that yours holds 7 rounds ?

As you well know I am a fan of the 458, but in all honesty zI consider it the absolute minimum for all dangerous game no matter what size they are as they ain't called "dangerous" cause they are just fuzzy and misunderstood.
Dear Von S :) ,
You raise an excellent point about the .375 HH Magnum lacking the punch to ALWAYS stop a charging Elephant or buffalo . The autobiography of two very famous hunters tends to agree with you . The only two Elephant Hunters who actually used ONLY the .375 HH Magnum as their primary back up Rifle are Wally Johnson and Harry Manners of Mozambique. And even then , reading their books give one a good idea about the limitations of the .375 HH Magnum in extreme situations . Wally used to own one Winchester Model 70 in .375 HH Magnum which he used his entire life. His book is filled with stories about him needing to shoot an elephant 5 or 6 times with 300 grain Kynoch full patch round nosed bullets. He needs as many as 8 shots from a .375 HH Magnum ( and on a couple of occasions , this needs to be backed by a couple of extra shots from a client's .458 Winchester Magnum FN Browning pushfeed ) to bring down Cape Buffalo , at times. He actually gets gored through the leg and almost bleeds to death on an incident in 1959 involving an angry cape buffalo who his .375 HH Magnum fails to stop.
Harry's book has less unfortunate events ( though he does have trouble putting down two Elephants and cape buffalo ). Like Wally , he also used a .375 HH Magnum . He owned and used 4 Winchester Model 70 rifles in this caliber. However , Harry always had his native hunter, Chisulo or Jonas , armed with a Spare Winchester Model 70 . When Harry would take a shot at an elephant or buffalo , he always had his native hunter shoot the animal in the vitals simultaneously. So it was basically two rifles which were being fired simultaneously. Harry Later told Tony Sanchez Arino that he would have preferred the .404 Jeffery or the .416 Rigby if their Ammunition was widely available in Mozambique. But since they weren't , his choice of the .375 HH Magnum was more due to economics , than stopping power. Your school of thought mirrors many old school hunters , such as Terry Irwin ( whom l recently had the luxury to correspond with , on a letter regarding rifles for game . He tends to agree a lot with your view :) )
. My reason for choosing a .375 HH Magnum is because :
1) It's what l have :p
2) I like the versatility aspect of it. Africa isn't the only place where l will hunt. I also hunt in the States , Australia and Europe. A .375 HH Magnum can cover all those applications . As you pointed , it may not be the best for the meanest thick skinned critters ... But think of it , like a Swiss Army knife or a Leatherman multitool. It can do everything passably well. But doesn't do anything exceptionally well .
3) Prosperity only dawned upon me in the last two years , and for many years , the .375 HH Magnum Winchester Model 70 was the ONLY rifle which l had ( couldn't afford another :( ) . So l chose a gun which l could make do with , for everything. It was only in the last 2 years , that l have been able to start supplementing my Battery with 2 shotguns and 2 more rifles ( making a total of 5 guns at the moment , although this will increase hopefully :D )
4) I am a client hunter and not a PH , and l have no illusions of trying to be one ( no matter how much l look up to Professional Hunters ). I will do only as my PH tells me to do and not act like a smart know it all. I will only take the shots on my Cape Buffalo when my PH gives me the green signal. For a PH however , a .375 HH Magnum would be a piss poor choice as a PRIMARY backup rifle , since PHs tend to have to shoot charging animals rather than undisturbed animals and need more wallop.
5) I am in the process of building a custom rifle project. I wanna build an 11.2 × 72 mm Schuler ( 401 grain bullet) on a BRNO ZKK - 602 action . I like the ballistics of the caliber and someday , l would like very much to revive it as l believe it should not have been allowed to die out in 1939 . It might be a very ambitious desire , but hey , you only live once , right ? I may be needing to consult you once in a while , as you are both a hunter AND a gunsmith :). If l succeed , l will use the 11.2 × 72 mm Schuler on an Elephant or another cape buffalo someday ( but probably not for my 2020 Safari ).
Finally , your choice of a .458 Winchester Magnum in a Custom rifle is a sound one. According to Terry Irwin , who owned and used a .458 Winchester Magnum Mannlicher Shoenauer with a 26 inch Barrel as his primary big game rifle , a rifle with a 26 inch Barrel can help a .458 Winchester Magnum bullet reach it's true ballistics :) without any of the famous underpowered issues which plague the .458 Winchester Magnum's reputation.
Love your input as always and learn slot from you .
Hoss
 
Different follower and probably a weak follower/incorrect spring. I would strip it and make sure it actually has a 375 H&H follower. Luckily the 375 H&H is forgiving in the feeding department.

Not sure with a BRNO, but it's common practice and lots of the custom rifle makers can extend magazine capacity with some ustom machined bottom metal. Some protruding a little more, others with stock profiles and often enough, justvas good if not better quality than stock springs and followers. Wyatt is one company whom makes exceptional bottom metal and has done so for years with extending capacity in hinged floorpate models. Even Defiance has a "rigby" bottom metal to extend capacity in their actions. None of these are detachable, just hinged floorplates.

Can be done to increase capacity if you 'want' to and done well. Whether its needed...well, that's up to the owner of said rifle.
 
Not sure with a BRNO, but it's common practice and lots of the custom rifle makers can extend magazine capacity with some ustom machined bottom metal. Some protruding a little more, others with stock profiles and often enough, justvas good if not better quality than stock springs and followers. Wyatt is one company whom makes exceptional bottom metal and has done so for years with extending capacity in hinged floorpate models. Even Defiance has a "rigby" bottom metal to extend capacity in their actions. None of these are detachable, just hinged floorplates.

Can be done to increase capacity if you 'want' to and done well. Whether its needed...well, that's up to the owner of said rifle.
I never said no to more ammo in the Magazine ;). I never heard anyone say they needed less bullets
 
Good rifle, GREAT scope, good price, Plan to spend another $125 - $200 and replace the trigger with a timney - you won't be disappointed, however this is not a job for an amateur. Trigger, guard, and stock will require some opening up for the trigger to fit and function.
Leupolds are all I use, period..
Why anyone would take an '06 and a 300 is beyond me, but it's your hunt so do what you want (within the confines of law) and enjoy!
 
Hoss

Actially , every round that has ever been fired out of a rifle is a stopper of something........... just maybe not what might be being shot at, but something none the less.

I genuinely like the 375 H&H, just not for stuff THAT IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM WANTS TO HURT ME.....from any country.

I had a conversation with with a ph long ago about the hunters who bring big bore magnums to hunt with. He said that he's all for it as long as they can hit with it.

The most common of the monster mashers would be the 460 Weatherby. Yes! The recoil is brutal and yes! It is too brutal for most people to shoot accurately or even shoot at all. Having spent the majority of my life buying and selling firearms I believe that at one time I might have ad 7 or 8 used ones for sale at one time at a fair price. Of course the original owners did not like what I offered them for a gun with 2 rounds through it, but the gun if not sold correctly might sit there for a decade or two before one tire kicker finally spits out enough nickles after looking at it for the umteenth time.

Other one that are somewhat difficult to control are the 577 tr, the 600ok and who doesn't want a 505 or the numerous a&m or other torture sticks?

There is another fellow here who is a gentleman like yourself amd is a representative for Huntershill and just came bach from a murder spree of 17 one shot humane kill shots and has written a wonderful report and I believe you teo will get along well together.

Let us know how the shooting progresses with your new iron.
 

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