After
World War II,
Remington Arms engineer
Merle "Mike" Walker designed lower-cost alternatives to the
Model 30, resulting in the
Model 721. These used a cylindrical
receiver produced from cylindrical
bar stock that could be turned on a
lathe rather than machined in a series of
milling operations which significantly reduced production costs. Additionally, small metal parts, such as the
bottom metal, were
stamped, and the stocks were finished to a lower standard than previous models. The Model 721 saw further development under the direction of Walker, which resulted in the Model 722, 725 and ultimately the Model 700 in 1962. Walker sought to increase the rifles' accuracy by utilizing tight tolerances in the chamber and bore, a short leade, and a much faster
lock time. Like the earlier Model 721, the Model 700 was designed for mass production. Remington initially produced two variants of the Model 700, the ADL and BDL, in both long-action and short-action rifles that allowed for the chambering of different cartridges. In 1969, Remington introduced several upgrades to the rifle, including a more extended rear bolt shroud, a jeweled bolt, and improved stock finishing. Four years later, the production of left-handed versions of the rifle began to compete with the
Savage Model 110, the only primary rifle manufactured with a left-handed variant. Since then, various versions of the gun have been introduced, including the
titanium receiver 700 Ti, the 700 SPS (which replaced the ADL in 2005), and the CDL. In addition to it being catered as a hunting rifle, the Model 700 also provided the basis for military and police
sniper rifles, starting with the
M40 rifle in 1966, which the U.S. Marine Corps initially ordered. The U.S. Army adopted the
M24 Sniper Weapon System in 1986.
Design The Remington 700 is a
manually operated bolt-action rifle with two forward dual-opposed lugs. The bolt face is recessed, fully enclosing the base of the
cartridge. The
extractor is a C-clip sitting within the bolt face. The ejector is a plunger on the bolt face actuated by a
coil spring. The bolt is of three-piece construction (head, body, and bolt handle), brazed together. The receiver is milled from round cross-section steel. The Remington 700 is available in numerous variants. • The
symmetrical two-lug bolt body has a diameter. • The long-action — designed for full-length cartridges up to in overall length, such as the
.30-06 Springfield, and
magnum cartridges, such as the
7mm Remington Magnum and
.300 Winchester Magnum — has a lock time of 3.0 to 3.2
milliseconds. • The short-action designed for cartridges having an overall length of or less, such as the
.308 Winchester/7.62×51mm NATO, has a lock time of 2.6 milliseconds. The rifles are designed to accept different magazine configurations — a blind magazine without a floor-plate, a conventional magazine with a detachable floor-plate, and a detachable box magazine. There are standard consumer versions as well as versions designed for military and police use. Some variants also have
bipods,
slings and other accessories.
Standard versions Remington produces the Mountain LSS model with a stainless steel barrel and laminated stock. Heavy barrel versions with laminated stocks like the Model 700 SPS Varmint are available for
varmint hunting. The Model 700 ADL was replaced as the most economical Model 700 by the Model 700 SPS (Special Purpose Synthetic) in newer production. Remington also produced a 700 ML (
muzzleloader) rifle from 1996-2004. The EtronX electronic primer ignition system was implemented in the Model 700 EtronX introduced in 2000, though this model was a commercial failure and ceased production in 2003 along with the EtronX primers.
Police version Remington markets the 700 to military forces and civilian law-enforcement agencies under the "Remington Law Enforcement" and "Remington Military" banners, with the military/law enforcement 700s referred to as the Model 700P ("Police"). The 700P series was influenced by the designs, features and success of the M24 Sniper Weapon System and the
M40 series; for instance, the Model 700P series features a heavier and thicker
barrel for increased accuracy and reduced recoil. The rifle is chambered for the
.308 Winchester cartridge as well as the
.223 Remington,
.243 Winchester,
7mm Remington Magnum,
.300 Winchester Magnum,
.300 Remington Ultra Magnum and
.338 Lapua Magnum. The 700P has a 26" barrel and aluminum block bedding in its stock made by HS Precision. Remington also sells the standard U.S. Army-issue
Leupold Mark IV M3 10x40mm telescopic sight used by the Army's M24 as an optional feature. Remington offers similarly styled, less expensive versions under the Special Purpose Synthetic (SPS) name.
Military version (right view) Both the U.S. Army's M24 Sniper Weapon System and U.S. Marine Corps'
M40 sniper rifles are built from the Remington Model 700 rifle with different degrees of modification, the main difference being the custom fitted heavy contour barrel and action length. The M24 utilizes the long-action and the M40 employs the short-action bolt-face, as the M24 was originally intended to chamber the longer round. The M40, however, was not intended to chamber the more powerful .300 Winchester Magnum round, yet the Marine Corps' intention was to migrate to that cartridge. The Marine Corps' delay led to a change in the migratory direction. The goal was for the M40 to become a rifle chambered in
.338 Lapua Magnum. The United States Army's Joint Munitions and Lethality Contracting Center awarded Remington a
Firm Fixed Price (FFP)
Indefinite Delivery/ Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract (W15QKN-10-R-0403) for the upgrade of up to 3,600 M24 Sniper Weapon Systems (SWS) fielded to the Army, pending type classification as the “M24E1”. The major configuration change for this system was the caliber conversion from 7.62mm NATO (.308 Winchester) to .300 Winchester Magnum to provide soldiers with additional precision engagement capability and range. The contract was for a five-year period with a guaranteed minimum value of $192K and a potential value of up to $28.2 million. This award followed a full and open competitive evaluation lasting nine months, which began with the release of the Army's
Request for Proposal (RFP) on January 13, 2010. The program was executed under the authority of Project Manager Soldier Weapons,
Picatinny Arsenal,
New Jersey, and managed by its subordinate unit, Product Manager Individual Weapons. In 2009, the U.S. Army changed the weapon name from M24E1 to
XM2010 Enhanced Sniper Rifle.
Model Seven version The Remington Model Seven carbine is a compact version of the Remington 700 built around a short-action and chambered in the
.223 Rem and
.308 Win class cartridges. Introduced in 1983, the stock is shorter than the standard version with the barrel being only 18.5". ==Users==