The Glory Days of Big Green (Old Remington)

Hi all,

Thought I would start a thread to discuss what an innovative and passionate company Remington used to be, way before the Wall Street buyout and subsequent dismantling of their legacy.

Upon joining this forum, I was surprised to see how passionate you lot were about the Remington Model 7, so much so that I decided to get one myself to see what the fuss was about.

Really lucked into a Remington Model 7 KS in 7mm08 (which still needs some work, thanks to the previous owner...) but really appreciated the fact that Remington managed to cram a short action cartridge into a receiver which is about the size of a Sako Vixen!

The recommendations of Nathan Foster would also lead me to buying a Rem 700 Sendero Gen1 in 7mm Rem Mag as well. Truly a behemoth of a rifle and the polar opposite to the wee M7!

Remington were quite the bastion of innovation, coming out with cartridges such as the SAUM's which have experienced a renaissance of late, electronic ignition firearms (thankfully that never caught on!) and even a carbon fiber barrel in their Sendero and Varmint models!

Remington Catalog Archive

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I think it's telling that the quality of their catalogs take a nose-dive around 2007, gone are the meticulously detailed game scenes and 'rec room' photo's which are steeped in nostalgia, here come the cheap looking images and alarming reduction in detail which seems to mirror their decline in product quality too... :oh noes:

Would be keen to hear about the NZ experience with Remington as they seem to be a commonly chosen hunting rifle, and rightly so!

@Mohawk .308 I still have the Remington 600 Mohawk .308 Win l brought myself in 1982, as my 21st Birthday reward for my first good $$ season shearing,it is currently in the waiting in line to have a long planned & Walnut blank saved Manlicker type stock made as my retirement present to myself .

Did you see this listing on Tard Me ?




https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/marketpl...6?bof=hJHc81gC


Here is a article that may be of interest l have kept for years on them ,showing old catalogues/advertising etc

https://www.hwsportsman.net/RemModel600.html

@Mohawk .308 My Mowhawk still goes hunting on the regular,l use it on a local property for Fallow & l still like it for my Sika hunts,l run a old Loopy 1x4 on it . Allan Carr re-barreled/bedded it & trued the action & gave the trigger a slick up around 8 yrs ago when the wife moved up from her Mod 7 243 to my Sako 7/08 Finnlight .

I took a Whitetail with it 2yrs ago on one of our trips to Stewart Island before the Lock Downs as l wanted the old stock to get one last run down there .I only sent it off for the long wait for the stock maker as Allan Carr was wrapping up my long awaited 284W build ,l am looking forward to taking the old Mowhawk in its Manlicker disguise Tahr & Chammy hunting.

I do not get on Tard Me much ,a mate sent me that as it was originally down at $3000 so must have been a mistake .If you do watch it & get a chance let us know what it went for :thumbsup:

Caberslash, sadly the days of quality Remington products are gone unless some real engineer or gunsmith buys the business and starts production without the input of accountants and corporate raiders. Basically most of their products have great potential subject to being manufactured by proper tradesmen rather than the shoddy crap turned out by their semi-skilled cheap labour. One of the worst things I have seen in recent M700's is chambers cut with unpiloted reamers that are so far off centre that the leed is only cut on one side of the bore!

I have a Remington 700 mountain rifle in 7mm Mauser from 1990. It is very accurate rifle.

Greetings All,
I have 3 M700 rifles here and none of them are going anywhere. All shoot well and have given no trouble. The first, a .308 ADL arrived in about 1977, my fists new centre fire rifle. Later in 2004 and 2005 more disposable income allowed a Sendero 7mm Rem SAUM and .223 VSSFII to join the ranks. I would have liked a faster than 12 inch twist but the only other option was the Ruger Target model which did not appeal. I do wish that this rifle had a faster twist but Remington was slow to react to demand. They probably found it hard to dump the outdated ideas about fast twist barrels. US rifle makers tend to pander to ignorance of the buying public rather than educate. I think that this and declining quality has been the kiss of death for Remington. Just the other day I saw an add for a Winchester .223 touting its 11 inch twist as being compatible with 55 grain projectiles. What crap, the 55 grain projectile shoot great in my 8 inch twist.
2011 rolled around and I was looking for a lighter hunting rifle. My old .308 had gained weight and the hills become steeper for some reason. I had a long standing yen for something 6.5mm. Remington did not offer anything that appealed and when I found out that Tikka offered their T3 Lite in 6.5 x 55 the deal was done. In 2016 I was thinking about what my grandson could use when he came over from OZ. The answer was obvious Tikka T3* in .223 with an 8 inch twist. He shot it and was most impressed. Covid has delayed his next trip and he will be 16 by the time I see him again. I expect I will have to hand him the 6.5. Good thing I still have the M700 .308.
Regards Grandpamac.

I've had , I think, precisely 3 Remington 700's and 2 shotguns

I currently have one 700 and one shotgun
My 1990 BDL shot so well i turned it into a 6.5 06 but also kept the 30 06 chambered barrel
I bought the last of the once a year classic that were made in one calibre each year since 1981, starting with he 7x57 , that was in 2005 and was made in 308.
Beautiful rifle that I never fired and when our bathroom flooded sold to my Neighbour for building funds
I have photos somewhere of both in their original state

The two shotguns were a 870 bought off Lindsay Duncan that arrived on the eve of an Easter trip to Poolburn for rabbit disposal in 1992, by the end of the weekend It had a slab of shells through without a misfire , a proper slab of 500 not a ,later on hunting and fishing coined slab of half that, never gave me any trouble and regrettably now traded in against a Beretta 391 Urika at another store some years later for the same money I paid
The other shotgun is of course the V3 lifetime warranty semi from the previous company that I've previously mentioned, but to be fair it hasn't given me a skerit of trouble and came with 4 chokes.

The third 700 was one of the first Sps's that I bought as it had just come out and was in the shop the same time I was
It probably lasted all of a month , maybe a month and a half and was chambered in the unfortunate 270.

Love the m7,have 2 one a modern stainless 260 and a 300 saum wood, the 260 may go 1 day but I will go to the grave with the saum, silly old fart some may say :P

Had a few mod 7,s all gone now not even sure why still have 1968 Remington in 6mm.

Got 2 700 actions in tube guns. Do they count?

I had a play with a Remington Model 7 .223, but settled on a (blued) Howa Mini. The only reason was the price difference because I was really strapped for cash. The (stainless) Model 7 just felt nice, an handled better, but it was also $700 dearer.... And, that made all the difference because I reckoned it wouldn't kill a goat/deer $700 "dead-er"! As it was I had to put the Mini on laybuy

I love the little Mini, but if money was no object; the Model 7 it would be. But I have to say; the "Toyota Corolla of rifles" (Howa) consistently keeps the freezer filled.... When I was a youngster I would have chopped my right arm off if it could have got me a Remington Mohawk.......... ;)

I've got a 700BDL stainless in 7mmRM which I purchased in '95 and a mowhawk in 7-08 that I rebuilt from parts in '98.

Unfortunately the only Remington I have ever owned was a 597 semi .22
I brought a gun safe, rifle, ammo and cleaning kit off trademe cheap and only kept the ammo.....

Pretty hard to do worse than a 597.

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Originally Posted by JohnDuxbury

I have a Remington 700 mountain rifle in 7mm Mauser from 1990. It is very accurate rifle.

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Welcome to the forum @JohnDuxbury!

Back when I got into shooting as a young fella I lusted after that exact rifle and chambering. If you're ever of a mind to sell it I would be keen to know about it.

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Originally Posted by mimms2

10/22

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I dunno.... I have not pulled a 10/22 apart. But I have a 597, pretty cheap and nasty in there.

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Originally Posted by Brian

Got 2 700 actions in tube guns. Do they count?

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The 700 is already a tube, so yes! :D

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Originally Posted by gundoc

Caberslash, sadly the days of quality Remington products are gone unless some real engineer or gunsmith buys the business and starts production without the input of accountants and corporate raiders. Basically most of their products have great potential subject to being manufactured by proper tradesmen rather than the shoddy crap turned out by their semi-skilled cheap labour. One of the worst things I have seen in recent M700's is chambers cut with unpiloted reamers that are so far off centre that the leed is only cut on one side of the bore!

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What a shame... not to mention the fact that Remington have forgotten about primary extraction cams on their Rem700 and Mod7 actions.

The fact that the US Army and USMC used Rem700's as a base for their sniper rifles speaks volumes. Although these rifles are being phased out now.

I've had a Rem 700 ADL in 7/08, shot great and I really couldn't fault it as a work horse.
Currently have another Rem but something cooler and probably more accurate , a 788 model in 308. it's very accurate and has a cool action .
Yeah the Remington catalogues were a work of art , .... when accountants run a company and it's about $$ and not passion and innovation. It doesn't take long for this to show in the end product.

Dose anyone know or have some photos of the custom shop remington barrel stamps. @gundoc ?
I know that there not all the same.
Im looking at buying a 280 here. They say its a Custom shop one but Id like a second opinion cheers.

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Originally Posted by Sideshow

Dose anyone know or have some photos of the custom shop remington barrel stamps. @gundoc ?
I know that there not all the same.
Im looking at buying a 280 here. They say its a Custom shop one but Id like a second opinion cheers.

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Custom shop guns were never barrel stamped as they usually didn't use off the shelf barrels.

Some had floorplate engravings but not all.

UK sellers (presume it is in the UK?) throw the word 'Custom' around like how the phrase 'Turbo' was slapped onto everything in the 80's.

Yes I know thats why the question. Yep its in the UK.

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Originally Posted by Sideshow

Yes I know thats why the question. Yep its in the UK.

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There have been several iterations of the Remington Custom Shop, the last one was actually a separate facility which is best showcased by the KUIU Ultimate Sheep Rifle build series:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uDj...=brittsmith.co

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6UDM52SzSs&ab_channel=brittsmith.co

Barrel stamp of said rifle

Attachment 183950

I believe this setup was dissolved when Remington last went into administration in the Cerberus Capital era (2007). There was a fire-sale for industry insiders, PTG hoovered up most of what was on offer whilst LRI bought a load of stainless M7 receivers sans bolts...

If you are looking at an older piece, (Dupont Era Remington) then you will probably be best served by looking at the older catalogs that I put a link to in the first post. There was usually a list of Custom shop offerings.

As usual, a good picture or two speaks 1k words!

well very happy with my remmy. 416 rem mag. Shots 3 different loads (albeit 2 of them are a couple of grains different) with 2 completely different pills under moa.
Good trigger and as I got it in 97 it would have to have one of the first batches of the 416s, Only came out in 89. No custom shop on it anywhere and I only say that because for a while about then that was the only way you could get one.
Just tried putting some pics in but it hates me for some reason lol

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Originally Posted by viper

I've had a Rem 700 ADL in 7/08, shot great and I really couldn't fault it as a work horse.
Currently have another Rem but something cooler and probably more accurate , a 788 model in 308. it's very accurate and has a cool action .
Yeah the Remington catalogues were a work of art , .... when accountants run a company and it's about $$ and not passion and innovation. It doesn't take long for this to show in the end product.

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The 788 was a bit of an embarrassment for Remington as it was marketed as a budget rifle and consistently outshot the more expensive M700.

The only Remington I own.

Attachment 183954

@jakewire I had the one a year 700 classic in the early '80's mine was in .243 must have been about 82 or late '81 Friend had one in 7mm RM when that came out.
I remember teasing my flatmate that had a mohawk in .308.
"proper Remingtons dont have bent bolt handles!"
Nowadays what do I shoot?, a bent handle M7

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Originally Posted by 40mm

Unfortunately the only Remington I have ever owned was a 597 semi .22
I brought a gun safe, rifle, ammo and cleaning kit off trademe cheap and only kept the ammo.....

Pretty hard to do worse than a 597.

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I love my 597, way better ergonomics than a stardard 10/22.

BUT, it needed an upgrade extractor to function reliably prior to the upgrade some ammo would jam 7 out of 10 shots in a mag, now unless it's fithly it functions flawlessly.

I think Remington are screwed.
They won the PSR sniper programme in 2013 and were awarded the contract, but made a bunch of cost cutting changes afterwards and the rifles the delivered and screwed it up, which lead to the termination and the begining of the ASR programme.

If Remington screws up a US Militray contract worth 80million dollars that they had already won, how on earth are they not going to screw up the civilian market.

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Originally Posted by john m

The only Remington I own.

Attachment 183954

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And that is about as humane a way to go as any.

Found some clips of the Remington Museum, shitty quality and annoying music but gives you an idea of what things were like.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsULCB7BphY&ab_channel=TwoOldFartsTravelin g

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJTLQt80BCM&ab_channel=AdventureswithMicha el

Being able to buy chokes, magazines and stocks in the gift shop! :ORLY: :thumbsup:

Sad as people cared about Remington once, but those days are pretty much gone now!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vQpW9XRiyM&ab_channel=BruceSpringsteenVEV O

I only have the one Remington, s as n 870 . I compared the Mossberg 500 and the 870 at Gun city and the Remington seemed like it was built better , was going to pull the pin on one they had there and one that was effectively new popped up on Tardme for $400 .

How much did the lawsuits drive the company into bankruptcy? There plenty of comments here about the decline in quality of the 700 but the 783 and 770 seem to get even less love for their build quality .

The Bergara b14 is pretty much a copy of a 700 with a better extractor isn’t it ?

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Originally Posted by caberslash

What a shame... not to mention the fact that Remington have forgotten about primary extraction cams on their Rem700 ..

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Whole batches of the final ones had no useful primary extraction. Never a good start..

I have a few green branded firearms and seem to find them great quality and reliable,

My M700 7mm08 SS mountain rifle, shortened to 18inch has been used alot and does the job
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...6584ccd5ca.jpg

I brought this for my partner, a M7 in 338 fed, has a Z5 on top and then the rest of it was purchased as is
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...9a2e45af52.jpg

Recently picked up a M7 in 7mm SAUM, mcmillan stock and finally got some RE26 to load up some 162s. Thinking I might shorten to 20inch eventually https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...b12705924a.jpg

Also have an 1187 premier light contour shotgun I used for years.




Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk

This is a great link - how much effort they used to put into their business, I felt like buying a Rem 1100 shotgun after this video...
https://youtu.be/c_oduKvZots

Be interesting to see how they go under the new ownership & factory move,a mate in the US was saying a while ago at how bad they were going before the latest cluster fuck sell out they went from over 1000 workers down 350 & only 260 of those were full time employees,the main problems with the end product quality over the recent times was the QC team was gutted & at times none were present to boost production numbers for the bean counters ,save wages/ over time & then bulk QC was rubber stamped .

Couple of articles for those interested -


" Gun-maker Remington Firearms will move its headquarters to Georgia, with plans to open a factory and research operation there.

The company and Georgia officials announced Monday that the nation's oldest gun manufacturer that started in Herkimer County in 1816 would invest $100 million in the operation in LaGrange, Georgia, southwest of Atlanta, hiring 856 people over five years."


https://gov.georgia.gov/press-releas...n-new-advanced

https://www.uticaod.com/story/news/2...ia/6342489001/


https://www.uticaod.com/story/news/2...ia/6345417001/

https://www.uticaod.com/story/news/2...rk/6343747001/

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Originally Posted by Southerner223

I have a few green branded firearms and seem to find them great quality and reliable,

My M700 7mm08 SS mountain rifle, shortened to 18inch has been used alot and does the job
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...6584ccd5ca.jpg

I brought this for my partner, a M7 in 338 fed, has a Z5 on top and then the rest of it was purchased as is
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...9a2e45af52.jpg

Recently picked up a M7 in 7mm SAUM, mcmillan stock and finally got some RE26 to load up some 162s. Thinking I might shorten to 20inch eventually https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...b12705924a.jpg

Also have an 1187 premier light contour shotgun I used for years.




Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk

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Anytime you fall out of love with the 338Fed I'd like to be first in line.

I have always had rem 700.s they used to great out of the box .The last 2 i have purchased well lets just say they were not that good , The second to last rifle i got is a rem 700 clone christensen ridge line and it was a honey . Now am using a 700 284 and its back to the good old days but it need a bit of tlc to get there. If you want a 700 done right buy a bergera and if you want to spend more by a Ridgeline . They are still a good base to start with and most smiths know how to sort them out and there is a shit load of parts should you want to down that rabbit hole .

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Originally Posted by mimms2

Didn't they do the VTR? That never caught on...

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Originally Posted by Mohawk .308

The 6mm 600 bids hit $ 2010 and still didn’t reach the reserve!!

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@Mohawk .308 Holy Shit so maybe the original $3000 listed was right .Tell him he is dreaming :P

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Originally Posted by caberslash

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Seen someone drop/pop a turkey at 300 m with one of those in 308