I use a wooden dowel to align the scope rings. Leupold sold some fancy tool for $$$$$$, but I didn't want to be a tool and bu it so I improvised.

I guess the trigger/safety issue on the M700 just isn't going to die. Personally, I think their track record of safety speaks for itself, and I'm very suspicious of some of the stories surrounding this.

That said, someone asked here a while ago just what to look for in a bolt gun for hunting. To me, (among other things) it must have a safety that blocks the firing pin, not just the sear as it does on an M700. To me, that disqualifies it as a hunting rifle right there. Great varmint guns or target guns, but no hunting rifle in my estimation. Having a cocked, unrestrained firing pin simply does not qualify as any form of "safety" in my world. Whether or not they really are failing is, I guess, immaterial to me. I don't trust 'em anyway.

+1

Anything that would allow movement of the pin is not a safety.

the main reason i love a bolt action for hunting is:

i dont even chamber a round until i need it. i push the round down into the magazine and close the bolt over the round. if i see something that needs shooting at, i simply crank the bolt back, let it grab the round and push it forward. no exceptions. in my teens, my brother almost blew my head off with his 7mm. 700 BDL. finger wasnt even near the trigger.

if the shot op goes away, i go thru the entire exercise again. pull back the bolt, push the round down...i'm not jump shooting anything.

anyone i bring hunting with me abides by this. some forest ranger guy did the exact same thing on a pig hunt. i think the strap of his pack pulled the trigger. he went white. i bet i could have bought his rifle right then and there for five bucks. he didnt listen to me.

I guess that's where we differ, vash. I won't even walk out of camp until I've chambered a round. The vast majority of animals I've shot have been less than 50 yards away - any mechanical noise, like a bolt cycling, and they are on high alert, looking in that direction. Any movement after that and they are gone for sure, unless they left even before looking. I even find some safeties too loud. This isn't even really jump shooting (although it can be) - I've shot a good number of bedded animals while still hunting. Even if not bedded, the majority have been completely unaware of my presence. This would be impossible if I had to cycle a bolt before shooting.

On kind of the same note, one time when I has hunting in Alaska, my buddy's neighbor came with us. He was Mr. Camp Gun Safety, which is all fine by me. Until someone gets overzealous about it. We were in good bear country, surrounded by the things (although we were hunting caribou), and seeing new sign every day. We were all on alert. I was doing dishes after breakfast one morning, alone in camp - everyone else was already out. My M70 .375 H&H was hanging from a low stub of a branch by its sling, with a round chambered and the safety on (a Model 70 has a proper safety). When I grabbed it on my way out, I heard something fall to the ground. When I looked down, it was a .375 H&H round. I thought that was odd - I never have loose ones, extras are carried in loops in my belt. So I checked the chamber - empty.

When we met again at lunch, I asked Mr. Camp Gun Safety what he knew about that. Turned out he had come behind me, checked my rifle, took the round out of the chamber and placed it through the sling. Without telling me. I was livid - there was hell to pay for that poor guy. In bear country, alone in camp, with an unkowingly unloaded rifle. I damn near killed him.

So, yeah - for me, safety only goes so far. When I'm hunting, even inocuous mulies in Eastern Washington, I always have one chambered. And, if there are unfriendly critters around, there is even one chambered in camp. That will never change.

i hear you Jeff.

100% of my kills have been further than 100 yards. my elk, i could have been in a clown suit with bells on. it was windy, foggy..the elk was bugling at 250 yards. we got him running to us. we had to paper/scissor/rock fast to see who shot.

no need for steath or camo at that distance. i like to climb, glass, find, and get within range. i have all the time in the world to load up. heck..i could take bullets out of a box..i usually have alot of time. :D

now i bowhunt. no more gun safety issues in the field for me. my stepdad (RIP). there is a hole in the floorboards of my brother's truck. birdshot. zeesh! in the end we made him hunt with break open shotguns. i loved the visual of a O/U opened up and unshootable with that old man. :)

That is the kit I use every day at the shop. I have mounted 100's of scopes with it. The torque wrench is the best part of the kit. the lapping tool is awesome. Lapping a scope is a BIG improvement over just sticking it in the rings and bore sighting it. Great kit.

I also load my rifle before leaving camp. I hunt with a Weatherby Vanguard 30-06. I have no concerns about its safety.

I know more than one person who has shot a deer within 100 yards of their truck. It happens.

I hear some guys in boulder got an elk within 100 yards of their squad car.

i have shot (2) deer sitting on my ass in front of trailer. (1) snowy morning maybe 100yds w/m-94 winchester maybe a hundert yards. and (1) on a rainy afternoon with my .338 at maybe 75yds.


ITS All about BEING VERY VERY QWIET! JUST LIKE ELMER FFFFFFFFF-FUDD!



hell this last elk hunt we had from 25-50yds of us standing/ sitting by truck after coming back,still being very very qwiet:

1) spike elk cross our bow

2) a gaggle of turkeys all with beards

3) a very confused bobkat

4) javelinas

5) (2) coyoyes


(2) elk hunts to be damn smart about here for az elk 2013..................


1) depredation hunt at south rim grande canon(canyon). seems mr/mrs elk are eating the grass and drinking water at el tovar lodge and getting into pissing contests with dumazz tourists. basically you sit on barbed wire fence line of national park and us forest service land and nail one. this is UNIT 9. no you cannot book a room at el tovar lodge and snipe one from your window.

2) san francisco peaks" high altitude physically demanding" depredation hunt. this is UNIT 7 just N of flagstaff. appears those damn pesky elks are eating aspens and the USFS wants them GONE! shame on them pesky elks.



hell I AM IN along with our lifelong traditional happy hunting grounds.


you have until FEB 12 to GET YOUR TAGS IN!

Remington put out a rebuttal to the MSNBC Hatchet job.

Remington's Response to CNBC | Gun Blog

The current Remington 700 has a new trigger, so it is a non issue anyway.

For most people a rail and QD rings are a waste of money. Why would I need either if I never plan on removing my scope from my rifle?

And the Harris has a sling attachment, so a second swivel is not really necessary.

No it isn't. As long as you know your actual come-ups for a given range, (which will be different with different sight heights) the height of the scope over the bore is pretty meaningless. Any good ballistics program will include an input for sight height.

In fact, a higher scope can give the perception of a flatter shooting at ranges beyond the zero range (run some numbers and see for yourself).

Save some money and go to your local gun shop and purchase a Lee Enfield #4 for less than $200.

http://www.thecountryshed.com/LeeEnfield.jpg

Very true. The higher the better on things like varmint guns, where every inch of trajectory counts. This is a simple, cheap way to "fool" a rifle into shooting a bit "flatter", even if it's not.

Don't try this on a serious big game rifle, though. Great way to hammer your cheek under recoil. Besides, no one has any business shooting big game far enough away to justify the need to do this. That, and typical big game calibers really don't shoot flat enough for this to matter, and the target's vital zone is so much bigger anyway.

obviously yer in a REBUTTAL MOOD!

a) if there is even a REMOTE FEEKING CHANCE of a safety issue............its replaced. mine is an early 80's model. nuff said. i dont feel like blowing my kids/friends heads off because i was cheap and stooopid.

b) i can think of quite a few reasons why i would/will take my scopes off and want it to retain its zero with a rail and QD mounts. i'll let you figure them out. and it sure as hell aint to be "tacti-kool!"

c) why in hells name do i want to add more stress to a stress point already????? having a bipod mounted to a stud, than your sling mounted to bipod makes ZERO sense to me. and adding another stud is SIMPLE and CHEAP while you have action out of stock. both studs have backing plates to assure never having one pull thru. marine tex them in and your golden.

d) i think you better rethink your thoughts on low /med/high scope mounts and objectives. but hey WTF do i know? maybe just maybe you might be running out of adjustment on your elevation???? but hey WTF............YOU build precision rifles for a living and mcmillian/robar know nothing. funny thats how they do all of theirs for rem 700's m-70's , m-14's ,lapuas. FOR YEARS NOW!


funny how current socom fnh scars are using the "as low as you can go" approach using (4) different scope mfgs for testing each with no bigger than a 44mm objective.


gosh i wonder why i went with the american defense mfg "delta" QD scope mount(DOD NSN#) and leupold 3.5x10x44mm scope?????????


and no i dont use a broom handle to mount my scopes either.


and thats how ya eek every ounce of accuracy out of a rifle.


when my POA and my POI are less than a 1/4" at 867yds on an elk ,snowing with a 3-5knot wind blowing left to right(witnessed by 3 people)...................I CALL THAT PRECISION! that was a canyon to canyon shot. very very typical here.



and i really LIKE PRECISION! and i will sit at home eating beenie weenies until i can afford SURGICAL PRECISION!


once ya start splitting hairs like us...............theres NO TURNING BACK! and thats why quite a few people have given me their hard earned cash when i DO WHAT I SAY I CAN DO!


some people are happy with "out of da box accuracy".........................I'M NOT!

Sorry to borrow your thread but I had to share my latest addition - well it is a bolt action :) 1948 all numbers matching Izzy M44 - perfect chamber, crown, and rifling. Headspace verified. The rifle plus 1K rounds of surplus 147 and heavy ball ammo for $400 done private party C&R. Not expecting accuracy that even approaches a Rem 700 but I'll bet the fireballs and noise will be fun. If I can hit a minute-of-pie plate at ~200 yards from a bench I will be super happy.

http://i1258.photobucket.com/albums/...ps45565d4f.jpg

Or you can follow basic gun safety and not point a firearm at them.

Quite a few huh. OK.

I don't see how this adds more stress, been carrying rifles that way for years with no problems.

I am sure they have their reasons, but I doubt they have anything to do with accuracy.

Run some numbers yourself, you will see I am right.


On edit, missed this earlier:
Actually, as I stated, you need less elevation with a higher mounted scope than lower. Not a lot less, but still less.