HISTORY
The Remington M700 was first introduced in 1962. It was at first intended for civilian use such as target shooting and hunting. The M700 is available in many variants and replaced several designs in the Remington lineup. The M700 draws upon the experience gained by previous Remington designs. The design of the M700 had no distinctive new features. It was essentially more of the same as already available on the US market. Right from the start the M700 gained a reputation for being a high quality rifle for good value. The adoption of the M700 as the M40 by the USMC in 1966 opened Remington's eyes for the potential of the M700 as a tactical rifle. With some modification the M700 proved to be very useful in the tactical role. The M700 Police Sniper Special has been adopted by dozens of police departments in the USA.
DESIGN
The M700 is a bolt action rifle with a classical layout. The bolt design is fairly simple being a two lug rounded bolt. Barrels with various lengths and thickness are available. The civilian versions are available in a staggering 27 different calibers, excluding aftermarket conversions. The tactical rifles in the M700 family are usually chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO with some models being available in 5.56x45mm NATO, .300 Winchester Magnum and .338 Lapua. There are two types of bolts available. The short action bolt can handle rounds up to 7.62x51mm in size, the long action bolt up to .338 Lapua. Most models have an internal magazine between 4 and 6 rounds in size depending on the model and the caliber. Since the 90's detachable magazines are available. The tactical models of the M700 family differ from the civilian ones while they are only available with heavy barrels and high quality synthetic stocks. This is to ensure they function well in their role which is delivering long range single shot pinpoint accuracy. The M40 and M24 military models have been extensively modified for the US military to deliver even better performance. The M700 does not have a true modular design, but the availability of different scope mounts and wide array of aftermarket accessories allows users to modify the rifle to suit their needs.
PERFORMANCE
Overall performance
The M700 series rifles have proved for many decades to be very capable bolt action rifles. They have also proved themselves both in law enforcement and military use. The M700 series performs very well in delivering single shot pinpoint accuracy out to long ranges. The bolt action system does not allow for quick follow up shots. The size, weight and low rate of fire make the M700 unsuited for close quarter combat such as found in urban terrain. For this reason the US military seeks to replace them in the near future with the SR-25 semi-automatic sniper rifle.
Firepower
The majority of tactical M700 rifles is chambered in the 7.62x51mm NATO round. Some law enforcement agencies opt for the smaller 5.56x45mm round and others for the more powerful .300 Winchester Magnum. The combination of the long and heavy barrels and 7.62x51mm round performs well at both short and long ranges. Remington and the US military claim the effective range to be 800 meters. As with all sniper rifles in this caliber ranges of up to 1200 meters are achievable with varying performance. All M700 models deliver a sub MOA accuracy out of the box and barrel life is very good. While the M24 and M40 are fitted with high quality barrels their accuracy is better than their law enforcement counterparts and sub 0.5 MOA can be expected. Being bolt-action rifles they are more reliable than their semi-automatic counterparts. As a high performance it needs to be well maintained to perform at its best and when properly cared for there are no reliability issues what so ever.
Ergonomics
The tactical M700 series are an ergonomically sound design with their conventional lay out and high quality synthetic stocks. The design allows for a variety of scope mounts, scopes and bipods to suit the user’s needs. Their heavy barrel and high density stocks make them a very heavy weapon and provides stability during firing. On the other hand their size and weight makes them very cumbersome.
Sales
The M700 series tactical sniper rifles are cheaper than most dedicated military and law enforcement sniper rifles while delivering a very good performance. They are also much cheaper than high quality semi-automatic sniper rifles. The tactical models are positioned in a market with strong competition and the good reputation of the M700 aids sales. All tactical models perform well out of the box even though custom parts as used in the military models can improve their performance. The military and law enforcement variants are very popular in the USA and have been sporadically sold abroad. Having similar weight and dimensions as larger caliber high performance rifles such as the AWM is the most probable cause for the limited export sales.
The Remington M700 was first introduced in 1962. It was at first intended for civilian use such as target shooting and hunting. The M700 is available in many variants and replaced several designs in the Remington lineup. The M700 draws upon the experience gained by previous Remington designs. The design of the M700 had no distinctive new features. It was essentially more of the same as already available on the US market. Right from the start the M700 gained a reputation for being a high quality rifle for good value. The adoption of the M700 as the M40 by the USMC in 1966 opened Remington's eyes for the potential of the M700 as a tactical rifle. With some modification the M700 proved to be very useful in the tactical role. The M700 Police Sniper Special has been adopted by dozens of police departments in the USA.
DESIGN
The M700 is a bolt action rifle with a classical layout. The bolt design is fairly simple being a two lug rounded bolt. Barrels with various lengths and thickness are available. The civilian versions are available in a staggering 27 different calibers, excluding aftermarket conversions. The tactical rifles in the M700 family are usually chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO with some models being available in 5.56x45mm NATO, .300 Winchester Magnum and .338 Lapua. There are two types of bolts available. The short action bolt can handle rounds up to 7.62x51mm in size, the long action bolt up to .338 Lapua. Most models have an internal magazine between 4 and 6 rounds in size depending on the model and the caliber. Since the 90's detachable magazines are available. The tactical models of the M700 family differ from the civilian ones while they are only available with heavy barrels and high quality synthetic stocks. This is to ensure they function well in their role which is delivering long range single shot pinpoint accuracy. The M40 and M24 military models have been extensively modified for the US military to deliver even better performance. The M700 does not have a true modular design, but the availability of different scope mounts and wide array of aftermarket accessories allows users to modify the rifle to suit their needs.
PERFORMANCE
Overall performance
The M700 series rifles have proved for many decades to be very capable bolt action rifles. They have also proved themselves both in law enforcement and military use. The M700 series performs very well in delivering single shot pinpoint accuracy out to long ranges. The bolt action system does not allow for quick follow up shots. The size, weight and low rate of fire make the M700 unsuited for close quarter combat such as found in urban terrain. For this reason the US military seeks to replace them in the near future with the SR-25 semi-automatic sniper rifle.
Firepower
The majority of tactical M700 rifles is chambered in the 7.62x51mm NATO round. Some law enforcement agencies opt for the smaller 5.56x45mm round and others for the more powerful .300 Winchester Magnum. The combination of the long and heavy barrels and 7.62x51mm round performs well at both short and long ranges. Remington and the US military claim the effective range to be 800 meters. As with all sniper rifles in this caliber ranges of up to 1200 meters are achievable with varying performance. All M700 models deliver a sub MOA accuracy out of the box and barrel life is very good. While the M24 and M40 are fitted with high quality barrels their accuracy is better than their law enforcement counterparts and sub 0.5 MOA can be expected. Being bolt-action rifles they are more reliable than their semi-automatic counterparts. As a high performance it needs to be well maintained to perform at its best and when properly cared for there are no reliability issues what so ever.
Ergonomics
The tactical M700 series are an ergonomically sound design with their conventional lay out and high quality synthetic stocks. The design allows for a variety of scope mounts, scopes and bipods to suit the user’s needs. Their heavy barrel and high density stocks make them a very heavy weapon and provides stability during firing. On the other hand their size and weight makes them very cumbersome.
Sales
The M700 series tactical sniper rifles are cheaper than most dedicated military and law enforcement sniper rifles while delivering a very good performance. They are also much cheaper than high quality semi-automatic sniper rifles. The tactical models are positioned in a market with strong competition and the good reputation of the M700 aids sales. All tactical models perform well out of the box even though custom parts as used in the military models can improve their performance. The military and law enforcement variants are very popular in the USA and have been sporadically sold abroad. Having similar weight and dimensions as larger caliber high performance rifles such as the AWM is the most probable cause for the limited export sales.