information on the remington 600

[tahunua001]

hello all,
at my latest gun show I noticed a pair of guns that I had never seen in person before...the remington 600. after fondling them a bit I must say that I am quite impressed. one had the vent rib while the other didn't, both were scoped and both felt very well balanced, lightweight and had nice smooth bolts, cant get enough of those ugly dogleg bolts. however one thing I never see discussed about them are the cartridge options and floor plates. both of these were small bores, one was a 222 remington and the other was a 220 something-or-other(IIRC) and both had plastic floor plates. so my questions are:


1. did all remington 600s come with plastic floor plates or was this an economy typed model?

2. did they only come in varmint type cartridges or were there other options? (I would like to see one in the 243win-6.5 swede area)

3. was the vent rib optional or did someone just remove it from the second rifle I saw?

[big al hunter]

My fil has a 600 in 308 win. No rib. Steel floor plate. Not sure when it was made but he has had it 20ish years.

If you cant find one in your preferred cal. you can re-barrel it. If you want new check out the model 7. IIRC the 600 was replaced by the 7. Some differences though.

[EMN89]

A good friend of mine has s model 600 in .243 win that was handed down from his grandfather, his also has a plastic floor plate. I don't know if they were ever made in in 6.5 nut I know someone who had one in 6mm rem. They are very good guns especially in thick woods or a blind where a longer rifle could get in the way. If I ever come across one at the right price in a .243 or .308 I will buy it in a heartbeat.

[Scorch]

The Remington 600 was made from 1964 to 1967 in .222 Remington, .223 Remington, 6mm Remington, 6.5mm Remington, .308 Win, .35 Remington, .350 Remington Magnum. A similar mdel, the 660, was made from 1968 until 1971 in the same chamberings. An economy model called the 600 Mohawk sported a plastic trigger guard, floorplate, and front sight. They used a shorter action than the 700, essentially the same as the current Model 7 action (minus the ugly dogleg bolt handle, thank you Remington). They have kind of a cult following, especially the rip-snortin' 350 Rem Mag (that one was no fun, trust me). They came with Buck Rogers looking iron sights, and some had plastic ribs on them. The ones with the rib usually lost the rib shortly after a few rough hunting trips. Good rifles, handle well, and great for hunting.

[Jim Watson]

The original 600 had a nylon ventilated rib.
The followon 660 did not. It also had a bit longer barrel.
The economy model Mohawk 600 did not have the rib.

If the 600 rib was knocked off, you would be left with the steel mounting posts brazed to the barrel. It would be a lot of work to remove them.

All I have ever seen of any version had a plastic one piece floorplate-trigger guard which is prone to warp under pressure of the magazine spring.
There is steel replacement bottom metal avalable, an expensive name brand and a less expensive but still not cheap generic.

The 6.5 and 350 Magnums had laminated maple/walnut stocks.

I had a 600 in .35 Remington. I thought it a handier hunting rifle than a lever action and more accurate than most. Also fun to plink with when loaded with .357 revolver bullets.

[jmfc606]

The .223 is the rare one, only a handful made. I've had a few over the years. I still have a 600 in .222. I want to replace the plastic floorplate with the aftermarket one from brownells but they are too expensive.
Remington tried to revive the look a few years with the model 673 based on the model 7 action. It didn't have the dogleg bolt and only came in .350 mag, 308, 300rum, and 6.5 rem mag. They didn't sell well and were dropped pretty quick. At the end of production you could pick up NIB ones for around $500 dollars. I bought one in 6.5 mag and stuck it away for a rainy day!

[oneoldsap]

The 673 was also chambered in .243 Win. ! 600s had a rib and an 18.5" barrel , except for the Mowhawks , they had no rib. The 660s had no rib and a 20" barrel . A little over 500 Model 600s were made in .223 Rem. and are the most rare . There were only about 200 Model 660s made in .223 Rem. and again are the most rare ! There were approximately 3200 Model 600s made in .35 Rem. . My second centerfire rifle was a 660 in .350 Rem. Mag. and as someone above said , it was no fun to shoot and I didn't own it for long !

[tahunua001]

thanks for all the info guys, just out of curiosity, were the 600s cock on close or cock on open? they remind me a lot of a little cousin of the 1917, later to become the model 30 as I understand it.

[Jim Watson]

The 600 is a scaled down 700 and is therefore cock on opening like all Remingtons since the 722 of 1950.
The cranked bolt handle has nothing to do with the cocking cam.

[reynolds357]

My 600 .350 Rem mag and my 6.5 Rem mag have steel floor plates. My .308 has a plastic one and it has warped about 1/4" The first two are awesome rifles. The .308 is a pile of junk.

[44 AMP]

My first deer rifle was a 600 in .308 Win. Loved that gun, and still have it.

I have 600 series rifles in .222Rem, .243 Win (mohawk), 6mm Rem, .308Win, and .350 Rem Mag. They are excellent hunting rifles. Shoot groups off the bench and they generally don't shine, as the ultra light weight barrels tend to walk when heated up. Shoot game in the field and they are hard to beat.

Short, light, handy, and more than accurate enough for hunting. What killed the rifles commercially was that fact that they were Remington's budget rifles, as good as the 700s in all but looks, and turned out to be too costly to make to meet the "budget" requirements.

They are all cock on opening. They have nothing in common with the 1917 Enfield, the dog leg bolt handle was done to put the bolt knob right above the shooters trigger finger, the idea being it would be faster and easier to work, that way.

EVERY 600 series rifle I have seen that was factory stock had the plastic (DuPont Xytel Nylon) triggeguard/floorplate. If you have one with a metal one, it was put on aftermarket.

All I have ever seen of any version had a plastic one piece floorplate-trigger guard which is prone to warp under pressure of the magazine spring.

This, in my experience is not quite correct. The warped floorplates (and it is common) is NOT a result of the pressure from the magazine spring. In fact, the mag sping never touches the floorplate. The warped floorplates are the result of someone who did not understand the rifle taking it apart and putting it back together wrong!!!!!

It is not as simple and straight forward as a Mauser, or many other classic bolt guns. The 600 uses a "U" shaped metal stamping as the magazine box. It is open (slightly) at the back end. When it comes off the rifle, it springs open a little. When you reinstall it, you have to compress the open end slightly in order to fully seat it against the bottom of the reciever.

And, it has a naughty tendancy to want to pop out, just a bit, after you put it in. If you do not notice this, then when you tighten the action screws, you WILL WARP the floorplate.

The sheet metal mag box has tabs on the bottom, that the mag spring rests on. The spring never touches the floorplate, it cannot be the cause of the warpage. The cause is someone not getting the box in the proper position when reassembling the rifle, and tightening up the screws with the mag box sticking too far down. This is my major pet peeve when checking out 600s, finding all too many that were treated this way...

Remington replaced the 600 series with the model 788, not the model 7. The model 7 came along much later, and fills the carbine niche (and rather well), but was not a "replacement" for either the 600 (as a carbine) or the 788 (as a budget rifle).

[Jim Watson]

Interesting about the magazine box warping the "bottom plastic."

I never considered the 600 to be an economy model or the 788 its replacement, completely different niches. Although they tried later on when they mutilated the 788 to 18.5" barrels.
The 788 and 660 (sans ugly rib) were concurrent models.

[the jigger]

the Rem 600 Mohawk in 6mm is the only rifle for which I have felt "sellers remorse" in over 50yrs of hunting and shooting.

[PetahW]

Obtain a used one now, so you can have "buyer's remorse", too. . . .



.

[44 AMP]

Interesting about the magazine box warping the "bottom plastic."

What happens is that when (not if) the mag box pops down, it also springs open just a bit, and cannot be reseated in its proper place, unless you squeeze it back together and hold it together when reseating it.

SO, it sticks down a little bit, and the floorplate cannot reseat it, and a thumbnuts with a screwdriver doesn't realize this, and snugs them thar action screws down good 'n tight! Presto, warped floorplate.

Note that the out of proper position mag box and warped floorplate do not affect the function of the rifle in any way, at least as far as feeding,firing and ejection are concerned. It just looks crappy.

The best way I have found to reassemble the rifle is upside down. With the action upside down, squeeze and fit the mag box into place. CAREFULLY lower the stock down on the action. If you bump the mag box, it may pop out, and you start over. Once you have the stock down, fit the floorplate, and visually check it seats flush in the stock. THEN install the action screws and tighten.

My first Rem 600 was MSRP (at Sears) for $99.95 in or around 1966. My 1972 Gun Digest (can't find the older ones right now) don't list the 600, but they do list the 788 for $99.95 and the 700ADL for $149.95 for standard calibers and 164.95 in .17 and magnums.

[Magnum Wheel Man]

I just traded away a really nice Rem 600... tiger stripe walnut stock, had the plastic trigger guard / magazine floor plate,( unwarped ) & the vent rib ( uncracked )... all good on mine...

mine was in 6mm Remington, & BTW... mine was cock on close ( which I was suprised to find out, when cleaning it up before the trade )... cocking was smooth & easy, better than my custom 93 Mauser...

This, in my experience is not quite correct. The warped floorplates (and it is common) is NOT a result of the pressure from the magazine spring. In fact, the mag sping never touches the floorplate. The warped floorplates are the result of someone who did not understand the rifle taking it apart and putting it back together wrong!!!!!

I agree with this, as the magazine box had a little wiggle room in mine, the floor plate could get put back on, where the magazine box was not seated properly, & being plastic, the screws could still be tightened, causing it to warp or crack ( seen them both ways ), also seen alot of them with cracked vent ribs, usually the front 2 screws

[44 AMP]

I've seen quite a few 600 series rifles (and XP-100 pistols) and none of them were cock on closing.

If you had one that was cock on closing, it must have been worked over by someone who really knew what they wanted and were able to do it. I do have to wonder why, though...

And "because I could" is an understandable answer....

[Magnum Wheel Man]

I was suprised, but watched the striker pull back to the backward position, as the bolt rotated down, so... it was definately cock on close

I traded mine for an "unfired" 70's Remington 700 in 35 Whelen, to the guy my FIL got the 600 from originally, close to 20 years ago... ( bear in mind, old guys memories & 15-20 years of time span ) I'm sure my FIL didn't have any work done on it ( as it had a cheap Tasco scope that had the internals locked up on it... so the power ring moved, but you couldn't adjust the impact point on the scope... I know if my FIL had shot it, he would have at least changed the scope... the guy I traded it to, remembers that was the scope that was on it, when he traded it to my wife's dad... that guy wouldn't have had a reason or the skills to change it from cock on open to cock on close ) that said, I'd suspect this was either a very early or "special" model, or a previous owner to the seller I know did or had the conversion done ???

since the OP questioned weather it was cock on close ??? I wonder if they may have been a run of them made that way ???

[oneoldsap]

What you were seeing was the trigger catching the sear notch on the striker as the bolt cammed closed . The bolt was already cocked on opening ! Evidently you aren't totaly familiar with the mechanics of the bolt action rifle . Once you manipulate a cock on closing rifle , you will see the difference !

[Magnum Wheel Man]

( the way that was worded, it almost sounded like a dig... ) I'm not a gun smith... & don't disassmble my bolts all that often... but I am pretty familiar with shooting them...

[44 AMP]

Congrats on the .35 Whelen! Although, personally, I wouldn't have given up a Rem 600 6mm for it (I'm a bit odd, that way) unless I had a couple duplicates!

In fact, that's how I got my 6mm, I traded one of my "spare" M600 .308s for it.

As to the cock on closing M600 you had, I think either you were just mistaken, or it was a one of a kind custom job, and your description of the rest of the rifle casts that in serious doubt.

Cock on closing would have required a large change to the cocking mechanism (internally) and I have never heard of Remington doing any like that with any of their bolt guns.

The basic design of the modern Remington bolt (cocking group) goes back to the Models 721/722 bolt guns from the 50s. Model 600 & 700 (all types) use it also. They are all based on the same action design (roughly). The 788 guns are a completely different action.

I'm not saying you didn't see what you saw, it just seems to me unlikely. One thing I have learned in nearly 50 years of gun collecting (ok, aquiring mostly) is never say never...

For those reading this that aren't quite sure what I'm talking about, the way it works is this:

A cock on closing gun moves the striker assy (firing pin, cocking piece, etc) back slightly when you lift the bolt handle. You pull the bolt back. As you push it back closed, at a point shortly before the bolt is fully shut (not locked) the cocking piece catches on the sear, and is held there as you push the bolt shut against spring pressure. Turning the bolt down, locking the action will move the bolt all the way forward, while the cocking piece is held where it is.

A cock on closing gun will move the cocking piece most of the way back, and will be held there by the bolt as you lift the bolt handle. Close the bolt, and the striker contact is tranferred from the bolt body to the sear. The striker may appear to move back slightly when locking the bolt closed.

This varies from specific action to action design (along with how well you can see it), but the basic difference is that most, or all, of the force needed to compress the firing pin spring is done when you lift the bolt handle on a cock on opening action. That same force is exerted when you close a cock on closing action.

The striker of a cock on opening gun may move backwards slightly when locking the bolt down (depending on the design), but nearly all of its movement is done when opening the bolt. The cock on closing gun moves the striker just a little when opened, and the rest of the "movement" is on closing. (in most designs, it is bolt body movement, the striker is held in place)

Clear as mud now? ITs really easy to see if you can look at the two types side by side. Sadly, while I have examples, I can't show you here. Take a 98 Mauser and an SMLE (or a 95 mauser) and look, its easy to see the difference. Sporting rifles can be more subtle, but its still easy to see, if you know what you're looking for.

[tahunua001]

I must agree with what I've heard described.

the way I understand it
a cock on open is partially cocked by cams as you lift the bolt handle and when you close it again the same camming movement fully retracts it.

with a cock on close, a hook on the back of the firing pin catches on another hook as you move the bolt forward and closing the rest of the way requires a great deal of force as you are literally manually cocking it and fighting the firing pin spring as you go forward. if the bolt slides all the way forward to the locking point then it is definitely not a cock on close.