Remington 700 bolt lock

FoghornLeghorn · December 26, 2018, 11:22 AM

I took delivery of a Remington stainless 700 LH 30-06 rifle. I honestly can't tell if it's been fired.

One thing though, there is a little locking cylinder on the left side of the bolt shroud. Perusing pictures of Remington 700 rifles, used and new, some have it, most don't.

Was that a feature they installed then discontinued?

Edited to add: I googled the device and it's known as a 'j' lock and can cause everything from tripled lock time to flat feet.

However, there are numerous testimonies from owners of such a gun that have never had an issue and accuracy is equal to their non 'j' lock guns.

hammie · December 27, 2018, 09:43 PM

@Foghorn: I think you forgot to add that the j-locks can also cause male pattern baldness.

In 2002, I bought two Remington 700's: a .221 rem fireball, and a .308 5R tactical. Both had j-locks. That's pretty much all I can say for sure. I think the j-lock fad only lasted a few years and current production guns no longer have them. I went to the present Remington web site and it did not show or mention the Remington ISS (integrated security system) for the 700's.

I replaced both j-locks with PTG firing pin assemblies (now about 70$ each from midway), and I'm completely happy with them. I didn't like the aesthetics of the ISS, the kinked spring, and the idea of the rifle being unusable if inadvertently locked, key lost, or locked through a malfunction.

You can also just replace the firing pin assembly with a Remington non ISS assembly. At one time, David Tubb offered a non-ISS replacement, but I couldn't find it on his current web site.

BusGunner007 · December 28, 2018, 01:26 AM

Have the parts ready to install in my .375 RUM 700 BDL.

FoghornLeghorn · December 28, 2018, 07:32 AM

I could probably live with the aesthetics, etc, but the straw that broke the camel's back was the location of the lock. I shoot left handed and the lock is on the left side of the bolt shroud. Remington, in their infinite wisdom, decided to save money on tooling and used the same assembly for left and right handed guns.

For a LH gun, that puts the protruding 'J' wart squarely in front of my thumb when I move the safety to the "fire" position. I dinged my thumb. And that was in a heated house. In cold weather, sans gloves, that could hurt.

I ordered a firing pin assembly from Holland gunsmithing. It's supposed to be a drop in. We'll see. I'll report back when the deed is done.

Thanks for the replies.

hammie · December 28, 2018, 10:03 AM

@foghorn: I noticed in your original post that the rifle was a left hand, but failed to make the connection between the j-lock position and the safety. I better understand your problem now. You did the right thing. You will be happier.

Both my PTG assemblies were drop-ins and work fine. I hope your new firing pin assembly from Holland gunsmithing gets here quickly so you can enjoy your new '06.

FoghornLeghorn · December 28, 2018, 02:12 PM

Thanks hammie. There's no hurry. I'm waiting on Warne scope mounts to use my Warne vertical rings. Plus I'm working up some loads.

As an aside, I emailed the gun's serial number to Remington to find out what it is. One person assumed since it's a blind magazine rifle that it's an ADL. That's cool, cause it's a smooth action and all, even though there's no record of Remington making a stainless left handed ADL.

But the Remington Customer Service department said it's a model 700 KS Mountain Rifle. It was manufactured in 2002.

What's "KS" stand for? Remington's online description also says the trigger is adjustable. How does that work?

Also, in that time frame, based on my googlefoo, it's likely a Brown Precision stock. It looks exactly like their gray stock.

But I wonder if there was a particular Brown Precision stock they used? Mostly I wonder if it's the Kevlar.............

Again, thanks for the responses.

December 26, 2018, 11:22 AM	#1
FoghornLeghorn Senior Member Join Date: September 2, 2011 Posts: 961	Remington 700 bolt lock I took delivery of a Remington stainless 700 LH 30-06 rifle. I honestly can't tell if it's been fired. One thing though, there is a little locking cylinder on the left side of the bolt shroud. Perusing pictures of Remington 700 rifles, used and new, some have it, most don't. Was that a feature they installed then discontinued? Edited to add: I googled the device and it's known as a 'j' lock and can cause everything from tripled lock time to flat feet. However, there are numerous testimonies from owners of such a gun that have never had an issue and accuracy is equal to their non 'j' lock guns. Last edited by FoghornLeghorn; December 26, 2018 at 03:43 PM.

December 28, 2018, 01:26 AM	#3
BusGunner007 Senior Member Join Date: December 14, 2001 Location: Upper Left Coast Posts: 2,116	Have the parts ready to install in my .375 RUM 700 BDL. __________________ "...if you're not havin' fun, you're workin'..."

December 27, 2018, 09:43 PM	#2
hammie Senior Member Join Date: March 18, 2009 Location: Temple, TX Posts: 959	@Foghorn: I think you forgot to add that the j-locks can also cause male pattern baldness. In 2002, I bought two Remington 700's: a .221 rem fireball, and a .308 5R tactical. Both had j-locks. That's pretty much all I can say for sure. I think the j-lock fad only lasted a few years and current production guns no longer have them. I went to the present Remington web site and it did not show or mention the Remington ISS (integrated security system) for the 700's. I replaced both j-locks with PTG firing pin assemblies (now about 70$ each from midway), and I'm completely happy with them. I didn't like the aesthetics of the ISS, the kinked spring, and the idea of the rifle being unusable if inadvertently locked, key lost, or locked through a malfunction. You can also just replace the firing pin assembly with a Remington non ISS assembly. At one time, David Tubb offered a non-ISS replacement, but I couldn't find it on his current web site.

December 28, 2018, 07:32 AM	#4
FoghornLeghorn Senior Member Join Date: September 2, 2011 Posts: 961	I could probably live with the aesthetics, etc, but the straw that broke the camel's back was the location of the lock. I shoot left handed and the lock is on the left side of the bolt shroud. Remington, in their infinite wisdom, decided to save money on tooling and used the same assembly for left and right handed guns. For a LH gun, that puts the protruding 'J' wart squarely in front of my thumb when I move the safety to the "fire" position. I dinged my thumb. And that was in a heated house. In cold weather, sans gloves, that could hurt. I ordered a firing pin assembly from Holland gunsmithing. It's supposed to be a drop in. We'll see. I'll report back when the deed is done. Thanks for the replies.

December 28, 2018, 10:03 AM	#5
hammie Senior Member Join Date: March 18, 2009 Location: Temple, TX Posts: 959	@foghorn: I noticed in your original post that the rifle was a left hand, but failed to make the connection between the j-lock position and the safety. I better understand your problem now. You did the right thing. You will be happier. Both my PTG assemblies were drop-ins and work fine. I hope your new firing pin assembly from Holland gunsmithing gets here quickly so you can enjoy your new '06.

December 28, 2018, 02:12 PM	#6
FoghornLeghorn Senior Member Join Date: September 2, 2011 Posts: 961	Thanks hammie. There's no hurry. I'm waiting on Warne scope mounts to use my Warne vertical rings. Plus I'm working up some loads. As an aside, I emailed the gun's serial number to Remington to find out what it is. One person assumed since it's a blind magazine rifle that it's an ADL. That's cool, cause it's a smooth action and all, even though there's no record of Remington making a stainless left handed ADL. But the Remington Customer Service department said it's a model 700 KS Mountain Rifle. It was manufactured in 2002. What's "KS" stand for? Remington's online description also says the trigger is adjustable. How does that work? Also, in that time frame, based on my googlefoo, it's likely a Brown Precision stock. It looks exactly like their gray stock. But I wonder if there was a particular Brown Precision stock they used? Mostly I wonder if it's the Kevlar............. Again, thanks for the responses.