Remington 700 BDL 24″ .300 Winchester Magnum Bolt Action Rifle & Scope 2003

SOLD FOR: $815

WOA#: WY240318JM004

Make: Remington

Model: 700 BDL

Serial Number: G6292219

Year of Manufacture: 2003

Caliber: .300 Winchester Magnum

Action Type: Bolt Action Rifle with Hinged Floorplate

Barrel Length: 24”

Sights / Optics: The front sight is a white beaded blade dovetailed into a hooded, serrated ramp that is screwed to the barrel. The rear sight has been removed and its mounting holes filled (rear sight not included). The top of the receiver is drilled and tapped with Leupold bases and rings holding a Burris Fullfield II 6.5-20x scope with Ballistic Mil-Dot reticle. A Wheeler folding level has been installed in front of the turrets. The scope body has minor wear and the glass is clear.

Stock Configuration & Condition: The stock is skipline checkered wood with a gloss finish, two recoil lugs, black caps, white spacers, pistol grip, and a fluted Monte Carlo comb with a cheekpiece. The barrel and action have been bedded to the stock, there is a little bit of bedding compound showing around the edges. Otherwise, there are only a few scattered minor marks. There are no chips or cracks. The checkering is well defined. The LOP measures 13 5/8″ from the front of the trigger to the back of the Remington black rubber buttpad. The pad has minor wear. Overall, the stock is in Fine-plus condition.

Type of Finish: Blue

Finish Originality: Original. The bolt is serial-matching, but its knob has been replaced

Bore Condition: The bore is bright and the rifling is sharp. There is no erosion. In this writer’s opinion, this bore rates 10 out of 10.

Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 98% of its metal finish. The action shows minor operational wear. Otherwise, there are only light handling marks. The screw heads are sharp. The markings are clear. Overall, this rifle rates in Fine-plus condition.

Mechanics: The action functions correctly. We did not fire this rifle. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance requirements.

Box, Paperwork & Accessories: Included is the previously described scope and the scope’s original box.

Our Assessment: The Remington 700 needs no introduction, it has been one of the most popular bolt action rifles in America for decades, seeing use in target shooting, hunting, and in law enforcement. Remington had been producing sporting rifles for decades, but their Post-WWI Model 30 Sporter took too much time and money to make, plus it required too much milling. After WWII they designed the Model 721 which used a receiver made of bar stock, meaning it could be turned on a lathe, cutting production time and cost. The basic design of the 721 went through further developments under the direction of engineer Mike Walker, and Remington went on to produce the Model 722 and Model 725, and finally, in 1962, the Model 700 was born. With the design, Walker desired to increase accuracy over previous designs so tight bore & chamber tolerances, a short leade, and fast lock time were used. Since its inception in 1962, it has been produced in just about any caliber and configuration you could think of. If it hasn’t there are custom parts and gunsmiths out there to get it exactly how you like.

The Remington 700 was introduced in 1962 and was accompanied by a new Remington round, the 7mm Magnum. The duo were a supernova the industry was not ready for, but the people were. In 1963 Winchester launched their counter-offensive and put out the .300 Winchester Magnum. Remington had already been crushing it with sales of the 870 and had introduced a philosophy, which is still used today, of parts interchangeability. Perhaps the Remington 700 was the proverbial “straw that broke the camel’s back” for Winchester. It likely didn’t hurt that the 700 was new and nobody had preconceived notions of what it should be while the Model 70 was already beloved and was being changed for the worse, but nonetheless, Winchester zigged and Remington zagged. A year after the .300 Win Mag was put to market, the onslaught from Remington was too much, Winchester cut costs and streamlined manufacturing across the board (most collectors already know this as it spurred the Winchester collecting terms Pre-64 and Post-64) while the Big Green scaled up and had out three variants with numerous calibers in the early 1960s. The ADL, BDL, and BDL Magnum. Introductory prices for standard calibers were $114.95 for the ADL and $139.95 for the BDL. Prices for magnum versions of the BDL were $154.95 for the .264 Win. Mag., 7 mm Rem. Mag and .300 Win. Mag. and $310 for the .375 H&H Mag. and .458 Win. Mag. With other companies cutting costs, Remington did something different and went the other way…completely on brand for them, ha! The old Magnum 700s were made of stainless steel due to hunters of the time not wanting anything but blued finishes, something that sounds funny today. Sportsman of the time wanted nothing other than a traditional blued finish, and as the old adage goes “when money talks, people listen.” Remington sure did listen and went to great expense to layer on coats of different material so that the blue would adhere to the stainless guns. They have gone through many changes and updates over the years and will likely continue to do so.

The 700 is a classic in the truest sense of the word and has seen its fair share of use in just about any role you could imagine a bolt action rifle being used for. It has shaped firearms history as mentioned above and has been a mainstay in movies, TV, and videogames. It shows no signs of falling out of favor after its meteoric rise, and even after Remington filed for bankruptcy and restructured, new models can be found on their new website. This is a piece of history, both firearms and American, and something everyone needs at least one of. If you don’t have one yet, why not? This is a BDL with a 24″ barrel chambered for .300 Winchester Magnum. It has been equipped with a nice Burris scope, but doesn’t appear to have seen much use, in Fine-Plus condition. This is a great 700 to pick up, no matter if it’s your first or fiftieth. Please see our photos and good luck!

Please forgive any typos, I was educated in California. -Bud