700BDL Varmint Special ?

[forsyth793]

Remember Bob Pease "Poor Mans Specials" Those guns cost me a lot of money but I sure got a lot of enjoyment from them

 

[Brians356]

I know this is an old post however, I'm wondering what pattern is on this 700BDL Varmint Special .222REM?

Never seen one like that, it's not fleur-de-lis. Could be a custom?
-

 

[SDWhirlwind]

it's not fleur-de-lis.
-

Yes it is. Some call it "ribbon pattern", cannot remember what Remington actually called it. Have a Varmint Special 243 7 digit setting here from late 69 or early 70 with same design.

 

[Brians356]

Yes it is. Some call it "ribbon pattern",

No it is not.

A "fleu-de-lis" is a stylized lily flower with three petals. Here is the notorious pressed (not cut) 700 BDL fleu-de-lis pattern (my '67 Varmint Special in 6mm Rem):



I believe the photo from "RusselJ" shows a "ribbon" pattern as you suggested.
-

 

[msinc]

The one in question is the so-called "ribbon" pattern. The earliest of 700's had a little "extra" panel of checkering pressed into the area just behind the bolt shroud.
Not too sure the OP's gun has 1-in-12 twist....easy enough to check, but my money is going on 1-in-14. Even the Army didn't go to 1-in-12 until the early 80's. I don't know that Remington ever did on the Varmint guns...I have a new {couple years old now} 700VSSF with the HS Precision green spider web stock and it is 1-in-14. Some Model 700's might have been 1-in-12. Model 7's were and then they went to 1-in-9...I have one of those.

 

[SDWhirlwind]

No it is not.

A "fleu-de-lis" is a stylized lily flower with three petals. Here is the notorious pressed (not cut) 700 BDL fleu-de-lis pattern (my '67 Varmint Special in 6mm Rem):

View attachment 1045910

I believe the photo from "RusselJ" shows a "ribbon" pattern as you suggested.
-

I sincerely apologize Brians356, you are correct. I should have done more digging before typing. Had it in my messed up melon that they were one in the same without doing a side by side. Seems anymore whenever I 'think' I come up short!! Again Sorry!

I am not sure but cannot remember seeing an ADL with the "ribbon" pattern. On the early '60's ADL and BDL both had the checkering behind tang as well as the added panel on grip. Also there was a diamond on fore and aft of forearm panel. I know of several dealers around here that call those "double diamond" but not sure Remington's technical nomenclature.

 

[Brians356]

I sincerely apologize Brians356, you are correct. I should have done more digging before typing. Had it in my messed up melon that they were one in the same without doing a side by side. Seems anymore whenever I 'think' I come up short!! Again Sorry!

I am not sure but cannot remember seeing an ADL with the "ribbon" pattern. On the early '60's ADL and BDL both had the checkering behind tang as well as the added panel on grip. Also there was a diamond on fore and aft of forearm panel. I know of several dealers around here that call those "double diamond" but not sure Remington's technical nomenclature.

Not a bit of it - absolutely no apology warranted! I hope I didn't give the impression I was aggrieved. I myself had no clue the ribbon pattern existed, I've only ever owned three 700s, and two have HS composite stocks.

The 1967 in 6mm Rem I pictured was a pawn shop find, in "as mint" condition. I'd blush to tell you how little I paid for it. It was 15 years ago, before every pawn shop were adept at scouring the Internet for gun values. And not until last night, when researching its production code, and reading my Blue Book, did I realize it is from the very first year of Varmint Special production. Not a very common chambering, either. It shoots 3/4 moa all day, 70-gr TNTs @3800 fps ahead of Superformance. Knocks coyote's d__ks in the dirt, and ruins a rock chucks' whole day.
-

 

[Infrequent Shooter]

QUESTION re 700 early Varmint barrels. Does any one know if all/most very early barrels had drilled and tapped holes at the muzzle? I just acquired a put together rifle, very nice with a 700 varmint barrel on it. It measures 23" to the receiver and 24" to the bolt face. There are no tapped holes for a front sight, but it does have the DT holes approx in middle of barrel for older unertl style scopes. Thoughts appreciated. MW

 

[Brians356]

QUESTION re 700 early Varmint barrels. Does any one know if all/most very early barrels had drilled and tapped holes at the muzzle?

Only one data point, but (as described above) I have a 700 Varmint Special in 6mm Rem from 1967, the first year of V. S. production. It does not have holes drilled near the muzzle of its 24" blued heavy barrel.
-

 

[rockhound78]

How rare is the 7-08 bull barrel 700 bdl? Would that also be considered a "Varmint Special"?

 

[Brians356]

How rare is the 7-08 bull barrel 700 bdl? Would that also be considered a "Varmint Special"?

If it's a walnut-stocked BDL (w/ ebony forend tip) made between 1967 and and 1994 (inclusive), has a 24-in heavy blued barrel, and no sights, it's almost certainly a varmint Special. They were available in 7mm-08 Rem.

PS 7mm-08 is not called out as "rare" in the Blue Book, but it's not going to be one of the more common varmint chamberings.
-

 

[Infrequent Shooter]

Brian356, Is barrel 24" to receiver or to bolt face, if you don't mind doing some extra work? .817 muzzle on my barrel. I love this site for amonut of information available. Mine is 22-250. Those early varmint specials are works of art IMO. 7-08 is not very common.

 

[davidjoe]

The Varmint Special was introduced in 1967; fleur di lis pattern 67-68, ribbon pattern 69-73, solid cut checkering 74-77 and skip line pattern 78-97.

If its a fluer-di-lis, they bring a premium over the other patterns (in all calibers). A good shape fleur di lis $850+.

Top would be a skip line and bottom would be a solid?

 

[davidjoe]

QUESTION re 700 early Varmint barrels. Does any one know if all/most very early barrels had drilled and tapped holes at the muzzle? I just acquired a put together rifle, very nice with a 700 varmint barrel on it. It measures 23" to the receiver and 24" to the bolt face. There are no tapped holes for a front sight, but it does have the DT holes approx in middle of barrel for older unertl style scopes. Thoughts appreciated. MW

Neither of mine are drilled for a front sight. Both have flat crowns and are tapped for the long scope, and also both receivers are tapped for a rear sight like 40-X’s.

 

[Brians356]

Both have flat crowns and are tapped for the long scope

Are those the two tapped holes atop the barrel straddling 6.75 in ahead of the recoil lug? Are they for a Unertl type base?

Mine also has a flat crown.
-

 

[Brians356]

Brian356, Is barrel 24" to receiver or to bolt face, if you don't mind doing some extra work? .817 muzzle on my barrel. I love this site for amonut of information available. Mine is 22-250. Those early varmint specials are works of art IMO. 7-08 is not very common.

My barrel is .840" at the muzzle. The barrel measures 23-5/8" to the receiver (not the recoil lug) and appears 24" to the boltface.

It shoots great, with nice bluing and wood, but the impressed fleur de lis "checkering" is godawful chintzy.
-

 

[Brians356]

It measures 23" to the receiver and 24" to the bolt face.

My '67 measures 23-1/8" to the recoil lug, and 23-5/8" to the receiver.
-

 

[Infrequent Shooter]

23" to recoil lug, maybe an extra 1/16, but pretty close to 23".
5.2" from recoil lug to center of rearward most tapped hole.
1.125" approx, distance (center to center) between two D&T holes for old style Unertl scope base.
5.723" approx midpoint to straddle/ of the two D&T holes to the recoil lug.
flat crown
keep in mind, my rifle is put together using a 722 receiver. I do not think the barrel is original to the 722 receiver. It has U LZ 30 on barrel code

I think barrel was produced in 1971 (very iffy on this)
722 receiver is probably late '50s.
FWIW, the barrel does look on the slim side, compared to other Varmint Specials I have seen.

 

[Infrequent Shooter]

23" to recoil lug, maybe an extra 1/16, but pretty close to 23".
5.2" from recoil lug to center of rearward most tapped hole.
1.125" approx, distance (center to center) between two D&T holes for old style Unertl scope base.
5.723" approx midpoint to straddle/ of the two D&T holes to the recoil lug.
flat crown
keep in mind, my rifle is put together using a 722 receiver. I do not think the barrel is original to the 722 receiver. It has U LZ 30 on barrel code

 

[Gary in MD]

I know that I should let mine “make music” but it’s still unfired and It’s so pretty(compared to some modern rifles) I get the shakes when I think about it. LOL
I don’t know when it was made but the checkering looks more like cut checkering. I took it as a trade and I have other varmint rifles so no hurry, I guess.
Gary