I don’t know if anyone reads this blog periodically, but apologies for the lack of updates. Rest assured, I have at least 3 posts planned for the next couple of weeks, and the first one is about my first upgrade for my Remington 700 VTR.
The X-Mark Pro trigger that comes with the VTR isn’t bad, but the trigger weight was a little heavier than I like. I tried to adjust it myself, but had a hard time removing the anti-litigation goo to get to the adjustment screw, so I decided to just replace it with a Timney trigger instead.
Replacing the trigger assembly on a Remington 700 is fairly simple, and only requires a couple of pins to be punched out. I did, however, notice a couple of gotchas, which I’ll document here:
- When removing the existing trigger, watch out for the hammer spring(?) which will jump out when the assembly is removed. You probably don’t want to lose that.
- I don’t know if this is a general problem with Timney triggers, but the bolt catch release doesn’t mate with the bolt catch very securely. I have to jiggle the release “button” a bit to make it engage. Also, if you hammer in the front pin too far, it’s easy to pin down the bolt catch, so watch out for that as well.
- Adjusting the trigger pull on the Timney is dead simple. Loosen the lower front hex-nut, then use a 5/64″ allen wrench to turn the screw in (to make it heavier) or out (to lighten). I lightened mine to about 2lb, but the adjustment screw was jutting out so far that I had trouble getting the action back in the stock. Filing away material on the stock in front of the trigger assembly fixed that though.
In general, these are all minor issues, and I really like the new trigger. It’s dead simple to adjust, and I also like the wider and flatter trigger, which further reduced perceived trigger weight. Last time I was at the range, I got some nice 3 shot groups, although I can’t seem to get really tight 5 shot groups. Might be me or the ammo… (Left: factory X-Mark Pro trigger on the left, Timney installed on the right. Below: My Remingotn 700 VTR with a Leupold VX-III 40mm scope and Harris bipod)
do you know if anyone is making any after market stocks for the vtr? and if so could you post some pictures
nick: The VTR will fit in any Remington 700 after market stock. There are many, many options from many vendors and manufacturers, but you can see some of them on Midway’s catalog.
I cant help but feel like I missed something.
When you say”the bolt catch release doesn’t mate with the bolt catch very securely. I have to jiggle the release “button” a bit to make it engage.” – Is this something that happens when you remove the old trigger or during installation of the timmney?
Likewise when you say” hammer in the front pin too far, it’s easy to pin down the bolt catch, so watch out for that as well.” Is this during installation or removal?
There must be a simpler step by step that even I can follow?
Glad I found this, I have a VTR w/ a Timney, but I was unaware that I could adjust the weight on the trigger. I saw someone inquire about the aftermarket stocks. Any thing that will fit a heavy barrel 700 should fit the VTR. I have an AICS on mine at the time.