As much as some shooters love to hate the Remington 700, it does do a lot of things right. Serving as the basis for many factory and custom match rifles, its footprint has been copied and adopted by multiple high-end action builders. The aftermarket parts market for the 700 is far beyond that of any other bolt-action rifle.
Remington 700s tend to be accurate and function well but their biggest flaw is the trigger. The current factory triggers are awful- easily among the worst I’ve encountered in a factory rifle at the 700’s price point.
In this post I’m going to give you my insight on four aftermarket Remington 700 triggers I have grown to love.
The Jewel HVR is a single stage trigger that is adjustable from 1.5 to 48 ounces (not pounds)! This makes the Jewel a favorite with target and benchrest rest type shooters. For the dedicated benchrest rifle crowd, Jewel evens makes triggers without a safety.
I used to the use the HVR a lot, and for a period of years it was my go to trigger. You can turn them down for a light, crisp break. The biggest downside to the HVR is the removable screws in the size of the trigger housing. On heavier recoiling guns they do come out. On two separate occasions I’ve disassembled rifles with HVR triggers and found a screw in the chassis. For this reason I would only recommend the HVR for range use rifles, not field guns.
Some chassis and bottom metal systems require slight inletting for installation of the HVR.
The HVR is the most expensive trigger shown in this post, but worth it if you need a really light single stage trigger.
The Timney 510 is a single stage trigger that is adjustable from 1.5 to 4 pounds of pull. I’ve found them to be extremely reliable and safe in all the rifles I’ve installed them in. I’ve been using 510s for a long time and they have become a perennial favorite.
The Timney 517 is the same as the 510 except it has a flat trigger face.
You’ll notice both the 510 and 517 have a wide trigger face. I think this helps yield a trigger press that feels lighter than it actually is.
Some chassis and bottom metal systems require slight inletting for the 510/517.
Timney also makes a narrow trigger version of the 510 called the 510THIN and the Calvin Elite, a newer design that can be set down to 8 ounces.
The Timney 510 is a hard trigger to beat, especially for the relatively low cost.
The Calvin Elite 2-Stage trigger is the only two stage trigger on my short list of go to triggers and is adjustable from 1 to 2.5 pounds. I have mine set for an 8 ounce first stage and one pound second stage and I love it. While I tend to avoid two-stage triggers as a matter of personal preference, I do think they are better than single stage units in certain scenarios, especially positional shooting.
I’ve been running a 2-Stage Calvin Elite on my custom 700 in 6.5 Creedmoor (above) in an MDT ESS chassis and love it!
The Triggertech drop in 700 trigger uses what they call Frictionless Release Technology (FRT) for what is advertised as a single stage trigger with zero creep. It is click adjustable from 1.5-4 pounds.
I’ve installed them on two rifles that I’ve shot quite a bit and like it lot and think it deserves a look.
So which one should you get?
All four of these triggers are far better than the triggers that come on factory 700s. Anyone of them will help improve your shooting. On a budget, the Timney 510/517 is hard to beat. If you spend most of the time on the bench, I’d recommend the HVR. Want to try a 2-Stage, the Timney Calvin Elite 2-Stage has worked well for me.
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