H&R model 700 .22mag semi-auto

wachtelhund1

wachtelhund1

Member
Hi just picked up an old H&R 700,semi-auto.22Mag. Going to replace my H&K 300 .22 mag with this H&R for coyote hunting. The H&K is starting to show some where and I would like to save it as a collector piece. I also use an AR-15 and CZ 527 in .223 for yotes. The .22 mag is for set up under fifty yards. Here is a picture of it.

HR700.jpg





It appears to have been shot very little and no rust. Nylon buffer slows little sign of firing. Action feels like it isn't even broken in. I took it apart today to clean it, screws look like they have never seen a screw driver. Nice walnut stock, a little too beefy. Barrel 22" long could be a couple inches shorter, may be in the future. Trigger pull was long and heavy, about six pounds. I quickly polished several trigger parts with a dremel tool and polishing compund, and passed the sear over a extra fine diamound steel several times. Which made an immediate improvement. I'll work on the trigger some more next week. Action is the blow back with rails and recoil spring. The rails look some what similar to a Winchester model 100. Rails are held in place with two 5/8" nuts. Trigger pins a 1/8" in diameter. Trigger held in place on grove rails similar to the tip off mount rails on top of a 22 receiver. Overall, seems to be a very well made rifle. Quality seems muct better than the Ruger 10/22 .22 mag that I once owned.

 
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I had one of those. Great shooting rifle. Strangest trigger linkage I have ever seen. The trigger pull on mine was the longest of anything I ever owned. Shot great but was a little on the bulky side. I ended up trading mine for a Magnum Research because it just didn't feel right. I may still have an extra magazine in a drawer at home. Send me a PM to remind me to look. If it's there I will make you a smokin' deal.
 
Originally Posted By: tengaugetxI had one of those. Great shooting rifle. Strangest trigger linkage I have ever seen. The trigger pull on mine was the longest of anything I ever owned. Shot great but was a little on the bulky side. I ended up trading mine for a Magnum Research because it just didn't feel right. I may still have an extra magazine in a drawer at home. Send me a PM to remind me to look. If it's there I will make you a smokin' deal.

You are right about the trigger pull. I didn't have much time to study the trigger, but beleive the long trigger pull is to lower the disconnector. I re-work all my triggers. I'm going to drill the trigger for a small set screw, that and putting rounded radius on the end of the end of the disconnector should take up some of the trigger travel. Also E-gunparts has inleted stock for $27.00, going to order one of them and take a rasp to to stream line it. The current stock is way too bulky. PM sent on the magazine.
 
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Originally Posted By: tengaugetxI had one of those. Great shooting rifle. Strangest trigger linkage I have ever seen. The trigger pull on mine was the longest of anything I ever owned.

Actually I just took a second look at the trigger on this H&R 700. This gun has a trigger adjustment screw. The owners manual says nothing about the screw, but it adjusts the trigger travel before firing and the engagement of the disconnector. Tightening the screw will take it down to zero travel before firing, but must be backed off about 3/4 turn to allow the disconnector to engage. A slight polishing of the rail where the disconnector engages will tune the triger a little more.
 
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I have one of these rifles as well. The trigger on mine is horrible as well! It does shoot very well once you get used to the trigger. I don't use mine too often, it was left to me by my grandpa.
 
A friend of mine has one. When he first bought it the trigger was horrible. I took it to my favorite gunsmith and it was a major improvement.
 
Update on this vintage H&R 700 .22 mag. Finally got to fire it. As I mentioned the gun showed very little signs of use. Fired about ten rounds and firing pin broke. First and only time in forty plus years that I have had a firing pin break. Ordered and received two new ones from E-Gun parts. Tried firing Ficcohi and CCI ammo. First groups were terrible 3 to 4" at 100 yards. Problem was the trigger. Terrible a lot of creep and heavy, 6 to 8 pounds, a two stage trigger. I imagine the trigger is a copy from the H&R Resing sub-machine guns from WWII, anyways it is an odd design. After, getting accustomed to the trigger creep, and squessing the trigger up to the stage of engagement then firing, groups tigthen up. Fired ten CCI rounds into a 2.5" group at 100 yards.

I plan to use this gun for coyotes, under 75 yards and want to make it as accurate as possible.

So first thing was to clean up the trigger. Trigger part sides were polished on a extra fine diamond stone and buffed to mirrow finish with dremel tool and polishing compound. The trigger itself has two springs at 90 degrees, each having a small nylon cap for its bearing surface, about 1/32" thick. One pushes down reseting the disconnector and catches the sear after firing. Pulling the trigger lightens the force on the disconnector and pushes the sear forward to relase the hammer. The second trigger spring is the main trigger spring and resets the trigger after firing. To remove the creep from the trigger, I increased the force of the disconnector spring by replacing the nylon cap with a polished RCBS primer remover pin with head, also streched the spring and added a #6 shot pellet in the spring hole. This pushed the trigger back to the engagment point and took up 80 to 90% of the trigger creep. This also, compressed a little of the main trigger spring resistance. Creep is gone and trigger is 5 to 6#. Feels much improved. We'll see upon the next firing.

Next will be a little glass bedding to cut down vibrations when firing, but not in the usual sense. The H&R 700 is a blow back design using mass from the bolt and cylinder hammer with heavey recoil spring between hammer and buffer. Plus a dual recoil rail with second heavey recoil spring. The recoil rail moves back and forth on two square receiver studs, approx 1/2" wide. There is a some side to side play here. I can just picture the vibrations upon firing it here, reducing them should improve accuracy. I plan to reduce this adding some bedding compound on the stud sides, coating the rails with release agent and putting them back in place. Upon curring, I'll remove the them, add a dab of valve polishing compound, if needed, and work them until they slide freely, but with out the current play and vibration. Similar bedding has worked on my Ruger #1s and Winchester 100s.
 
Here is an up date on my H&R 700 .22 mag. Never got much accuracy out of it, 2.5 to 3.00" @ 100. While trying different ammo and shooting for groups, I had a core and jacket separation. The jacket stayed in the barrel and not knowing this, I fired another round. This caused a bugle in the barrel right at 16".

I called the ammo manufacture and explained what happened. They were very nice and told me to have it rebarreled and send them all the receipts. I started looking for a .22 mag barrel and didn't want to wait for a custom barrel. I ended up buying a 22" blued / fluted 77/.22 mag Green Mountain barrel for $160.00. I had my gunsmith cut off the ruger mounting stub and trum and thread the barrel to my H&R 700 action. It was a job getting the old barrel off the receiver. H&R used 22TPI on this gun.

The ammo manufacture asked for all the receipts, the old barrel and remaining rounds from the box. I sent these to the ammo manufacture and two week later I had a check for the complete cost of rebarreling the gun.

This gun was in mint condition when I purchased, but with the new barrel on it was no longer orginal. So I thought what the heck lets go all the way. I didn't like the contour of the orginal stock, so I took a rasp and belt sander to it, completely reshaping it. Then checkered the stock and put a nice oil finish, 5 coats of Casey's stock oil. My first attempt at checkering.

I've polished all the trigger parts and have it a 4 pounds with zero creep. The barrel is still not broken in but is shooting 1" groups with Federal Gameshock 50 gr.

Here is how it looks today.

HR700-1.jpg
 
Pretty cool story and outcome. Is the receiver just shorter then normal, or what?? That scope look back far. Just wondering.

That outta be a nice bunny popper!
 
Nice looking setup. I've been looking at the CZ 512 in 22mag. Who was the ammo company? Sorry about the mishap but it's good to hear they treated you right. We always hear about a company's dirty laundry but a lot of times we don't give them enough credit when they do good.
 
Originally Posted By: pahntr760Pretty cool story and outcome. Is the receiver just shorter then normal, or what?? That scope look back far. Just wondering.

That outta be a nice bunny popper!

I have the scope set back farther than normal, for the winter. I live in northern WI, coyote hunting in the winter requires many layers of clothing. When I'm all dressed up I can't get close enough to a normally positioned scope. The scope will be replaced with a leuy 2.5X8 36mm, just back from Leupold service. The receiver is very long. H&R really over engineered this gun compared to today's standards. When we were replacing the barrel, my gunsmith and I considered converting it to 5.7X28 mm. But then it thought of the cost of brass in a semi-auto.
 
Originally Posted By: unloadedNice looking setup. I've been looking at the CZ 512 in 22mag. Who was the ammo company? Sorry about the mishap but it's good to hear they treated you right. We always hear about a company's dirty laundry but a lot of times we don't give them enough credit when they do good.

They treated me so great, I really don't want to mention the companies name.
 
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Would you mind telling how much it cost for all the work? I have one and it don't shoot worth a darn. Any more info on converting it to 5.7 x 28? Thanks.
 
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Originally Posted By: williamwjohnsonWould you mind telling how much it cost for all the work? I have one and it don't shoot worth a darn. Any more info on converting it to 5.7 x 28? Thanks.

The barrel was $160.00. My gunsmith and I worked together to get the barrel off. We damaged the bullet ramp getting the barrel out, it was silver solder to the barrel, $6.00 from Egunparts. My gunsmith charged $75.00 for the machining and chambering. I screwed the barrel on. For the conversion you would want a new barrel chambered to 5.7X28. The bolt would have to be EDM'd for a new centerfire firing and a new firing pin machined. Slightly heavier slide recoil spring. Start with heavier spring, reducing strenght until action cycles.
 
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