The company STRASSER Maschinenbau GmbH, based in Salzburg, has been involved in metal processing for three generations and can look back on a correspondingly large amount of experience in this field. Due to their expertise and high quality standards, they have even received orders from the European aerospace industry.

The managing director himself (Mathias Strasser) took the time to guide us, along with the engineering manager (Martin Skrivanek), through the production process and the individual steps involved in manufacturing the STRASSER rifles. This allowed us to gain a comprehensive insight into the production process and present you with the RS 700 in this article series. This article was created in cooperation with our friend MAJOR FINDING.

The heart of the RS 700

In order to be compatible with the Remington 700 Footprint, STRASSER has adapted their straight-pull bolt action system accordingly, with the core of the system being the bolt housing that holds all the other parts.

The production of the bolt housing starts with a solid steel rod. This rod is milled in several steps in various machines until it has its final form. This central core of the system later houses the recoil lug and the barrel, as well as on the other side, the bolt with the bolt head – and of course the trigger.

Similarly, the bolt starts as a steel rod and is equipped with the corresponding small parts such as firing pin, locking piece, and bolt handle after its completion.

Depending on the caliber chosen, the bolt head is finally added. Immediately after being removed from the milling machine, all parts of the rifle are roughly checked for their fit with specific gauges. However, this is only an initial test to ensure that the machines are set up correctly.

Each individual component of the STRASSER rifles is mechanically measured as part of the quality control process. Depending on the size of the component, it can have hundreds of measuring points and the measurement process can take up to fifteen minutes. The 100% quality control ensures extraordinary manufacturing precision, but also requires a great deal of effort.

In order to document the manufacturing process seamlessly, each component has its own worksheet. The collected data is then digitally stored and can provide precise information about the creation of each component even years later.

The parts are coated and assembled in the next step. The bolt heads are equipped with the four locking elements and the remaining small parts, and then connected to the bolt; for those who find plain black boring, they can also order a bolt head with a TiN coating.

The system, or "action," is thus complete, and for those who want to have their rifle custom assembled to the maximum, they can simply buy the system alone from STRASSER and choose the rest of the components freely. The symmetrical design of the bolt housing allows for the use of both right- and left-handed bolts.

RS 700 Barrel System

Only a few components are now missing to complete the finished weapon – the most important of these is the barrel. The barrels come from Lothar Walther and are among the few parts that are not directly manufactured by STRASSER. They are manufactured to STRASSER's specifications and arrive as barrel blanks - the chamber is then milled in and the barrels are turned to the desired profile. After coating, they are connected to the bolt housing with a Remage-design barrel nut, and the headspace is set during this process.

As mentioned earlier, other barrels are also compatible with the RS 700 system. Remington 700 barrels only require slight adaptation, with the barrel needing to be slightly widened in the area of the bolt head.

Once the barrel is mounted, all that remains is the trigger – all Remington 700 compatible triggers can be installed. From the factory, a Timney Elite Hunter trigger with a 2.5 lbs pull weight and a two-position safety is installed.
The finished barreled action is now complete and ready for proofing. Once the systems have their proof stamp, they can be purchased at this stage. The buyer can then install the barrel system into their desired stock and further equip the rifle to their specifications.

RS 700 XRS Chassis

After deciding on an XRS model, only two components are missing until the rifle is finished. Due to the slightly longer screw spacing on the top of the bolt housing, only the one-piece Picatinny rails from STRASSER fit – you can choose between zero or twenty MOA of forward cant.
However, if you opt for a two-piece rail, all standard Remington 700 rails will fit.

During the installation of the rail, great care is taken to ensure it is perfectly straight using calipers. The rail is then glued with two-component adhesive and secured with screws.

Lastly, the XRS stock is attached. Like most other stocks, it is connected to the barrel system with two screws and is then ready for use. There is no need for additional application of Loctite threadlocker.

The RS 700 XRS is complete!

Martin Skrivanek hands us the latest flagship model from STRASSER for us to thoroughly test for you.
In the next article, we will take a closer look at the final product and the current configuration of the rifle.

And here you can find a documentary from Servus TV about Austrian hunting rifle tradition, as well as the history of the STRASSER weapon manufacture:

More information about the RS 700 and other STRASSER models can be found HERE directly at STRASSER

STRASSER on the Internet

MAJOR FINDING online