Remington’s Model 798 is the best current example of a commercial version of the epochal 98 Mauser. It’s made in Serbia and stocked here in the U.S.

Savage 99
One year younger than the 98 Mauser, this brainchild of Arthur Savage was a 19th century lever action rifle like no other. Unlike the Marlins and Winchesters, which utilized vertically moving locking bolts to back up the breech bolt, the 99 had a stronger locking system. On the 99, the last 11⁄2 inches of the underlever's closing motion pivots the rear of the breech bolt upwards, wedging it between the barrel breech and the upper rear surface of the ejection port. It's a very strong system.

Also distinguishing the 99 from its contemporaries was the fact it utilized a rotary spool box magazine, so it was not limited to blunt-nosed bullets. Whereas the Marlins and Winchesters were limited to cartridges generating no more than 40,000 copper units pressure, the 99 could handle just about anything that would fit its 23⁄4-inch magazine.

Not only was the 99 robust enough to handle the .250 Savage that was to come in 1915 and the first cartridge to break the 3000 fps velocity barrier, but it would eventually be chambered for the .243 and .308 Winchester cartridges, as well as the even more potent .284 Winchester, which was loaded to average working pressures of 55,000 c.u.p. Truly, the Savage 99 is an epochal rifle that deserves its place on my list.

Winchester 70
The Model 70 has had its ups and downs over the eight decades it's been around but only because the original design was changed in the early 1960s to make the gun more economical to manufacture. It took 25 years for the company to come to its senses and revert back to the original, controlled-round feed action.

The Model 70's three-position safety, its efficient and unobtrusive bolt release, and the positioning of the ejector blade at the 7:30 rather than nine o'clock position are features that have been widely copied. Generally speaking, those who believe the 98 Mauser is not the end-all bolt action are Model 70 fans.

Marlin 336
There's not much I can say about this rifle that I haven't already said about the Winchester 94, except that it doesn't have the cinematic identity and name recognition with the general public. Evolving from earlier models, the 336 was introduced in 1948 and is still going strong. I actually prefer the Marlin to the Winchester because of its side ejection, cylindrical bolt and the strengthening bridge that connects the right side with the top of the receiver. It handles and carries just as well as the Winchester 94, which is really saying something.

The several current permutations of the Marlin 336 in all calibers can now offer greatly improved ballistics simply by going to Hornady's LeverEvolution ammunition that allows spitzer bullets to be used in tubular magazines.

Remington 700
It's the most successful commercial bolt action centerfire rifle of all time. Surely there have been more permutations of the 700 than any other make or model. The 700 debuted in 1962, but it was little more than a cosmetically updated version of the Models 721 and 722 (long and short action, respectively) of 1948. A lot of minor design changes have been made over the years in the bolt sleeve, trigger, safety and extractor to name some, but the basic bolt and receiver of the 721 and 722 are virtually the same as on the current models.

With the 721/722 came a much more economical way to build a bolt action. Instead of using forgings for the bolt and receiver, bar and tube stock were used which required far less machining. Bolts started out as tubes to which a handle was brazed on at the rear, and a separate bolt head was cross-pinned up front.