A few facts not being shared in the article. First, there's a number of facets to the Remington company as a whole. It's a whole lot bigger than just M700's.
M700 rifle production is not affected by the furlough.
It's the ammuntion plant and a smaller division of the gun stuff.
It's also not a total meltdown. It's a rotation of basically two weeks on/off spanning the course of the summer.
My personal thoughts:
You can love or hate the M700, but the truth is in the pudding. Almost every single aftermarket, boutique, custom, blah blah action made today is a clone copy of the basic design. Maybe its fancier cause its polished or sports a one piece bolt. Regardless, the fundamental operating principle is the same.
"Imitation is the greatest form of flattery."
"Facts, without them, you have an opinion."