Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Beware: My Model 700 is Discharging

Just thought I would post this so folks can be careful. I had an issue with a stiff safety a couple of years ago and the gunsmith told me he replaced the trigger on my 1986 Remington model 700 .264 Win mag for me. I did not ask him what he replaced it with, just what poundage it was. He said it was two pounds and I tried the trigger and it seemed nice. About a year or so ago, I shot a doe, but when I got to her she tried to get up to run. I quickly swung into action and when I took the safety off the gun discharged. I chalked it up to me hitting the trigger in the exactment of her getting up to run. A year goes by and several deer are taken and rifle is taken to the range this past august on two occasions with no issues.

Three weeks ago after an evening hunt I was unloading my rifle at my truck and the gun went off. It scared the crap out of me. I again figured I must have hit the trigger some how. Yesterday I hunted with my son. When we got back to the truck I pointed the rifle in a safe direction and when I slid the safety off she went off .

I will be taking the rifle to Jarret Rifles tomorrow to see what is going on, but just want to give folks a heads up to be careful.

Dan

Timney replacement trigger.

Is there some reason you didn't just order a trigger and install it yourself?

The smith should have removed the tab that allows you to unload on safe. Either way - replace the trigger.

my rem 700, 270 would do the same, had it fixed.

You have two downsides a Remington rifle and caliber .264. I would fix it at least possible cost sell it and get a wonderful Made in Portugal Winchester Model 70. The Winchester is based on Springfield which was based on the legendary Mauser 98. The Remington 700 is a clunker based Model 721 as desire to produce rifle at least possible cost.

You would also do well to tell the gunsmith that "fixed" the trigger what his "fix" is doing.

It's got a case of the Remingtons. Every 700 trigger they've made EVER has been recalled for firing without a trigger press. Why anyone would tolerate them or buy their products (at least without a known-safe aftermarket trigger) is beyond me.

Two minutes and a Timney and your problem is solved.

Funny, I have 11 of them, from 1970 vintage up to 2014, never had a problem.

This is not an uncommon issue that can develop with totally enclosed trigger mechanisms. The sides of the trigger lever and trigger connector (if your trigger has one) bear against two side plates making surface contact on both sides of these parts. When the trigger resets, it depends on springs pushing against both the trigger lever/connector and sear to re-cock the sear. In so doing, these parts are sliding against these side plates, and the speed of reset is directly influenced by friction or any "sticking" from films on these mating surfaces. Over time, oil and debris can work its way down into the trigger housing, the oil varnishes up and traps a film of gunk between the faces of the moving trigger parts and the side plates. This slows down the reset of the sear or prevents it from properly resetting entirely, as the resistance from the gunk exceeds the spring force. The safety is holding back the sear against the cocking piece. If the trigger lever hasn't returned to cocked position to engage the sear, the rifle will fire as soon as the safety is released since there is nothing holding back the sear from pivoting downward.

If this is the case, this wouldn't necessarily be a fault of your gunsmith, because it can occur intermittently and may not have shown up while the gunsmith had the rifle in his possession. The solution is to flush out the trigger with lighter fluid, mineral spirits or other thin solvent to remove the gunk. I've seen this same issue with at least 3 M700s from the 1970s and 80s. It's a good idea to periodically flush out any fully enclosed trigger. Triggers like the M70, Ruger 77 MKII, etc don't have this issue because the sear and trigger levers are exposed.

Drive it into the ground and tie tomato plants to it. Then go put the pointed toe of your shoe up that gunsmith's rectum.

Even repaired again, that rifle would have a stigma attached to it.
It would for me, and I ain't even the superstitious type.

And yet- the Famous African PH Harry Selby, who confronted more dangerpus game during his career than you will ever see in your wildest dreams, spoke VERY highly of the Remington 721.based on his ACTUAL EXPERIENCE with one.

He was gifted one in 30-06 by a client in the late 1950s. The gun had served the clients son well for several years during previous Safaris with Harry and he immediately put it to work with his Safari Co. That gun was used for over 40 years in his Safari battery as the no. 1 camp meat getter and as also used as a loaner rifle . Several Cape Buffalo were even taken with the gun with 220 solids.

That gun never missed a beat. And Harry thought it was a fine working rifle (even though no arrogant Europeans had any hand in making it...

And I BET the trigger on that rifle was never adjusted to a abnormally light setting by a some all knowing "expert".

Simple solution:

Don’t have a round in the chamber when rifle in vehicle!!

Lordy Lordy

2 lbs is to light for a hunting rifle
Have it adjusted to 3.5 - 4lbs for a hunting rifle and degrease the trigger with alchohol or some kind of degreaser

This.
Flush it out good. And WD-40 is not your friend.

A properly maintained and adjusted Walker trigger is as reliable and safe as any others. Those input conditions are vital.

And file that post down so you can run the rifle with the safety on, all my 700's are that way, I don't need a damn thing to lock a bolt closed for me.

Remington has a WELL-DOCUMENTED history of unsafe triggers! Besides that, 2lbs is far too light for a hunting rifle carried in the field IMHO.

Winchester Model 70 is a fine rifle, very sought after. So is a Springfield and a Mauser. But they aren't even close to popularity of the 700. The 700 has been copied, duplicated, accurisized, used in competition and our own military snipers. There is an entire industry based on providing aftermarket parts for them. I have owned a number of them, adjusted the triggers on all of them, and never had an issue. If there is one thing that will cause an issue with the trigger is improper cleaning of the rifle. If you clean the gun from the muzzle end, which is wrong to begin with, solvent and crud will run down into the trigger. If you clean the gun WITHOUT a bore guide, same thing will happen. Or if you use one of the god-forsaken bore snakes and drag all that s**t over the trigger, it will gum up. All you need is a squeeze bottle of lighter fluid, squirt the fluid down into the trigger, and you will not have a problem.

And there is nothing wrong with a .264 caliber cartridge.......at all.