Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing Remington 700 unintentional firing - need info

Just when you think everybody is aware - WOW - in conversation with a good friend and frequent hunter this evening he remarked that his Rem 700 in .300 Win Mag sometimes fires on its own when the buttstook is bumped.

Having heard about this issue for quite some time - and about a Remington "fix" program in the past - it jolted me that he was not aware. I just went to the Remington website and they say NOTHING about this issue there. I was hoping to, at least, find a range of serial numbers for the known problem.

I want to see him get this fixed right away. Do any of you guys have the straight dope, a reference article or web site info on this problem? Do you know the range of serial numbers for suspect rifles? The Remington contact/process?

All good info will be appreciated. Thanks.

Usually, when a Remington 700, or, any other rifle fires on it's own when the buttstock is bumped, it's an indication that the trigger has been messed with, which if true, will usually void any warranty. The problem may require a simple cleaning and adjustment which can easily be done outside a factory setting by a competent gunsmith. However, if you wish to contact the company, here is their info.

http://www.remington.com/pages/our-company/our-company/company-info.aspx

Sounds like a lack of sear and or a heap of debris.

Just throw the factory trigger in the nearest lake, and get an aftermarket.

Don't throw them in the lake, send them to me. I've adjusted scads of them down to 2-3 pounds with little effort. If your rifle fires when you bump the stock I'll wager somebody has tried to adjust the trigger that didn't know what they were doing and have too little sear engagement.

Yes....not enough sear for sure

My money's with Mickey on this one.

Guys - thanks for the insights and suggestions. Although aware of the problems that come from crud, bad wear and/or misadjustment issues you have noted, it is good to be reminded.

This is a situation where the bolt components and trigger/sear mechanism on this Remington are spotless clean, and the factory set trigger has not been altered or adjusted in any way. I doubt that more than 50 rounds have been fired in this hunting rifle.

Was I dreaming, or did I not - more than once - read about a factory production problem of this sort with a certain series of Remington 700s? If not, I apologize for the distraction. But, if so, does anyone know the serial number range of the affected 700s?

Malm - thanks for the cite - will go there as well.

CCCC: The remingtons firing when slamming the butt down, or flipping off the safety is very real. This is well documented.

The last 700 trigger I looked at had the sear engagement screw locked somehow so it couldn't be moved without stripping the head. That was a CDL about 2 yrs ago. I was able to adjust that trigger to a very smooth 2 1/2 lbs that was absolutely safe. No matter how hard I slammed the bolt or bumped the rifle it wouldn't drop the firing pin.

dogcatcher223 - thanks for the reply and the confirmation. Are you aware of any documentation (articles, recall, etc.) wherein Remington has acknowledged this problem with their 700?

This evening I checked with my buddy who owns this one - he has purchased a .270 now and has has assured me that he will not load that Remington again until the problem is fixed. He did confirm that it has fired unexpectedly three times as he has disengaged the safety and twice when the buttstock has been bumped. I am going to do my best to make certain that it gets fixed.

If you or anyone else here can cite a Remington company reference to this problem, I will appreciate it. Thanks again,

Here is some reading material:

http://www.drinnonlaw.com/Texas-Defective-Remington700.php


There are some errors in the article though. I had an X-mark trigger from 2007 that fired when the safety was flipped off. The trigger had been turned to 4.5lbs. My other two M700's wear Rifle Basix triggers, and so far so good.

TXRam and dogcatcher223 - thanks so much - exactly what I need to get this problem solved. The campfire and you guys are so good for this kind of stuff.
Thanks again.

Forget the attorney, what you need to get the problem solved is a competent gunsmith who can clean and adjust your existing trigger. The only problem with the factory trigger is peoples ignorance and neglect.

+one what malm said

Ed

Maybe you guys didn't noticed that I posted a link to the issue posted on Remington's website??? Which is exactly what he asked for . . .

That's a pretty volatile statement. I would like to see a Ruger trigger do that when flipping off the safety...

The Remington trigger design is crap, along with that stupid bolt release button.

I have seen EVERY type of factory trigger fail, Ruger included. And the clear majority can be traced to stupidity, or, neglect.

Malm - I appreciate your sharing your expertise and intent to give good advice with this - but you may be working with some misconceptions. I had/have no intent to get involved in anything legal or contact an attorney. This rifle belongs to a good friend who is an excellent hunter but not highly savvy with things mechanical - including rifles. My aim is to get it fixed properly, and soon.

In case you missed an earlier post, careful examination shows the trigger/sear/bolt areas to be spotless clean - and no alteration/adjustment from factory new. I have sucessfully adjusted many, many triggers but do not wish to fool with this one due to a well-known original malfunction of some of these from the factory. My preference is to help by having the manufacturer take responsibility

The info folks posted here will enable the owner to contact Remington, have them deal with their acknowledged mistakes and arrange for it to be fixed - by a competent gunsmith - who can correct the problem with the factory trigger - a problem created by ignorance and neglect by people - people at Remington.

Thanks again for your willingness to assist.