Military Camp

Remington 700 accidental discharge

The #1 community for Gun Owners in Texas

Member Benefits:

  • Fewer Ads!
  • Discuss all aspects of firearm ownership
  • Discuss anti-gun legislation
  • Buy, sell, and trade in the classified section
  • Chat with Local gun shops, ranges, trainers & other businesses
  • Discover free outdoor shooting areas
  • View up to date on firearm-related events
  • Share photos & video with other members
  • ...and so much more!
  • just jk

    TGT Addict
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Feb 27, 2011
    2,626
    21
    dee eff dub
    so my son and i went deer hunting this weekend in Nebraska. A couple of years ago I gave him my Remington 700 in .270 - this was his first hunting trip with the rifle. he had taken it to the range to zero it and there were no problems. I certainly never had any when I used it.

    he got a nice buck on the second morning - and we're all back up where our vehicles were parked, and he's unloading the rifle. he had chambered another round while he was sitting in the blind - hoping he might get a 2d shot while he waited for everybody else.

    The gun was on safe - and he couldnt slide the bolt back - so he moved the selector to fire - and the firing pin fell and the gun went off - thankfully he had it pointed away from everybody and at the ground but it scared the daylights out of me

    the selector button/knob pinched his thumb pretty good and took a chunk of skin as a souvenir.

    so he googles this and finds a message board discussion where Remington has had a problem with some of their 700's doing this - he called their customer service # yesterday morning on the way home - and they immediately told him they were sending a box and a UPS label for him to send the gun in - they sure didnt question it much - so my guess is this is a known problem with the 700

    anybody else hear of this or have this experience? i was impressed with Remington's quick response - wonder how long it will take them to get the rifle back to him
     

    rgwalt

    Active Member
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Jan 27, 2013
    414
    1
    Houston Heights
    I haven't heard of this exact problem, but I have heard of similar issues with older 700's. I believe it was related to the trigger group. Do you know the age of your son's gun? Did the trigger have any work done on it? From your description, it sounds like the trigger was engaged while the safety was on, and as soon as it was taken off, the trigger mechanism released. The new X-Mark triggers are supposed to eliminate this issue. Of course, people complain about the trigger being crappy.
     

    just jk

    TGT Addict
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Feb 27, 2011
    2,626
    21
    dee eff dub
    his finger was NOT on the trigger - another of our hunting party was standing right next to him watching- and after the gun discharged - he froze and thats the first thing i noticed was 'where is his hand" - it was clearly above the bolt

    i bought the gun used, i'm not sure how old it is but it's definitely not new. i dont think its had any work done on it - but i couldnt swear to that
     

    40Arpent

    TGT Addict
    Rating - 100%
    5   0   0
    Jul 16, 2008
    7,061
    31
    Houston
    Very happy to hear that safe gun handling prevented any injuries, or worse. Also happy to hear that Remington will take care of the problem.

    A buddy of mine and I had an accidental discharge on an old bolt-action shotgun we were trying to fix this past weekend. Scary stuff when a gun fires without pulling the trigger.
     

    bptactical

    Active Member
    BANNED!!!
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Feb 8, 2013
    246
    1
    CO
    Known issue, especially suspect is a used rifle of unknown history.
    You send the rifle back to Remington and you will get back a rifle with a stock Remington trigger that doesn't cure the problem permanently.
    Factory Remmy safeties only block the trigger, the sear is still free to move. Add years of dirt, a bubba'd trigger job or any other amount of variables and you have a disaster waiting to happen.
    Hang a Timney, Jard or such that the safety blocks the sear.
    Problem solved.
     

    ZX9RCAM

    Over the Rainbow bridge...
    TGT Supporter
    Lifetime Member
    Rating - 100%
    2   0   0
    May 14, 2008
    59,735
    96
    The Woodlands, Tx.
    Very happy to hear that safe gun handling prevented any injuries, or worse. Also happy to hear that Remington will take care of the problem.

    A buddy of mine and I had an accidental discharge on an old bolt-action shotgun we were trying to fix this past weekend. Scary stuff when a gun fires without pulling the trigger.

    Obviously you were not trying to fix it while loaded, ya'll must have been in the "test fire" stage when it went off?
     

    robertc1024

    Moderator
    Staff member
    Moderator
    TGT Supporter
    Lifetime Member
    Rating - 100%
    20   0   0
    Jan 22, 2013
    20,779
    96
    San Marcos
    Timely thread. A co-worker has an old 700. Two weeks ago he was deer hunting - sighted in on a deer, flipped the safety off - kaboom. Finger no where near the trigger. He took it to a smith that said it looked like it had never been cleaned. He did kill the deer though.
     

    deemus

    my mama says I'm special
    Lifetime Member
    Rating - 100%
    30   0   0
    Feb 1, 2010
    15,588
    96
    DFW
    Contact them. They will fix it for free.

    And buy some new underwear. I know I would need some.
     

    shooterfpga

    TGT Addict
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Jul 24, 2011
    4,425
    31
    Conroe, TX
    Known issue, especially suspect is a used rifle of unknown history.
    You send the rifle back to Remington and you will get back a rifle with a stock Remington trigger that doesn't cure the problem permanently.
    Factory Remmy safeties only block the trigger, the sear is still free to move. Add years of dirt, a bubba'd trigger job or any other amount of variables and you have a disaster waiting to happen.
    Hang a Timney, Jard or such that the safety blocks the sear.
    Problem solved.

    People tried to make out the 700 trigger issue bigger than what it was. Most any trigger will be prey to the same results if the parts bolded from above quote happen.

    This is especially true for those that have "hunting rifles" that only get used a few times a year or longer inbetween maintenance and checks.
     

    Texasjack

    TGT Addict
    Rating - 50%
    1   1   0
    Jan 3, 2010
    5,867
    96
    Occupied Texas
    It's a known issue, as others have pointed out. I had a Rem. 700 BDL some years back and it did that to me twice. I had a gunsmith rework it, but during the NRA convention this spring, I talked at length to the Remington reps and they told me that Remington will happily fix the trigger system for you, and that the replacement is a nice improvement over the older one.
     

    ROGER4314

    Been Called "Flash" Since I Was A Kid!
    Rating - 100%
    1   0   0
    Jul 11, 2009
    10,444
    66
    East Houston
    Yes, there was a major stink about that very problem and, as yu know, the stinkers make it a point to dramatize the situation to the extreme.

    The problem was traced to improper sear engagement. The trigger is adjustable in several ways and if sear engagement is adjusted and minimal, if a small amount of wear occurs from normal use, the sear will drop as you described. One of the checks is to put the safety on, pull the trigger then switch the safety to off. A bad one will occasionally fire the rifle (which of course is empty as you try this). Another test is to cock the unloaded rifle and bump the butt on the floor. Bump.....not pound! If the rifle fires, you might need service.

    I'm not going to minimize the problem. It is very serious and dangerous but the "investigative journalism" that followed this disclosure reminded me of what a Diane Feinstein/Chuck Shumer report of this would be like.

    The results made Remington ship their 700 series rifles with 8 pound trigger pulls. It took some years but Remington is just starting to ship decent triggers, again.

    Want to solve the problem? THINK TIMNEY! You'll need to open up the trigger area of the stock a bit to make room for the Timney housing. That's inside the stock inlet and you can't see it from outside.

    I installed three of the triggers and still have a Timney for a 700 VLS yet to be installed. You will have NO further trigger issues! IMO, Timney is as good as triggers get.

    Flash
     
    Last edited:
    Top Bottom