What was the problem with the Rem. 700?

[oscer]

Hi fellas, I've been looking for a 700 to tear down and build on. A guy at work says his ex has a model 700 adl that has gone off twice while the safety was engaged and the gun wasn't touched when it happened the first time and he was picking it up the second time it happened. What would cause this?

I have 2 700s and have experienced no problems with them except when one was fitted a fault Canjar trigger which I returned, then installed a Jewel trigger with no more problems.

I read about some safety issue with the model 700 but thought the problem was with the trigger mechanism. If I were to build on the model 700 action I would put a Jewel trigger on it. Any advise on this matter would be appreciated. I may be able to get a 700 at a good price but would definitely want to address this problem.

[J. Randall]

If it was one of the early ones, and the gun discharged when the safety was disengaged, then it should not be a problem. If it actually went off while loaded and the safety was still on then bubba has probably been working on it. If you can open the bolt with the safety engaged then it is a later model, or has had the factory repair.
James

[jpfalt]

I have a Remington 700 BDL and had a problem shortly after purchasing it. It must be an early one as the bolt would not open with the safety engaged.

The fellow I purchased it from had set it up for long range shooting of ground squirrels and had set the adjustable trigger right on the edge to get a hairtrigger response. The first time I fired it, I cocked it, turned on the safety and apparently bumped it or something. The trigger released and the safety kept the rifle from firing while the safety was on. The moment I released the safety the rifle fired.

To correct the issue, I backed off the trigger adjustment to get away from the hair trigger response and the problem never recurred.

[Wayne Shaw]

Get it for a build, triggers are easy to replace on them. And people sell factory triggers all the time since there are so many aftermarket triggers for Remingtons.

[PeteH]

Check Remington's website -- I remember reading something about this a few years ago.

IIRC the deal was, if you set the safety, then pulled the trigger, nothing would happen - as you'd expect. But when you RELEASED the safety, the gun would go off.

I believe they fixed it, and they MAY have had a recall.

[Dave_C]

Everyone,

There was a lawsiut over this issue. Remington lost but I think it was very unfair to Remington.

It was proven in court that all the triggers involved had been "buba" adjusted and were not set per the factory specs.

Remington came out with a new trigger after that. I have one, it is sweeeet!

Dave C.

[oscer]

Thanks for the replies folks, what you guys describe is how the Canjar trigger affected my rifle, it wasn't set overly light either but once I put the Jewel I had no further issue. It was also my opinion, from what I remember reading on the case that Remington should not have lost the. It's the "new whimpy American" mindset where stupid people are victims and successful folks are evil that defines our times but I digress.

Part of the reason I posted this question has to do with what the owner told me about the problem. He said his gun smith took the bolt apart and was checking things out. My first thoughts were replace the trigger assembly with a Jewel and no more problem. I can't think of what would be wrong inside the bolt that would cause it to fire.

[steamin10]

My son bought a 700, that scratched cases right out of the box, It also refued to feed several brands of shells. He returned it to the store and the house gunkey destroyed the looks of the action with a cratex stone, to smooth out the scratches. He also experienced two hangfires, where the trigger was pulled, and the gun had to be slapped or the bolt nudged to fire. These issues were not resolved to his satisfaction. He sold the gun, with the proviso that is was unreliable, and descriptions of the faults. He had bought it as a long range target shooter, for future range hunting.

He is looking at other rifles of limited manufacture.

[Wayne Shaw]

Thanks for the replies folks, what you guys describe is how the Canjar trigger affected my rifle, it wasn't set overly light either but once I put the Jewel I had no further issue. It was also my opinion, from what I remember reading on the case that Remington should not have lost the. It's the "new whimpy American" mindset where stupid people are victims and successful folks are evil that defines our times but I digress.

Part of the reason I posted this question has to do with what the owner told me about the problem. He said his gun smith took the bolt apart and was checking things out. My first thoughts were replace the trigger assembly with a Jewel and no more problem. I can't think of what would be wrong inside the bolt that would cause it to fire.

It's hard to correct or figure out what a ham-handed hack does to a gun. There isn't much in a bolt that goes bad. The trigger can be screwed up with the right determination.

RW Hart is in Central PA, they are very reputable and can give good advice. But the easy fix, is a new aftermarket trigger, Jewel, Rifle Basix are both very good.

[unioncreek]

There was a class action lawsuit over this, but haven heard the verdict on it. I know of two rifles personally that we're new from the factory, never messed with that went off. One went off with the safety, was bumped and shot a hole in the guys tire. The other went off twice, both times on a bench rest. Same smith checked them and said nothing looked wrong, both were returned to the factory and the both received rifles with a new trigger group.

Bobg