CBS news hit Rem 700 tonight

Unrelated but related...

IIRC, the instructions to adjust an adjustable trigger often include adjusting it till the sear won't stay engaged, then backing off a turn or whatever...

Think about a fool seeing adjustments (on a second hand gun) and not knowing that there is a protocol to it.:o

Still, I have been present when a 700 dropped the striker on disengaging the safety. Think Rem would be well advised to redesign it.
 
I had one that malfunctioned when the trigger was pulled and the released with the safety on. When you pushed the safety forward the gun would fire. It seems the trigger spring wasn't pushing the trigger forward once pulled.
One thing to note is that if manufacturers wouldn't put 8 pound triggers on their damn guns people wouldn't have to tinker with the damn triggers. Why is it that I can buy a German made rifle (Blaser) that comes with a 2 pound trigger from the factory but buy a Remchester and you get a lousy trigger pull. Are foreign gunmakers exempt from building guns with lousy trigger pulls?
 
One of the problems with the older Rems (like the one in the CBS piece) was that the bolt wouldn't open when the safety was "on". That was corrected in the 80's, and modern 700's permit the cycling of the bolt, regardless of the position of the safety. WalterGAII
Click to expand...

My understanding is that this is a critical point. The poor woman who shot her boy was supposedly taking her rifle off safe in order to unload it. And, I understand the round went through a horse trailer before striking the boy in the abdomen.

I agree that she should have pointed the gun towards the ground or some other safe direction.

However, I have to admit that I have been interested in this 'problem'. I think we need to be honest with each other.

My boys and I practice the 4 rules. However, there are 'safe' directions for the muzzle, and then there are 'safe' directions. I've seen many, very experienced shooters point the firearm in a 'safe' direction in a gun store. However, while examining the gun, they might point it at the floor, ceiling or a wall. And, if they are examining the firearm at all, then they have to 'paint' some surface, somewhere as they turn the firearm over in their hands.

I've learned about slam fires, and so I am even more alert when chambering a round. However, until a recent, similar discussion regarding the 700, I didn't realize that a firearm was more likely to discharge simply by taking it off 'safe'. Now, that may sound stupid to you old hands, but I don't think it is intuitive to most people.

I've had a fair amount of training now, and I don't recall anyone ever strongly cautioning about this potential problem. Slam fires? Yes. Firing while simply taking the safety off? Nope. Never mentioned in my training.

So, I understand and agree that violating one of the four rules (pointing the muzzle, that is ... from what I hear, some of these are definitely incidents where the finger was not on the trigger)was necessary for these deaths and injuries to occur. I just feel that this is an unusual situation, and I do think this situation could catch many people by surprise.

Regards from AZ
 
On the 700, the safety pushes upward on the sear to cam back the cocking piece a tiny amount and free the sear from contact with the connector. If the safety or sear is tampered with or worn, the sear will be locked, but the trigger can be pulled and the connector will not reset. The rifle will then fire when the safety is released. Other rifles, like the Mauser, Model 1903, Winchester 70 and Ruger 77 have safeties that cam the cocking piece back off the sear, allowing full sear reset. There is always enough retraction to allow reset even under extreme wear conditions.

I think Remington needs to look at another system, possibly a bolt sleeve safety like the Winchester; I believe that can be done without sacrificing their fine trigger pulls.

I have seen very few 700 trigger pulls that were not good for a hunting rifle out of the box. But some people just have to tamper with triggers. It need not be an adjustable trigger; I have seen the idiots work over triggers with a grinding wheel and a big file to get a "light" pull, usually a very dangerous one. And then they have a few beers and brag about their "gunsmithing" abilities ("that gunsmith wouldn't take the trigger below 4 pounds, but I got it down where a breath'll set it off, I ain't gonna miss no deer, no way - BURP!").

Jim
 
Many years ago I bought a pre64 Winchester model 70 in 220 Swift. This one had a Timney trigger installed in it and would fire if the safety was released after the trigger was pulled. I caught this before buying the rifle. The guy knocked $25 off the price for the erring trigger (he knew about it but said nothing). I shot that rifle for several seasons as it was before fixing the trigger when I decided to sell it. I could never sell someone a gun with a malfunctioning safety, but it didn't bother me to shoot it myself as I practised safe gun handling and never relied on any safety.
 
What I have learned over the years is that you might get away with a little screw-up here and there...but when you go breaking the safety rules in groups of two, someone is gonna die.
 
I went to CBS.com to see the article because I never watch CBS news anymore. Their anti-gun stance is bad for my high blood pressure.
I noticed that it was their Jim Stewart who did the story. In my opinion, that idiot is so anti-gun, he made the Clintons look pro-gun. I don't think he could get it right if it bit him on the butt. I don't why they keep that clown. Must be his anti-gun position, because I never felt he was an objective reporter.
Paul B.
 
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