accidental discharge Model 70

[booger9]

Yesterday I was at the range with a friend of mine who had a Winchester Model 70 in .243. He had an accidental discharge when, he said, he pushed the safety to the 'fire' position. Seems to me I've heard of some problem like this, somewhere, but I thought it was on a Remington model, memory is failing me. Can anybody suggest what may be going wrong with it? Is this a recognized problem with some vintage of that rifle?
Oh yes, we measured the trigger pull with my brand-new RCBS trigger pull guage, it was about 4 lbs. Boy, wish I bought one of these little gems long ago.
Earl

 

[WhiteKnight]

For some reason I also thought that it was a Remington 700 problem.

 

[Ktulu]

I have a model 70 that also happens to be barreled in .243 that use to do the same thing. With mine you can set the safety to the halfway position and pull the trigger. After that, when you push the safety forward it goes boom!

Did he ever mess with trying to adjust the trigger or take the gun apart? The previous owner told me he tried to adjust the trigger and then the thing started doing it. I can't remember what the resolution was but when I took mine apart I noticed the problem. I seem to recall that maybe one of the parts was upside down or something. Can't say for sure though.

 

[mete]

I've repaired a few semiauto 22 pistols with that problem . None of these were "adjusted".They just didn't have the right dimensions .Get it repaired but it has to be checked by a competent gunsmith.

 

[Jim K]

The problem is caused by failure of the sear to reset properly in a rifle or pistol where the hammer/firing pin is withdrawn from the sear by the safety.

There is one more step which is usually not mentioned. When the rifle or pistol is cocked and the safety applied, there is a tendency to pull the trigger "to check the safety". If, due to wear or tampering, the safety does not fully withdraw the hammer/firing pin, the sear releases and the firing pin is held only by the safety. The sear cannot reset, and when the safety is moved to the "fire" postion, the hammer/firing pin is free to move forward and fire the gun.

That is what has happened on the Remington 700, but it can happen on any rifle of that type. The fine settings of the Remington trigger made it more likely, but I have seen it happen even on 1898 Mausers which were worked on to "improve the trigger pull".

Jim

 

[Sylvilagus Aquaticus]

My 1975 vintage M70 has a trigger that could be 'adjusted' (read that as Bubba'ed) to a point where it would break at about 3 ounces of pressure, if that. I swear, sometimes it would fire just by telekinesis. I played with it for a little while years and years ago, trimming coils off the factory spring until I decided I was too clever for my own good and replaced the spring with a new one and set the pull back to a responsible 3 or 4 pound pull.

Sounds like somebody has been playing with the engagement point and the double locking nuts if you ask me. Been there, done that, changed my mind.


Regards,
Rabbit.

 

[aerod1]

It was a Remington 700. I believe Remington got in a lawsuit over it.

Jim

 

[Arc-Lite]

I have had this happen on both a Winchester and Remington.... usually after the gun had sat for some time.....pull the bolt, flush it out with a good cleaner, and re-lube, it will fix it, keep that bolt lubed !!!

 

[lycanthrope]

Check the spring that controls the trigger/sear pressure. It is located behind and above the trigger pad. You should be able to see if it has broken or needs some tension. On Model 70's that have had someone reduce the trigger tension, you will usually notice that the trigger can sway from side to side some.