Remington rifles fire on their own?

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Strykervet

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There was an "expose" on CNBC today, I JUST missed it. The description of the 1 hour show had to do with Remington rifles that can fire on their own and that Remington has known about it for 60 years. I've never heard of this before, and am considering building a rifle based on a 700 style action and using an aftermarket 700 style trigger.

I know CNBC is MSNBC and they are anti to the core. I also know they and FOX news serve to feed propaganda from their respective criminal gangs known coloquially as "Democrats" and "republicans".

So I just want to know from reliable and credible sources if this is true and what you guys think. I'm sure some of you saw it. I've owned a 700PSS, didn't do much with it, but had no problems. In the army, we had the M24 rifle and had no problems with it either. Nobody I know has ever told me that they had a problem with a Remington rifle going off on its own.

So what's the deal? Any model(s) in particular? Or is this a sham?
 
I've owned a 700PSS, didn't do much with it, but had no problems. In the army, we had the M24 rifle and had no problems with it either. Nobody I know has ever told me that they had a problem with a Remington rifle going off on its own.

I have found that stuff like this is the ultimate litmus test to "da troof" if you will. The more often I hear a fact on ze interwebs about anything, really, the more I trust my own judgement. 8)
 
I have never heard of the described malfunction anywhere but CNBC. I have been shooting for 35 years and am an NRA Rifle Instructor and Training Counselor(instructor trainer). I have been asking other instructors since the CNBC story came out if the described malfunction was truly an issue and nobody has answered in the affirmative.
 
They probably are talking about those liberal guns that shoot by them selves that are responsible for all those kids being shot. I have a Rem 700 that has been around for 30 years and there are no holes in my safe that I know of......chris3
 
Okay, thanks. I kind of figured it would be their brand of propaganda, it looks like it from the description. I just figured if this were a real issue, then at least one of you would be able to recall an example.
 
A rancher in our valley was hosting some hunters last year. It was about 3 months after the original CNBC episode was aired. He died of an accidental discharge from a 700.

Just watch it. The gun designer admitted the fault and was interviewed.
There are many recorded instances, and many lawsuits.
 
No, it's not fact. It's misrepresentation.

The fact is that, yes, one can, by holding the safety halfway engaged, pull the trigger,
and have the gun fire when the safety is released, on a very few guns.

The misrepresentation is "All Remington 700s can fire when the safety is turned off."

Most can notice the difference between the two statements, but, for those who can't:
the misrepresentation says that ALL 700s can do this, and more importantly, it does not cover
the most important thing, which is:

PEOPLE ARE INCORRECTLY AND UNSAFELY OPERATING THE GUN AND ANYONE WHO IS DOING THIS SHOULDN'T HAVE A GUN IN THE FIRST PLACE!

There, that should cover it, except for noting the chief complainer against
Remington is a mother who shot her son with one, and is desperately clinging
to anything she can to convince herself she is not a murderer of her own children
and save her sanity. This, while sad, is no excuse for a witch hunt.
 
With any gun there are malfunctions. Many of the instances of the malfunction happened on rifles who had their triggers tinkered with.

While I'm sure there were some issues, why would the military have continued to use the M-24 rifle as their dedicated sniper rifles? It makes no sense. The 700 is an iconic rifle. With the volume of 700's out there, the % of complaints are very low.
 
Never point the gun at anything you don't want destroyed. Follow proper gun safety and you chop the chances of something tragic happening from really slim to nonexistent.

Whenever I read some account, I always wonder why they were unloading the rifle at their loved one/friend/stranger. Safety starts first with good training and discipline. Mechanical safeties are a distant second.
 
You should use a reputable after market trigger system to build your rifle. Do not use a factory remington trigger assembly. My recommendation would be to use a 3 position safety system, were as you have the fire mode, safe mode bolt locked and safe mode bolt unlocked.
There are circumstances where an inexperienced person may be using the firearm and muzzle control is forgotten about for a split second.
The expose you watched is not all smoke and mirrors.The media may have a hidden agenda on this issue but they are in the ball park.
 
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Disclaimers notwithstanding, about 20 years ago, my 700 had an AD. I was doing some 'chuck hunting and had returned to my vehicle. I laid the rifle across the passenger's seat and set my other gear on the floor. Then, I lifted the rifle upright, thumbed off the safety, and "palmed" the bolt handle with my right hand (not actually holding it). When the bolt handle hit the top of its arc, the gun discharged, slamming the bolt back into my palm and scaring the #$@% out of me. Then I noticed the hole in the sheet metal just behind the driver's door at about shoulder level.
I have tried to duplicate this with a dummy shell several times but have never been able to get the gun to repeat this accident. I don't know if is/was a "1-time" problem, but I am MUCH more careful in the handling of this gun ever since.
FYI
 
If the gun is not loaded and is never pointed at anyone, no one EVER gets shot.

True, but first you have to unload it since most people don't hunt with
and unloaded gun and a 30.06 can travel a long way.

I had a Remington 700 ADL (blind magazine). On occasion when you
moved the safety to fire (never touching the trigger) it would discharge.

Remington fixed it, but I had to pay the shipping. As soon as I got it
back I sold it and bought something else.
 
I sent my M700 back to the factory 2 years ago after having the rifle fire when the bolt was closed. Good thing I had the muzzle pointed down, when I got the rifle back, the safety was modified so that I can now open the bolt with the safety on. Before I had to push the safety to the off position to unlock the bolt. The only thing I paid for was shipping.
 
I had a Remington 700 in 6 MM Rem caliber
It was a beautiful gun & probably the most accurate gun I ever had with a Redfield
3-9 widefield scope. The gun was 4-5 years old when it started firing when I pushed off the safety. I got mad & sold it to a gunsmith---BAD MISTAKE--I should have had it repaired with a new tigger assembly , etc.
I still miss that gun--we all make mistakes. That was a bad one.
 
Remington has been sued over and over for this.

The "fix" has been to disable the bolt-locking feature on the safety, so that you can work the bolt (to load and unload the rifle) with the safety engaged.

To my way of thinking, adopting the Winchester 3-position safety would be a much better choice. I want to be able to load and unload my rifle with the safety on. I do not want to have the bolt not locked down while crawling through deadfalls and making my way through thick brush.
 
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