Rem. 721 accidental misfire questions

[59f100292]

So heres the story.....
Was unloading a 721 in .270.  One time while closing the bolt, the gun went off, luckily pointed in safe direction.  Now in the intensity of it all I took my hand off the bolt and did not think to pay attention to my hand position, so I am not ruling out my own error and maybe catching the trigger, but certainly do not remember feeling the trigger impact my finger.

Heres the History of the gun......
This is the 3rd time that I know of it going off unintentionally.  My father's uncle, the original owner of the rifle had it happen years and years back on a cold day.  That accident was attributed (from what Im told) to gun oil that had frozen and left the firing pin protruding.

The 2nd time it happened, my father's first wife had it happen while loading.  That time it was blamed on bulky gloves and a palm down technique.  (gloves caught trigger)

The gun has had a trigger job, I have no idea what the weight of pull is, but it is very light.

So heres my questions......

With this happening 3 times (that I know of) over 50 years, is it possible the bolt/firing pin has a problem where the pin is simply not always retracting back into the face of the bolt, causing it to fire when working the action into a chambered round?

Is it possible that with a trigger job so light, the jarring force of just closing the bolt a little too hard can "drop the hammer"?

Or I am just the 2nd or 3rd very lucky person with poor technique who has learned a lesson?


The bottom line is:  Did I "F" up bigtime with a perfectly functioning rifle or does the rifle need to be torn apart/sent to remington/ inspected by gunsmith?

[Savage_99]

Welcome to the forum.

Of course something is wrong with your trigger.   Take it to a gunsmith and get it fixed.

Then I suggest selling the rifle.  That model does not allow the safety to be on when unloading the rifle.   Get  a rifle with a three position safety.

Such models are the Ruger 77-2, Win. M70 and the Kimbers M84M and 8400.

[torpedoman]

has done it three times already. Are you waiting for a fatality to take it in?

[charles p]

Get an aftermarket trigger.  Timney is good.  I like Jewell.  Peace of mind and a great trigger also.

If you do not wish to purchase another trigger, sell the rifle.  There should be no compromise.

[Siskiyou]

Without a doubt the rifle is an accident ready to happen.

The Model 721 was part of the Remington trigger recall.  The fact that the trigger has been modified may mean some cost to you.  You need to follow-up with Remington at this link.  If it means buying and having a new trigger installed please do so.

Getting rid of the rifle may not be the best answer.  If you sell or give the rifle to an unsuspecting person you will still bare some liability.
http://www.remington.com/safety/safety_center/safety_modification_program/

http://www.remington.com/safety/safety_center/safety_modification_program/models_721_&_722.asp


The cost of repair if any will be less then an hour of an attorney's time.

[shootndig]

I don't know- I guess I'm just not so freaked out about it that I would panic along with everybody else here.
Yes you do have a problem, and yes it needs to be addressed ASAP or sooner, but.....
First of all it is a fifty year old Remington. The trigger,as you said, is very light. No box stock, over the counter Remington has ever been designed with a trigger that had "light" design parameters. If it isn't at least two pounds or so, take it to a gunsmith and have him adjust it for you, and check the sear engagement at the same time. Too light a pull and/or too little sear engagement can cause any Remington (or other rifle ) to fire on bolt closing.
If you think the bolt is oily/greasy/dirty......it is. Dis-assemble it and clean it thoroughly. If you don't know how, have someone who knows show you how, or you can have it done fairly cheaply. Re-lubricate it with a good synthetic before re-assembly. Keep in mind that how your bolt internals look is similar to what your trigger may look like inside. If your bolt has fifty year old grease in it, so does your trigger. Have the smith check it/clean it before he adjusts it. If you don't trust the trigger, get a good aftermarket. If you have to have it light, make sure the adjustment range on the trigger will handle it.

If it all is just too much and you want to sell the gun, that is up to you.

[59f100292]

First and foremost, the gun will not be sold, period. Its been in the family for over 50 years through a great uncle and father, it will become a mantle gun before I sell it.  Besides, a gun may be dangerous so you say sell it?  I won't be passing my problems onto someone else but maybe thats just me.  I did not know about the safety recall, thanks for the info.  I noticed remingtons website says through Dec. 2008.  Will they still honor this program?  What do you guys think?  3 lucky shooters who need to be more careful? A gun with a mechanical problem? A gun with too light a pull?  If I were to replace the trigger, whats the concensus?

[Savage_99]

591200292,

If you keep the rifle have a smith install a new trigger with a three position safety on it that locks the bolt closed, allows the bolt to be opened to unload a hot chamber and of course goes to the third position to fire.

[mattl]

Glad to hear you are not going to sell the gun, would hate to see some widow sue you for everything you have and more.

I noticed remingtons website says through Dec. 2008.  Will they still honor this program?

Not sure, you should call them to find out.

What do you guys think?  3 lucky shooters who need to be more careful?

One time should have been enough to get that gun to a gunsmith.  I would rather be safe than sorry.  Try this, make sure the rifle is unloaded and then cycle the action fast and hard.  If the cocking peice falls (gun fires), then then the trigger is at fault.  Also, cock the rifle and pull the trigger slowly and watch to see if the cocking peice creeps forward ever so slightly before it releases.  If it does then the sear engagements have been stoned at the wrong angle giving you rifle a negative sear engagement.  Very unsafe.

A gun with a mechanical problem?

Yes.

A gun with too light a pull?

Very possible.

If I were to replace the trigger, whats the concensus?

Hopefully you will have a gun that will not release the cocking peice until the trigger is pulled.  I would call Remington, they will have the answers you need.
http://www.remington.com/support/repair_services/

Don't wait until something bad happens.

[351 power]

yes get the trigger fixed. you wouldn't want anyone's accidental injury or death on your conscience

[59f100292]

yea thats sure as crap true - I relayed onto my dad about the remington program.  The website says it ended Dec 31st of 08, but the said over the phone they still honor the 20 Price tag.  Ill report back if we hear from remington what may be at fault.

[*ROCK-MAN*]

Contact Remington.My 700 had the same problem and was old enough to be in the recall group.When I contacted remmy they told me to send it in with a letter detailing the problem.They not only modified the safety but installed a new trigger set for free.All I paid were the shipping charges.No more problem.
Good Luck,
Rock

[59f100292]

the trigger has been worked - if the replace the trigger will I need that trigger job again?  can i get them to not mess with the trigger?

[Siskiyou]

My understanding is they will not return a rifle with a modified trigger.  To much liability will hang on them.  I do not blame them.  Liability prevention is the name of the game. 

[Swampman]

If you send it back they'll probably install the new externally adjustable X-Mark Pro trigger.  They will of course return the rifle in a repaired condition.

[saltydog]

This issue way too complicated. The main issue here is that we have a SAFETY and OWNER RESPONSIBILITY problem. The rifle didn't do it you did. We have moved from what was perhaps an accidental discharge situation to what is a negligent one - negligent because you continue to operate an unsafe piece of equipment. Multiple discharges with the same freak'in rifle means it is UNSAFE what don't you get about that concept. Quit being a cheapester and take it to a gunsmith and have the trigger fixed. Obviously the previous gunsmithing on the trigger made it unsafe for the average user. If your not spending a few bucks to fix the rifle resulted in your shooting me or one of my family the outcome would not be pleasurable for you. 

[ScoutMan]

If no one has "touched" the sear engagement, then the problem is this. The trigger group has a floating disconneter which is not spring loaded. As a result, gunk gets into the housing and prevents the disconnetor from resetting. Solution: Get a can of brake cleaner and spray the crap out of the trigger housing. Then blow clean with compressed air. Afterwards "for gods sake" do not lubiricate. This will prevent "gunk" from getting into the housing, so that the gravity activated disconnector will always reset. Perfom the brake cleaning routine every time you take the rifle out of the stock. Still, do not rely on mechanical features for safety, but always keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction.

As an aside: I experienced your same situation with an early model 700 that I have. Later models have the feature that lets  you open and close the bolt while the safety is engaged,

This problem was addressed by Gun nut 69 over on the gunsmithing thread.