how to adjust your remington 700 trigger.

[trophytaker308]

In the U.S.A., we live in a litigious society, and for those of you who live in Rio Linda, that means fools will do really stupid crap, and then sue someone else, because "It's their fault, they made me do it!".  For those of you that don't know what you're doing...  STAY AWAY FROM TRIGGERS...  you can hurt someone (usually someone else!)

Adjusting triggers is something that was once an expected job by the owner of a new gun, just like adjusting the seats in your new car.

But Remington (because of many lawsuits) takes a very dim view of adjusting their triggers... it's number "1" under Remington's "Felony list of no-no's".

Be advised, if you adjust the trigger, and send the gun back to Remington (in the USA) for repairs, they will charge you for a new trigger (they will NOT re-adjust the old one).

.. and finely, your mileage may vary according to road conditions.  If you are new at guns, and lack experience to do internal minor repairs and parts replacement... this may not be for you.  Do not do the following unless you are skilled enough to work on guns, and responsible enough to handle them safely.  I'm presenting this information as "Information Only"... it is SOLELY your decision whether you have the skill and ability to use this information.

If you have an accident, it means that you weren't skilled enough, or responsible enough, so you shouldn't have done the following, so it's not my fault, neither Sniper Country's!


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now on to the details
The Remington triggers are very good, except they come with a built in lawyer, and he weighs about 9 or 10 pounds.

You will need a bit of good quality gun oil (CLP or equivalent), and a set of small screwdrivers, and some white or red nail polish.

Remove the barreled action from the stock.

Looking at the gun and trigger so the safety is up, and the barrel is pointing to your right... the front of the trigger is to your right...


The three screws are as follows...

On your right, (the front of the trigger) the top screw, near the action, is over travel...
The bottom screw is spring tension...
On your left side, (the back of the trigger) is the engagement screw.

First, break the white "Seals of God" and screw the three screws out enough so that you see several threads.

They may be hard at first, but they are NOT staked in place.  The screws and trigger body are carbon steel, and may be rusted, or they may have a sealant on them.  Just break them free.  Drop a teeny bit of oil on the threads.  Run the screws in and out several times until the oil is in the threads, and they turn freely.

OK, now down to business.

Back out the spring tension screw out until there is just enough pressure to keep the trigger forward, but it's very light (4 or 5 oz's) and easy to move.

Back out the engagement screw, (the single screw on the left) and the over-travel screw (the upper screw on your right) out, so there's play to adjust.

Close the bolt on a cocked pin (don't pull the trigger) and VERY SLOWLY turn the engagement screw (on your left) in until the firing pin drops.  Back it out about 1/3 to 1/2 of a turn.  With the firing pin down, you should now feel the trigger wobble back and forth if you pull it because there is excessive over travel.

Because the back surface of the trigger is NOT undercut, you have to adjust over-travel with the pin "down".

Now, with the firing pin in the "fired" position, screw in the over-travel screw until it "just touches" the trigger lightly, preventing the trigger from moving... back out the over travel screw 1/4 turn.  Pulling the trigger now, (with the pin "down") you should feel just the "slightest" free movement.

Now turn in the spring tension screw (lower right) to a pull that you like... I'd strongly suggest a good trigger pull gauge, instead of guessing.

Cock the pin and try it... it should break like glass.

Check by:
Slam the bolt closed a dozen times, check to see if the pin dropped each time.  If the pin drops, back out the engagement screw 1/4 turn, and do again.
Cock the pin, set the safety, pull the trigger, release the trigger, and release the safety, a dozen times... if the pin drops, increase the spring tension (shouldn't be necessary, unless you're down around 10-15 oz's, and this trigger is not reliable at that light a pull.
Put white or red nail polish on the screws.  Let dry, and put another coat on it again, and again.

There will be no "take up slack", this is a single stage trigger, and can't be adjusted to act like a two stage.

These triggers are easily capable of going to 24-26 oz's, and they keep the setting year after year, and I've never had to re-adjust one.

[safetysheriff]

is this taken from www.centerfirecentral.com?

it's awefully close........

the diagram on that site is helpful.

ss' 

[Beers]

Great post. I was able to set my trigger perfectly... Thanks. Though it seems alot of people don't like them... Remington triggers really are quite nice when properly adjusted.

One thing concerned me after reading this though... I just bought the rifle (700 sps) "brand new, never fired" from a local gun shop. I had recently taken it down and cleaned it up for storage, and decided to adjust the trigger while I was at it... When I started I noticed that the "seals of god" had already been broken, it appeared that someone had already adjusted the trigger, albeit very poorly (It was heavy as hell, w/ too much over travel)... Should I be concerned or pissed?

[trophytaker308]

the thread was taken off snipercountry.com,
im glad you got some use out of it,now just do the same to your sps....goodluck..
by the way,what lb did you get it down to?

[Beers]

I messed w/ it for a while, just to see what it was capable of.... 13oz was the lowest I could get it to go w/o dropping the pin everytime... but I agree - this trigger isn't safe or reliable at that light a setting but no matter, it's a hunting rifle, not a competition bench rest gun. I've got it set at 22oz now, crisp and smooth.    I did triple the checking that the article recommends, didn't drop it once... but I'll check it again thoroughly before I take it out next fall.

[emsemt911]

I can not find the pics.  ANy help?

[safetysheriff]

I can not find the pics.  ANy help?

by "pics" do you mean diagram?

on the site i linked above you can find the verbage and the icon to pull up a diagram......but not a picture.   

i think the one i'm quoting was written by Pablito.   after getting to the site you look for gunsmithing  and then you'll look for the Remington article.   

take care,

ss'   

[Buckskin]

I have adjusted several triggers using this and all of them are like breaking glass when they go.  I have mine about 2 lbs.  Sooo much better than when I got it.  I shot a buddy of mine's Browning 22-250, God that was aweful.  The worst trigger I have ever pulled and it was on a varmint gun!  UUGGHHH, I don't think you can adjust the Brownings like the Rem's.  But a Timley is easy enough.

[wncchester]

The Rem 700 is a hunting rifle and its trigger is an excellant hunting trigger, dispite howls of anguish from many.  

Some users who considered themselves compitent, without evidence of such, try to make it into a target trigger, like a Jewel, etc.  The 700 trigger is inexpensive to make, as it should be for a popular "over-the-counter" hunting rifle.  It seems that  efforts to make it otherwise has resulted in many of the accidental discharges which has received so much hype.  Reducing trigger creep to almost nothing, and ditto the pull weight, is, or should be, an obvious error but it happens pretty often.  Owners who want a Jewel trigger should buy one, trying to duplicate it with a much less expensive Rem trigger is wrong.

Proper cleaning and oiling of the Rem trigger is also important.  Old, sticky or hard dried  lubricant goo inhibits proper movement of the disconnector which is a prime cause of firing when the safety is released.  A quick squirt of carb or brake cleaner each year will clean the trigger/safety mechanism and a couple of drops of light oil - I like Auto-Transmissin Fluid - will relube it properly.

Perhaps Rem should lay on a pile of big lables warning about the obvious to the stupid, like all those pasted on ladders.  But I doubt it would help much, if any, too few would read them.  And last week I saw some recent study has found that over two thirds of those with "college degrees" today don't understand what they read well enough to follow instructions.

A young friend once brought me his recently purchased used 700 because of a failure to fire.  He didn't have a copy of the original instructions but the previous owner did.   The rifle had failed to fire at a deer but it had worked well earlier, when zeroing the scope. So, after a few checks, I disassembled the bolt and found it almost full of what appeared to be auto grease.  We cleaned it and that fixed the problem.  It turned out that it had been pretty warm when the scope was zeroed but it was frigid the first day of hunting season.  It seems the cold striker fall was too slow to ignite the primer!  I doubt the original owner found any instructions to grease up that bolt but it must have seemed like a good idea to him.  We wondered if that failure to fire on cold days was what had led to the rifle's sale and if that old boy had repeated the same greasy mistake on his next rifle!

Anyway, some folks can damage a steel anvil with a silver spoon and then wonder if the problem lies with the spoon or the anvil.  Ditto with the Remington 700's triggers.

[Beers]

Perhaps Rem should lay on a pile of big lables warning about the obvious to the stupid, like all those pasted on ladders.   

They do..  Have you bought one recently? You should see the manuals now.... 9 pages of "WARNING: NEVER *insert idiotic thing here*" a page on loading, unloading and cleaning (each followed by more "WARNING"s) and a schematic.

I hear alot of people use brake cleaner on triggers... The best thing I've found however, is lighter fluid... Butane, not that stuff for your zippo.. Cheap as hell, flushes out any crap and leaves no residue whatsoever. IMO, if you lube a trigger w/ anything at all, it should be graphite or some other "dry" lubricant... The main reason triggers need cleaned at all is that some people insist on "a drop or two of oil", or allow lube from the action to run down and work it's way into the trigger, where it stays, collects dust and dirt, and gums up the works - leading to a "sticky trigger" at best, or at worst.. accidental discharges.

[wncchester]

Beers, no I haven't bought a new rifle for about 10 years now.  (At some point a fellow simply has to admit he has enough!)  Am not surprised to hear they have loaded the fool-proofing labels though. 
Anyone want to bet we won't raise a crop of more determined fools who will still screw up?

Spray brake/carb cleaner sure cuts old crud and it's cheap.  (Strong stuff too, just don't get it on your stock finish!)  I often get caught in a rain while hunting so I want some serious rust protection for my trigger mechanism, not just a dusting of dry graphite.  That means an oil of some kind.

I once did an evaporation test on a couple dozen oils and found that automotive ATF, a good light-weight oil, does NOT evaporate to leave a layer of "varnish" on the metal.  Been using it on triggers ever since, with great results.  Try it yourself!

[Beers]

Sounds like it works fine, might consider it if it looks like it might rain before I get back... I've just never liked the idea of oil anywhere near my triggers...

[trophytaker308]

I can not find the pics.  ANy help?

go to www.snipercountry.com and scroll down and you will see it,click and it shows a diagram.

[Buckskin]

Then why do they have the screws there to begin with if its such a dangerous thing to adjust.  Fact is they really don't care if you adjust it and make it so you can if you like.  They just don't want the liability associated with the screw ups.  If you can't follow those simple steps, then by all means don't attempt it.  But don't make it out like your juggling lit dynamite if you break "the seals of God".  Not that big of a deal.  And yes you can get a target trigger "or damn close" from a stock Remington 700.