Remington trigger and saftey

[44joe]

Hello, I was reading some posts about the saftey on remington 700 rifles.  In what year did they become unreliable and why?  Can you tell what year a 700 was made by the serial numbers.  To fix this problem do you have to replace the trigger assembly with a aftermarket trigger.  I have a 700ADL in 7mm rem. mag that I got from a friend and I want to make sure it is not one of the problem guns.  I have a older 725 in 30-06, would this be a good action to build a custom gun.  The barrel is shot out on this one.  I was thinking of a Hawk 338 for it.  
                                                                                                  Joe.

[Iowegan]

The problem with the Remington safeties was a serious one. With the safety in the Safe mode, if you pulled the trigger it would not go bang. So far so good. However when you pushed the safety forward to the fire position, the gun would go bang. Not a good deal.

You can test your safety with an empty gun for the above condition.  Just cock the bolt as if you were chambering a round (good opportunity to check for an empty condition again). Push the Safety back to the Safe mode. Squeeze the trigger fairly hard. Let go of the trigger then push the safety forward to the fire position. It should not dry fire. Test the trigger for a "normal" trigger pull. If the trigger is too light or if the gun dry fired whenyou flipped the safety off, you have a "recall" safety.

The date code on your Remington is stamped on the left side of the barrel just in front of the receiver. See the Sticky in the Remington Firearms section for more info on date of mfg.

[gunnut69]

The Remington recall does not address the problem Iowegan outlined. Their repair facility will fix such a malfunction. The recall alters the safety in that the older models lock the bolt down when they are applied. This means the safety must be moved OFF to open the bolt. If the trigger is dirty/damaged/ or deffective there is a chance of an acidental discharge. To test with the rifle cocked, attept to open the bolt. If it is locked down a call ro Remington service is in order. The controversy is over the connector, an exrea part in the Remington trigger since the days of the M721-722 and several AD's where a trajedy occured. The party's involved had the rifle pointed in unsafe directions and they accidentally discharged. The recall simply makes it safer to unload the rifle, one must still avoid pointing it at others..  I advise Remington owners to keep the weapons clean and do NOT lubricate with conventional oils. They simply collect dirt and debris in this intricate mechanism. A dry film lube is certainnly in order, something such as LOCKEASE or powdered graphite.  If you have further questions, by all means contact Remington service.

[44joe]

Gunnut, you said that this was a problem since the 721-722 days.  Does this also happen with the 725ADL.  I have one of these my dad gave me.  He bought it in the early sixties.  I don't shoot it anymore but it would be nice to know if I should have some work done to it.
                                                                                                 Joe.

[gunnut69]

The 725 is the last interation of the Remington enfield/M30 and does not used the trigger system in question. The trigger in question does pose an added responsibility ass it must be in the OFF postion for the bolt to be unlocked and the rifle thus unloaded. This can be eeasily remedied and many have been so modified over the years. I've seen several that were unsafe and in all instances there was a cause for the triggers failure. Any safety can fail and all have at some point so in behooves us to keep that weapon pointed in a safe direction at ALL times!

[PEPAW]

What is the most economical trigger replacement and what would the costs be?    My friend's 700 ADL had a misfire and my advice is to replace the trigger system completely.

pepaw

[ScoutMan]

You can reduce this problem with the model 721/700/600 series of triggers.

First of all lay off the Wd 40 spray of the trigger. Then clean the the trigger by spraying with carb  cleaner or brake fluid. Then, just lubricate the contact surfaces of the contact surfaces. Go slow. None or little is better than a lot. Do the test as enumerated in the above posts.

[gunnut69]

A misfire is not an accidental discharge. If the rifle fired when is was not supposed to the circumstances should dictate the fix. Usually the WD40 or 3-IN-1 oil is the culprit. It oxidizes or gums the works.. a spray of carb cleaner is usually a complete solution. Lubrication chores should be handled by a dry lube. much as one would use in a car door lock. A graphite lube called 'LOCK-EASE' is what I reccomend. The dry lube won't jam up the works.. Otherwise there are a myriad of triggers for the Remington M700 with the Timney a good value for a hunting rifle.

ps-carb cleaner contains acetone and will definitely damage the finish on a rifle!