remington 700 problems on my elk hunt this year

by john
(carson city,nv)

I was hunting in Montana the end of October and had a few issues with my remington 700 .270 rifle and wanted to share them. On the second day of my elk hunt I had a 5x5 bull at about 435 yds away broadside. I took my time and set up to take my shot. When I released the safety the rifle discharged and I missed my shot. Two days later I was in cold and snowy conditions and had another opportunity at a bull at about 100 yards. After releasing the safety I pulled the trigger and nothing happened. I ejected the live round and inserted another into the chamber. As the bull headed away from me I pulled the trigger and the rifle fired. After missing that shot I reloaded and tried again. The rifle misfired again. Loading my last round I gave it a hail mary shot with no success. As I collected the brass the firing pin never struck the two live rounds. After watching the MSNBC investigative report on the problems with the 700 I called Remington and they are going to examine my rifle and they are paying for the shipping.

For the remainder of my hunting trip I would dry fire my rifle every morning and listen for the firing pin. On the second to last day I was able to harvest a large cow and make my trip worth the aggravation.

Comments for remington 700 problems on my elk hunt this year

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Feb 28, 2017
 NOT GOOD!
by: Irish

I have for over 25 years expressed my concerns over the model 700 made by the Remington Arms Company. They have gotten a lot of people hurt or killed period!!! The news program 60 minutes told of the mishaps and quality of the model 700 just a couple of weeks ago on TV show "60 Minutes".

To kill a bull elk at over 400 yards, takes a lot of great marksmanship as well as an excellent made bullet, like a Nosler Partition. I lost my first bull elk years ago, because the .270 Winchester I was using at the time, did not penetrate the vitals of that bull.

I later got myself a model 70 Winchester in the .300 Winchester Mag using 180 grain Nosler's.
I used this rifle for 20 years before I went to the .338 Win mag and 225 grain bullets, going 2750 fps. This has plenty of energy and shoots flat out to 400 yds. However I now shoot a .338 Ultra Mag using a 225 grain bullet at 3240fps and it hits hard out to 600 yds. I do NOT shoot further than 400 yds OK. You TRADE that Remington in on a model 70 Winchester and you will not hurt yourself or someone else. Model 70 Winchester known as the "Riflemans Rifle" 3 position safety, control round fed magazine and a Mauser (large) type extractor. Good Luck Hunter!
Oct 14, 2011
 rem model 700
by: Anonymous

Go to midway.com and get a Timney trigger for it, about 130 dollars. Very dependable safe trigger system. Unload with gun on safety. Installed mine in about 15 minutes with no problems. Had a 280 Remington model 700 with the same problem. Cousin has one that has it too. I don't trust the Remington trigger and highly recommend changing it out or hiring someone to do it
Aug 17, 2011
 Model 700
by: Steven

I also have a Remington Model 700 in 30-06. I had the same concerns even though I never had a problem with mine. This is a Manufacturer recall or at least it was when I had mine looked at. There is a problem with the trigger and safety assembly. It really has nothing to do with the gun not being cleaned good or anything like that. It is a bad design that will kill people if not taken care of properly. The problem is you have to take the safety off to unlock the bolt and to unload the gun. Does this sound safe to anyone? The trigger can be bumped now in the process of unloading. Now add a little wear and or dirt to the mix and you have a very unsafe gun in your hands.

I do a lot of reloading and you have to cycle the rounds to make sure they cycle through the gun properly. To do this you have to take the safety off to unlock the bolt. This is the same process if unloading the bolt action. I called Remington and told them about my concern and they gave me the name of a gun dealer that took care of their recall work here in Salt Lake City. They also said that this gun dealer would look at it and determine weather or not my safety was faulty under the recall. This was a Manufacturer recall on the model 700. The place looked at mine and said that it did have the faulty trigger and safety assembly and that it showed signs of wear and changed out the assembly. Cost me nothing for the repairs because it is a Manufacturer recall. With the new trigger and safety assembly installed I can bolt and unbolt the gun without taking the safety off the gun. The safety still locks the trigger but not the bolt which was part of the safety recall. The safety does not lock the bolt any more. That never made sense to me anyway that you would take the safety off to unload your gun.

I hope that anyone that has one of these guns is extra careful with it. My advice to you would be to call Remington again and ask about the safety recall on the trigger and safety assembly. I love my Model 700 but I love it even more now that it works like it should've if it had been designed right in the first place. Good hunting and stay safe.
Jul 28, 2011
 Same gun same problem
by: shakey legs mtn home ID

The same thing got me wondering if I had pressure on the trigger when clicking the safety off. Shook me up real bad . It happened when I was by myself luckily, but when I got back to my rig it happened again when I unloaded it. when I got home I took it apart, but cleaning was not the issue. The catch that holds the safety has to be filed so it cant slip when releasing the safety. It's a real easy fix for such a deadly problem. Good luck. You must have plenty, since no one got hurt . I still don't like to think of what if its a *&_(%$ feeling when your gun gos off with out warning.
Dec 09, 2010
 Model 700
by: Ron

Your comments on the Model 700 are very interesting and informative. I am an old Viet Nam era Navy gunner who was in charge of firing, maintaining and cleaning many guns. That experience has taught me the value of keeping guns clean. I always disassemble my Model 700 for cleaning (including firing pin). I do my disassemble the trigger mechanisim but wash liberally with solvent and blow off with air pressure. I am confident by doing this I shouldn't have any of the problems we are talking about.
Dec 09, 2010
 Taking care of your rifle
by: Pat Cassidy

Ron, and other Remington 700, 725, 721, 722, 600 rifle owners

I have fired thousands of rounds through Remington rifles and have never had one go off unintentionally.

That being said, I have seen failure to fire issues in several rifles. The culprit is usually dirt. The bolt is a hollow tube containing the firing pin and spring. The firing pin has a shoulder on it to prevent it from traveling too far forward when fired. When any material builds up in the tube it prevents the firing pin from traveling far enough forward to ignite the primer...failure to fire has occurred.

The other issue is in the trigger mechanism and may be caused by dirt, ice, etc. The sear has two pieces of metal that MUST overlap and hold their position in order for the rifle to fire when the trigger is pulled. If anything prevents the overlap to hold the firing pin will go to the fired position as the bolt is closed and no "click" will be heard when the trigger is pulled.

Altering the trigger characterists is another good way to get a failure to fire situation. Everyone likes a light, crisp trigger and the Remington trigger is adjustable. About 99.9% of rifle owners should NEVER attempt to adjust their triggers! If you don't like the weight of pull, travel, etc., take it to a good gunsmith.
I speak from experience here as I have worked with Remington triggers on my own guns for about 40 years. It is very easy to adjust the sear overlap to too small a margin and get a "failure to cock" situation. This may be sporatic in nature, fooling one into thinking at first that a good pull has been achieved. Just don't do it.

Cleaning a rifle is not just the bore and outside. Take the rifle out of the stock and blow out the trigger mechanism; disassemble the bolt and clean out the gunk. Lightly oil the parts with an oily rag...don't spray them.

Follow the rules of safety and no matter what happens nobody will get hurt. Be responsible for your actions.

One final note on Remington 700 and 600 series rifles made before 1982. The safety on these rifles require you to put the safety in the "fire" position in order to open the bolt and remove a live round. If you own one of these older rifles, contact Remington for a fix.

PS. The CNBC showing was ... no I better not say that.
Dec 09, 2010
 remington 700
by: Ron

I also have a Model 700 Remington 270 however thus far I have not had a problem with it. After hearing the MSNBC investigative report I decided to contact Remington and find out more details. A representative told me every Model 700 mentioned in the article had either had the trigger mechanizim altered or else the gun had not been cleaned properly. I was told that if I had not altered the trigger and the gun was cleaned properly I should not have a problem with the gun firing without the trigger being pulled. I am curious as to the condition of the Model 700 described in the forum?
Dec 08, 2010
 Gun Problems
by: Dave, MT (ElkHuntingTips.Net)

John,

I'm glad it finally worked out for you in the end. Clearly, a gunsmith needs to check it out. I'm glad Remington is helping you out. Reminds me of my very first elk kill in CO. I had to crawl in the snow in very cold weather to get a shot at the first elk I had ever seen while hunting.

I fired from a prone position and click. The elk were close enough to hear me ejecting the bullet, so I did it slowly. They were looking my way. I kept aiming and pulling the trigger, then ejecting the bullet until all the bullets lay in the snow. I hadn't carried any others, so I dried one off and prayed it would work. The elk were getting nervous. I had seconds left before they bolted. I squeezed and the gun went off, dropping my first elk. A nice cow.

I had a gunsmith look at it and he said it was just frozen moisture hanging up in built up gunk. He cleaned it and I never had any more trouble with it.

Might I suggest you not take desperation shots? They can lead to wounded elk and a broken hunter's heart. Best to go home without shooting. I hope you get your gun fixed. Glad you got your elk this year!

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