Here is a quick synopsis of what happens with Rem rifles using the Walker trigger for those just hearing about the court decision last week and that might own one:
The Remington Model 700 bolt-action rifle — and its related firearms, the Model 770, Model 710, Model 600, Model 660, Model 721 and Model 722 — has a history, known and documented by Remington, that it will fire without the trigger being pulled. The Model 700 has a unique trigger system called the “Walker Fire Control.” No other firearm manufacturer in the world has a trigger or fire control system equipped with a “trigger connector.”
For a variety of reasons, Model 700 riles can unintentionally and unexpectedly fire, even when the trigger is not pulled. Such firings can occur when the rifle’s safety is shifted from the “safe” to the “fire” position. Remington calls such events “fires on safety release” or “FSR.” While an FSR is the most common malfunction, rifles may also fire when the bolt is cycled and closed, or “fires on bolt closure” (“FBC”). They may also “fire on bolt opening” (“FBO”) or “jar off” (“JO”) when the rifle is bumped or dropped.
Unintended firings occur when the “trigger connector” fails to engage with the “sear.” The trigger connector is a free-floating part, held to the trigger body only by a spring, designed to return the trigger to a proper position after each cycling of the bolt.
Field debris (grit, sand, dust and dirt), manufacturing burrs or microscopic shavings, corrosion, rust, ice crystals or dried lubricant can all prevent the trigger connector from properly engaging the sear. If so, the rifle is primed to fire unexpectedly.