Thanks for all the replies. I appreciate all the info as we consider the options for this 2001 700 and getting to be a little bit better shooter and possibly making it safer.
Nomercy448, ... The original reason my son mentioned swapping out the factory trigger was simply b/c he wanted to have the rifle be as accurate as possible in his hands, and he felt the factory trigger was fine, but not quite as slick as some others had used/felt. He didn't have any concerns about safety when he first discussed getting a different trigger several years ago.
We have a very reputable smith that we've used for many years (basically since my grandfather passed ... he was our gunsmith until his death). I am advising my son to take the rifle up to him in Saginaw and ask for their pricing on both installing a newer trigger or slicking up and tuning the factory trigger. It'll save us considerable time and effort to get the advice from a trusted and skilled smith. But I am always interested in what others have done and experienced.
FWIW I'll come back on and report what my trusted smith is saying about this 700 trigger stuff.
Thanks again everybody.
Last edited by 8mm/06; 12-11-2014 at 06:22 PM.