Remington Fires on Safety
12-14-2004, 03:57 AM
#12
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location:
Posts: 571
RE: Remington Fires on Safety
I wouldn't say there were a lot of problems, this was a saftey issue that Remington recalled and repaired. You may hear about Remington problems more than others due to the volume of Remington rifles still in use today in the US, but don't be fooled, they are still a reputable arms maker.
12-14-2004, 05:45 AM
#13
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location:
Posts: 571
RE: Remington Fires on Safety
As promised I am posting the user rifle inspection guide I mentioned. It is a general guide but makes sense and gives you something to take with you to the shop to refer to. I know I get the cold sweats when buying a new rifle, this will ensure you stay on track and do not forget to check everything. Let me know if anyone finds a better source or has something to add, thanks. Sorry, had to copy and paste this, for some reason I could not upload the doc.
Used Rifle Inspection
Perform a general inspection:
The purpose of this inspection is NOT to determine the percentage of finish remaining on the rifle, but to detect DAMAGE, REPAIRS, or ABUSE.
-Is the stock straight and clean
-Is the barrel straight
-Are the sights centered
-Are there deep scratches, dents, cracks, repairs
-Is the bluing uniform and appear to be the correct color
-Are the barrel markings crisp / clean
-Is the barrel the correct length (length is usually stamped on the barrel along with the caliber)
-Is the muzzle uniform , check the crown carefully
-Is the chambering on the barrel still correct
-Get a general sense of the firearm and its history
-Consider the make and caliber Ex. A Mod 70 Win in 30-06 is no great find, but a pre 64 Mod 70 could be. Is the make and/or chambering in that model rifle rare?
What you should do:
Open the action, remove the bolt if possible. Using a bore light inspect the bore by looking down it. Ideally it should be shiny, clean, and clear of obstructions. If the bore is not clean, or is slightly pitted pay close attention.
Pitted Bore: Many rifles will still shoot accurately even with slightly pitted bores, however you are taking a chance. Purchase a rifle in this condition only if you are willing to take a chance, the rifle may not shoot well with the slightly pitted bore and will require more frequent cleaning.
Dirty Bore: Can be a potential deal also. Many rifles are put on the auction block because accuracy has tapered. In many cases an exceptional cleaning will restore accuracy. Again you are taking a chance here, but if the price is right and the rifle is in great condition it could be a steal. Also keep in mind by exceptional cleaning I do not mean four passes with Hoppes bore cleaner on a patch. You may have to scrub the bore for hours or over several days to remove all the fouling.
Barrel / Crown: Check the crown of the barrel. It must be uniform and undamaged. Re-crowning or re-barreling can be extremely expensive (most cases more than you paid for the rifle) Look for dents or creases on the barrel, look down the barrel and see if it appears straight and uniform. Stay away from problem rifles with any of the above damage to avoid a headache.
SAFETY:
*Before performing this step make sure the seller does not have a problem with you dry firing the rifle two or three times. If they will not let you dry fire the rifle you may want to pass on the deal, safety is extremely important.
-Work the action, it should be smooth
-After closing the action and ensuring the rifle is not loaded, place it on fire and dry fire it once.
-Note the trigger pull
-Cycle the action again, place the rifle on Saftey, it should stay cocked
-Pull the trigger while the rifle is on Safe, hold the trigger, it should stay cocked
-Let off the trigger and place the rifle on FIRE, it should stay cocked
-Now dry fire once more noting the trigger pull, it should be the same. If the trigger pull is lighter the safety is not fully engaging the cocking piece and is NOT safe.
-If the rifle fires at any time while manipulating the safety (especially without you having touched the trigger) it is unsafe until it is repaired by a gunsmith.
-Be weary of extremely light trigger pulls on lever action rifles, the hammer or sear most likely has been tampered with, this can cause a dangerous condition and usually requires you to purchase a new hammer and/or sear to correct.
Barrel, Action, Stock:
Check for fit and function, not beauty.
Inspect the action and barrel channel:
-Is the gap uniform or does it bend to the left or right
Humidity can warp a stocks’ forearm, if the wood stock touches the barrel it can alter accuracy. This could also be a deal for you, a simple bedding job will correct this issue in most cases. If the price is right and you don’t mind doing a little work there may be a real steal for you.
-Inspect the action where it meets the stock. Is the metal/wood edge uniform and clean or do you see bedding compound? Epoxy can mean a bedding job or can mean a repaired stock, be weary. Stay away from any rifle with “homemade gunsmith” work done on it. Including a poor bedding job, discolored bluing, home made porting, look at the screws on the rifle, if they are chewed up be weary, it could be a teller of abuse or a do it yourself gunsmith at work, neither safe bets.
-Closely inspect the wrist of the stock just behind the tang/action, look for cracks and/or repairs.
In general use as much common sense as you can muster and trust your gut feeling. A rifle that has a trajectory chart taped to the stock and worn bluing should generally be considered for a second look, sounds like a trusted hunting companion, mot likely shot little carried often. On the other hand a rifle in brand new looking condition with an erratic porting pattern, bedding oozing onto the action, chewed up action screws and discolored bluing even for cheap may not be a good deal, be very skeptical.
Used Rifle Inspection
Perform a general inspection:
The purpose of this inspection is NOT to determine the percentage of finish remaining on the rifle, but to detect DAMAGE, REPAIRS, or ABUSE.
-Is the stock straight and clean
-Is the barrel straight
-Are the sights centered
-Are there deep scratches, dents, cracks, repairs
-Is the bluing uniform and appear to be the correct color
-Are the barrel markings crisp / clean
-Is the barrel the correct length (length is usually stamped on the barrel along with the caliber)
-Is the muzzle uniform , check the crown carefully
-Is the chambering on the barrel still correct
-Get a general sense of the firearm and its history
-Consider the make and caliber Ex. A Mod 70 Win in 30-06 is no great find, but a pre 64 Mod 70 could be. Is the make and/or chambering in that model rifle rare?
What you should do:
Open the action, remove the bolt if possible. Using a bore light inspect the bore by looking down it. Ideally it should be shiny, clean, and clear of obstructions. If the bore is not clean, or is slightly pitted pay close attention.
Pitted Bore: Many rifles will still shoot accurately even with slightly pitted bores, however you are taking a chance. Purchase a rifle in this condition only if you are willing to take a chance, the rifle may not shoot well with the slightly pitted bore and will require more frequent cleaning.
Dirty Bore: Can be a potential deal also. Many rifles are put on the auction block because accuracy has tapered. In many cases an exceptional cleaning will restore accuracy. Again you are taking a chance here, but if the price is right and the rifle is in great condition it could be a steal. Also keep in mind by exceptional cleaning I do not mean four passes with Hoppes bore cleaner on a patch. You may have to scrub the bore for hours or over several days to remove all the fouling.
Barrel / Crown: Check the crown of the barrel. It must be uniform and undamaged. Re-crowning or re-barreling can be extremely expensive (most cases more than you paid for the rifle) Look for dents or creases on the barrel, look down the barrel and see if it appears straight and uniform. Stay away from problem rifles with any of the above damage to avoid a headache.
SAFETY:
*Before performing this step make sure the seller does not have a problem with you dry firing the rifle two or three times. If they will not let you dry fire the rifle you may want to pass on the deal, safety is extremely important.
-Work the action, it should be smooth
-After closing the action and ensuring the rifle is not loaded, place it on fire and dry fire it once.
-Note the trigger pull
-Cycle the action again, place the rifle on Saftey, it should stay cocked
-Pull the trigger while the rifle is on Safe, hold the trigger, it should stay cocked
-Let off the trigger and place the rifle on FIRE, it should stay cocked
-Now dry fire once more noting the trigger pull, it should be the same. If the trigger pull is lighter the safety is not fully engaging the cocking piece and is NOT safe.
-If the rifle fires at any time while manipulating the safety (especially without you having touched the trigger) it is unsafe until it is repaired by a gunsmith.
-Be weary of extremely light trigger pulls on lever action rifles, the hammer or sear most likely has been tampered with, this can cause a dangerous condition and usually requires you to purchase a new hammer and/or sear to correct.
Barrel, Action, Stock:
Check for fit and function, not beauty.
Inspect the action and barrel channel:
-Is the gap uniform or does it bend to the left or right
Humidity can warp a stocks’ forearm, if the wood stock touches the barrel it can alter accuracy. This could also be a deal for you, a simple bedding job will correct this issue in most cases. If the price is right and you don’t mind doing a little work there may be a real steal for you.
-Inspect the action where it meets the stock. Is the metal/wood edge uniform and clean or do you see bedding compound? Epoxy can mean a bedding job or can mean a repaired stock, be weary. Stay away from any rifle with “homemade gunsmith” work done on it. Including a poor bedding job, discolored bluing, home made porting, look at the screws on the rifle, if they are chewed up be weary, it could be a teller of abuse or a do it yourself gunsmith at work, neither safe bets.
-Closely inspect the wrist of the stock just behind the tang/action, look for cracks and/or repairs.
In general use as much common sense as you can muster and trust your gut feeling. A rifle that has a trajectory chart taped to the stock and worn bluing should generally be considered for a second look, sounds like a trusted hunting companion, mot likely shot little carried often. On the other hand a rifle in brand new looking condition with an erratic porting pattern, bedding oozing onto the action, chewed up action screws and discolored bluing even for cheap may not be a good deal, be very skeptical.
12-17-2004, 11:12 AM
#16
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 5,425
RE: Remington Fires on Safety
I might add one more...when you remove the bolt...check the face...This gives a good indication as to how many times the rifle was fired...You can compare with your own bolt action at home...I have seen some used guns with no noticable wear pattern on face of bolt..this gun was hardly ever shot...and others with a half moon wear pattern on bolt face...this bolt doesn't sit exactly square to the chamber...this may or may not affect the accuracy...but its good to know...
12-20-2004, 01:34 PM
#18
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Cornwall, Pa.
Posts: 1,720
RE: Remington Fires on Safety
I purchased a used, rare caliber Remington two years ago. This rifle did the same thing. Come to find out that the action was bedded without the safety being cycled. When the bedding hardened, the bedding was obstructing the full movement of the safety switch. I removed the obstruction with a roto tool and have had no problems since. There may have been a small piece of the stock that wasn't properly inletted to cause the unsecure safe function.
12-20-2004, 02:00 PM
#19
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location:
Posts: 571
RE: Remington Fires on Safety
Great point, I have actually done this bedding my own rifles and lucky for me I tested the safety before someone was hurt. Very good point, I am sure if I did this chances are someone else out there has done the same.
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