Gun firing when taken off safety
 

I'm not trying to start an argument on brands of rifles of anything of the such. I'm also not a gunsmith or anything of the sort. I just want some simple explanations on a recent incident and/or approximate repair costs for my sons rifle.

My son shoots a Remington 700 ADL (Youth Model) in .243. I noticed last season that it tends to be finicky feeding sometimes. This year it got worse. Then, it got to wear it would not go on safety with a round in the chamber. I would have to unload it, take the bolt out, put the bolt back in, and then reload it to get it to go on safety.

Well, this last weekend (December 19th), while going through this little routine, I moved the gun from safety to fire position and the gun immediately discharged without touching the trigger. Needless to say, that gun is retired until repaired, but any advice or opinions are welcome.

RE: Gun firing when taken off safety
 

Thanks God nobody was hurt.

You didn't say how old the rifle was but Remington has a safety upgrade on their site for this very problem with some of the older models. I would get in touch with the folks at Remington and they will most likely take care of it at no charge to you.

RE: Gun firing when taken off safety
 

I would not use any rifle on which the safety did not function properly.

RE: Gun firing when taken off safety
 

Sorry, let me clarify. We never used it without it being on safety. That's what I was trying to say. I had to go through this long routine in order to get the safety to engage properly. And of course, I always keep the muzzle in a safe direction so in case things (like the other day) happen, nobody gets hurt.

Oh yes, I do not have my paperwork in front of me, but this gun is only 3-4 years old.

RE: Gun firing when taken off safety
 

Adjust the trigger and lock tite all of the adjustment screws. Sounds to me that the screw has worked loose over time and caused the trigger to creep back over time to the point that it is just barely engaging the sear.

RE: Gun firing when taken off safety
 

Let me clarify.The fact that you had to go through that long routine indicated that something was obviously wrong with the safety.Because of that,I would not have used the rifle.The risks were just too high.

RE: Gun firing when taken off safety
 

stubblejumper this guy has a problem with a rifle and came here to ask if any one knows what is cousing the problem and how much it will cost to fix it. he also said that the rifle has been retired untill it has been fixed! i dont see where he asked you to preach to him about safety? maybe you can point that out to me. but tplay103 as for the q you asked. i agree with bigbulls i think the trigger needs to be adjusted and a little locktite to hold it there. if this is the case it should be an easy fix.

RE: Gun firing when taken off safety
 

My point is that one should never trust any firearm that has a problem with the safety or trigger .I was hoping to disuade anyone reading this thread from using a firearm with such a problem.One possibility is that the trigger assembly was oiled or sprayed with a lubricant and a buildup of crud is causing the problem.In this case brake cleaner will usually fix the problem.However seeing that the individual is not all that familiar with the trigger or safety,I would recommend that if the problem is more serious he should have someone that is qualified do the necessary repairs.

RE: Gun firing when taken off safety
 

Take the gun to a smith and have them fix it. The triggers put into current 700s aren't nearly as nice as the old ones. I had to replace a trigger set in an old 700 with a new trigger set recently, and I'm not impressed with the quality of the new stuff.

RE: Gun firing when taken off safety
 

I am willing to bet that Remington would be more than happy to replace or repair your trigger / safety assembly free of charge if you contact them. I know they would rather fix the problem then go to court. Personally if you do not have experience with trigger work and especially work with safety mechanisms I would not attempt the do it yourselfer on this one, especially since it is a youth rifle. The only comment I have about the safety issue for Tplay103: while I can't condone using a rifle with an safety issues I will say excellent job keeping the rifle pointed in a safe direction, you have just made a positive impression on your son that will last a lifetime.

RE: Gun firing when taken off safety
 

Thanks for all the replies and special thanks to USMC. I was a police officer for 7 years and during that time, I served as a Firearms Instructor. I was also raised military on both sides of my family, so I grew up with guns my entire life. I have no problem letting someone know where my weaknesses are such as trigger/safety work. I do; however, use the knowledge and ethics I have obtained in my lifetime. As a police officer, I could share countless stories of "Accidental" discharges and things of that nature from those who carry firearms on a daily basis. Sometimes the basics (pointing in the right direction) makes all the difference in life and death. Regardless of the circumstances, I appreciate the fact that I got to show my son just how easy it is for something like that to take place.

Stubblejumber, I believe you do have the best interest in your replies; however, I would never turn anyone (ESPECIALLY MY SON) lose with a gun that I felt was unsafe. I am not trying to start a huge debate. Maybe I was wrong in my actions, but I simply came here for some answers, similar experiences, and so on. Trust me, I'm VERY meticulous and I will only have this gun repaired by someone VERY qualified.

Night Hawk....Thanks for the defense of my position. I do feel these forums often drift far from the original topic instead of helping one another in the spirit of the sport(s) we pursue.

RE: Gun firing when taken off safety
 

Tplay you might want to check my post "Remington fires on safety" for more. The upshot for me was that the gunsmith I took it to sent it directly to Rem without looking at it. In light of the fact that the gun was in lousy shape, I thought Rem was more than fair in their remedy.

The thread is in this "Guns" forum on page 2 about halfway down.

RE: Gun firing when taken off safety
 

Just talk to Remington ,they will tellyou where to send it to be fixed for free and if you sweet talk them they may send you a pickup ticket for free shiping .

RE: Gun firing when taken off safety
 

One piece of advise that I can give is to not overlubricate trigger assemblies.Many people apply far too much oil to the trigger assembly.This oil collects dust and creates a buildup of crud that over time can result in the trigger not functioning properly.

RE: Gun firing when taken off safety
 

What Stubblejumper said.

The remington trigger, more so than most triggers has a tendency to pick up dust bunnies because its partially enclosed in a metal box.



TPlay, you might want to try to replicate your rifle going off by checking it 4 times that its completely unloaded, then work the bolt back and forth several times with the safety off, working the bolt harder each time until you are slamming it shut. Then try closing the bolt and rapping the butt of the rifle on some carpeted floor to see if it goes off. Then try both with the safety on then take the safety off each time. If it goes off from working the bolt or rapping on the floor, the sear engagement is out of whack and needs adjustment, if you can't get it to go off, then the trigger is probably gummed up and needs cleaning.

RE: Gun firing when taken off safety
 

I've seen several of the older 700's do this after some "Bubba" did a home trigger job on them. I'm not implying you, Tplay103, perhaps a previous owner. If Remington finds the trigger has been adjusted, they'll most likely charge for the repair/adjustment. But whatever the charge, it's better than an unsafe rifle.

RE: Gun firing when taken off safety
 

That's just it. This rifle is straight out of the box from Remington. I even watched them take it off the shelf and open it up. It had never seen any hands besides me and my son. We put a scope on it, sighted it in, and went to work. It has been a "tack driver" from day one without any problems. It is only used during deer season, has never been dropped, abused, or mishandled. Just weird to me.

Oh yea, I did mess with it some more after unloading it and it did continue to fire when going from safety to fire position.