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I watched this show (see link below) on Netflicks for the first time and thought that some of what they said about Remington 700 design problems was pretty convincing. My intention is to start an honest discussion of safeties and our experiences with Remington and other products that have caused accidental discharges. Please don't turn this into a flame fest.
I know that most or all of these accidental deaths and injuries could have been prevented IF muzzle control had been practiced.
Here is my story. The year is 1991 and I'm sitting in a clear-cut in the Colton Oregon area about 10 minutes before dawn on opening morning. I'm in a good position overlooking the confluence of two streams about two thirds of the way up the hill. I want to double check the readiness of my 30-06 Winchester model 70 Ranger so I turn the safety to the fire position and bang the gun goes off. Needless to say I was done hunting for the day. Upon further investigation I found that the face of the firing pin that mates with the sear had been ground at an angle instead of square to the firing pin. Under a very specific set of circumstances this allowed the firing pin to rest on the safety rather than the trigger. If the safety was in the center position with the bolt handle up approximately 1/2 inch and you pulled the trigger, you could consistently create this condition. I received a quick (and concerned) reply from Winchester offering to fix this. I did several things wrong but I did the most important thing right. I should've used the center safety position to check my rifle and I should have kept my finger off the trigger. What I was doing right was pointing the muzzle at the earth.
My second story belongs to a friend of mine and concerns his experience with a Remington. I don't know the model but it was an older 30-06 bolt action with a safety on the comb of the stock. His rifle was on the passenger side seat with the muzzle pointed at the floor. As he was coming out of the hunting area he went to take the bullet out of the chamber. As he took the safety off the gun fired through the floor of the pickup, striking a frame member and a brake line distribution block and disabling his pickup. This gun did not have a center safety position with which to unload the rifle. His mistake was having the gun loaded in the pickup. Thankfully he was not injured nor was anyone else.
Both of these stories demonstrate the validity of what I was taught in Oregon hunters education "a safety is a mechanical device that can and will fail." That said, if I was making guns I would want to do everything economically feasible to make these failures extremely rare. I expect that this thread will generate a wide variety of opinions about ultimate responsibility.
I invite you to share your stories and to answer the question "Do you believe that Remington has been negligent?"
Part 1of 3
Remington 700 Recall part1of3.mpg - YouTube
Quality trigger?
Remington X-Mark Pro Trigger - FAILURE - YouTube
I know that most or all of these accidental deaths and injuries could have been prevented IF muzzle control had been practiced.
Here is my story. The year is 1991 and I'm sitting in a clear-cut in the Colton Oregon area about 10 minutes before dawn on opening morning. I'm in a good position overlooking the confluence of two streams about two thirds of the way up the hill. I want to double check the readiness of my 30-06 Winchester model 70 Ranger so I turn the safety to the fire position and bang the gun goes off. Needless to say I was done hunting for the day. Upon further investigation I found that the face of the firing pin that mates with the sear had been ground at an angle instead of square to the firing pin. Under a very specific set of circumstances this allowed the firing pin to rest on the safety rather than the trigger. If the safety was in the center position with the bolt handle up approximately 1/2 inch and you pulled the trigger, you could consistently create this condition. I received a quick (and concerned) reply from Winchester offering to fix this. I did several things wrong but I did the most important thing right. I should've used the center safety position to check my rifle and I should have kept my finger off the trigger. What I was doing right was pointing the muzzle at the earth.
My second story belongs to a friend of mine and concerns his experience with a Remington. I don't know the model but it was an older 30-06 bolt action with a safety on the comb of the stock. His rifle was on the passenger side seat with the muzzle pointed at the floor. As he was coming out of the hunting area he went to take the bullet out of the chamber. As he took the safety off the gun fired through the floor of the pickup, striking a frame member and a brake line distribution block and disabling his pickup. This gun did not have a center safety position with which to unload the rifle. His mistake was having the gun loaded in the pickup. Thankfully he was not injured nor was anyone else.
Both of these stories demonstrate the validity of what I was taught in Oregon hunters education "a safety is a mechanical device that can and will fail." That said, if I was making guns I would want to do everything economically feasible to make these failures extremely rare. I expect that this thread will generate a wide variety of opinions about ultimate responsibility.
I invite you to share your stories and to answer the question "Do you believe that Remington has been negligent?"
Part 1of 3
Remington 700 Recall part1of3.mpg - YouTube
Quality trigger?
Remington X-Mark Pro Trigger - FAILURE - YouTube