REMINGTON RIFLE TRIGGER DEFECT DOCUMENTS

Complaints

For half a century, Remington ignored complaints from its own authorized gunsmiths and thousands of consumers related to the defective trigger – the Walker Fire Control – firing without a trigger pull. Five months after the predecessor to the Model 700, the Model 721, was introduced in 1948, Remington had already received complaints that it would fire upon release of the safety. This is the history of those complaints and almost 60 years of missed opportunities for Remington to remedy the problem.

“Fool Proof” Safety

In 1947, a year before it introduced the Model 721 (the predecessor to the Model 700), Remington knew the unique trigger connector in its Walker Fire Control was “very dangerous” and that it was “possible to fire the gun by pushing the safety to the ‘off’ position.” A safer alternative was proposed as early as 1948, but Remington kept using the defective trigger and made no change until 2006, almost 60 years later. More than 5 million Remington rifles with the defective trigger had been sold by then, with an untold number of consumers injured or killed.

Remington Testing Failures

Remington’s own internal testing proved and confirmed the hazards of the defective trigger. By 1975, Remington had even developed acronyms to describe the many ways the rifle would fire without a trigger pull: “FSR – Fires When Safe is Released, JO – Jars Off, FD – Follows Down (Cocking Piece Fails to Properly Engage With Sear), FOS – Fires on Safe.” In 1995, a testing lab hired by Remington reported, “During the final cleaning, subsequent to the last test of the series, two of the rifles ‘fired’ inadvertently with the release of the safety – one each of both configurations of the Fire Control Group.”

Fraudulent Concealment

Remington consistently denied its trigger was defective and blamed consumers when the rifles fired without a trigger pull, citing improper adjustment, improper maintenance, or inadvertent pressure on the trigger as the safety was moved. When CNBC broadcast Remington Under Fire in October 2010, exposing the truth, instead of recalling the rifles or admitting the defect, Remington attacked CNBC and falsely announced that neither Remington nor experts “has ever been able to duplicate” a fire without a trigger pull “on guns which have been properly maintained and which have not been altered after sale.” It decided not to recall the 700 because it estimated that “only” 20,000 consumers were at risk and embarked on a misleading marketing campaign instead. It even adopted and implemented a policy to destroy test results, over its employee’s objections.

Model 700 Timeline

The Model 700 timeline includes and highlights key Remington documents from 1947 showing that Remington knew the rifle’s trigger was defective, repeatedly considered taking action to fix it and protect the public, and always decided not to do so. The documents report a “very dangerous” situation in 1947; “safety malfunctions” in 1975; and “safety-related complaints” in 1980. Remington starts works on three new trigger designs in 1980, considers whether “macho hunters” are concerned with safety in 1985, and says, “R&D is working on improved safety … features which should have market value. (If they don’t, we ought to stop the work.)” It explores recalling all Model 700’s in 1994, but decides that would cost too much. It announces a new Model 700 fire control in 2005, “after 25 years of failed attempts.”

Documents cited and pictured in the Timeline are posted separately below.

Model 710 Timeline

The Model 710 was a low-cost descendent of the Model 700 manufactured between 2001 and 2006 with the same defective trigger. This timeline includes and highlights key Remington documents from 1981 showing Remington originally planned to use a different fire control, not the Model 700’s defective trigger, but, after deciding to seek “the highest possible profit margin” and considering the low cost involved, chose to use the Model 700’s trigger and make plans for who should receive “calls AND firearms” when “a consumer calls with a safety concern (ie, FSR [fires on safety release], fires when closed, personal injury or property damage, etc.).”

Documents cited and pictured in the Timeline are posted separately below.