Remington Rifle Recall Issued Due to Model 700, Seven Trigger Problems

After years of complaints involving problems with Remington rifles accidentally firing, Remington Arms Company has issued a recall for Model 700 and Model Seven rifles with X-Mark Pro (XMP) triggers.  

The Remington rifle recall was announced on April 11, indicating that problems with the XMP triggers may cause the rifles to unintentionally discharge under certain circumstances.

According to the gun maker, an internal investigation has suggested that too much bonding agent may have been used in the assembly process for the rifles, resulting in the risk of accidental discharge.

The recall notice does not disclose how many incidents, injuries or deaths were caused by the defective rifles, but several Remington rifle lawsuits and class action claims have been filed against the company by individuals injured when the bolt-action rifle fired unexpectedly.

The recall only affects rifles Remington 700 and Seven model rifles manufactured between May 1, 2006 and April 9, 2014, but some user complaints have suggested that the problem may be far more extensive.

According to allegations raised in a Remington 700 rifle class action lawsuit filed in January 2013, unintentional discharges have been linked to problems with Remington’s Walker Fire Control, which has been used since 1948 and is found in more than 5,000,000 Remington guns. That complaint claimed that Remington has known since at least 1979 that one percent of all Model 700 rifles fire unexpectedly without the trigger being pulled because of defects in the fire control assembly. The lawsuits also claim the company knew about the problems before the gun went on the market.

In 1978, the gun manufacturer issued a recall for the Model 600 series, which used the same fire control system, determining that it had a 55.9% failure rate. The class action complaint filed last year claims that the Model 700 system has the same problems. The parties in that case are expected to propose a briefing schedule for the Plaintiffs’ Motion for Class Certification in that case next month.

The current recall only applies to Remington 700 and Model Seven rifles featuring the XMP triggers. Remington indicates that it is recalling all affected products to fully inspect and clean the XMP triggers with a specialized process. Until that is complete, Remington has advised all customers to stop using the recalled rifles and return them to Remington free of charge.

“While we have the utmost confidence in the design of the XMP trigger, we are undertaking this recall in the interest of customer safety, to remove any potential excess bonding agent applied in the assembly process,” said Remington Director of Public Affairs and Communications Teddy Novin. “Our goal is to have every recalled firearm inspected, specialty cleaned, tested and returned as soon as possible.”

Remington has launched a website to help owners determine if their rifle is affected by the recall through the serial number. Owners can also call (800) 243-9700 for more information.