It pays to be somewhat mechanical

[Lenard]

I got so ticked off about that trigger on the 700 that I thought the least I had to lose, was to take it off and throw it away if I could not do something with it.

I am not recommending this who have not had some experience with triggers, but here is what I did. I got the trigger off the action and found that the spring on top, was way too heavy for its task of holding the hammer on the bolt. So I dug through my spring collection and found one that had less circles per inch. I cut it to length and proceeded to reassemble it back on the action.

Lo and behold, I now have a 17 oz trigger that does the test of slamming the bolt hard and not dropping. I am quite happpy as I don't have to buy a new trigger to get what I want.

This is one time that getting mad and trying pays off.

Lenard

[acloco]

Does the trigger survive the 4 foot drop test? Drop the rifle, butt first, on a hard floor....

[Lenard]

I would not do that with a piece of junk. Now maybe there is some merit to the word junk in this case. It will adjust up to 2 1/2 lbs so I am not concerned as I will work out the safety issues.

Lenard

[Rick in Oregon]

Lenard: Glad you solved the problem in the "economy class". It's amazing sometimes when a guy just takes a few minutes to tear the problem item apart, study it carefully, proceed with caution and receive a welcome reward of 'problem solved' the first time out of the gate. I've actually used ball point pen springs to correct similar issues in the past....American ingenuity I suppose.

I'm sure an experienced shooter such as yourself is well aware of the safety issues, and will proceed accordingly.

Congratulations on a problem solved.....now you'll sleep better tonight.

[Lenard]

Rick, it comes down to getting into the correct frame of mind. My previous project was a Winchester pellet gun with about a 20 lb. trigger pull. I tore it apart and it set there for about 3 months till I finally figured out how to reassemble. Now it has about a 2 lb trigger, just by changing the springs. The keyword, is "overbuild" so the nitwits shooting them do not get hurt.

Lenard

[Rick in Oregon]

I know of what you speak, Lenard. This trigger issue is a result of all the )$#*(^%& lawyers out there and their willingness to file suits for every/any perceived "accident" they feel they can land in court.

Shakespere had it right, in the first step to a perfect world was "to kill all the lawyers".

But I digress, it DOES may to be mechinacally inclined these days. With the price of everything in sight going up daily, a guy has to start being self-reliant now more than ever. Working on ones own guns is a perfect example.

[Varmintcaller]

I got this from the Varmints Den website, in their tech section, and tried it on my 700 .300 RSAUM and it worked out pretty well, Its not a bench rest trigger by any means, but for a hunting gun trigger, it works for me and you dont have to be mechanically inclined to do it.

REMINGTON CRISP: A RECIPE
by Thomas M.Ferruzza
REMINGTON CRISP is a recipe for crisp triggers with a Remington 700 rifle. It was born out of my dire need to abate developing the physique of a fiddler crab when I was shooting my prized Remington 700.

The factory trigger of a Remington 700 is fully adjustable and can easily be adjusted to remove any unwanted backlash or excessive weight of pull. By following this easy recipe, and by taking the time to test & consider each adjustment, you too can soon have your REMINGTON CRISP cooking at your next shoot!

The first step in preparing for REMINGTON CRISP, is to be sure your rifle is unloaded, then by removing your barreled action from it's stock and placing it in a gun cradle upside down you are ready to begin. Remove any surface oil or debris from the trigger assembly with alcohol or a solvent, then dry it carefully with a lint free cloth.

Now, take a small sharp edged tool, such as a small knife or flat screwdriver blade, and scrape off the epoxy like clear coating that covers the two trigger adjustment screws on the front of the trigger assembly, this will expose the small slots of these screws. Use a sharp pick to clear these slots and remove any residual epoxy from both front screws.

The first adjustment to your trigger should be to remove any excessive backlash. This adjustment is the top screw on the front of the trigger assembly. This is the screw closest to your barreled action, which is now the bottom screw when the barreled action is turned upside down in your cradle. Slowly turn in this screw a quarter of a turn at a time, trying the trigger with each turn, until the hammer will not fall. Then, in eighth turn increments, checking each adjustment before further adjusting the screw, back this screw out until the hammer falls. Then add one more eighth turn and stop adjusting the trigger for backlash.

The bottom screw of the Remington trigger, the top screw when upside down, controls the weight of the trigger pull. Considering the legal climate what it is today, it is easy to understand why the factory trigger pull is set at the combined weight of the all supreme court justices multiplied by the gross national debt. Adjusting the weight of the trigger pull is a very simple task. By backing out the bottom screw at eighth of a turn increments, the trigger pull can be reduced to about three pounds. Again, be sure to check each adjustment a couple of times until the desired weight of pull is obtained.

Do not epoxy over these screws until the rifle has been reinstalled in your stock and you are sure you are happy with your new trigger adjustments. Also, I recommend that prior to fixing your adjustments with epoxy, that the rifle is cocked and rapped hard on it's butt to make sure the rifle will not accidently discharge with too light a trigger adjustment. Then after a trip to the range to insure that your adjustments are what you wanted, then fix your adjustments with epoxy.

My recipe for REMINGTON CRISP does not include sear adjustment. This adjustment is preset at the Remington factory and an improper sear adjustment can cause an accidental discharge of the rifle. Should you have any concerns regarding your sear engagement, return your rifle to Remington for proper sear adjustment and be safe not sorry.

I have use this recipe with great success as have the fellow Nimrods I have shared it with. I hope that it helps shrink your groupings and varmint populations!

HAPPY 10X's!

Fuzz

[Lenard]

Varmintcaller, I agree this can be done and a 3 lb trigger is satisfactory on a hunting rifle. But, there are two things that the fellow did not address.

One is that the new triggers do not even come close to giving a consistent pull. When I got mine, I adjusted the trigger pull and it came down to 1 1/2 lbs by my trigger scale. After being shot a little, the poundage floats all over the place. Sometimes it weighs in at over two lbs and sometimes at 1 3/4 lb. Makes it hard to shoot.

Secondly, the trigger will not come down to around 1 lb without some kind of mechanical work. For longer range varmint hunting, an inconsistent trigger just won't cut the mustard.

I have read the same complaint all over the web on shooting sites.

Lenard

[Rick in Oregon]

I have met and shot PD's with Fuzz, otherwise known as Thomas Fuzzura. He's actually a rocket scientist and is employed by NASA in Florida at the Cape, a firearms instructor, and an Area Coordinator for The Varmint Hunter Assoc. He's also "one of us".

The procedure he's describing is for the older version of the M700 trigger I believe, and does not directly apply to the new X-Mark unit now on most Remingtons. He wrote that treaste some time ago out of frustration of seeing problems described on the GGVG forum, where he's a regular.

[scootertrash]

Does the trigger survive the 4 foot drop test? Drop the rifle, butt first, on a hard floor....

And you do this test on your rifles from four feet?

Heck, of all my bench rifles, most don't have a safety.

[Rick in Oregon]

scooter: Not sure, but acloco is an experienced shooter, and I'm guessing he mis-typed that, and he meant four inches. At least I hope so!

By the way, good to see you around here again......