According to a CNBC report, Remington has agreed to replace (or upgrade) the triggers on 7.85 million Remington rifles including ALL Remington 700s, and a dozen other models including the Model Seven, Sportsman 78, 673, 710, 715, 770, 600, 660, XP-100, 721, 722, and 725. CNBC reported that, as part of the settlement of a class action lawsuit, Remington has agreed to provide trigger replacements (or other solutions) to all owners of the affected rifle models. While Remington is not specifically recalling all the affected firearms, Big Green has committed to offering trigger upgrades (or other compensation) on millions of firearms produced over many decades. In a released statement, Remington insisted it was not “recalling” the affected rifles, but Remington did offer to replace the triggers on request. This corrective program could, potentially, involve millions of rifles (though we doubt that most Rem 700 and Model Seven owners will actually request trigger modifications.)
Affected Remington Products: Model 700, Seven, Sportsman 78, 673, 710, 715, 770, 600, 660, XP-100, 721, 722 and 725.
According to CNBC: “America’s oldest gun manufacturer, Remington, has agreed to replace millions of triggers in its most popular product — the Model 700 rifle. While insisting its action is not a recall of the iconic gun, Remington says in a statement that it is agreeing to make the changes ‘to avoid the uncertainties and expense of protracted litigation.’ The settlement involves a class action suit brought in 2013 by Ian Pollard of Concordia, Missouri, who claimed his Remington 700 rifle fired on multiple occasions without the trigger being pulled.”
According to the Montana Standard, the proposed Remington class action settlement will include model-by-model solutions:
— For Models 700, Seven, Sportsman 78 and 673 rifles, Remington will remove the original Walker trigger mechanism and replace it with a new X-Mark Pro mechanism.
— For Models 710, 715 and 770, Remington will remove the original trigger mechanism and replace it with a Model 770 connector-less mechanism.
— For Models 600, 660, XP-100, 721, 722 and 725, Remington will provide vouchers of $12.50 or $10, depending on the model, redeemable for Remington products.
— For Models 700 and Seven rifles made between May 2006 and April 9, 2014 with an X-Mark Pro trigger mechanism, Remington will retro-fit a new, improved assembly.
Under the terms of the settlement (which must ultimately receive Court approval), Remington will pay for the parts and labor involved to replace or fix trigger mechanisms, at no cost to the owner. The scope of the settlement may include rifles which previously had trigger upgrades done by owners. According to CNBC, “For guns that cannot be retrofitted, the company plans to offer vouchers for Remington products”. LINK: Related Story with Mis-Fire Demo Video.
Will This be a Thirty Million-Dollar Fix?
How much will the trigger fix program cost Remington? That is hard to predict. However, Remington Outdoors (previously known as “The Freedom Group”) told its investors last month that it had allocated $29.7 million for a “Model 700 settlement reserve”.
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We’ve stated that getting more young people and women involved in shooting is key to the preservation of shooting ranges and the protection of our rights as gun-owners. The good news is that CNBC reported last week that more women than ever before are acquiring firearms and learning to shoot.
CNBC reports: “A good part of the [increase in gun sales] is women. While gun sales last year were up 14% nationwide from the year before, 47% MORE women are now shooting than they were ten years ago. And 23% of all women now own a gun — according to Gallup (2011 Gallup Poll)”. As a result of this trend, gun manufacturers’ profits are up and their stocks are rapidly climbing on Wall Street. Both Ruger and Smith & Wesson equity share prices are way up this year. Moreover, CNBC reports that mainstream retailers such as Cabela’s and Dick’s Sporting Goods are seeing “big profits from guns”. The NSSF observes that, across the nation, many local gun shops are now holding “Ladies Nights”, and enrollments in womens’ training classes is up significantly.
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On October 20th, CNBC broadcast “Remington Under Fire”, a story attacking the safety record of Remington model 700 rifles. CNBC’s report suggests that the Rem 700 is unsafe because it can discharge merely from moving the safety or lifting the bolt, even if the trigger is not pulled. The show, which aired last night, has already created a big stir in the gun industry. Jason Schauble, VP of Remington Defense Division, responded in an NRA News interview just hours after the “documentary” aired. Schauble attacked CNBC’s “irresponsible programming”, stating that the problems trumpeted by CNBC could not be replicated by the manufacturer (or even by plaintiffs’ lawyers). CLICK HERE for the Schauble interview. Schauble argued, “CNBC squarely placed us in their cross-hairs… [with] a loosely strung-together series of data points that relied more on an emotional pull than the facts[.]”
Remington Launches Remington700.TV Website to Defend Product
Remington has challenged CNBC’s report, asserting that the Rem 700 has an excellent safety record. Remington also argues that CNBC’s “experts” were biased and lacked proper qualifications and knowledge. An official response by Remington states: “CNBC ignored facts and information provided by Remington and instead relied on allegations, misleading anecdotes, and false claims.” Remington has also launched a dedicated web-page, www.Remington700.tv to counter the CNBC report. On that site Remington states:
For nearly fifty years, the Remington Model 700 rifle has been the preferred choice for millions of hunters, shooting sports enthusiasts and military and law enforcement personnel. Despite emotional reporting of baseless and unproven allegations and plaintiff lawyer assertions, several undisputed facts remain:
• The Model 700 is the most popular, reliable, accurate and trusted bolt-action rifle in the world, with over five million rifles produced and billions of rounds fired over nearly five decades.
• The Model 700 is the firearm of choice for elite shooters from America’s military and law enforcement communities, and has been the platform for the United States Marine Corps and the U.S. Army precision sniper weapon systems for over two decades, both of which specifically require the “Walker” trigger mechanism.
• The Model 700, including its trigger mechanism, has been free of any defect since it was first produced and, despite any careless reporting to the contrary, the gun’s use by millions of Americans has proven it to be a safe, trusted and reliable rifle.
• Both Remington and experts hired by plaintiff attorneys have conducted testing on guns returned from the field which were alleged to have fired without a trigger pull, and neither has ever been able to duplicate such an event on guns which had been properly maintained and which had not been altered after sale.
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On October 20th, CNBC plans to air a television “exposé” about Remington Arms. The hour-long show argues that there may be a safety issue associated with the Remington 700 series of rifles. We haven’t viewed the show yet, but Jim Shepherd of The Shooting Wire is familiar with its contents. Jim, a veteran journalist, recently wrote a cogent commentary on CNBC’s “investigation” of Remington. Given the important insights Jim reveals, his commentary is well worth reading.
Yesterday morning, I received a promotional piece from CNBC, touting an hour-long investigation into America’s largest firearms company. The promo piece teases “Remington Under Fire: A CNBC Investigation” a story that CNBC says will “take viewers inside a 10-month investigation of the world’s most popular hunting rifle and examines whether a company has gone too far in protecting their signature product.” That product being the Model 700 bolt-action rifle. With more than five million sold, it is hard to argue its domination of the bolt-action rifle market.
It’s hard to argue with the idea that a serious safety defect — especially if it was deliberately downplayed-could cause serious repercussions.
Having spent nearly three decades in journalism, when someone says their exclusive “examines” rather than “exposes” — my first impression is always that the story didn’t come to the conclusion they’d presumed, so they’re leaving plenty of wiggle room in the story by “examining the question” rather than “answering it”. That doesn’t say it’s not interesting, whatever the conclusion.
According to the release, CNBC Senior Correspondent Scott Cohn traveled from Florida to Alaska, uncovering numerous complaints about Remington’s 700 model rifle. The most intriguing fact is Cohn’s having “tracked down” 98-year-old Mike Walker, the Remington engineer who designed the trigger for the Remington 700. The report purports to have an interview — and internal memorandums from Walker — that indicate he had repeated safety concerns about the trigger system — even after he left the company.
Video teasers for the program, however, don’t show Walker. Instead, they show Jack Belk “gunsmith, former cop” and expert witness in a variety of lawsuits against Remington. In the soundbite — admittedly designed to titillate, not answer questions — Belk says “no gun should fire unless the trigger is pulled.”
Not exactly the building of a rock-solid case. But in many cases — especially those tried in the fickle court of public opinion — emotion will trump logic.
I’ve not spoken to anyone at Remington regarding the reports — and CNBC says Remington only responded to their interview requests in writing.
For Remington, that’s prudent business practice. From CNBC, it’s couched as to leave the impression that a lack of willingness to go on camera and talk about six decades of business practices indicates there’s something to hide.
That’s not the case — it is impossible for current management to have first-hand knowledge of anything that happened nearly six decades ago. Consequently, when you don’t know what to say, the best thing to say — especially in a television interview — is nothing.
Remington Under Fire is scheduled to air on October 20. We’ll be watching and at that time, Remington officials will be offered the opportunity to respond to the program.
According to a CNBC report, Remington has agreed to replace (or upgrade) the triggers on 7.85 million Remington rifles including ALL Remington 700s, and a dozen other models including the Model Seven, Sportsman 78, 673, 710, 715, 770, 600, 660, XP-100, 721, 722, and 725. CNBC reported that, as part of the settlement of a class action lawsuit, Remington has agreed to provide trigger replacements (or other solutions) to all owners of the affected rifle models. While Remington is not specifically recalling all the affected firearms, Big Green has committed to offering trigger upgrades (or other compensation) on millions of firearms produced over many decades. In a released statement, Remington insisted it was not “recalling” the affected rifles, but Remington did offer to replace the triggers on request. This corrective program could, potentially, involve millions of rifles (though we doubt that most Rem 700 and Model Seven owners will actually request trigger modifications.)
It’s hard to argue with the idea that a serious safety defect — especially if it was deliberately downplayed-could cause serious repercussions.
